​Winter Spring Murray Cod, Why Not???

Aaaah Winter, the time when all discerning Murray cod anglers pop the boat into dry dock for a service, strip the braid off the favourite reels and give them a thorough going over and swap out those used and abused lure trebles for some which actually stick........ Or is it? Wait up, there’s something else going on. It’s not new, it’s not different, but not all of us have been dong it. What is it? Winter (then Spring) Murray cod fishing. Read on, for darky’s hot tips, for cold weather cod fishing.....

Brrr.....

Yep, it’s cold. Damned cold. But I’ll let you in on a cod fisher’s tip that is widely known, but often ignored. It’s these cold months of the year, that often produce the stonking big fish, to those who can leave the comfort of the wood heater. Why that is I’m not too clear on, the theories as usual are fairly broad and for the most part unsubstantiated. As I’m often known to say, unless and until someone learns to “talk cod” we really are just waxing lyrically, but that’s ok. The theories give us plenty to discuss and share in those quiet times.

Caption: Beanies are mandatory, pompoms not so much.....

Gear up.....

So we can agree it’s bloody cold yea! Right from the top let’s have a look at what you’re wearing, because let’s face it, if you’re so cold your false teeth are threatening to fall out, well it’ll be a very short winter cod season for you. Not so much for your local “falsies engineer”......

I’m putting it out there early, thermal underwear is a game changer and essential. If you’re anything like darky, part way through the dressing process you may look like a cross between a baby orca and a blue whale but that’s ok, there’s always the over garments to hide the form fitting evils. And you will thank me when on the water. The partially dressed image in the mirror is quickly forgotten as you actually easily combat the winter chills. A quality base layer is essential. Spend a bit extra, you’ll thank me later.

Almost as important as the thermals are the coverings for the hands and noggin. A beanie is a minimum standard, but on the coldest of mornings a balaclava may be required. Best not to do the company’s weekly banking on the way home however...... In the balaclava. If you know what I mean. There’s plenty of thinsulate, polar fleece and knitted offerings out there and they’re not expensive. Take your pick. The gloves may be a little trickier. Are you a lure caster or troller? You may prefer dedicated fishing gloves with fold back thumb and finger to allow you to cast. There’s plenty to choose from.

With the other outer garments sorted, the world is your oyster. Try to “layer” so that when that beautiful winter sun eventually peeks through and warms everything in it’s path, you can easily remove one or two layers and remain comfortable. For the times when the inevitable winter and spring rains occur, a quality lightweight rain jacket is a must. The old Drizabone is perfect if you’re bait fishing, but trying to cast and retrieve lures in one is like casting in a suit of armour, Ned!

Boots and decent socks are mandatory. You’ll get away with the thongs in the summer (we’re still talking about footwear here by the way), but heading out in winter in the bogan’s safety boots is pure madness. Explorers used to be the go to sock, but there’s oodles out there now. Don’t skimp....

Caption: When the sun comes out you can swap to the cap, but you'll still need the hoodie and gloves.

Let’s fish.....

Righto, we’re all geared up. Let’s fish! If there is one constant and recurring theme from those who’ve been cool weather cod fishers since Jesus came in at first drop for the Jerusalem 2^nd 11, it’s fishing big lures nice and slow. The thought process here is that through the cooler months the fish don’t want to expend, or don’t have a heap of energy to expend, therefore big meals that are easy to catch are the go. Have a look at your local tackle shop walls and take a particular interest in your 150mm and above sized offerings. My predominant interest is in diving hard body lures, but the same principles apply no matter what your preference is. Look for those monster swimbaits, soft plastics and surface paddlers. They’re the ones that, moved gently and rhythmically (careful) will draw the attention of that monster cod we all strive to connect with.

