THE old rule of thumb for Murray cod was that the fish were best sought when the water temperature was up, and this meant summer.

Many anglers, working on the theory that you wouldn’t catch cod in winter, put away their fishing tackle and went chasing trout in lakes or bream or salmon in the surf.

The reality is that while you may not catch as many Murray cod in winter, those that you do hook will be bigger.

The critical issue for Murray cod is not so much water temperature as water levels. Cod come on the bite better when the water level is rising.

The best fishing often happens the day before the rise reaches the stretch of river being fished.

This fact was brought home to me again this week when Murray River cod guru Rod Mackenzie emailed me a picture of his latest catch, a cod of about 35kg caught near Mildura.

He isn’t the only angler doing well. Others have been taking reasonable numbers of large cod near Robinvale.

About three years ago, I was involved in a cod session on the Murray River near Wentworth. More than a dozen cod to about 30kg were caught, and there were no fish under 12kg.

The fishing was slow, given the time spent on the water, but it takes only one big cod to make a trip worthwhile.

At this time of year, many big cod are caught close to where small creeks and drains flow into the river.

The Murray cod doesn’t move at a great rate of knots and is an ambush predator.

Big cod take cover in snags and submerged timber, below overhanging trees or along rockbars. The fish hover almost motionless as they wait for a meal to swim past.

When this happens, cod open their mouths and inhale their victims. Known as implosion feeding, on still days or nights you will sometimes hear the “boofing” sound, like a shotgun firing, when a big cod’s gills slap shut as it exhales water inhaled with the unfortunate meal.

Winter cod are best sought with lures, either trolled or cast. Slow-trolling big lures or wide-body lures and working spinnerbaits or mumblers through snags are all productive methods.

An 8kg baitcaster outfit spooled with 15kg breaking strain braid will cover most lure applications. When rigging it is important to use a hard-wearing leader material of about 24kg breaking strain.

LURES

Many anglers have taken to working spinnerbaits and the similar mumbler lures.

The method is to cast the lure into a likely snag and retrieve it slowly through or alongside the timber.

The advantage of this type of lure is that you are less likely to hang up on timber. If you do, tighten the line and pull it as if you were loading a bow, and then let it go.

The subsequent shockwave down the braid will sometimes push the lure free.

A few successful trolling lures include the Stumpjumper, Halco Poltergeist and Predatek Boomerang.

When trolling lures, it is important to keep them close to the riverbed. Work braid lines of about 15kg and a nylon leader to act as a shock absorber to stop the hooks pulling out when you get a strike.

Trolling success comes by working lures close to snags. A benefit of braid lines is that you can feel when your lure is bouncing over submerged logs.

To avoid snagging, free spool quickly to allow the lure to rise, and then put the reel back in gear and the lure will dive down again.

Steve Cooper can be heard on the Casting Off program on Radio Sport927 between 4.30am and 6.30am on Saturdays.

Source : Herald Sun