Christmas and the school holidays are behind us. As we all get back into things and kids are back at school, the crowds have gone and the fish are coming out to play. Copeton has fished very well right through the holidays. Murray cod were consistent. These are the fish that bring people to Copeton. Many anglers were able to tick a beautiful cod off their bucket list through the holidays.

The cod have continued to feed on the surface both early in the morning and late afternoon into the evening. The pick surface lures have been paddlers from Water Stalker and KingFisher, Mudeye Snakes and New England wakebaits. The new Water Stalker Sneak wakebait has also met with success both in Copeton and in the local rivers. This lure is only 110mm long in the body, but has a tail of the same length.

The much awaited and anticipated 100mm Mazzy Vibe Forte has arrived. These mega Mazzys will be a game changer; there is nothing else out there at the moment like them. They have been designed and developed here at Copeton. Many prototypes were tried before the final design went into production.

They have the same ability as the original to stand on their nose on the bottom wagging their tail. They also have the same shake and roll on the retrieve or troll as their little brothers. I reckon if a 70cm+ yellowbelly is going to be caught in Copeton, it will be on a Mazzy Vibe Forte. The local cod population are the fish that the Forte was designed to target and they have been impressed by the Forte’s colours and action with a number of metre fish taken since it’s release.

The question was raised a number of times during the holidays about the use of opera house traps for yabbies in Copeton Dam. The short answer is that opera house traps can’t be used in Copeton or any waterways east of the Newell Highway. This is to protect platypuses in their natural habitat. Shrimp traps and hoop or lift nets can be used. See the NSW Recreational Freshwater Fishing Guide for more information.

Don’t forget your float needs to be marked with the type of trap, your first initial and surname, year of birth and postcode.

Local yabbies are a gun bait for all fish in Copeton. Another interesting capture during the holidays was an albino Murray cod. This is the second true albino that has been caught in the last few years. Wayne Nichols was the lucky angler and the fish measured 92cm - 4cm shorter than the one caught 18 months ago. According to fisheries, this will usually occur once in 20,000 fingerlings, but the chances of them surviving in the wild are probably 1 in 500,000. It just goes to show how many cod there are in Copeton. No wonder Copeton is the cod capital of Australia.

• Copeton Dam is one of the best lakes in NSW to catch a trophy Murray cod. Dave runs the Copeton Waters Holiday Park and is a great source of up to date, local information on what’s biting. Contact the park on (02) 6723 6269 for information and accommodation bookings.