Prime time to go chasing cod

YARRAWONGA

Tony Bennett codclassic@bigpond.com

There is no better time than right now to be out and about on the home of the Murray cod – Lake Mulwala – in search of the mighty green fish. March through to May are your prime times.

With the sting in the sun almost gone, there is no better place to while away time whilst dreaming of catching a legend. Hardbody lures and spinnerbaits, either cast or trolled in the shallower parts of the lake (2-5m), have seen anglers return better results of late, with good numbers of cod being reported. Sure, there have been some quality cod taken by those trolling the deeper channels and original Murray River course, but not as often.

Whilst fishing in and around Lake Mulwala, certainly don’t discount fishing below the weir in the Murray River, especially if there is a bit of wind about. Captures downstream have been above average of late, with some quality cod amongst them, along with plenty of nice-sized yellas.

The broken record continues as this time of year is ideal for surface fishing, unmatched by any other style of fishing for sheer anticipation, excitement and exhilaration.

Casting poppers, paddlers or buzzbaits around the heavily-timbered shallower parts of the lake, or along the edges of the river both up and down stream, will see you in with a great chance of getting a hit. There are no right or wrong answers when it comes to what lure to use. The most important thig is that it makes a disturbance on top.

The recent Humminbird Da$h 4 Ca$h Super Series again proved popular, with 55 teams competing over a near-perfect weekend weather-wise. Over the three fishing sessions, 64 legal cod were captured and photos returned for verification. The Saturday morning session allowed ‘scoping’, and none other than Australia’s two finest exponents of this technique,

Nathan and Mitch Skeers, took home the winner’s check of $1500 plus a Humminbird sounder.

Saturday arvo had $2000 up for grabs, along with another Humminbird sounder. The Quarrell boys, Luke and Andrew, caught a couple of nicesized cod early and ended up taking the money in this session.

The Sunday morning session had the big cash on offer, with $2500 being awarded to the winner, along with another Humminbird unit. Father-son pairing of Derek and Kade Blow, who had finished 4th and 5th in each session on Saturday, once again fished extremely