Cod Newsletter

November 15, 2001

Dear Cod Pot Fishermen,

As many of you know, our Neptune Cod Trigger device was instrumental in the development of the cod pot fishery in Alaska. Neptune’s Cod Triggers have been the industry standard for the past 12 years. Over these 12 years, we have occasionally sent out our Neptune Newsletters when we wanted to update fishermen on ways to increase their catch rate, extend the life of their triggers, or to keep them aware of various political issues that affect the cod pot fishery.

The purpose of this mailing is to introduce you to a number of advantages of building your own cod triggers. Building your own triggers can save you considerably on the price you pay for triggers. Savings of 60%+ are possible. Triggers are easy to assemble with a minimum amount of tools and manpower. Also, a number of unique designs are available to fishermen that are willing to assemble their own triggers. These new trigger designs offer methods to increase your catch rates by reducing the number of cod that escape. Other tips are also offered to help increase your catches. Hopefully you will find the following helpful.

SAVE CONSIDERABLY ON THE PRICES YOU PAY FOR COD TRIGGERS.

If you build your own triggers with Neptune components your savings will probably be in excess of 60%. Prices for a 9” X 36” ID would be around $12.40 each or around $25 per set. For 9” X 18” triggers, the prices would be $7.45 each while the 9” X 27” size goes for $10.75 each. Lists of components and their costs are available on a separate sheet. Triggers are easy to assemble with a minimal amount of manpower and tools. Plastic pipe cutters can be used to cut the slit pipe by hand or a band saw works well. The finger units and end pieces are slid into the pieces of slit pipe. Plastic elbows are solvent welded to the finger holding slit pipe sections to create the trigger. Allow the cement to cure overnight. If additional durability and strength are desired, stainless steel hex headed screws can be used in each elbow. Detailed assembly instructions are available.

CATCH MORE BY LOSING LESS

We know that cod escape through our trigger fingers as well as through the stainless steel style triggers. Our regular finger units have 1.75” between them while the stainless triggers have 2” between them. Cod escape through both existing models on the market. Reducing the escape rate in Neptune triggers is possible by considering a couple of options.

CONSIDER BUILDING TRIGGERS WITH OFFSET FINGERS

One method is to build your triggers in a manner that does not allow the full gap between fingers as an escape route. By offsetting fingers, it is possible to have the opposing fingers intermesh with the opposing fingers. This minimizes the gap between fingers. Instead of having 1.75” inches between the fingers, the opposing finger splits this amount by more than half. Offsetting fingers is easily done with the addition of a set screws to create the spacing effect. Fingers on one side are slid in one direction while those on the other side are slid in the other direction. The set screws lock these finger placements in such a way that they intermesh when a cod pushes against them in an effort to get out.

CONSIDER USING NEPTUNE’S LONG MINI FINGER UNITS

In addition to Neptune’s regular finger units, we also make mini finger units. They have 7/8” between the fingers instead of 1.75” on the regular finger units. Reducing the gap between fingers is a sure way to keep cod in your pot. With proper attachment methods, mini finger units can also be made in an offset manner as described above. Mini finger units have fingers that are closer together and do cost a bit more than regular finger units. The cost difference between the two finger types are on the price sheet.

CONSIDER BUILDING OVERHANG TRIGGERS

In our efforts to find other applications for Neptune triggers, we developed a trigger for Dungeness crab that we call the OverHang Trigger. The basic shape involves using shorter fingers on the bottom row of fingers and longer fingers that “overhang” the lower row of short fingers. This design keeps the entrance point difficult to exit through. OverHang Triggers can be made with regular finger units or with mini finger units. The regular finger units would have to be cut to achieve the desired shape on the bottom row of fingers.

CONSIDER ADDING BUNGIE CORDS TO SECURE THE PLACEMENT OF FINGERS

By loosely weaving 1 /8th inch bungie cord between the fingers at mid length, escape possibilities are lessened considerably. A piece of mesh along the mid finger length would accomplish the same thing. Both methods greatly decrease the chance of cod escaping through the fingers.

CONSIDER OTHER METHODS THAT HAVE PROVEN TO INCREASE CATCH RATES

1.) Make sure that you secure your end pieces with the outside fingers to close off this possible escape route. The holes in the outside fingers are designed to allow a plastic cable tie to secure the end section of the cod trigger and prevent any escape by cod that hit this area of the trigger.

2.) On longer Neptune cod triggers, the lower fingers in the center section have a tendecy to sag due to gravity. Some of the best cod pot fishermen noticed this and advised us of their remedy. They simply tape, or tie, the opposing center finger tips together. This keeps the entrance gap, and escape gap, to a certain distance and prevents escape through a sagging center gap.

OTHER METHODS THAT MIGHT LURE MORE COD INTO YOUR POTS

Most cod pot fishermen understand the benefits of using bait bags these days. The use of bait bags creates the impression of a feeding frenzy inside the pot when the cod rip at the bait in the bag.. This provides an incentive for the cod outside the pot to enter in search of a meal. The other benefit of bait bags is the fact that small bits of bait float off with the current. This provides a path to the pot for the ever-hungry cod. Smaller mesh material has been our most popular seller because it makes the bait last longer. Priced at $.11/ft in 1,500’ rolls, Neptune bait bag material is the choice of many cod pot fishermen.

Just like many other fish, cod are curious and opportunistic feeders that are attracted by sight, sound and smell. Numerous methods are available to create items of interest to cod. Most of these look like potential meals. Some ideas to consider include lures commonly used in other fisheries. Salmon trollers use plastic “hootchies” to mimic the appearance of squid or octopus. Both of these species are diet items for not only salmon but also cod. Hang a single, or multiple, hootchies from the top of the pot’s interior so that they are centered between the opposing triggers. Currents and tidal action will move the hootchie in such a way that it looks like a meal. Curiosity will cause the cod to enter in pursuit of this “meal”. Glow in the dark hootchies should be considered. Other options that create the same effect include using pieces of reflective threads of mylar tied to small swivel and snap. These, and salmon hootchies, can actually be attached to the tips of Neptune fingers if holes are drilled in the finger’s tips. While no formal tests have been done on these supplemental baiting methods, common sense suggests it might be worth giving it a try. For those interested in conducting more scientific trials, guidelines to conduct such tests are available. A Canadian fishery scientist specializing in gear design has provided basic guidelines to fishermen interested in conducting their own fishing trials and tests. Request Dr. Miller’s guidelines.

FISH EXPO DISCOUNTS AVAILABLE THROUGH THE END OF THE YEAR

We are participating in Fish Expo this year to introduce our self-assembled trigger making concept and our new line of Dungeness triggers. We’re offering a 20% discount to both groups of fishermen through the end of the year to encourage them to consider making their own trigger designs. If you receive this newsletter through the mail and have any questions, please give us a call or contact us via email at info@neptunemarineproducts.com. We’re always open to hearing from fishermen about how we can improve our product and increase catch rates in the cod pot fleet.