Similarly spinnerbaits should be upsized in all aspects. Look for multiple blades and big “budgies” or XOS soft plastic attachments, quality wire and terminal connections are important, and in a bait of this size a concealed stinger hook is mandatory. If your chosen spinnerbait doesn't have one they’re easy to add. Just ask the team behind the tackle shop counter.

For those casting and retrieving (hard bodies) a few quick winds to get down to depth, then slow the entire process down to a snail’s pace. That said, keep the action in your lure. A cod won’t be too impressed with a colored stick being skull dragged lifelessly away from him. It still has to swim like a fish. The lure trollers (darky’s mob) have a few things to keep an eye on. Slow is best, but not to the detriment of the lure’s action not working (as above) or not reaching depth. Some brands are without doubt better than others in this regard. Have a look on the walls and you’ll find a few brands that almost “specialise” in XOS Murray cod lures. These are the “winter experts” and will have a swag of research and development behind them. For the most part they will perform well at the slow speeds required in winter.

Where?

The eternal question of where to fish is easy to answer. Fish where the fish are! Yea good one smart ‘orse I hear you say, but it’s the simplest answer. The scopers have a bit of an advantage here, they’re generally not putting casts out blindly. For the rest of us it’s all the usual tricks, keep an eye out for the likely structure and ledges, as well as anything a little different. Fishing partner Jas’ and I fished Mildura recently and found big balls of “fluff” on the sounder which no doubt were the incumbent “pybrey bream” schooled up en masse. These fish make up a goodly proportion of the Murray river cod’s diet at certain times, so it was no surprise to find a few “evil arches” holding nearby. Areas such as this should be given a priority with your cast or trolled lures.

Many believe the Murray cod hold a little deeper through the cooler months and this is often the case, but not always. Mulwala and Nagambie winter fishers have much success putting large plastics and swimbaits in very little water of the shallow bays, working through weedbeds and the like. It’s not that much different to fishing the warmer weather, the fish are where you find them.

Caption: McCreddens Pro Angler Dan Dingle does much of his fishing in the cooler months, and often in the dark. Warm clothing is mandatory.

The new age......

Here in Central Victoria, we face a very different Spring in 2024 as Murray cod fishers, with the “opening” (non closure) of local storages Lake Eppalock and Cairn Curran Reservoir to year round Murray cod fishing. Essentially the authorities have decided that these stocked waters have little to no natural, annual breeding or natural recruitment, therefore there’s no point in the closed season. (Local and visiting) Murray cod anglers rejoice! These storages now join Lake Eildon to the south east, and Rocklands Reservoir (keep an eye on this one, it’s going to be epic), Belfield, Charlegrark and Taylors lakes to the west and Nillahcootie to the East as having no closed season for Murray cod fishing. Without doubt, no matter where you live in Victoria, you’ll have reasonably good access to year round cod fishing (sorry, far east Gippsland).

My locals are of course Cairn Curran Reservoir and Lake Eppalock, but with Eppalock being only a 10 minute drive from home, it’s there where I see myself on the spring cod trail. Now I know the regular readers of my scribblings (and it’s a big hello to both of you) will already be up and about saying “hang on, darky doesn’t rate Eppalock as a cod fishery, he said so last year.............” This is indeed true, and my thought process and opinion has not changed, but a spring Murray cod fishing destination 10 minutes from my home is a lure too big for me not to nail (a bit of funky fish speak there for you). Stand by for a bit of “darky reasoning” on the why.....

Eppalock...

Lake Eppalock has been a great fishery for a long time. Back in the day the trout fishers were fond of it, the redfin fishers still rave about it (and rightly so) and since the native fish stockings commenced, it’s become renowned as a proven, quality, yellowbelly fishery. The codfish, well they’re proving a little trickier but anglers do catch them, both intentionally or as a bycatch when fishing for other species. The captures of targeted fish, methods and areas is a closely guarded secret and fair enough. If someone has put in the time and effort to work the lake and the cod out, then I certainly wouldn’t blame them for being a little coy with the where and how. But darky will be out there, trying for the mythical Eppalock green fish. How will I be attacking this quest? Read on......

