T_Bert83 Posted March 21, 2020 Share Posted March 21, 2020 (edited) 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 Edited March 21, 2020 by T_Bert83 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rebel Posted March 21, 2020 Share Posted March 21, 2020 Great report and nice fish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
61 crusher Posted March 21, 2020 Share Posted March 21, 2020 Another great report & it just shows how a bit of research combined with the two P’s can pay off, I’ve never tried cod fishing but with posts like this & of other raiders I’m definitely going to have a go at targeting them in the future. Congrats on the PB 😎, did it crack the meter mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kingie chaser Posted March 21, 2020 Share Posted March 21, 2020 That's a stonker Trav, nice work Just goes to show if you put in the ground work it pays off......…………….eventually 😀 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T_Bert83 Posted March 21, 2020 Author Share Posted March 21, 2020 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. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
big Neil Posted March 22, 2020 Share Posted March 22, 2020 Great report Trav and congratulations on your new PB. I'm sure it won't be a PB for too long. I've found that my best session EVER was when there was a massive thunderstorm brewing. 28 Cod in an hour and a half and they were still jumping in the boat when I pulled the pin for safety reasons. Copped an absolute drenching that day but wasn't the slightest bit concerned. Very disturbing to read about your walk along the Macquarie River and finding the dead Cod. It's hard to take seeing these huge iconic fish belly up, in the knowledge that we humans are the ones responsible. They are impossible to replace. Still looking forward to meeting you some day down the track. Till then, tight lines, bn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T_Bert83 Posted March 22, 2020 Author Share Posted March 22, 2020 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. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dirvin21 Posted March 22, 2020 Share Posted March 22, 2020 Awesome write up mate and cracking fish Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T_Bert83 Posted March 22, 2020 Author Share Posted March 22, 2020 3 hours ago, dirvin21 said: Awesome write up mate and cracking fish Cheers Dave 👍 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scratchie Posted March 24, 2020 Share Posted March 24, 2020 Wow! What a cracking fish Trav! A shame your not headed up here this weekend. Would have loved to add a pb snapper for you! Keep safe! cheers scratchie!!! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T_Bert83 Posted March 26, 2020 Author Share Posted March 26, 2020 Cheers @Scratchie you too mate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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