Cod time is upon us so let's get into action! I hope you have all dusted off your heavier gear and put in some maintenance because there is going be some big green bangers coming out to play on the run to Chrissy.

It seems that all species in the lake have prospered with so much food on offer, so I would be using bigger lures to produce more reaction strikes because they got plenty to eat. I'm going to be chucking 150mm+ hardbodies and plastics more associated with barramundi than cod, they work a treat so get some big baits out and enjoy the open season!

As we all know, the slot limit is now 55-75cm cod so do the right thing and respect the laws for a better and more sustainable future for the iconic Murray cod. Obviously, this is more relevant to the rivers where the natural spawning is more prominent than in Eildon or other stocked catchments, but rules are rules.

Thank goodness the Eildon area fired in November on the yellas, it seemed like it was never going to happen! It went off like a rocket with fish schooling up big time and chewing hard and should continue right through to Christmas. The size of some of the yellas we’re getting is quite remarkable; the best I've heard of went a stonking 18lb! An absolute brute female and I think we will see the magical 20lb season.

Over the past few years it was interesting that the smaller males were following the big girls around. When you catch a female, she should have a hand full of them with her. In the past, most of these fish were around the 30-40cm mark, but this year the males seem to be a whole lot bigger than usual with most up around 55cm. That's a massive growth spurt and it's simply because of the bait fish explosion over the past 2 years. I can't wait to see the big girls truly fire up, its truly going to be mad.

The water clarity seems to be a bit cleaner down south, so you may need to fish slightly deeper than you would up the top.

If you are trolling for yellas or cod, the trusty old StumpJumper is going gangbusters at the moment and they don't have to be the bigger ones either. As an all rounder, you can't go wrong when every species we have in Eildon gets taken on them on a regular basis. They won't break the bank either!

Without sounding like a broken record, I want to know where the reddies are! I miss them like crazy! Hopefully they’ll come back on the chew soon.

There's been some good surface trout action on ant and bug hatches that occur from time to time with some big bangin’ browns in among them, which is very encouraging. Getting them to eat anything other than a fly isn't easy; so if you have a fly rod on board give it a whirl.

The pondage has been absolutely fishing off its head with trout being caught between 0.5-5kg. Yep, you read right, fisheries were kind enough to stock it with some big bangers just prior to the Eildon Big Fish Challenge in October and it has continued to fish really well since. Dough and Powerbait have been best on the bait side of things while the new pinky color Tassie devil and the good old clown pattern has dominated the winged lures. On the hardbodies front, the Cranka 59mm suspending minnows have accounted for plenty of good-sized trout.

Enjoy the next month, stay safe on the water and have a fabulous Christmas!