Its all about the hit!!

[Hill373737]

I feel like I’ve lucked out with the timing of my move to Tamworth, fish stocks seem good and there is plenty of water in the dams and rivers ...... I now definitely have a bad addiction to the hit of a cod on lure. 

 

Last year I made a lot of trips back to the coast for a saltwater fix but this year I’ve really started to get into the freshwater groove, I fish 3 or 4 (or sometimes 5 times 🙂  ) a week and every session just feels like an adventure without the coastal crowds and many times, without seeing any-one else while I’m out fishing.

 

Split Rock

With so much water in the impoundments as they’re all around the 100% mark, I made the decision last year to concentrate on Split Rock and get to know its various moods. I was fortunate to get an 80cm and a 121 cm cod last year so quality was good but I really struggled at times racking up heaps of donuts (which I like to think of as learning days or casting practice!!). This year, I’ve caught plenty in the  45 to 50s with 2 cod in the 60s as well as quite a few yellowbelly that think nothing of hitting a lure meant for a cod. I’m a lure caster rather than a troller so tend to focus on topwater lures, spinnerbaits, chatterbaits and swimbaits, Lately I’ve also started throwing some large plastics, 6 inch plus but haven’t hooked up on one yet!

 

The impoundment cod have plenty of food options and definitely don’t burn the calories of the river cod as they are always a lot fatter. 

 

A few of the old timers have told me the cod don’t fire up in the dams until the first frost and we had a cracker this morning with the temp at -2 degrees  at 7am, needless to say, I’m off to Splitty tomorrow! 🙂

 

 

Peel River

Well, forget looking at tide charts, I’m regularly looking at the water levels on the Water NSW web-site. I’ve fished the Namoi up at Warrabah a couple of times but I’ve found the Peel River to be the most productive, accessing the river out of town through the various Travelling Stock Reserves (TSRs) and walking the bank or throwing the kayak in. The fishing has ben great , with good sized cod and yellowbelly and even a carp deciding a spinnerbait was just too tempting to leave alone. Best cod is a 77cm model out of the  kayak which almost got a points victory over me, it came out of a lay down, smashed the lure and then dragged me deep into an overhanging  tree while it buried itself into the snag. After twice giving it a little line which it used to go deeper, and by now it was directly under the kayak, I managed to extract it by hand on the 40lb leader. 

Later this week, a mate annd I have scoped out an 11km section of the river and will be hitting it in the kayaks, it will be an all day effort but definitely get us into some water where the cod don’t see a lot of lures.

 

The Scenery

I call it big sky country up here, the sunrises, sunsets and scenery while out on the water is just spectacular. From my house, we get sunsets that sometimes last for hours as the sun fades out across the Liverpool Plains, just bloody amazing and after moving here 15 months ago,  I still take time every day to check out the sunset.

A mate I fish with here does some laser etching of timber and surprised me with this little memento which has pride of my place in my shed.

 

3 solid days of fishing coming up, lets hope I get to meet a few more cod this week!!

 

[chris_55]

@Hill373737 great post mate 👍 sounds like you're in a good place 

 

[Green Hornet]

Great post and pics. It doesn’t get more Aussie than that.

[Blackfish]

Great write up, story and pics. Thanks for taking the time as it was a great read.

[Yowie]

Great report, good fish, and great country to be in. 

As for the other fishos, there are none to be seen in your photos. Down here, wall-to-wall fishos in places.

[Isaac Ct]

Great stuff, love the scenery.

Lovely fish, well done.

[XD351]

Ahh yes good old Tammy ! One of my favourite places! Last time I was up that way you could throw a rock across Keepit!  Great report ! Great photos and great fish !

[bessell1955]

Great fish but even better photography!

[Burger]

Sensational sunset shots! Thanks you for sharing your country with this city boy.

stu.

[zmk1962]

Great report and photography… this belongs in a fishing magazine as the featured article 👍👍👍

cheers Zoran 

[Rebel]

Top report. Can't beat the Aussie Bush.

Super photos.

Well done.

[R E G I C Y C L E]

Great report! Such beautiful fish

[Hill373737]

A frozen donut at Split Rock today - perfect conditions from around 8:30am but first I had to survive the 1 degree temp at the ramp at 5:30am and a  very heavy fog for a couple of hours.

