SEARCHING FOR COD

Murray cod are one of the true icons when it comes to native Australian fish. Up until the past two decades the species was generally considered to be in decline, and in the past generations of anglers pulled in thousands of big cod throughout the whole Murray Darling basin. I’ve seen plenty of old photos of multiple big cod strung up by the gills on poles with their captors smiling at their success. Once considered an inland delicacy and heavily commercially trapped, cod numbers were in huge decline for decades. Rivers were often strung up with dozens of set lines. European carp caused massive bank erosion and had a big effect on cod habitat. In more modern times excessive irrigation, often related to cotton farming, greatly reduced river flows and in drought conditions major fish kills have been common, decimating large sections of our inland rivers of their cod populations. Despite all the threats, Murray cod have proven to be very resilient animals.

Murray cod are increasingly popular with recreational anglers and bag and size limits mean the days of massive catches are now long over. Most anglers release all their captures, and maximal legal sizes mean all big cod must be