I suggest people read the regulations posted by Rockylizard.
"Information" posted by Helen is not correct as far as I can see for either NSW or Victoria. I did check for Cod, Yellow Belly and Silver Perch. Some other fish are indeed protected and are to be released if caught.
By the way Helen, no need to shout, especially if information is a questionable.
Back on post, and I would be looking at using fresh river shrimps, or get some wichetty/bardi grubs from a bait shop, JayDee.
-- Edited by TheHeaths on Monday 1st of May 2017 07:54:47 PM
-- Edited by TheHeaths on Monday 1st of May 2017 07:56:24 PM
__________________
Regards Ian
Chaos, mayhem, confusion. Good my job here is done
I put Murray cod in my dams about thirty years ago, they have grown to a good size and i don't have to worry about any do gooders telling me i can't catch any cod.
The largest dam is about five acres and was thirty feet deep when it was constructed.
I had two yellow-belly, which i also put in the other week approximately two and a half kilo's each.
Pomme.
To answer your question! I am a very keen Murray river fisher woman. Have been for most of my life. Rules & regulations have changed a lot over the years, the best change being the most recent one to protect our breeding stock. The choice of bait has also changed a lot over the years. In the past we always use bardi grubs, or worms for Cod, yabbies & shrimp for yellow belly. I also like to trawl for cod & have had a lot of success & caught the biggest fish doing so. Today, I find the most successful bait for cod ( also the easiest obtained) is tasty cheese. Preferable not home brand as it doesn't like to stay on the hook.
I love fishing for Murray cod. I use a variety of lures from surface poppers (my favourite), soft plastics, spinner bait and if there are yabbies in the area, I string some glass beads together as they make a clicking sound on retrieve.
I've never eaten a Murray Cod, its all been catch and release with hook barbs crushed to become barbless.
Wikipedia:
The Murray cod is the apex aquatic predator in the rivers of the Murray-Darling basin,[2] and will eat almost anything smaller than itself and anything in its way, including finned fishes such as smaller Murray cod, golden perch, silver perch, bony bream, eel-tailed catfish, western carp gudgeon, and Australian smelt and introduced fish such as carp, goldfish, and redfin (English perch), as well as crustaceans such as yabbies, freshwater shrimp, and Murray crayfish. Fish compose the majority of the diet of mature Murray cod in lowland river and impoundment habitats, and that Murray cod are apex predators in these habitats.[19] Murray cod have also been known to eat ducks, cormorants, freshwater turtles, water dragons, snakes, mice, and frogs. The observations of the recreational fishermen fishing for Murray cod with surface lures at night reveal that the popular description of Murray cod as a demersal ambush predator is only partially correct. While this behaviour is typical during the day, at night, Murray cod are active pelagic predators, venturing into shallow waters and frequently taking prey from the surface
In my experience Murray Cod is more accurate hitting surface lures during the day. At night they tend to hit just behind the lure and to increase hook up rate a very steady retrieve at a slightly slower rate than during daylight hours is required.
I found that a dark lure with propellers is better at night. I think its because the dark silhouette of the lure stands out better against a lighter sky if the moon is out and the props give a noise at a steady retrieve.
True not very discrimitive ,but if your a thinking man just about every thing that swims in a lot of our rivers is carp,so it stands to reason they will be the most likely thing on the Murray cods menu common sense eh....
-- Edited by Ron-D on Saturday 20th of May 2017 05:01:56 PM