T_Bert83

Generally these say peak times will be moon rise, moon set, moon straight above or directly below with the "excellent" fishing being the 3-4 days either side of full or new moon. This info can be sourced from a lot of places pretty easy these days. It's best to fish whenever you can not plan trips around these things as so many other things influence fish behaviour. I have had some amazing fishing around the predicted times but plenty in the so called quiet times so fish when you have the time.

@Will Wright I have heard of Jubilee Park but couldn’t tell you what the fishing is like there. Root hogg is best accessed via hill end if coming from Bathurst direction as I’m pretty sure the bridle track never opened fully after a land slide a few years ago but I could be wrong. The track closed on the Bathurst end but the track down from hill end brings you onto the bridle track further along so you can access quite a bit of the river. As the others have said all those baits will work. Topwater is always worth throwing and is by far the most exciting way to catch cod.

There are cod the whole length of the Macquarie river with access to the river being the hardest part. Easiest access points would be at root hogg fire crossing or long point from there it's pack your bags and start walking. There are plenty of deep holes along the river but there has been significant fish kills recently due to the drought and poor water quality so could be tough fishing. Pretty much all of the dams in the area have cod in them now but pretty much all of them are closed at the moment due to COVID-19.

Cheers @Scratchie you too mate.

@kingie chaser more wraps is the only change I make for lighter line as well and never had a FG knot fail (down to 4lb). That's why I was interested in what issues people had. @wcurrall cheers mate I've had them break when clinching a FG knot while tying but never in a fishing situation. @nutsaboutfishing as the knot tightens you will see it change colour, usually a good guide to whether the whole knot has clinched properly.

A few people have said they have issues when it comes to an FG knot and light line. Out of interest what issues do people have when it comes to light line and the FG knot?

Cheers Dave 👍

Thanks Neil, we will definitely make this trip happen. Over the years I've experienced similar outings to what you mention. Storms are definitely a trigger if you can safely fish those times. The recent rains has given the river a much needed flush. The number of fish killed will never be known but it will take years to recover.

Thanks guys yeah a bit of forward planning is always good. I generally have a few location picked out and lock in a spot on the day when I can see what the conditions and wind direction are going to be. @61 crusher luckily for me both the fish mentioned were metre cod. The first just scraped in at 100cm the fish pictured went 112cm.

Cod season so far I have managed around six outings, it has been about mostly long sessions with little results. The lack of fish however has been made up by quality. As before any session on a lake I prepared by studying maps. I use either sixmaps, google earth pro or genesis mapping for lakes that have been mapped. After choosing a few likely areas I set out for the first session for the open season early December. I started fishing around 4am on a long sloping point, there was plenty of fish activity and despite seeing a few decent cod on the sounder there was no action. Moving to my second area an offshore hump I slowly fished the area with a Jackall Gigantarel weighted with a 1/4 ounce chin weight. By now it was first light and on a slow retrieve with a number of 3-10 second pauses I seen a bump in the slack line and set the hook loading up into what felt like a quality fish. After a short fight I landed it after a quick measure and photo it was set on it way. The rest of the session I went fishless but came home more than happy. The next few trips fishing similar areas I went fishless with a few hits and follows just to keep me interested. I did see a large cod on the sounder that I couldn't wait to get back and try and catch. Before I got back to try tangle with the giant I seen on the sounder I went for a walk along the Macquarie River. I wish I never went, the river was in the worst state I had ever seen. Pool after pool I found thick green algae. In one pool alone I found 8 dead cod between 50 and 75cm. I did manage one small cod and a couple of hits but it was extremely sad to see the river in that state. It was now time for a crack at the fish I had previously seen on the sounder weeks earlier, by this time it was mid February. There was a lot of storm activity in the area which always makes me a little uneasy but the storms thankfully stayed far enough away to continue fishing. By the time I reached the area I wanted to fish I could only see the bank by the flashes of lightning. Fishing a steep sloping bank with a 200mm chatterbait I positioned the boat almost touching the bank casting to deep water. No luck casting to deep water I put a cast parallel to the bank. Half way into the retrieve the lure was slammed and I instantly knew it was a fish bigger than any I had encountered before. The fight was intense as lightning flashed ever closer the beast hit the net straight away I knew it was a new PB. Absolutely stoked the fish was returned to water after a quick photo and I fished for a short time longer before the storms got to close so I called it a day. Cheers, Trav

Absolutely gutting mate! Always nice to get a measure and a pic to help remember these encounters.

@kingie chaser posted this video of the simplified FG knot a week or so ago. This is the video I used a few years ago and still use this technique today. After a little practice it is quite easy and a super strong knot.

I'm a big fan of the FG knot as well for how it passes through guides but both if tied well are good knots.

Hopefully your new PB is not too far away mate. You are obviously in the right areas

Hi Will, That outfit would definitely land a cod but it would depend on what waterway you are fishing and the size fish you are targeting. Plenty of giant cod get landed fishing on light line for yellas but the odds are definitely in the fishes favour. What are you classing as a big lure? 45 grams is a relative light cast weight for the cod game these days with lures up to and exceeding 250gm and 25cm common. For the size lures that outfit will throw you might get away with line that light but I think you would struggle to stop a decent fish. For my cod outfits I almost exclusively use 40-50lb main line and leader with maybe 1 outfit rigged with 30lb. This is just my personally preference as bites can be hard enough to come by without the frustration of snapping off fish on light line. Cheers, Trav.