Tackle Tactics » Tips-Techniques » Sweetwater-Impoundments-Brackish » First Frost Murray Cod
First Frost Murray Cod
By Ken Smith
The changing seasons bring on changing feeding patterns with many fish. The Murray cod is one species that I have fished for extensively and observed closely. As autumn moves closer to winter and the days are still warm but the nights cool rapidly, many cod anglers wait for that first frost to arrive, giving the signal to the cod that the easy tucker that is available in the warmer times is about to get very scarce.
I believe this 'first' frost incites a panic bite amongst the fish, who are eager to increase the fat stored in their bodies to bide them over the cold, barren winter. I guess it's much the same as if all the supermarkets advertised they would be shutting down in several weeks' time for around four months! It would incite a panic buying spree amongst many of us.
There are many varied theories and thoughts as to bite times with Murray cod. An old saying was 'when the last of the willow leaves fell from the trees' that is the end of the cod fishing until those leaves shoot again in spring.
While I hold that saying pretty true for 'easy' and plentiful cod fishing, there is an eager band of cod anglers now targeting the freezing depths of winter and having some fantastic results, with huge cod the size of beer barrels. It's this body mass that helps these fish deal with the extreme cold water, much as the blubber on a fur seal protects it from the cold.
These big cod can now hunt down the slower moving or stationary fish that have less body mass to deal with the cold. The big fish now don't have to put on a dash of speed like Usain Bolt to ambush a feed.
The barometric pressure was heading to 1028 mb (1020 fish aplenty) and the moon phase was heading towards a full moon, which gives the fishing almanac a higher rating of a good bite. Some believe almanacs are akin to black magic, however I for one use one as a diary of logging fish catches.
I turned the garden hose on and it rattled, convulsed and spat out a pile of frozen ice, before the water flowed freely and this, along with the above two indicators and the fact that we were heading for a warm day in the mid-twenties, had me heading for the door in no time.
I grabbed the Okuma Cerros baitcast rod CER-C-661 MH 6'6" 4-8 kg 10-30g, matched to the Okuma Helios SX LH baitcast reel and a handful of the Bagley Monster Shad hard bodies with a 5" body length, along with some TT Lures spinnerbaits, from the Vortex and FroggerZ Snr range.
Arriving at the river, after a short drive from home, I was a bit disappointed to see that the cold nights had still not shut down the invasive European carp. They were still actively feeding and turning the water to mud.
The Bagley Monster Shad lures have a particular swagger that comes with a large one piece lure, putting out a good throbbing action that fish will easily feel through their lateral line, even in discoloured water. These lures also roll from side to side and the Silver colour would catch the sunlight from above and flash it off its belly shanks.
It was the third cast when the Monster Shad itself got monstered. It was easy to tell this was a good fish as the Cerros rod bowed and the Helios gave line as the fish tried for its sanctuary back amongst the logs. A mad dash along the bank, passing the rod around trees and blackberry bushes, and I finally was in a position to put hurt on the fish and steer it away from the logs, each time it made a desperate run towards them.
The fish was fought until it finally lay on its side. A quick measure of its length saw it reach the 90cm mark and the squashed barbs made it a simple matter to remove the hooks of the Monster Shad and the bucket mouthed green fish was sent back into the depths. Back to its sanctuary amongst the logs.
First frost cod, got to love the action that those cold nights but glorious days can bring as we transition from autumn to winter.
The first frost cod bite may only last a week or two in one area, however it's just a simple matter of heading north and following the frosts. That is until you get so far north you run out of four seasons and come into just two seasons, the wet and the dry... my type of winter!
Gear List
Bagley Monster Shad Diving Minnow
Okuma Cerros Baitcast Rods - CER-C-661 MH
Okuma Helios SX Baitcast Reel - Left Hand