A.C.F.C. member submission: Big Murray River Cod. My story, by C.P.

Jan 5

4 min read

Part 1 - BACKGROUND

As a kid, I was taught to fish by my dad during family holidays. We had a caravan and always managed to set up close to water.

I started out with a spinner, and it wasn't long before I caught my first fish, a redfin from my grandfathers dam in country Victoria.

As a young boy in primary school, my family built a house in the suburbs that was directly in front of a creek. It was here that my love of nature really took hold, catching lizards, nature walks, and, of course, fishing.

It wasn't long before I taught myself to bait fish, and I always found time to ride my bike to the local reservoir with mates, where I would catch redfin.

After I met the love of my life at 18, I moved closer to the country and set myself the goal of catching trout, I learned everything I could about trout, found some good mudeye dams and before long, I was catching some beauties at local spots.

It was time to move up to bigger and better things. It was time to fish the Murray river.

Part 2 - THE MURRAY RIVER

After some searching, I found the perfect campsite for my family on a sandy bend. Great for swimming, and more importantly, fishing. I started out with a small hook and sinker, and during the next few days, I caught a lot of fish, mostly small bream and carp.

Before I knew it, the trip was over, and it was time to go home, but I still hadn't landed a cod.

Just after my wife had our second child, she decided to skip the annual Murray river trip, so I decided to go with a work mate instead. This time, the cod were biting like crazy and I finally caught my first.

It was during this trip that I noticed that I was having a better strike rate and catching more fish than my mate. I soon figured out it was the difference of hooks, I was using circle while he was using standard hooks.

All up, we caught around 70 Cod on that trip, all undersized, the biggest being 58cm ( 60cm was the minimum at that time ).

Part 3 - MY FIRST KEEPER

As soon as my youngest child was walking, it was time for her first camping trip. We were lucky enough to score the same beautiful spot and it wasn't long before we settled in for 2 weeks of fishing, swimming and relaxing.

Being that it was summer, the bells were ringing flat out, but the small fish kept stealing my bait. I needed to find a way to keep the bait on the hooks longer, so I started experimenting with drying out my cheese. It worked, the bells were still ringing, but the small fish weren't able to take my bait as easily.

Not long after this, at around 10:30pm, my rod started going nuts. I reeled it in and success, I had caught my first keeper. After catching lots of undersized cod, and having landed my first keeper, l wanted to go after the bigger fish. It was time to start experimenting with bigger hooks.

Part 4 - BIG COD

Now that I have had a lot of success with catching big Cod, I'd like to give some pointers.

Firstly, the hooks :

After experimenting with different types of bigger hooks, I've found a size 8 octopus circle hook works best for me.

Secondly, line :

Big cod tend to hang around snaggy areas, so using 20 pound plus line is a must.

Lastly, and equally as important as the hooks and line is patience :

Allow yourself a few days, a week is even better. Some days, you may not catch any fish or even get a bite, but don't be discouraged. Some of the bigger cod I have caught have been at night, after not getting a single bite during the day. Make sure you check your bait every 2-3hrs and be patient.

To pass the time while you're waiting for that big cod, it's a good idea to set up a rod with a smaller hook and have fun catching smaller fish.

At the Murray, the bream (silver perch) are in abundance, and are fun to catch, but remember they are illegal to keep. As well as cheese, shrimp is a great bait to use and will help you catch a variety of fish. You won't catch a beautiful golden perch on cheese. You may even be lucky enough to catch a Murray river catfish, like I did. These Catfish are another protected species, so strictly catch and release. Also, don't forget the new rule changes, cod can only be taken between 55-75cm. (a rule I support).

So, if you catch a big cod, take a quick photo and get him back in the water as soon as possible.

Part 5 - BAD TIMES :

Due to the widespread floods in 2010-2011, over 1800km of the Murray River was affected by blackwater that lasted for several months.

Blackwater is caused by large amounts of organic debris, such as dead leaves, getting washed into the river by flood waters. As this debris is broken down by bacteria, it uses up vital oxygen, which leaves little to no oxygen for the fish, and as a result, the water turns black. This results in a high number of fish deaths, with the biggest fish such as Murray river cod dying first.

I saw the devastation this caused first hand. There were loads of dead fish floating down the river and crayfish climbing up trees, scrambling to get away from the toxic water.

Blackwater also increases the mosquito population significantly. I've never seen the mozzies as bad as that year. No amount of insect repellent stopped them, and the only way to stop yourself from getting eaten alive was to retreat indoors at sundown.

In 2022-2023, the Murray river experienced another blackwater event due to severe floods. Again, there were thousands of fish left dead, and unfortunately, it can take years for the cod population to recover & return to normal. Hopefully, in another year or so, the fishing should be back to normal, and I can't wait.