What is widely known, is there are Eppalock Murray cod taken from rocky ledges. It’s not dissimilar to Eildon actually. So I’ll be making a beeline for those areas, and trolling until the paint falls off the lures. If that proves fruitless, I’ll widen the quest to the shallower bays. I know from past experience, that it will only take a fish or two and a theory proven, and I’ll be like the fat kid in the chips aisle at Safeway. Just like Nagambie, Mulwala or “the Creek” (Gunbower), if you’re looking for me I’ll be on the drink dragging lures around......

Springtime on Eppalock is actually a great time to fish. The days are bright, sunny and gorgeous, and as soon as the water temperature hits that 17 or 18 degree mark the yellas become very active. Guess who’s going to be “johnny on the spot” when the yella switch is flicked? All the die hards out there fishing for the Murray cod, that’s who. A little later in the season (think October and November) the lake’s redfin too start to fire up. Yes, you’ll troll them up all year round, but later in the year when the water starts to warm, the schools seem to be come a little denser and more active.

Caption: Woollen jackets, ideal for the cool starts!

But how....

My methodology will be very close to my everyday technique, to take full advantage of this phenomenon. Quite simply, by seeking your Murray cod with the smaller cod lures, you’ll be right amongst ‘em when the yellas, and then the reddies come on the chew. Down at Nagambie Jas and I troll smaller lures because the system carries cod, yellas and reddies, all in good numbers. Troll a lure which appeals to all three, and you’ll give yourself the opportunity to get all three in a day. A trifecta day occurs occasionally, and it’s always a great day.

So, choose your Murray cod lure carefully and you’ll open up your options. Don’t get me wrong, the dedicated XOS cod lures will catch the cod, but it will be only the cod you’ll catch. Scale the lure down a little and open up a few more opportunities is the way to go in my opinion. Some may disagree and that’s ok. I certainly disagreed the day my best cod of the (current) Nagambie season spat the lure back at me boat side (just shy of a metre we reckon) probably because the hooks on the mid sized lure were not suited to the weight of and mouth toughness of a near metre fish. That’s fishing life though isn’t it.....

The pain eventually dissipates though. A little anyway. The tears have finally stopped...... Still and all, I’m a fisherman first, so scaled down Murray cod lures I’ll use in mixed fisheries, because I predominantly want to catch fish. There’s a mountain of suitable lures out there, all fitting within this size range. I have a few which are tried and tested. The smallest of them would be the 60mm Oargee Plow, with the slightly larger Number 2 (middle sized) Stumpjumper another favourite. Both these ranges are available in a plethora of different colors and are widely available. Slightly larger, but still fitting into the “all rounder” lure category is the 90mm Zerek Slickback and the 85mm JD Super Bugs or Mul Bugs (depending on the depth I’m trolling). These two also come in some fabulous colors, with some sure to appeal to you (and let’s face it if “you” don’t like a color enough to buy it, you’ll never fool a fish with it cos you won’t have it) and to your finned and scaled quarry......

Finally.....

So that’ll be darky in spring. Murray cod closed season be damned, I’ll fish the “open all hours” waters. Aside from Eppalock I’ll be having a little look at Cairn Curran Reservoir as well (that’ll be a story for another day), but with a few days to spare I’ll definitely be heading west to Rocklands. 50 plus years ago I commenced my fishing journey on this very water and I very much have some fondness for it. I strongly recommend you give it a fish too.

As always, drop in and have a chat to the helpful and knowledgeable McCreddens pro staff. They have a cracking range of cool weather fishing clothing this year, you’ll be “best dressed on the lake”. They’ll also set you straight with all your winter and spring Murray cod fishing needs, and by then they may be able to share with you a few tips on darky’s Eppalock cod fishing exploits. Or not. I guess we’ll have to see........

darky out.....