Murray cod is our most sought after native freshwater fish, the freshwater heavyweight of Australian waters. A fish with iconic status that is capable of growing to 1.8 metres long and weighing more than 113 kilograms.

Like many fish, cod change their colours to suit an environment. In the tannin-stained waters of New England's granite belt, Murray cod are mottled dark olive and black with black fins. In the NSW-Victoria stretches of the Murray-Darling basin, cod colours vary from dark to light pastel green with lighter fin colourations. Move downstream along the Murray River into South Australia and the green turns to shades of grey. Tannin water, soiled water and second hand waters; three water variants produce the same fish in different colourations.

Murray cod go by a number of different names. Some anglers call them by the old English name, codfish, while greenfish and goodoo are in common usage.

Whichever vernacular you choose, there is no denying the prestige that the Murray cod holds, both in angling and Australian bush folklore. More tall stories do the rounds on cod than for any other Australian fish, freshwater or saltwater. There are tales of cod so big they had gravel rash on their bellies and sunburnt backs; of cod so ravenous that sheep and large dogs trod warily when sipping along the banks of cod waters.

Devoted cod anglers can be the piscatorial equivalent of fire and brimstone preachers who regard yellowbelly as by-catch and trout as cod lollies; fish may be slimy, sub-reptilian creatures but cod are by-God smart.

The good news is that Murray cod season opened in Victoria and New South Wales on December 1, while the South Australian season begins January 1—albeit with limitations.

In Victoria and NSW, Murray cod have a daily bag limit of two in lakes or one in rivers, a minimum legal length of 55cm and a maximum legal length of 75cm. However, in SA cod will be available to anglers as a catch and release fishery only. As of 2018, a complete closure to Murray cod fishing is still in place in the Chowilla region. Although you can fish for cod in SA, anglers are not allowed to remove them from the water.

CATCHING COD

Bardi and wood grubs, scrubworms, shrimp and yabbies have been standard cod baits for more than a century. Of these, the bardi is probably the best offering.

A bardi grub is the larval stage of the ghost moth. These fat white grubs mature in the ground. Adult bardies are about 75-100mm long, as thick as a man’s finger. The problem with the bardi is cost, about $2.50 each with price dependent on availability. The alternative is to invest in a bardi puller and gather your own grubs.

The most recent innovation for cod baits has been cheese, which produces good numbers of smaller cod. There is even a bardi grub shaped mould designed for cheese.

A 6kg outfit will cover bait fishing for smaller cod up to about 10kg, but it can pay to work heavier 8-10kg tackle for the bigger cod. If using braid lines then you can up the ante to 15kg.

Hook size for baits are generally a 4/0 to 6/0, straight shank or octopus (suicide) pattern. If you are solely after big cod then employ a 15kg leader. The simplest rig is to use a small ball sinker and allow it to run down to the hook. Some anglers prefer to use running sinker rigs with a leader, a better option when fishing from shore as you try to keep the bait up off the bottom. In a boat, drop the bait to the bottom and then wind it up a metre or so.

LURES

Lure fishing is the most consistent method for catching big cod. Deep-diving lures that kick over when they hit a log took cod fishing by the throat, and then a whole range of different hard-bodied cod lures appeared on the market.

Next came the spinnerbait phase. The advantage of spinnerbaits over conventional bibbed minnow lures is that they can be cast into heavy timber and slowly worked through the structure without snagging, albeit most of the time. Moreover, spinnerbaits are ideal for shallow water timber, although on evenings surface lures do well in these areas.

The best places to seek out big cod are in deep water near submerged timber. When trolling, work the lure as deep as it will go, and hang in close to snags and rock bars. If you aren’t fouled every now and again you are not deep enough. You will catch more fish trolling downstream than you will upstream.

Lure trollers normally work heavier tackle than bait fishers and generally put braid lines—say Rovex 30-50lb Viros—over 8-10kg baitcaster outfits—say a Quantum Accurist 8-10kg BC 5’8” rod matched with a Quantum Energy E100SPTs baitcast reel. Leader material is important and should be about 15-24kg breaking strain (30-50lb Rovex 10X Mono Leader). Set the drag on the reel to suit the rod, not the line class.

Fisheries Victoria has produced a rule that allows anglers to estimate the weight of their Murray cod based on fish length. By lying Murray cod down on the rule, anglers can quickly get a weight estimate of the fish without suspending it on scales. The rule is free and available by emailing go.fishing@dpi.vic.gov.au with your name and postal address.

Recommended cod tackle:

Top shelf
Rod: Quantum Accurist 8-10kg BC 5’8”
Reel: Quantum Energy E100SPTs baitcaster
Line: Rovex Viros Braid 30lb
Leader: Rovex 10X Mono Leader 40lb

Great value budget beater:

Rod: Rovex Air Strike 56BCH 8kg 5’6”
Reel: QuantumBC Surge SU670CX Burner baitcaster
Line: Rovex Air Strike Braid 30lb
Leader: Rovex 10X Mono Leader 40lb