Autumn Beachcasting: Cod Season Tactics

Cod tend to follow falling water temperatures inshore from autumn onwards, often turning up in numbers after the first rough weather of the season has stirred up the seabed and dislodged food.

A rough, coloured sea is not a reason to stay home — it's often when cod feed most confidently, using the disturbed water as cover. Fish a scent-heavy bait like squid and worm cocktails to help fish find your hookbait in poor visibility.

Fish after dark where it's safe to do so. Cod frequently feed harder at night in shallower water than they will during a bright day, particularly close to a new or full moon.

Check tide times and target the two hours either side of high water on many UK beaches, when fish push furthest inshore — but always check local conditions and forecasts, since every beach behaves a little differently.