With Murray cod season well and truly closed, anglers wait with baited breaths for the traditional run of Spring golden perch.

Lock in the middle of October for a crack at ‘Mulwala gold’ because that’s about when they arrive in good numbers.

Until then, Lake Mulwala will remain tough at best. Anyone who encounters a cod over the next couple of months should release it unharmed as quickly as possible.

To minimise cod encounters while targeting yellas, use lures no more than 80mm long.

In recent months water resembling chocolate milk and wintry weather left the majority of anglers fishless. Fishers now will re-arm themselves for some clearer water and warmer weather come December 1.

Over the previous cod season, George Jovanovic stands head and shoulders above the rest for local results. He landed around a dozen cod over the magical metre for the season.

Only one other angler I know fishing the Murray-Darling system can boast results for the season anything like George’s and that’s the undisputed king of cod, Rod Mackenzie.

One thing these two have in common is their preference for lures that are large, with Koolabung, Bassman and Decoys the standouts.

Reports for August were few. The best was from Terry Bryan, who used everything bar the kitchen sink to unsuccessfully tempt a cod, then put on a piece of bread and an 82cm fish was his reward.

George J and Pete Collins spent many hours on the water before the closure with Pete’s 78cm their best return.

Local young gun Beau Hornidge received a pleasant surprise when trying to tempt a yella in the Mulwala Canal, reeling in a nice-sized river blackfish (‘slimy’).

A group of boys from Inglewood spent a fun weekend on the lake in search of an elusive green monster. They thought they’d come across something rather large after one received a good hit and proceeded to have of large amount of line peeled from his reel at speed.

To the others’ amusement, it was discovered that his line had become tangled around the propeller. Amazingly though, after a busted line and detangling from the prop, a 53cm cod remained connected. It was their only fish for the weekend but did provide a memorable story, one that only got better that night when retold.

Anglers fishing below the weir were greeted with high water levels that haven’t been seen since the flood of 1998. Reports were patchy but a few yellas were taken.

To finish the Murray cray season, Dean Langford and crew spent a weekend camped around the Blue Hole area. With hard work and regular net patrol, the boys brought home a nice feed.

Be aware that the section of river from the Yarrawonga Weir downstream to the bridge at Tocumwal is totally closed to all forms of fishing until December 1.

Entry forms are now available for the Cod Classic, which promises to be bigger than Ben Hur. Call in at Lake Mulwala Fish Camp & Ski, the official Cod Classic shop or call 0357 441 667 for more information.

Terry Bryan tried everything in his tackle box to no avail and then put on a piece of bread to catch this 82cm cod before the season closed..