  AKA: goodoo, Murrays, cod.
MINIMUM LEGAL SIZE: 50cm.
BAG/POSSESSION LIMIT: 2 (of which no more than 1 fish may be equal to or exceed 75cm in length).
Note: a total bag/possession limit of 40 fish applies to all scale fish species.
CLOSED SEASON: 1 September to 30 November. Landed whole or as a carcass.
A gourmet’s delight and the most delicious of Australia’s inland fish,
the Murray cod is also a vunerable species and is listed under the
Victorian Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act.
This fish
is undoubted the biggest and best known of inland fish and is perhaps
responsible for more tall stories of the one that got away than any
other. Examples of the monster cod once regularly caught can still be
found mounted on the public bar walls of many country Victorian pubs in
cod territories. The stuff of fishing legends and myth, there are few
freshwater anglers who have not daydreamed, if not dreamt, of hooking a
5 or 6-foot cod.
Believed to live as long as 100
years, the maximum recorded size for Murray cod is 1.83 metres and
113kg (6 feet and 250 pounds on the old scale). The regulation of river
flows, lost of riverside vegetation, bank damage from cattle, increased
silt from erosion and the removal of stream debris such as fallen trees
are some of the reasons behind a reduction in suitable cod habitats and
hence vastly lower numbers of fish.
Murray cod have been stocked into many reservoirs throughout the State and are a popular dam fish in warmer areas.
fishvictoria.com strongly urges catch and release angling techniques when targetting Murray cod.
SIZE:
Commonly around 60cm (about 5 years of age) and 3-4kg and occasionally
up to 1 metre and 28kg. Country newspapers of the late 1800s often
recorded the landing of a 5-foot-plus monster cod.
WHERE: The slow and heavy cod inhabits deep holes and heavily snagged areas.
TACKLE:
Larger targets require heavy tackle although most cod caught today
would indicate that lighter tackle is acceptable. 4-10kg and even 15kg
line can be used with a strong 8/0 hook and just enough sinker weight
to get the bait down to the cod.
BAIT:
Flies and deep diving lures as well as bobbing baits such as bardi
grubs, yabbies shrimps and scrubworms. Spinning and trolling should be
at a dead slow speed. Try a classic murray cod aeroplane spinner in
smaller sizes. Surface lures can work well at night.
BITE:
Like a 4WD or tractor in low gear, a large Murray cod is likely grab a
bait or lure and just keep on going rather than snatch and dash like
some of its smaller, more agile counterparts.
EATING: Excellent quality table fish, but best appreciated back in the river!
Some information on this page used with permission from Native Fish Australia.
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