When is Murray Cod season?
When is Murray Cod Season? Well, you had better ask an expert. There's a few out there that come to mind so we thought we'd pick Tom Clancy's brains about chasing the iconic murray cod in gorge country. Oh, it's December 1st btw. Well for Victoria and NSW. QLD is November 1 and SA is Jan 1.
What is it that you love most about chasing the Murray cod?
What’s not to love? For one, you’d be hard pressed to find a more quintessential Australian backdrop to wave a fly rod around in than the waters Murray cod call home. Also, you just can’t beat that explosive hit; it’s bone jarring stuff! They’re also suckers for a topwater presentation. Plus, have you seen how stunning they look? How big they get? They just have to much going for them!
What tips would you give to beginners chasing cod?
Focus on the headwaters of the Murray-Darling Basin to cut your teeth on Murray cod. The fish are usually smaller than their impoundment or lowland river cousins, but they’ll be far more numerous and are usually enthusiastic and forgiving. You’ll have a far greater chance of crossing paths with a few if you focus on the smaller waters in the beginning.
Typical gear for chasing gorge cod?
Often, the forage in the headwaters flowing through gorge country is on the smaller side than what is found further downstream in the lowland rivers, or in the impoundments. As such, you don’t need a big, bulky flies and the 10 weights often used in those fisheries. For example. something like the 2/0 Manic Fly Collection Bradley’s Barra Bunny would be hard to pass up by gorge Goodoo.
I personally use an 8wt or 9wt outfit with an aggressively tapered floating line when I’m fishing the gorges. I’m currently running a Scott Sector 9ft 8wt paired with an Airflo SuperFlo Ridge 2.0 Power Taper which is a deadly combination. However, I’ve just got my hands on the brand new Primal Mega CCC in the 8ft 8wt model, which looks like the ideal gorge country rod. Come 1st December I’ll be putting it through its paces, so stay tuned!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Thomas Clancy is more than just a fisho, he's a writer and photographer too. Residing on the coast in New South Wales he is a regular contributor to FlyLife magazine and frequent traveler to New Zealand and beyond. Follow him onInstagram here for some amazing content.