The big cod are biting

But alas, nothing lasts forever — just like the weather. So we’ve had wet, windy and stormy, but if you still feel the need to fish we just have to grin and bear it, at least for a couple of days.

I had a look at the weather charts and noted one area in the Western District received its average November rainfall in one go. The dams are nearing capacity, in fact a couple are over 100 per cent full and the forecast is for a wetter-than-normal summer. This has meant a slow start for yellowbelly, but they are starting to bite. Eildon is hotting up and the Hume Weir is producing some hauls.

The Goulburn is still flowing at a high and muddy level, which is slowing the shrimp from appearing — and yellowbelly put shrimp high their menu. So it has slowed them from coming on the bite.

Having said that, you can try a scrub worm or small yabby around the snags or backwater. You may get lucky. The same goes for the Broken or the Murray rivers.

We are now just a couple of weeks from the opening of the cod season, and according to Steve Threlfall from Trelly’s Fishing and Hunting the people in charge of water releases into the Murray and Goulburn rivers say they do not plan to let any water go around cod opening. This means dry river banks making it easy for land-based anglers to chase a cod on opening day.

Now that travel restrictions have eased, a trip to Mulwala is on the cards — and from all reports some big cod are biting. Metre-plus monsters have been boated, but remember the maximum size is 75cm. They must be released over that length. The minimum size is 55cm and the bag limit is generally one fish, but there are some exceptions. They are listed in the Victorian Recreational Fishing Guide, which you can obtain free from your local tackle store.

Just to remind you — cod opening is at midnight on November 30 in NSW and Victoria.

If you are a chaser of trout, all reports have been good. Dartmouth has been fishing well, although as the weather warms, the fish go deeper during the day. So the best time is from first light to mid-morning.

Trolling a fender with a bunch of worms, a mud-eye or a lure about 8cm behind the fender will do the trick. You may need some weight to get down to the fish in warmer weather. That means either a paravane, down-rigger or shaped sinker, or even load line. All work at getting down to where the fish are feeding. The choice is up to you.

Some huge breeder trout have been let go from Snobs Creek Hatchery into the Goulburn River below Eildon. By all reports they are up to six and seven kilograms. They may not be great to eat, but if you get one on your line you will know about it.

Wild trout getting up to that size have been reported in the Hume Weir — the method of a fender trailing a bait or lure is working there as well.

The rivers and streams in the north-east have been fishing well. The upper reaches of the Ovens River from Bright to Harrietville, the Star River and the Buffalo River, as well as the Kiewa River, have all produced trout to anglers bait-casting and to a lesser extent, hard or soft lures.

I have not heard from any fly-fishers as yet, but I am sure they have been on the job.

Let’s not forget saltwater fishing, and according to Rod Lawn from Adamas Fishing Charters at Queenscliff, the snapper have not been slow in coming forward. Rod said some horse-sized snapper had been caught mainly up the bay around St Leonards and Mornington, while the marks around the heads and offshore at Point Lonsdale and Barwon Heads had produced good numbers of larger pinky-sized fish.

For variety, Rod said squid were on the bite around the grass beds between the Lonsdale Pier and the ferry terminal, as well as the Portsea side of the bay. He said salmon were starting to appear, as well as flathead and silver trevally.

Rod said all things considered, the fishing was better than average. He said the same went for Hastings around Western Port.

North of the border at Eden, John Liddell said snapper, morwong and big flathead were providing most of the action on the inshore reefs, and when conditions were suitable yellowfin tuna were being caught offshore. At Narooma, Graham Cowley said most inshore action was around Montague Island and because the shelf was closer they were getting tuna and kingfish. If you wanted to go further along the coast, schools of salmon were in the area, as well as kingfish up to a metre long.

Graham said when it was too rough to go offshore there was always flathead and bream around the structures and oyster beds in the lake.

Well, weather considered, I hope you have a good weekend fishing. Stay COVID-safe and good luck.