However, its another day tomorrow and another cold start fishing an 11km stretch of the Peel west of Tano planned!

[Blackfish]

Your doing some hard yards there Hill, I hope you get some rewards mate.

[big Neil]

Your report is a breath of fresh air to me. brilliant. It emphasised the feelings I used to have when fishing years ago. Alas, they are only memories now as I seldom go lure fishing solo. I don't have the balance anymore to be able to retrieve snagged lures. I still manage to get out bait fishing when I can actually launch the boat...the river is usually too low to put the boat in. Had a few days bait fishing on the Edward River at Deniliquin recently and caught stacks of fish. Unfortunately, about 200 Carp, and 1 Cod with the very last cast on day 3.

I am glad that you are able to totally enjoy the beauty and potential of living in the West of the state. It never ceases to excite me when I feel the freezing cold mist on the river in Wintertime and the sunrises and sunsets are often breathtaking. Since last year's floods the river has presented a whole new vista and the fish are in such good condition that they are not feeding as vigorously as they usually do. We are indeed lucky to be able to experience fishing as we do, completely different from coastal fishing, but more than adequate in providing plenty of excitement and anticipation. 

Thank you for your report, brought back a lot of memories of my adventures in your region.

A couple of pics from the Murrumbidgee at sunset...

 

bn

[rickmarlin62]

Great report hill  are you fishing the cuerindi end of warabah  or the top end

[Hill373737]

On 5/11/2023 at 5:08 AM, rickmarlin62 said:

Great report hill  are you fishing the cuerindi end of warabah  or the top end

I've fished both ends last year but this end I've only been up the top end and that was after a bit of rain so level was a bit high and a lot of run. It hasn't rained for a while and river is back to a nice fishable level so I might try it again in the next few weeks.

[Hill373737]

On 5/11/2023 at 12:28 AM, big Neil said:

Your report is a breath of fresh air to me. brilliant. It emphasised the feelings I used to have when fishing years ago. Alas, they are only memories now as I seldom go lure fishing solo. I don't have the balance anymore to be able to retrieve snagged lures. I still manage to get out bait fishing when I can actually launch the boat...the river is usually too low to put the boat in. Had a few days bait fishing on the Edward River at Deniliquin recently and caught stacks of fish. Unfortunately, about 200 Carp, and 1 Cod with the very last cast on day 3.

I am glad that you are able to totally enjoy the beauty and potential of living in the West of the state. It never ceases to excite me when I feel the freezing cold mist on the river in Wintertime and the sunrises and sunsets are often breathtaking. Since last year's floods the river has presented a whole new vista and the fish are in such good condition that they are not feeding as vigorously as they usually do. We are indeed lucky to be able to experience fishing as we do, completely different from coastal fishing, but more than adequate in providing plenty of excitement and anticipation. 

Thank you for your report, brought back a lot of memories of my adventures in your region.

A couple of pics from the Murrumbidgee at sunset...bn

hi Neil, great photos, I love  the application of knowledge and the buzz of chasing fish,but I do I think the scenery we get to see as fisherman is very special and something that a big part of the population never get to appreciate.

I'm on a mission to meet as many cod as I can and would be keen to meet some with a different postcode, I might try and work out a trip down your way sometime and perhaps we can connect for a fish and I'll recover a few lures for you. Since moving to Tamo, I've been swimming a few times to get lures back so maybe we should make it summer!! haha!!

I talk to my dad who turns 90 this year about fishing, we were fortunate to go to Fraser Island  and regularly fished Stockton Beach in the early 70s  and I don't think at that time we fully appreciated how special it was ..... but I do tell him its better to have the memories than not having done it all.

All the best mate!

cheers

Hilly

[big Neil]

6 hours ago, Hill373737 said:

hi Neil, great photos, I love  the application of knowledge and the buzz of chasing fish,but I do I think the scenery we get to see as fisherman is very special and something that a big part of the population never get to appreciate.

I'm on a mission to meet as many cod as I can and would be keen to meet some with a different postcode, I might try and work out a trip down your way sometime and perhaps we can connect for a fish and I'll recover a few lures for you. Since moving to Tamo, I've been swimming a few times to get lures back so maybe we should make it summer!! haha!!

