When I first moved to Australia, I was fascinated by tales of the Murray Cod, a huge fish found only in Australia. These magnificent creatures are known to live over 100 years, with some reaching an astonishing 250 pounds in weight and nearly five feet in length. Their distinctive name comes from their Australian relatives in the grouper and groper cod family.
What makes Murray Cod even more captivating is their behavior. These fish are notorious for their territorial nature, often defending their spawning territory and even migrating upstream to establish and guard yet another territory. They have a diverse diet, feasting on other fish, birds, reptiles, crustaceans, and even rodents.
On this trip, I was meeting up with the guys from Big Cod Dreams, as well as friend and fellow angler, Oliver Ngy, who was flying in from the United States to attempt landing his “personal best”. A skilled bass pro who has a similar obsession with Cod, Oliver was sure to have some tricks up his sleeve and I was keen to learn from a master.
For a part of the year, I reside in New South Wales, near Sydney. For this trip, I was driving down to Victoria where a large lake, famous for its huge fish, was undergoing a cold snap – perfect weather to turn the cod on.
Our fishing schedule was intense, with early morning sessions starting as early as 4:00 AM, and often continuing until the late hours. We embraced the challenge, adapting our tackle techniques to the behavior of Murray Cod, using the aid of live sonar technology (not sure how I feel about that yet).
The trip was as much about understanding these incredible fish as it was about catching them. We marveled at their potential to reach enormous sizes and their significance in Australian folklore and indigenous culture.
I’ve made a video about our trip here.
