Tackle
At the type of depths we fish at braid is a must as it will allow anglers to know they are in contact with the sea bed and in the 'killing zone'. A 30lb class rod will do nicely to cushion the lunges of a fighting fish. Anglers turning up with reels loaded with mono will never know where their end gear is and tangle other braid anglers up and become very unpopular .
Shad fishing seems to have become the standard form of catching cod in Hatlepool in recent years and has replaced pirking or jigging to a large extent. Both methods are similar in as much as they rely on the water being clear and the fish able to see these lures to work. Both methods work well all season long on the wrecks we fish because the waters well offshore are unaffected by rain water washing into the rivers or by a 'rough up' and are always clear. The alternative is bait fishing, which can be very effective when drift fishing wrecks. For this reason I always use tubi booms. The boom means the hook doesn't tangle the mainline when lowering my gear to the seabed and I can change quickly from shads to bait in seconds by snapping on a new trace. My favorite shad color is pink or orange though blue ones can be very effective when the mackerel show from May onwards.

Method:
Simply drop this virtually tangle free rig down to the sea bed and slowly wind up about 20 to 30 times then drop back down again and repeat thats it now your shadding.
What happens next is up to the fish but if you do get a bite its best to resist the urge to strike but keep on slowly retrieving the line and the fish normally hooks it self
 It is possible to use lighter tackle for shad fishing than you would normally use for jigging but again this is not essential 

Pirks

Pirks can be made from metal tube filled with lead, re-enforcing bar cut to 12 - 14" long or bright steel bar cut to weigh around 12 - 18oz, Drill to take split rings.
You can also buy fast drop pirks which reach the bottom in record time

Recommended Baits
Rag worm
Lugworm
Black worm ( Runny Down )
Squid ( Small / Large )
Mackerel
Peeler Crab 
Mussels