Copeton messing with the head

[dirvin21]

We headed out to copeton dam for the weekend with the aim to fish, fish and fish some more. I have fished Copeton for 20+ years and it's still one of the few waterways I approach with very little confidance of catching fish. Over the years I've caught lenty of good yellabelly from Copeton but the copeton cod has always eluded me.

We arrived just before dark with just enough light to find a campsite by the water on the upper end of the dam (wunnulla bay area) the dam was low at 11.7% but still looked pretty good. We set u in the dark with the aim to get up in the morning and get into the fishing.

Didn't take long in the a.m. to get the rods rigged and the kids had baits in the water straight away, and nothing hapened to struggle to lose a worm in copeton to a spangled perch is near unheard of signs were looking bad.

Got the kayaks on the water and got into the lure casting 

Amy wasted no time getting out there

We started casting large soft plastics for no result, Amy changed over to a spinnerbait and within no time was hit in some deep timber unfortunetly didn't find the hook, we kept casting and casting trying hardbodies, plastics and spinnerbaits for Amy getting a couple of shortstrikes

  Atleast the scenery was spectacular as always

fished on and off all day into the evening even tried surface for no result

Late in the evening the kids managed a small catfish and a couple of spangled perch on worms but otherwise this was a regular copeton trip

Basically frustration got the better of me, I'm under the impression I muttered a few curse words about copeton and as usual vowed I'd never return. With Amy away from camp for awhile and me sitting by the fire drowning my sorrows decided to cast a small hardbody on light gear to try and catch a spanglie or anything basically, about 10 casts in it gets nailed by something whatever it was probably a cattie or yellabelly pulled a heap of drag before pulling the hooks, despite the missed fish a bit of confidance resurfaced. With Amy returning I grabbed the baitcaster tied on a chatterbait and started casting again, Amy was just picking up her rod to join

It happened so fast, I landed a cast right on a single small tree in the moonlight 2 turns of the handle and it was slammed before I could react line was stripping as I'm deserately trying to turn the fish I'm yelling at Amy to get the torch and lip grips which I immediately thought was premature and I'd just jinxed it, I knew it was a good fish, somehow he steered through the maze of sunken timber and the fish was beached on the edge I could see in the moonlight it was a good fish, once the torchlight hit it i realised it was far bigger than I thought

 

My first copeton cod measuring 92cm I've dreamed about this fish since i was a kid, after a few snaps the fish was carefully placed back in the water and we stood mesmerised watching it swim off into the darkness

I stood dumbfounded afterwards trying to get my head around what had happened, copeton messing with my head

that was my only fish for the trip but have to say I didn't care 

Amy spent many hours casting for a few more hits but no fish atleast she's got a true taste of copeton or better still lake misery

the next challenge is to crack the metre at copeton

cheers for reading 

Dave

   

[Blackfish]

Excellent fish and a great write up Dave.

Congratulations.

[T_Bert83]

Great work and persistence Dave that’s a cracker fish well deserved. 

[Ryder]

Great read, and a top fish too.

[big Neil]

Hey Dave and Amy. I feel your pain and also understand the feeling of ecstasy you have from landing that one fish. There are lots of cliches which can be applied to Cod fishing but surely the most significant is "JUST ONE MORE CAST". You just never know what can happen when the lure hits the zone and you apply your favourite retrieve to the lure. Great read, great photos, great result. Hoodoo broken ...Job well done!

 

 

On the other side of the coin. I went out to the river at first light yesterday and the very low water was as clear as bottled water. No interest and I lost 2 surface lures, casting from the bank into the partly submerged timbers. This Cod season is definitely the worst fishing in over 20 years fishing the Murrumbidgee. Cheers, bn

[61 crusher]

Great read & perseverance, congrats on your new PB, and not letting copeton get the better of you, good luck with the the big one 

[rickmarlin62]

Stonker   oh yeah

Edited April 18, 2019 by rickmarlin62

[Hill373737]

Great report - definitely shows that fishing sometimes just needs perseverance and patience. Well done Dave!