Fish of the week: Time to do cart- wheels

THE clocks have gone back and it’s starting to get that stormy way that keeps some folk inside but has Cod anglers excitedly checking the tides.

I was over the East coast at the weekend and dropped in to Usan near Montrose to catch up with my pal at his shore league match. The blustery Southerly winds followed an overnight South Westerly churned up plenty of dirty water and he had a good swell in front of him. Conditions like this called for big baits cast on heavy gear with 40lb mono straight through using rotten bottom links over the rough ground. His baits were all based around Crab Cart with Peeler Crab, Shellfish and Worm to give some added appeal fished on #4/0 Pennel rigs.

The Cod season has kicked off well with some impressive bags already, the biggest fish on the scorecard that day was 6.5lb and a 14lb fish fell to another east coast angler on the same stretch the next day! For Ian it was the cart that seemed to be doing the trick with his bag of 12 fish for just shy of 30lb picking up 1st place.

There’s been a lot of debate on cart over the years. The shore lads from Whitby pioneered and with some incredible results it wasn’t long before the secret of their success got out. Anglers are an inquisitive bunch and if you can get your hands on some edible crabs or prepared cart baits, you’re in luck. Basically, cart is the inner meat (wings) and all-important coral from an edible hen crab, and by removing, preparing and storing it properly, your next shore cod session could well be one to remember.

Coral is the eggs carried by the crab and stored in the wings before they come into what’s known as “berry”. The coral can also be stored in the crown of the crab too. It’s easily and immediately noticeable by its distinct orange colour.

Once you’ve opened up the crab to reveal the flesh and coral, the water must be drained before removing it. Many anglers leave them in salt to help remove excess water before they’re made in blocks or sausages, wrapped in clingfilm and then frozen for when you need them.

Cart can be a messy bait and it can be something of a challenge to present it well. Due to its soft nature some anglers even find it difficult to keep cart baits on the hook during a cast, even if large amounts of bait cotton or bait elastic are used.

There are a wide range of methods which have been tested by anglers to fish cart effectively. Cart wings are more solid and can be hooked normally but wrapping the cart in some kind of casing to keep it together when being cast out is the most effective method allowing the juices and scents to escape and attract fish.

Anglers have experimented with all sorts from squid body, cling film and netting to nylon tights as materials to contain cart inside. These days there are specific crab cart meshes that make it a much easier job. It is up to individual to find what suits them best but if you can hold of some crab cart it’s definitely worth having in your arsenal over the winter.