Not a trout cod: The iconic Murray cod can be a crafty opponent.
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There I was, sitting on the bank of the Goulburn River under the shade of a gum tree, listening to the hum of insects and the birds, sipping on a cup of coffee that my friend had brought from his nearby home.
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I was thinking, it does not get better than this, when all of a sudden, it did! My rod bounced up and down and then fell from the forked stick I had it sitting in.
Yes, a bite, and by the feel of it, we could be hooked up to Moby Dick, a resident fish that I have encountered at this very spot on previous visits. The score from those meetings, Moby 4, Kevin zip — it had beaten me every time.
This time it was a different story, this time I was winning. But just when you think you have got it made, the bottom falls out; the fish, which I believed was Moby Dick, a big cod, looked a lot smaller and was different to look at.
What I had hooked was a trout cod, similar to a Murray cod but a different species. Trout cod are totally protected and live in only a few locations, but this indeed was a trout cod that measured just over 40cm.
Apparently, since the introduction of protection regulations, they are starting to make a comeback. That is good news overall, but bad news for me. Moby Dick is still free and roaming the Goulburn — and is still laughing at my feeble attempts to catch it.
If you catch a trout cod, make sure you can recognise it, and release it unharmed to continue the species’ resurgence in our waterways.
I sure enjoyed that coffee.
The word from around the region has been good.
Anglers are reporting reasonable catches in rivers and dams.
The Goulburn between Shepparton and Murchison has been patchy due to high river levels, but it is settling down. Both bait and lures have been getting results.
Worms, yabbies, grubs and chicken and cheese are worth using, while lures in dark green and black spots have been getting cod to bite.
Surface lures have also been successful in the river arms at Eildon for cod mainly on dusk; at Dartmouth it is getting better for trout as it cools down, a Ford Fender trailing either a clown pattern Tassie devil or a bunch of worms is best from first light until mid-morning. You might have to change the depth at which you troll to get the best bites.
The Hume Weir is still the mecca for redfin but closer to home Waranga Basin is worth a try as well.
Both the Brokens, the river between Benalla and Shepparton and the creek between Nathalia and the Murray, are fishing well for cod, and I am still hearing stories of metre-plus cod being caught in the Murray near Cobram as well as Lake Mulwala.
Speaking of Mulwala, the lake is about to be lowered to allow for the removal of weeds. It has been some time since it was last emptied, and this should allow anglers to see the original river course — this will show some of the better spots to hunt for cod.
Saltwater fishing continues to be good, according to Rod Lawn from Adamas Fishing Charters at Queenscliff.
Rod said kingfish could be found feeding on schools of squid and salmon. Best spots are just at the start of the rip inside the heads and around the submarine dive sites off Point Lonsdale.
Speaking of salmon, large schools of salmon are feeding on krill during the run-out tide also in the rip, some snapper were biting on the inshore reefs off the bluff at Barwon Heads, as well as couta, flathead and other reef fish, and around the mouth of the creek near the ferry terminal. There were silver trevally and whiting around the grass beds near Swan Bay.
North of the border, John Liddell at Eden said there were bluefin tuna off the shelf while inshore snapper, morwong and gurnard were on the reefs around Green Cape.
Further up the coast at Narooma, Graham Cowley said it was the same, with good size flathead being caught near Montague Island and schools of big salmon along the surf beach.
James Luddington, who is at Flinders Island, said it was flathead, gummy shark and other reef fish around the islands at Lady Barron.
It has been a great week for sitting by a river and wetting a line. Let’s hope it continues. Stay safe, and good fishing.
Keep the mozzies at bay
With a nasty mozzie-related virus doing the rounds Trelly has found a reliable way to keep them from biting.
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