Tie a Cod bait rig

[Capt. Bob]

There are pretty packaged rigs at stores and tackle shops that work fine and catch fish. I will discuss what I believe to be a superior rig for a couple of different reasons. I use 2 #7 Gamakatsu octopus circle hooks . I tie 2 ways . 1. A 3 way swivel to the main line , 8 to 12" to the circle hook, then 2 ' to a 2nd 3 way swivel. Tie a circle hook 6 to 10 " to the swivel and lastly a 6 to 8" sinker loop out of 30lb. Mono. Sinker loop: about 18" of mono and 2 overhand loops (the 1st thing you do when you tie your shoelaIces) and pull tight with pliers and test all your knots. The sinker will be sacrificed on the bottom allowing you to keep your rig and fish if you should become snagged. I tie 15 to 20 ' of 50lb. Mono to my 50lb. braid to act as a shock leader and simplify any tangles with fellow fisherman. I use the Albright knot to tie the shock leader to the braid and the improved clinch knot to the hooks and 3 way swivels.
2. I tie the same rig with less hardware using 1 barrel swivel and 2 dropper loops for the hooks and a sinker loop.
TIPS. I use a glow in the dark squid skirt over the hooks and then put fresh clams for bait. It's dark down there and I will take every advantage I can. The store bought usually come with red or pink surgical tubing. Red along with black get lost 1st down deep. I feel I catch almost double the amount of fish with circle hooks. ( the top charter boats in Gloucester use circles) Hook the 1st one by starting to reel up or a light jerk and wait 10 or 15 seconds to try and get a double header.

[Capt. Bob]

Bait Tips : I bring 8, 10, 12, 14 and 16oz. sinkers. Ideally just enough to tend bottom at anchor. If on the drift , I like 10 or 12oz. as the lines move away from the boat. If the next drift the lines are going under the boat, I will switch to 14 or 16oz. to tend bottom longer. The sinker loop on the bait rig makes this easy. Going to far under the boat is dangerous for 2 reasons. 1) The line can chafe the bottom of the boat and weaken your line or break you off. 2) You may tangle with the fisherman on the other side of the boat. I will do an underhand flip away from the boat on my next drop.
Also, I like to put fresh bait every 15 to 20 minutes when I come back up , the freshly shucked clam scent will work better than washed out clams. Cod feed on sight, smell and motion such as jigging.
P.S. Tie a rag to the rail to wipe your hands or rubberized gloves free of the clam juice.