Whether it’s a Christmas gift for mates and family or a New Year’s resolution for yourself; if you’re just getting into Murray Cod fishing, it can be very daunting sorting through the stack of gear available, but no need to worry, because Rhys, cod fishing extraordinaire is going to share his handy tips for buying your first cod rod.

LEARN TO USE A BAITCASTER

If you’re new to this style of fishing the first thing you need to know is that a low profile baitcaster reel is a must. They are also known as overhead reels and they look and function very different to the more common spin or thread line reel. Spin reels are perfect for bait fishing, much easier to use, especially with kids.

Baitcasters are more accurate and they provide you with more control over your line and lure. This is a must when casting for Murray Cod because you need to be extremely accurate when casting at structure.

Baitcasters might annoy you at first but keep practising. Chances are you will get a mess of knots on the spool, commonly called ‘birds nests’. This is all a part of the learning process.

WHAT TYPE OF ROD TO BUY

As you now know, you need to get a baitcaster rod to match your reel. Here are a few key features to look for in a rod:

Material: graphite

Length: 5ft6in – 6ft2in

Weight: 3-5kg to 6-8kg

Taper: medium – heavy

Action: fast

This is just a guide to go from as the best rod depends on the area you are fishing but it can also be a personal thing. Some anglers prefer a lighter rod for flicking lures easily (myself included), whereas other anglers prefer a heavier rod. If you stick within the above recommendation you’ll be right.

This is a question I get asked a lot and the prices can sometime be overwhelming, especially if this is your first rod and you’re just getting into fishing.

HOW MUCH SHOULD I SPEND

Occasional Angler

If you’re just starting out and you only fish a few times a year then you don’t need to spend too much. You should be able to pick up a combo which will include a rod, reel and line for between $80-120.  This is a cheap setup and won’t last you forever but it’s a good start.

Regular Angler

The next step up is someone who fishes once a month or maybe 6-8 times a year. You’ll want to buy each component separate rather than in a combo. Look at around $60-100 for the rod, $120-150 for the reel, and then you’ll need $30-50 spare for braid.

Keen Angler

If you’re someone who is looking to fish every second weekend or possibly more than I highly recommend investing some money and getting something that’s top quality. Not only will it perform better, make casting easier and more accurate, but it will last you a lot longer. For the rod $100-200, for the reel look between $200-400 and a good quality braid will cost around the $40-50 mark.

Last of all I want to touch on some of the best brands on the market that you should look at when buying your first setup.

WHAT ARE SOME GOOD BRANDS?

Abu Garcia, Shimano, Daiwa, 13 Fishing, Quantum make outstanding rods and reels. If you find something within the price range I talked about you’ll be sure to have a good quality setup.

Other good brands to also have a look at are; Pflueger, Lox, Penn, Rapala, Dusk, Wilson and JML.

The tournament zone provides anglers with some cracking spots to land that winning catch.  GoFish Nagambie ambassador and cod fishing genius Rhys Creed, give some insight into the best spots to target within the tournament zone.

The tournament area reaches from the Goulburn Weir and includes everything upstream to the junction with Hughes Creek, a massive 30kms upstream. All backwaters, billabongs, lagoons and creeks within this area are included in the competition zone. These areas include, Majors Creek system and Sandy Creek.

This waterway is an angler’s paradise with plenty of heavy timber, standing trees, overhanging structure, willow trees, thick weed beds and a river channel that provides the lake system with depths varying from half a metre down to 11m deep in some locations.

Minimal water flow makes for great fishing opportunities and allows for a range of different fishing styles including; bait, lure and even fly.

Here is the hot tip on some of the key areas to fish within the zone;

GOULBURN WEIR

Goulburn Weir is the largest expanse of water on the Nagambie Lakes system and it is loaded with standing timber… which means cod!

The main river channel snakes its way through to the weir wall with shallow flats stretching out either side of the channel. The big fish will reside in the river bed and move out onto the flats to feed during low light periods.

The best way to fish this area is to stay in the river channel and cast past the drop off and onto the shallows. Then retrieve your lures down over the edge and into the deeper water, hard bodies are the pick of the lures for this technique.

KIRWANS BRIDGE

This area is loaded with so many options, so much structure and great fishing opportunities.

Fishing around and underneath the old timber bridge is dynamite and is one of the best structures to fish in the entire river system. Golden Perch school up around the pylons and can be caught by trolling alongside and underneath the bridge. Casting lures at the bridge is also successful and big cod sit under the bridge in the river bed.

There is plenty of standing timber in the area with plenty of shallow edges, willows, deep section of river, standing tress and reeds.

DELLA ISLAND

Some of the best fishing is right on the edges of these channels. As you can see it is less than a metre of water on the flats and then it drops off into deep water. Small bait fish and prey will move onto the flats and then make their way back into the river channel… this is where the larger predatory fish like Murray Cod and Golden Perch will be sitting ready to ambush!

Put your lure in this zone and you will find fish!

MAJORS CREEK

This is a little hidden gem… a fishos paradise! Majors Creeks is loaded with great structure including; standing trees, back waters, weed beds, reedy edges, large fallen logs, overhanging trees and even lily pads.

Golden Perch love all this structure and will hang out close to the standing trees (especially the thinner twiggier trees), reedy edges and the spindly ends of fallen trees in this area. Throw out some smaller lures 1/2oz spinnerbaits, 50-70mm diving Hardbody lures and 60mm Lipless crankbaits.

GoFish Nagambie is a tournament for all. Whether you like consider yourself a top shelf angler and fancy your chances at the biggest cod, or if you identify as occasional angler who’s for the mateship or if you’re first timer that’s wanting to give fishing a go, it’s always good to take it back to basics.

Fishing for Australian natives can test the patience from time to time, to increase your chance at catching a Murray Cod, take it back to basics and follow some of these simple yet effective tips.

KNOW AND UNDERSTAND YOUR LURES

• Hard bodies are great for trolling and flicking lake walls and river banks

• Spinnerbaits are perfect for working and targeting structure

• Swimbaits can be used to imitate injured fish and are typically used the first few feet from the surface of the water

• Surface lures are widely seen as the most exciting way to catch Murray Cod

• Soft plastics are great for fussy cod. The more life like you can get the better!

• Lipless crankbaits work great on the troll

FISH AT LOW LIGHT PERIODS

Dawn, dusk and after dark are the best times to fish for cod. During periods of low light, cod leave the safety of their structure and more willingly swim around in search for prey aka your lure!

FISH THE STRUCTURE

If fish aren’t actively out hunting, you can safely bet that they’ll be in a nice holding place in and around some kind of structure. Target these areas with your spinnerbait and you might just have some luck.

BE ANNOYING

Cast at likely spots multiple times. Sometimes cod just aren’t in the mood to feed and your perfect cast will go ignored. Even if the cod aren’t hungry, if you persist and annoy the cod, an aggressive territorial strike can still result.

BE PERSISTENT

You’ll have many and we mean many, fishless trips. Its just the way the cookie crumbles. There are so many variables that turn natives on and off including barometer, water temperature and water level and other various unpredictable things, that all play a huge part in Murray Cod fishing. The more time spent on the water, the more likely you are to land a big cod. Time spent fishing is also time spent harnessing your skills, learning and practising. There is no such thing as a wasted trip.

YOU WANT BIG FISH, RIG FOR BIG FISH

If you want big fish, you need to be rigged and prepared for big fish. Big fish doesn’t have to mean you are sacrificing catching the smalls either. You’re betting being over rigged on a small fish than under rigged for a big fish, so don’t be afraid to use heavy gear.