summer codling

[BillQuay]

Rock codling

Hi, My understanding is that red codling, normally called rock codling are exactly the same species as normal winter codling. The codling go red due to living in the seaweed,ie kelp. The iodine in the seaweed turns them reddy brown colour.
Maybe someone can confirm.

[lumpsucker]

Hi, My understanding is that red codling, normally called rock codling are exactly the same species as normal winter codling. The codling go red due to living in the seaweed,ie kelp. The iodine in the seaweed turns them reddy brown colour.
Maybe someone can confirm.

I thought it was the iron content in the foodchain

[Charlton]

Anyone caught a Bright red cod at night? By red I mean red not dark...

I've never seen one or at the scales in a match.

These fish are either daylight feeders or change colour very quickly...

been to many weigh ins at night and during the day they turn up whether it is daylight or night time

[Ian Alexander]

Hello, good post this.
These are my thoughts for what they are worth. All the cod and codling are the same but they take on the colouration of the habitat that they are living in at that time. ( I did once read that the irish sea cod were genetically different slightly to the North sea cod in that they had an extra vertebrae or something lie that but how true this is I don't know).

In the summer months with the extended daylight the kelp beds are thicker and denser and they are abundant in food, crabs, squat lobsters and the like so the fish become resident and take on the general red colour of the kelp.

Sometimes you find that fish from the river or the beaches can be almost white when they are caught as they have spent a lot of time over cleaner ground.

The summer red cod do have more worms in them and this is because they are feeding in an environment where they pick up a parasitic worm introduced into the food chain by seal poo.

I love the red summer fish though.....even being out there fishing for them is a great feeling.
A couple of photos.

Here is an 11 pounder that was almost white when first caught.



And here's a real bonnie summer fish



This is what the red fish are after.



Regards Ian

[finseeker]

ive noticed when summer fishing for the reds if you get a bit of offshore wind enough to put a chop/white top on the water it can totally knock the fishing dead even in clear water and bright sunshine and as soon as the wind drops there back on the feed...
anyone else found this ?

[steesh]

summer fish

The red codling seem to bite and fight much better. Like they were stronger

[broon shoe]

Well lads heres my spin on a very interesting thread.I have caught many red cod over the years when you look at a red cod there are differences genetically the red cod are not as streamlined and have shorter snout if you think about it they live in dense shallow kelp beds no need to be like a missile .have read that the reason they turn a reddy colour is down to naturally-accuring chemicals in what they feed on called carotenoids which gives the cod the ability to turn red not all cod will turn red some will decide to live in deeper water so theirs no need to take on the reddy colour they will colour and grow to match there habitat

[Cod,cod,cod!]

The red codling seem to bite and fight much better. Like they were stronger

A mutant cod!

[berwick]

Kelpies

Interesting thread this one!

I have often wondered about the red cod but mostly around why it is that some cod return to the kelp filled gullies of the Northumberland coast while others do not. Notice I say return as it is my thinking that they are not there the year round (the latest i have heard of one being caught is early Dec). I think the move off to spawn with the fresh run cod.

Could it be that kelpies move off to spawn and their young are born with the instinct to return to the kelp? (as did their parents).

I agree that the colouring of these fish is influenced by their surroundings and the longer they live in the kelp the darker they become but think upon moving off this fades. As previously stated fresh run cod can be various colours also most likely dependent on habitat and/ or diet

Lovely red colouring to the fish in Ians post where as the one in the attached is much closer to brown (caught mid Nov). Interestingly out of main peeler season on lug tipped with squid

[seanyrooroo]

Anyone caught a Bright red cod at night? By red I mean red not dark...

I've never seen one or at the scales in a match.

These fish are either daylight feeders or change colour very quickly...

The Whitby thread was about the red pig I had a few year ago. It was bright red and caught well after dark in February, Peter.

[seanyrooroo]

http://www.nesa.co.uk/forums/members/seanyrooroo-albums-cod-08-09-season-40-picture298-102-0121.html

[Cod,cod,cod!]

Nice one Sean.. I don't catch many red fish tbh. Going to make an improved effort this summer to get a few..