19 Days In

[Hill373737]

Its been a while since I've been on Fishraider, lifes been a bit busy but thanks to Neil for giving me a nudge recently!

My excuse is that I've been too busy fishing, 19 days in since cod season opening and I've been out 10 times, fishing Split Rock in the boat and the Peel and Macdonald Rivers in the kayak. After a crazy spring when I was resorting to throwing SwimZs to tempt yellas and avoid the cod, the weather hasn't been kind and the fishing has been a bit patchy dealing with changing water levels and a fair bit of colour in the usually clear waters around here.

It was an early start on 1st December, I decided on a solo session, launching the kayak from one of the stock reserves and heading 3.5 kms up river to get to my one of my favourite places with plenty of snags and reasonably deep holes and fish that don't see a lot of lures (well, apart from mine). After a couple of hits that didn't stick, I opened my account for this season with a nice 65cm cod off the top. Surface fishing for cod is a strange thing, even though you are completely tuned into the lure coming back, its still scares the crap out of you when a cod hits the lure!

Here's a few cod from the past few weeks with the best a 70cm fish caught sitting up against a boulder in the Macdonald..

 

Some cod are just born with attitude, this one hit a Kingfisher Olympus surface lure 8 times before it finally found the hooks! I hope I meet this one again when its a lot bigger!

One of the things I love about cod fishing is the crazy things that happen, I must have landed this surface lure flush onto the open gob of a carp. I thought I'd landed on a floating piece of timber until it started swimming away from me. As with all good carp, it was soon having a little rest up on the bank with a bad headache!

 

Apart from the fishing, as always, the scenery is just spectacular. After many years fishing on the coast, the solitude, sunrises, sunsets and lack of crowds make it easy to find something in the donut days!!

[Little_Flatty]

That’s a fantastic report there @Hill373737! Hopefully we see more of you over cod season. Always love to read a cod report.

[Welster]

Well done on getting out so often the pictures in your report are amazing, thank you for sharing.  Cod fishing sounds like a lot of fun when the strike.

[bessell1955]

Beautiful photography and brilliant fish.

 

[big Neil]

Been wondering what you've been up to Hilly. Your post is a tonic to me...I love seeing people catch Cod and Yellas anywhere they can. Totally agree that the best fishing ever is surface lure fishing for Cod. The mesmerizing flop flop of the retrieved lure and then a violent awakening as the Cod strikes and heads back to its hideout. It never becomes familiar!. Great photos of your local environment.

Incidentally, the Cod in your photos are the same genus of Cod that are in the Murray and Murrumbidgee Rivers. Where dirvin 21 goes, further North they are a different genus known locally as Eastern Cod (Mann River) and he also goes to the gorge country up near the Severn River system.

Keep up the good work and try to squeeze a few reports in as well, as time permits. Cheers, bn

[mrsswordfisherman]

Good to see you back @Hill373737

That is a great report and it’s even better to see a smiling raider!

Look forward to more posts

[Yowie]

Some nice fish there (except the carp - they make good ant food) great scenery, great report.

[dirvin21]

That's awesome Steve, won't be long and I'll be back out chasing the greenfish

[Hill373737]

12 hours ago, big Neil said:

Been wondering what you've been up to Hilly. Your post is a tonic to me...I love seeing people catch Cod and Yellas anywhere they can. Totally agree that the best fishing ever is surface lure fishing for Cod. The mesmerizing flop flop of the retrieved lure and then a violent awakening as the Cod strikes and heads back to its hideout. It never becomes familiar!. Great photos of your local environment.

Incidentally, the Cod in your photos are the same genus of Cod that are in the Murray and Murrumbidgee Rivers. Where dirvin 21 goes, further North they are a different genus known locally as Eastern Cod (Mann River) and he also goes to the gorge country up near the Severn River system.

Keep up the good work and try to squeeze a few reports in as well, as time permits. Cheers, bn

Yeah mate, I definitely agree, surface fishing for any fish is the best, and the hit from a cod is hard to match!

Interesting about the same genus as the fish down your way, maybe the Peel River is really the spiritual home of the Maccullochella  peelii   🙂

[Burger]

Thanks for sharing your fishing report and the fabulous photos, I especially like the dawn (?) shot with your tinny lit internally. 

cheers,  stu.

