Albury/Wodonga

ALBURY/WODONGA Connor Heir

Every year as 1 December approaches, cod anglers start twitching to get out on the water to chase these incredible fish that we are something you haven’t done before I highly recommend it, especially if you are new to cod fishing. The spots you can pull fish from will blow your mind, especially when you do fish those low light periods, being the morning and late afternoons. However,

Rhys Wilson with a beautiful yellowbelly taken from a shade pocket during the day. This greedy fish had no problems taking on a good-sized swimbait. way I’ve walked). I usually give most snags about 10-15 casts before fishing the next piece of structure, but also if a snag can be fished more efficiently using a different style lure I will change and re-fish the hole with something different. For example, if there is a rock ledge or a big root bank where a floating lure like a hardbody won’t get down to depth straight away in the bite zone, I will change over to a spinnerbait or a sinking swimbait to get it right into the zone of the cod. While sometimes it’s good to move along areas quickly to cover water, if fish are playing hard this can be a really good technique and sometimes you can really key into what their behaviour is.

Often on my way back I will fish the same holes I previously fished during the day with surface lures on low light. As mentioned, low light periods definitely do standout, so revisiting areas can sometimes unlock their

full potential. During the colder months the cod fishing can be hit-andThe author caught this surface-eating cod in a pool in the afternoon. Just hours before he had fished there with no bites. Gaden Trout HatcheryGadenTrout Hatchery miss, but in summer the catches are more consistent, and you should be able to pick a few up if you fish Gaden Trout Hatcheryhard. Summertime usually provides fantastic numbers of See how premier sport fishsmaller fish, in contrast to the cooler months when anglers are bred and raised!

lucky to have in our very own backyard!

I’m predicting this cod season will be a very successful one, with anglers catching good numbers of healthy, fit Murray cod. The reason for this prediction is the recent flows and rainfall had during both winter and spring. It’s been a few years since there has been this much water around in our local area, and it really is something to be happy about. The good flushes throughout so many different fisheries will have really

freshened up the food chain, and while it does make it hard to fish in the short term, once it settles and regular flows are more consistent, it can make for some really exciting fishing opportunities, and not just for cod.

During summer, I really am sucked into fishing the small water systems chasing Murray cod. There’s something special about wet wading and walking banks of small water, and if it’s even fishing during the heat of the day, you can pull fish from crazy spots. Last season on cod opening I remember walking across a shallow section of water and cast a hardbody into a tiny shade pocket that would have been just on knee depth, and my lure got nailed by a small cod as soon as the lure hit the water. Essentially, it was a topwater bite, so I tied on a surface lure to see what would happen. What followed was a short bite window for about half an hour where the cod

were hammering anything. At the time, my friend was casting a spinnerbait while I had a surface lure on, and he had as much action as I did.

A lot of the time while cod fishing, it can be easy to only fish the best-looking structure in the holes, but it really is worth picking holes apart. I like to start at the bottom or top of a hole and work my way downstream or upstream (depending on which

A beautiful Lake Hume Golden perch caught just before cod opening. Lake Hume is still offering beautiful specimens of gold if you’re willing to put the effort in!

Gaden Rd (off Kosciuszko Rd) * * * * * 12934 leaping fish * 4 species aquaria, breeding ponds, AV show beautiful picnic–BBQ area smoked trout for sale find out about kids fishing workshops.

A small water cod taken on a swimbait. Sometimes a slow sinking lure can be perfect for getting under willows at just the right sink rate.

dial in on bigger fish. You can definitely still target those bigger fish in summer, and they can eat at any time of day if you’re in the right place at the right time. However, for the most part, summer is a really good time to get good numbers of smaller fish. It’s

so much fun, and small water is probably one of the best ways to start. You don’t need the best gear; all you need is a confident approach and be willing to at times catch nothing. With time you will gain knowledge and catch fish more consistently. Don’t be afraid to fish shallow sections. If there’s structure and enough water for them to hide, that’s often enough. www.dpi.nsw.gov.au Gaden Trout HatcheryGadenTrout Hatchery Gaden Trout Hatchery