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Hodgey

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Posts posted by Hodgey

    Last month of Bassing

    in Freshwater Fishing Reports

    Posted

    Another great report mate. Well done on your achievements in the ABT. Each time you compete and gain more insight into fishing new water and techniques, the more competitive you'll be. Lord help 'em NEXT year! :biggrinthumb: Top photos of very nice fish. Keep up the great work mate!

    Cheers

    Hodgey

    Murray Cod 101

    in Freshwater Fishing Chat

    Posted

    Bait

    Yabbies, worms, shrimp, bardi grubs or cheese (or a combination of two or more of these) will entice your target species. Fishing with a paternoster rig is very effective, as is a running sinker if you're not fishing in heavily timbered water.

    Lures

    Hardbodies and spinnerbaits are probably the biggest producers of Murray Cod. Oargee, stumpjumper or poltergest lures will be a good place to start for hardbodies. Spinnerbaits with skirt colors such black/red, purple/black or purple/brown are a good start. Double colorado blades will give out a heap of vibration but have to be fished slowly or they won't stay in 'the zone' for long. Tandem blades (colorado/willow combination) will remain deeper for longer.

    These fish have a brutal initial attack so you will need some reasonably heavy gear. I prefer 25lb braid to 25-30lb leader but I know others fish a lot heavier still. They have a mouth full of bristle-like teeth that can wear through the leader so err on the side of caution.

    Hopefully that heads you in the right direction. There are plenty of other cod fanatics on here to add their two-bobs worth so I'm sure you'll get some excellent feedback. Good luck!

    Cheers

    Hodgey

    Topwater Cod

    in Freshwater Fishing Reports

    Posted

    Crackin' report Dean and congrats on some terrific fish. Fantastic photos as always. The water you were fishing seems to be a lot cleaner than Loddon. Surface fishing is not overly popular (or productive) down here compared to other regions/rivers, but I have had some interest in the large Codseeker surface lures. I recently purchased a couple more buzzbaits and look forward to giving them a swim soon. Keep the reports and photos coming mate ... they are 1st class!

    Cheers

    Hodgey

    A Father's pride...

    in Freshwater Fishing Reports

    Posted

    Great post skip.. i love hearing of people being graced by the mighty green fish. They do seem to have something special about them.

    Well done Rob, i'm sure its the first of many to come your way.

    Skip, you may have to expect a visit from me and another ugly bugger from murwillumbah in the not too distant future.

    I look forward to it Dan. I'm already expecting a visit from the big bloke in Pimpana :thumbup:

    Thanks for the replies everyone. Rob is still on a high and looking forward to the next session.

    Cheers

    Hodgey

    A Father's pride...

    in Freshwater Fishing Reports

    Posted

    I have been haunting the banks of the Loddon River of late, generally throwing spinnerbaits for Murray Cod . I've managed to find a few but nothing worth skiting about. (apologies for quality of photos - they're off my phone)

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    On Saturday, I took my youngest son (8) with me. He has caught his fair share of fish, but one species has held his fascination (and has eluded him) for a long while now and that is the Murray Cod. I recently lost a good fish (approx 70/75cm - broke the line whilst I was reaching for the lip grips) so I returned to that location with the young bloke in tow.

    The Loddon River can produce some terrific fish, provided you are prepared to throw into some pretty dense timber. This is not the ideal scenario for a young bloke to learn his craft so you have to modify your technique slightly. I also believe it is important to explain why we fish in specific locations so the young fella learns how to 'read the water'. We spent a couple of minutes assessing the water clarity and flow, eddies and structure and generally looking for indications of the best place to find fish. Having fished this location a couple of times, I pointed out areas in the open water that I had 'felt' submerged timber and weedbeds with my spinnerbaits so he wouldn't confuse these knocks on his lure as the bumps of an inquisitive fish.

    The water here is pretty deep – roughly 10 seconds for a half ounce spinnerbait to hit bottom – but the timbered areas are significantly shallower. I tied on a shallow diver for the lad and watched his first couple of casts to ensure he was on the right track. I then moved away from him and searched a particularly nasty stretch of water with a surface lure. After an hour or so without success, I decided to revert to spinnerbaits. I decided to tie on a purple ¼ oz spinnerbait in tandem gold blades for the little bloke as I hoped this would allow him to search the water column without fishing too deep into the timber. I tied on a ½ oz black/silver spinnerbait with twin gold colorados and we resumed fishing. After about 30 mins I could sense my son was frustrated. When I asked him why, he stated “The better logs and stuff are on the other side, Dad, and I can't cast that far”. I placed my baitcasting outfit on the grass and asked him where he was trying to hit. He indicated an old log adjacent to where he was standing. I loaded up the spin stick and managed to cast in close proximity to where he wanted, then handed the rod to him and watched. He was a picture of concentration; slow-rolling the handle and lifting/raising the rod to vary his depth. Nothing. Another cast in the same vicinity and he repeated his technique. Nothing. The same cast was repeated and duly handed to him.

    I've recently purchased an EOS 1100D and I was admiring some of the potential scenic shots available when my thought were interrupted by the sound of someone grunting near my left elbow and I looked down to see the lad fighting a fish. (similar circumstances to his yellowbelly reported in a previous post!) “Uh! Gee that fish hit hard Dad...and it's strong”. I watched as he forgot all his 'lift-and-wind' techniques and tried to fight the fish in a flurry of hands and rod tip! A hand placed on his shoulder and a quiet word was all that was needed to settle his nerves and get him back on track … for now. Roughly 30 seconds later, the fish rose about 20 feet in front of him. “Is it a cod, Dad?” Now a smart Dad would have said anything but 'yes' … but not this one. When he heard that singular word, his eyes misted, his legs adopted a jelly-like consistency and he froze. “Don't panic mate. Just play him like you would any other fish, keep the rod high...and see what happens”. He returned to his task with grim determination and a short while later his first Murray Cod of approx 50cm was lying safely at his feet.

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    He sat on his boulder and stared at this enigma he had heard so much about and the look of admiration and awe is one that I'll never forget. After the obligatory photos before release, he sat back down on his boulder, looked wistfully at the water and said: “Wow, Dad. I feel happy, sad, excited, nervous … all at once. Do you know what I mean?”

    “Yes I do, Rob … and I hope you feel this way many more times in the years to come”

    Cheers

    Hodgey

    under pressure, the heat is on

    in Fishing Chat

    Posted

    A great topic Dave and one that should generate a fair bit of interest.

    I have always been under the impression that baromentric change is most significant when fishing in fresh or shallow water, which is of particular interest to me as these are the two areas I fish the most. It seems the deeper water negates the effect of the barometer due to its own pressure?

    I had a prolonged discussion with a local freshwater guide recently and he was adamant that it effected fish feeding habits to the point that he purchased a watch online specifically because it shows barometric pressure. Some smartphones have a barometer app that local fishos claim to be quite accurate as well. (I must look into which one it is and download it myself!)

    A search on Google has produced some very interesting articles regarding the effect of barometric pressure on fish habits/fishing but I have yet to discover how fish detect changes in the weather through barometric pressure. I would imagine it would have something to do with the lateral line? I guess I need to investigate further and look forward to other members' responses.

    Cheers

    Hodgey

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