What are ya waiting for? With only a short while before the genuine winter sets in, it’s time to rug up and have a crack at landing a cool water cod!

Traditionalists say that native fishing is no good during the cooler months. I disagree. Sure, things slow down a bit but reward for effort can come in the form of a bigger cod if you persist. Trolling 100mm+ sized lures is your best option. Your traditional painted sticks such as ACs, Custom Crafts, Stumpy's, Humpty's or Codgers are always a safe bet with the Kuttafurra, Gidgee and Koolabung being the new highly sought after pieces of timber!

Looking back, April proved a great month for those who put in the time trolling the shallower water with either spinnerbaits or hardbodied lures. Large numbers of cod were taken with the majority being in the 50-80cm bracket. The Easter period was very productive for the many anglers who visited our region, with many coming in store with a smile on their dial and wanting to recount their recent captures. The best fish reported for the month went to Kail Lee who hooked into a 113cm beast while casting chatterbaits in the lake. A great effort for a young fella who is keen on the cod.

I personally saw a ‘first’ when I took good friend Anthony Pavlou out for a flick. Genuine first cast Pav hooked up to a 61cm fish which made for a good afternoon’s fishing. Recounting the story a day or two later I was informed that local young fella Jordan Urquhart went one better the day before, landing a 64cm on his first cast and then backed it up two casts later with a 73cm off the same snag.

Graham ‘Flipper’ Jarvis and Steve ‘Wolfman’ Hogan were another pair to have great results during their pre-fish for the Nationals, picking up good numbers of cod trolling LED Balistas in the 3-5m depth range.

Mid-April saw the running of the Mulwala Classic Invitational fishing tournament. A total of 120 keen anglers converged to watch Roger Miles prove once again that he is the undisputed king when it comes to fishing this region. For sheer numbers of quality fish Roger (Lake Mulwala's No. 1 guide) had everybody covered with a 91cm fish that landed him the Biggest Fish title. Mick Massier had a great weekend boating 10 cod of varying sizes, which was enough to see him take out the Champion Angler title. Roger backed up his good form with partner Derek Blow to take home the dash for cash also. The new organising team led by Michael Bressan should be credited for the job they did and are sure to improve further in years to come.

Unfortunately, at time of writing, water levels below the weir are extremely low making navigation extremely tricky and dangerous. There have been some reasonable numbers of fish reported, especially golden perch, but there is no indication yet as to when levels will return to their normal heights.

Cray season rules and regulations changed last year so it is important you are up to speed on them. The 2014 season opens on June 1 but it’s anybody's guess if the Murray will have any water back in it by then. If you’re heading out I urge you to be safe, especially if you are boating at night in shallow waters. You also need observe the complete new range of bag, size and possession limits in place. You can find all the info on the DPI Fisheries website.

If you’re visiting Yarrawonga/Mulwala I urge you to call into Lake Mulwala Fish Camp & Ski, the shop with the big green cod out the front (opposite the Post Office) in Mulwala and say g’day. We are your largest Murray cod specific shop in the region and specialize in all things ‘green’! For any info on upcoming events or fishing reports give us a call on 03 5744 3133.