I talk to my dad who turns 90 this year about fishing, we were fortunate to go to Fraser Island  and regularly fished Stockton Beach in the early 70s  and I don't think at that time we fully appreciated how special it was ..... but I do tell him its better to have the memories than not having done it all.

All the best mate!

cheers

Hilly

For sure, memories of any part of our lives are very significant, especially as we age and find they can't be replicated. You are most welcome to visit, I have plenty of accommodation and a 12ft tinny. Summer is probably the better time for Cod fishing numbers, Winter is better for the bigger fish. At least in the Summer, there is always enough water to launch the boat. Do you get many Silver Perch in the areas you fish?

Cheers, bn

[Hill373737]

There are Silver Perch here but I haven't caught any, although I usually look at Yellowbelly as bycatch while fishing for cod.

I have listened to a Social Fishing podcast about targetting Silver Perch in Chaffey Dam so might give that a crack one day.

[rickmarlin62]

Have you walked down past muelerindi  the house on the cliff

[big Neil]

Good stuff guys. Your post (Hilly) has brought back memories for Rick and me, of visits we have had, in what is now your domain. We may not physically get together, but through the forum, we can still interact. I still reckon we live in a fantastic part of the world, and even though our fishing opportunities are limited compared to coastal fishing, it still stimulates the senses.

bn

[Hill373737]

5 hours ago, rickmarlin62 said:

Have you walked down past muelerindi  the house on the cliff

No, not as far as the stone house, I've thopught about driving in to the house but have told its off limits unless you have it booked.

[Hill373737]

8 hours ago, big Neil said:

Good stuff guys. Your post (Hilly) has brought back memories for Rick and me, of visits we have had, in what is now your domain. We may not physically get together, but through the forum, we can still interact. I still reckon we live in a fantastic part of the world, and even though our fishing opportunities are limited compared to coastal fishing, it still stimulates the senses.

bn

Maybe I'm just a little crazy but after a lifetime off mostly fishing coastal inshore and offshore waters, I'd say the overall experience of the fishing I do now is very hard to beat. Every session is an adventure with no crowds, magnificent scenery and the challenge that cod represent has me hooked. I certainly don't catch fish in the numbers that I did at the coast but each cod is a unique experience.

Here's an update of a kayak session since my initial post....

A mate and I had scoped a section of the river between a road bridge and a stock reserve, we estimated it to be around 11kms so knew it would be a full day and made sure we had head torches etc in case we were still on the water after dark. We left a car at the end point at 6:30am and headed back to the top, launched kayaks with a plan to keep moving through the early sections to at least give ourselves a chance of being off the water before dark.

I started throwing surface lures, these were some prototype timber lures made by a mate but unfortunately the flow in this skinny section of the river made it hard to sit long enough off a snag to get repeated casts in on topwater so changed to a favourite spinnerbait. It didn't take long to to hit the first of a number of obstacles we would face during the day - this one was a huge fallen tree that spanned the river so we had to drag the kayaks up a steep muddy bank, through the hole from the root ball, then back down another muddy bank. It would be best described as a period of grunting, groaning, slipping, sliding punctuated by frequent descriptive expletives. 🙂

At the 4 hour mark, we had covered 4 kilometres so decided we needed to up the pace. At the 7 hour mark, we had covered 6kms so that plan wasn't working. We decided to paddle a few kms to get back on track and realised that the good water we had dawdled through earlier in the day was now replaced by really good water with massive laydowns, undercuts and deep holes. Oh well.. put that section in the memory for next time.

By the time we reached the end, we'd covered just over 13 kms in 10.5 hours finishing in the dark and probably paddled close to half the distance leaving some of the best water we'd seen that day unfished. We'd managed 11 good fish between us with my best a 63cm model out of a snag on the 5th cast but the fish of the day was caught by my mate Glen who pulled a very solid 66cm cod out of a large boil in big rapids in a section of very large boulders and rock ledges.

Unfortunately the gopro battery died so I only have a couple of photos but we'll go back and fish it again, we just need enough discipline to paddle the first 4 or 5kms this time.

cheers

Hilly

l

[big Neil]

I envy you the ability to be able to fish such great-looking water Hilly. Brilliant report and you definitely need to spend more time on the waters you didn't do justice to. As you say we don't get the numbers that coastal fishing provided, but we do get to visit paradise whenever the urge takes us. Cheers, bn