Murray Cod
This species guide was written by Victorian WIRFAB leader and Black Magic Brand Ambassador, Shea Bloom. She's an avid fresh and salt water angler, who does volunteer work to restock native fish and work with organisations such as Victorian Fisheries Authority (VFA), North East Catchment Management Authority, and Ozfish to revegetate and enhance habitat in bushfire affected areas.
DESCRIPTION
Murray Cod are an exclusively freshwater species found only in Australia in the Murray-Darling River system.
They have a deep elongated body with a round cross section, a broad scooped head and a large mouth lined with pads of very small needle like teeth. For this reason, most anglers will use toughened gloves or lip grips when handling Murray cod.
Murray Cod are a cream to olive green colour with dark grey to greenish blotches over the head and body. Their belly is generally white.
Murray Cod are voracious feeders and predators with a large mouth designed for engulfing anything from reptiles such as lizards and snakes to large water birds. Cod will eat basically anything; they have even been known to eat golf balls looking quite like birds’ eggs that fall out of nests.
Cod were heavily stocked by local fishing authorities to try and overcome the plague proportions of European Carp, which are now steadily declining thanks to these efforts.
SIZE AND WEIGHT
Murray cod are Australia’s largest freshwater fish. The largest ever recorded was 1.8 meters long and weighed 118kg.
Adult fish regularly reach 80-100cm in length. A meter cod is a dream fish for many freshwater anglers; however, cod of this size must be safely released as NSW and Victoria have “keep” size limit of 55-75cm.
The cod’s size depends on its habitat, with those living in smaller waterways reaching at least 60cm and between 3kg to 4kg. In larger waterways, they can grow beyond 100cm and weigh up to 70kg.
WHEN TO FISH
You can only target Murray cod from 1 December – 31 August. However, there are some impoundments in Australia that have all year round cod fishing such as Lake Eildon in Victoria, and Blowering and Copeton in NSW.
Cod will feed at all times of the day depending on conditions. Dusk and dawn seem to be the best time to fish, and targeting big cod at night with large surface lures or swimbaits is very popular.
WHERE TO FISH
It was once thought that cod only lived in deep dark holes but this has proven otherwise with the native showing up in all sorts of waterways, cold small steams, large heavily flowing rivers and everything in between. They will basically live anywhere within the Murray-Darling River system.
SPECIES PROTECTION
Australia has a great programme, initiated by the Victorian Recreational Fishing Authority, called ‘Care for Cod’ and these are the 4 simple steps they recommend taking to protect this beloved species:
- Be prepared | Have your cod gloves, knotless net, and long-nose pliers ready for a catch.
- Reduce air time | Minimise the time the cod spends out of the water to under 30 seconds. Where possible, leave the cod in the water.
- Gently does it | Support the cod’s body by putting support under its belly.
- Use the right gear | When baiting fishing use circle hooks and a tight line to avoid deep hooking the fish, also reduce fight time by using heavier gear.
Find out more about the ‘Care for Cod’ programme here
WAYS TO FISH
If Murray cod are on the chew, they will eat just about anything. But the most common ways to target them are with bait or lures.
BAIT FISHING
For bait fishing, you’ll need a 6-10kg rod with a 4000 reel, spooled with 30-50lb Inferno Braid. Your leader will depend on the environment you’re fishing in. If there is a lot of weed or underwater structure, you’ll want to fish with 50-60lb Fluorocarbon leader. If you’re fishing in open water, then 30-40lb Fluorocarbon leader will suffice.
5/0 or 6/0 KL recurve hooks are ideal for bait fishing, and you can use just about anything for bait, including yabbies, cheese, bardie grubs, and raw chicken. Circle hooks are highly recommended when fishing for Murray Cod as they usually hook in the corner of the mouth, which increases the chances of a safe and healthy release.
LURE FISHING
If you fish with lures, you’ll need a 4-6kg baitcaster rod with a 150 reel. To ensure you can cast your lure to the right spot, spool up with 30-50lb Hyperglide® 13x Braid. Lures you can use include spinner baits, diving hard body lures, soft plastics, surface lures, and swim baits.