[big Neil]

5 hours ago, Hill373737 said:

Yeah mate, I definitely agree, surface fishing for any fish is the best, and the hit from a cod is hard to match!

Interesting about the same genus as the fish down your way, maybe the Peel River is really the spiritual home of the Maccullochella  peelii   🙂

I have had some extensive discussions with the manager of the Narrandera Fisheries Centre where much of the States fingerlings are bred. They get stock from the local areas of the State and breed these. The reason being... that the fish become acclimatised to their particular environment and adapt accordingly. Breeding from the fish's unique gene pool helps their survival rate. Hope that makes sense. Another thing that he told me this year is that they can now test water samples and determine exactly how many of each species of fish have been in that sample of water, via their DNA. Science is well used in fish management these days.

Cheers, bn

[Hill373737]

The Narrandera Fisheries Centre does an amazing job. I read recently that they released 1.28 million hatchlings last cod season ..... I hope I get to meet a few of them in years to come.

btw there's been over 50 mm of rain here in the past 24 hours, the river has come up a little, hopefully it doesn't continue to rise and the extra bit of flow fires them up tomorrow morning .... I haven't fished since yesterday so very keen to get out again. 🙂

cheers

Hilly

[big Neil]

1 hour ago, Hill373737 said:

The Narrandera Fisheries Centre does an amazing job. I read recently that they released 1.28 million hatchlings last cod season ..... I hope I get to meet a few of them in years to come.

btw there's been over 50 mm of rain here in the past 24 hours, the river has come up a little, hopefully it doesn't continue to rise and the extra bit of flow fires them up tomorrow morning .... I haven't fished since yesterday so very keen to get out again. 🙂

cheers

Hilly

Good luck, will enjoy your report.   bn

[Pickles]

Some lovely Cod @Hill373737, it’s great you’ve found the time to get back into hitting the water - @big Neil is a very encouraging fellow who loves his fishing. Seems like the spinnerbaits have been doing the damage.

I tried cod for the first time this year and don’t think I’ve tried a nicer tasting fish - better than barramundi or jewfish. It’s a pity they are so far from my waterways in the Hawkesbury.

[Hill373737]

15 hours ago, big Neil said:

Good luck, will enjoy your report.   bn

Unfortunately not much to report, we hosted a street party at our place last night so it was a late start this morning, just after 8am by the time I got on the water.

After the 50mm rain in the past 24 hours, the river was up a bit and running with more colour.

I only fished for a couple of hours in a section close to where I launched but added another donut to the collection. 

 

 

[big Neil]

14 minutes ago, Hill373737 said:

Unfortunately not much to report, we hosted a street party at our place last night so it was a late start this morning, just after 8am by the time I got on the water.

After the 50mm rain in the past 24 hours, the river was up a bit and running with more colour.

I only fished for a couple of hours in a section close to where I launched but added another donut to the collection. 

 

 

Every donut is a day nearer to a cracking day. Keep fishing. Cheers, bn

[Hill373737]

7 hours ago, Pickles said:

Some lovely Cod @Hill373737, it’s great you’ve found the time to get back into hitting the water - @big Neil is a very encouraging fellow who loves his fishing. Seems like the spinnerbaits have been doing the damage.

I tried cod for the first time this year and don’t think I’ve tried a nicer tasting fish - better than barramundi or jewfish. It’s a pity they are so far from my waterways in the Hawkesbury.

Thanks mate - Neil actually encouraged me to get back on Fishraider, I usually fish 3 to 4 times a week and have been spending a lot less time on screens etc.

I fish spinnerbaits a fair bit especially when fishing the river in my kayak, they're reasonably snag proof, cast well especially if its windy and I like to rig them with a Zman frog as it adds some bulk and I think also slows the sink rate. 

Plenty of people have told me that cod are great eating but the cod I meet get a cuddle, some conversation and maybe a photo before heading back to their snag.

[Pickles]

Understand completely @Hill373737. I have been fishing for Bass In Deerubbin (Hawkesbury) for 50 years (caught many 00’s )and ate my first one (just to give it a try) for the first time a few years ago and haven’t had one since.