With conditions nearing perfect as the summer winds taper off and the bite in the sun diminishes, this is the time of year to be planning your assault on Lake Mulwala and the Murray River below the Yarrawonga weir.

This is the country's most consistent Murray cod producing waterways. The next few months are prime time to target the mighty green fish when all styles of lure fishing should yield pleasing results. Best bet is keep your ear to the ground to find out exactly what colours, what depths and any general location in the lake or river the cod are biting.

Looking back, recent weeks were challenging weather wise but it didn't put a halt to the many great reports that came in. The most impressive catch reported and one of the biggest cod I have ever seen came by the way of Jimmy Solomonides of Oakleigh. Jimmy was fishing with a large bardi grub below the weir when his offering was gobbled up by an enormous monster that stretched the tape out well past the 1.3m mark. An exact measurement and weight were not gained as this fish was released ASAP after capture but you will not se many bigger in this local area.

Billy Wilson of Preston was another to land some quality ‘green’ while fishing downstream with 76cm and 70cm fish being his reward for effort. Whilst there have been some great cod landed, the number of yellas caught has been incredible.

Local boys Tim and James Loomes had a day out landing 15 cod up to 48cm. Their preferred method was casting smaller hardbodied lures to the snags. The key here was that the boys were always within sight of the weir. A plethora of smaller river fish, namely trout cod, silver perch and carp has been caught. Anglers are reporting these smaller fish are becoming pests and are stealing bait at will. Best bet is to use a bait protection sock to help preserve your valuable bait, especially bardi grubs.

Enough about the river, back into Lake Mulwala!

Fishing has been tougher here but the switched on anglers have been reaping the rewards. Early morning and late afternoon jaunts have produced constant returns with the majority being caught on the troll. Youngster James Marth came up trumps when he did battle with a mighty beast that measured a very respectable 112cm. A great effort for a keen 15yo who loves his fishing.

Adam ‘Thomo’ Thomson was next to get his cast spinnerbait tangled in a beauty with this cod measuring a tad under the magical metre mark. By all reports it was a bit of a circus in the boat with the crew on board but after a couple of happy snaps, this healthy fish was released to fight another day. The same outing also produced a 68cm cod for Glen Becker to top off their evening.

Brad Pepper and ‘Wheels’ trolled up some nice cod measuring well into the 70cm mark while Neil McKay and Chris Fittkav spent a couple of days out in the boat returning similar results. Lures of choice have been the Paul Nicell Humptys and the most popular cod lure at present bar none, the Koolabung. Another ripper that was produced in the lake fell victim to Grant Jones tasty offering of a bardi grub. Grant's beast measured in at a very healthy 105cm and credit to him, this cod was released.

One of the most popular options this time of year is surface fishing, unmatched by any other style of fishing for sheer anticipation, excitement and exhilaration. Casting poppers, paddlers or buzz baits around the heavily timbered shallower parts of the lake will see you in with a great chance of getting a hit.

Adam ‘Thomo’ Thomson with a 97cm Murray cod.