Same cod in the Same Spot

[the gecko]

Fri nite was fishing a rocky patch by the mouth of the Coomera, and I pulled a black spot cod around 55cm on a slab of tailor and 40lb leader. Then I see that he has an old rig of mine stuck in him, and that this is the same fish that buried me in the rocks some 4-6 weeks ago!

The old rig was a red wire trace with a gamma 7/0 that was stuck down his gut. This American bleeder wire is pretty rare, and the wire knot that I use is pretty unique, so it was definitely the same fish in the exact same spot! I havent used wire for over a month now, since Im not chasing sharks anymore.

He seemed in good enough condition, and looked like he could go another 6-12 months before the gut hook and 30cm trace would finally kill him. Whats more the gamma hook hadn’t deteriorated in the slightest. I thought they rust out?

OK, revenge was nice, but I was more interested in the fact that the fish had stayed in the same spot. Are they territorial?

This fish has a habit of burying you in the rocks, then he sits on the bottom and waits for you to get impatient. Eventually, after freespooling and winding for 5-10 mins, you will think hes not there and then you break the braid. This time he did the same thing, but he came loose after a bit of freespooling.

Half an hour later, I had a big jew on the line after he took a whole gar, and got him to the boat, saw a flash of silver, but he played up, took a big run and spat the hooks, bugger. That will teach me for snelling a 10/0 with a 7/0. I must go back to 2 10/0s. All the action at the start of the runout on the neap tides.

No pics cos the camera got rained on the other nite, and the neoprene cover acted like a sponge. New camera on order, and this will be a cheap one just for the boat.


Cheers
Andrew

[BAR UP]

Great story Andrew, so did you keep him & have beautiful cod fillets for dinner ?? , Peter.

[tailorboi99]

Yeah, good report and unlucky about that jewie.

Cheers Tom

[frankgrimes]

Bad luck on the Jewie mate - You'll land one soon!

Mick

[tunaticer]

It does not surprise me to catch him twice in the one locations even after a month delay. In the pine river there probably is a singular cod I have caught from the same deep hole about 6 times in the last 3 yrs. It is definitely the same cod of about 10 lbs as it has a badly shaped lower jaw probably from a break when he was young. Every time i have caught it is within about a 100 foot circle.

Large cod and groper will live for many years in one location if the food source isn't broken.

Same goes for some sharks too, a hammerhead appears every afternoon for several months in front of an old camp site i used to frequent right on sunset looking for a feed of whatever has been cleaned there that afternoon right in the wash zones.

Jack.

[tailorboi99]

Thanks for that Jack I didn't know that.

[the gecko]

Yer, thanks TT, Im happy to see someone else confirms the same habitat theory. I wasnt even gonna post about this average catch, but theres been a few threads on how dumb and greedy cod are, but none on how they hold the same location. I suppose groper are well known for it, so cod must be similar.

This one wont be eating anything again tho. He made great fillets for last nights tea.
I dont think he was gonna throw the gut hook anytime soon, so he was a goner.

Andrew

[Didley]

Andrew, remember that hook I got out of a cod 4 months or so back, they just don't seem to rust inside the fish. There goes the theory of sniping the line on a gut hooked fish and the hook will be gone in a day or two.
Keep after that Jew, I'll be waiting for the Ya hoo, I'm sure I'll hear it from my place.

Dids

[Cobia Kid]

i think this is how it goes,
for nearly anything to rust it must have an oxygen sorce, and the corrosian contaniment (water). With a hook being underwater in a fishes guts it dosnt come into much contact with oxygen, hence the reason it didnt rust in the water.
i hope this makes sense, and correct me if im wrong!!!
cheers,
jamie

[the gecko]

Cobia kid,
water = h2o = one molecule of hydrogen to 2 molecules of oxygen, I think. So the oxygen is already in the water.

The reason I raised this issue, is that some previous threads have suggested hooks rust out in a fish in several days or a week or so.

[Outsider1]

An interesting article on the subject of leaving hooks in;

http://www.bassdozer.com/articles/manns/hook_in_out.shtml

Cheers

Dave

[Franco]

Good story!

Shame bout the jewie :'(
You win some, you lose some, eh!!

[Dirtysanchez]

Hi Andrew

It is interesting. Personally I don't believe it, but often on fishing shows they leave the hook and say, She'll be right, that will rust out in a few days.. The theory is as you put it, the salt and oxygen start the job, and certain enzymes in the fish aid the rusting process.

Many years ago I caught a bream, he didn't look too great, and hanging from his bum hole was a very rusty hook, which to me meant he had swalloed a hook, or rig, and it had gone right through his system, because it was only the barb and point protruding :(

Imagine having to endure that !!

[geoff72]

good read mate, keep going for those jew mate. Still a virgin myself.

[matt fraser]

G'day Andrew,

Good to see you've still been getting out a bit!

Cod are definitely very territorial, I remember reading in a report on tagging how one E Cod was caught four times by the same person in the same spot, I can't remember how long it was between captures.

Good luck with the Jewies, the next couple of nights should be good on the high tide change.

Cheers,

Matt