VIC
Hunting yellowbelly over freshly-flooded edges SHEPPARTON
Nick Brown teamriverrats@hotmail.com
Carp, carp and more carp – they are everywhere in the Goulburn at the moment. The only positive about so many carp is that the cod’s food source is so easy to match at the moment. Smaller swimbaits and wakebaits have been successful lately, with the cod busting up on these small carp schools that are running just under the surface. TN60 and TN70 Jackalls rigged with single hooks have also worked well. The key has been to start your retrieve as soon as the lure hits the water, and just lifting your rod tip a little more than usual to keep that lure closer to the top. Bait fishing has been dominated by carp reports, especially for those anglers using worms, but this can still be a great time for those who just enjoy reeling in a fish. It’s getting harder and harder to gather live baits
The author with a Kialla Lakes yellowbelly caught on a Bent Minnow with son Nate Brown. such as yabbies and shrimp, so those chasing natives have used mainly cheese or chicken. Scrub worms have also been working well when the carp don’t eat them.
KIALLA LAKES The lake is changing, with the water level rising higher than it’s been since the floods. This is pushing plenty of fish shallow. The freshly-flooded edges are
full of bait, and the yellas and redfin are hunting the bait just around the drop-off. Matching the hatch is ideal, so smaller, thin-profiled hardbodies have worked well shallow.
Don’t be scared to cast tight to the bank. Some legal-sized yellowbelly are being caught on XR4s and Bent Minnows maybe a foot off the bank. Bait fishing under the willows is still a great way to chase redfin, and the key is to either have an unweighted hook or even a float with plenty of worms on the hook. You might need to try both sides or out the front of the trees, with the fish sometimes holding in different areas of the trees. BROKEN RIVER At the time of writing this article, it’s all been about topwater action in the Broken, with a number of healthy legal fish reported. The new coloured Balista Hunchbacks have been the stand-out lure, with a slow retrieve or a ‘shake and pause’ next to big snags. Switch baiting after a strike with a spinnerbait has also been a great method if you have two rods, or if your fishing partner is using a different lure. As the cooler weather sets in, the topwater bite will slow down, but it’s
still a lure I would throw in low light periods, as well as spinnerbaits and small hardbodies. Bait fishing with worms is seeing plenty of monster carp caught in the Broken, but if you’re looking to avoid catching them, stick to baits such as chicken, cheese and yabby tails. WARANGA BASIN It was a busy Easter period at Waranga Basin, with many anglers getting in early to beat the rush at the ramps. The positive thing about getting in early was that the bite has been great in the mornings. Those fishing in the shallows with small swimbaits and topwater walk-the-dog type lures have been catching plenty of redfin. The reddies have been ambushing these lures in water as shallow as 1-3ft. As the sun comes up, the fish tend to start pushing out a little deeper, so trolling TN60s or small divers in around 6-10ft would be the go. Bait fishing off the bank has been productive for both carp and redfin, with night crawlers working well.
Anglers descending on cod central at Mulwala YARRAWONGA
Tony Bennett codclassic@bigpond.com
During the recent Cod Nationals, 90 of the country’s finest cod anglers converged on Lake Mulwala to pit their skills against each other. The cod numbers produced were outstanding, proving once again just how good this fishery is. The best tip available to any angler fishing Lake Mulwala, especially those new to the lake, is to target waters around 2-3m or 6-9ft in depth. Weed beds or fallen timber add to the equation. Put these together and you are in with a great chance of plenty of green fish encounters. The average size Mulwala Cod ranges from 40-60cm, but there plenty of monsters lurking around out there, awaiting a wellplaced offering. Lure choice and colour tends to be a personal preference. One thing I certainly believe in is sticking with something you are confident in, as you will fish it better than something you don’t like. Throughout the Nationals, spinnerbaits
accounted for slightly more fish than hardbodied lures did. Looking back, early March saw the running of the His & Hers Partners Classic. A total of 48 teams participated, with the results being outstanding. Kade Blow and Annie Hockley cleaned up the field, with Kade’s 110cm fish being the biggest for the males, and helping the team take the overall title. Karen Nelson landed a magnificent 106cm cod, boosting her and husband Lee into second place. COD NATIONALS Mid-March saw the running of the 13th Great Northern Cod Nationals. The cream of Australia’s cod fishos descended on the lake, and returns proved the field’s capabilities. Over four days, 549 cod were recorded measuring in excess of 50cm. Many more below the 50cm mark were captured and not recorded. The clear favourites, Derek and Kade Blow from team ‘KD Fishing’, fished amazingly well to blitz the field. Derek and Kade had won the previous three events based at Mulwala, and their great form continued. Over the five sessions fishing, the boys picked up close to $15K cash and prizes. Kade also took out Champion
Individual Angler and Largest Fish Overall for the event, with his Big Cod coming in at 81cm. A super effort to finish second went to Steve and Thomas Pinter (team ‘Black Widow’). The pair had won the previous three Nationals, and finally got to hand the baton of
‘Nationals Champions’ to another deserving father-son combo. Third place went to Brad Murray and Daniel Mutch (team ‘Mutchy’s Contracting’), who fished consistently well over the five sessions. There many others who deserve an honourable
mention, but there isn’t enough room on the page! However, one crew I’ll make special mention of is Lance, Cohen and Hayden Berryman from Bezaro Lures. The boys spent five solid days casting their amazing handmade hardbodied lures around with great success. The
Glen Joyce with a 73cm cod caught during the Cod Nationals. This fish earned him the Biggest Cod title on Day One of the comp.
boys are aged 13 and 15, and they and their father have an amazing appreciation for Murray cod. It was a pleasure to fish with them. The kids never complained once, asked plenty of questions and listened intently for the entire session. BELOW THE WEIR Below the weir has continued to produce amazing numbers of average-sized cod on both bait and lures. This area remains a great place to fish, especially if the lake blows up a bit rough. One thing to keep in mind though is the amount of timber that lies just below the surface. These hidden hazards can create some major problems, something I found out recently after hitting one! My boat is now out of action, awaiting some insurance work to be done. • If you’re visiting town, I urge you to call into Lake Mulwala Fish Camp & Ski, the shop with the big green cod out the front (opposite the Post Office) in Mulwala. If you’re in Yarrawonga, visit us at our store located between Rivers and One Zac in the main street and say g’day. We’re Yarrawonga/ Mulwala’s fishing specialists and specialize in all things ‘green’! MAY 2023 89
