Mulwala, Mulwala or Mulwala should be the only decision diehard cod fishos should have to make over the next week or so when it some to where to fish come cod season opening.

Undoubtedly Lake Mulwala is the home of the Murray cod and offers anglers a great chance to tangle with our iconic species on a regular basis. Either shore-based or by boat, drowning bait or pulling lures, Lake Mulwala provides plenty of options for all. Returns of fish are often equated with levels of persistence so a little patience mixed in with a bit of luck and a hint of skill should see many posing for plenty of happy snaps with a mighty fine Murray cod.

Traditionally, early season fishing throughout Lake Mulwala sees plenty of 45-75cm cod about for all forms of fishing. Lures in sizes from 70-120mm, spinnerbaits and crankbaits prove most effective for the lure fishers while a big tasty bardi grub, a hook full of worms or a good old yabby are your best bet if bait fishing. Fishing below the weir is always fun, especially if you are looking to keep the kids entertained. Generally the fish here are smaller on average than in the lake but return rates are much higher.

This time last year I made a prediction that the Lake Mulwala mapping system available from Chartered Waters would be one of the hottest ‘must have’ items. After 12 months use I can assure you all it's worth its weight in gold. Now having other lakes including Hume and Eildon charted it is certainly something you should be asking Santa for! To stick my neck on the line for another couple of upcoming season predictions, I'm sure the boom in surface fishing and return to the use of timber hardbodied lures will continue. Finding genuine timber lures is hard these days but keep an eye out for brands such as the Kuttafurra, Gidgee and Garra.

Looking back, the only real fishing excitement came over the weekend of the popular Golden Dollars fishing competition. A keen 33 teams gathered to chase the yellas that had proved very hit and miss up until this weekend. Teams lucky enough to find the yellas had some great returns while others were left scratching their heads as to why they couldn't pull a scale. Mick Miller and Ricky Doyle from Team McGrath had a great day out winning both morning and afternoon sessions. In total they landed 11 yellas with 2 upgrades in the arvo session. Their secret and what set them apart from most other teams was the constant use of Dizzy Scent on all their lures. Mick Massier and Simon Abernethy filled a creditable 2nd place from team Big Daddy. An impressive 6 quality fish helped these boys to some handy cash. Sneaking into 3rd position was local legend George Jovanovic partnered by his son Alan. Team Whopper Stopper landed 5 nice yellas for the day. Bendigo boy Zac Jury landed himself a beauty that stretched the tape out to 53.4cm. This was good enough to get the cash for longest fish closely followed by Peter Pejkovic's 53cm for 2nd and Mick Massier's 52cm finishing 3rd. In total there were 49 golden perch caught for the day, 27 in the morning session and 22 in the arvo session.

All is in readiness for the Cod Classic. It is still not too late to enter and all indications point to what should be another amazingly successful event. A whopping $150K worth of prizes including a Ford Ute and 7 boating packages makes this an event not to be missed. For all enquiries call Tony on 0357 441 667 or drop into Lake Mulwala Fish Camp and Ski, the official Cod Classic store.