While many freshwater anglers tend to put the fishing gear away during the closed season for Murray cod, those that have been prepared to adapt and fish for other species have been well rewarded.

The Goulburn River around Thornton and Alexandra has been particularly good for the trout fishers. Baits such as maggots and Powerbait are best, but unweighted worms drifted down the runs are also working well. It hasn’t been all doom and gloom for the spin fishers and the fly enthusiasts, but they have needed to work a little harder.

The Seymour area right through to Nagambie has seen some excellent redfin to 1.5kg taken. As the weather starts to warm up, redfin fishing should get even better.

Now we are back into December, and of course the open season for those magnificent Murray cod. Let’s face it, no matter how much you enjoy all forms of fishing, there is no other fish that captures the imagination and gets the pulse racing like Murray cod. I am sure I am not the only person to feel this way about our favourite native fish.

For some time now I have been pushing the Goulburn River as a Murray cod fishery. The Goulburn between Seymour and Nagambie is right up there with our best Murray cod rivers. Don’t come expecting to catch fifty under-sized cod in a day. That is not going to happen. However, if you want the opportunity to catch a decent cod, as well as a few big reddies, then come to Seymour. A typical day could see you taking three or four cod from 2–20 kg, along with 6–10 redfin up to 1.5kg. On a good day these figures would be higher.

The river can be accessed by two boat ramps in the Seymour township. Very good cod are taken right in the town, and downstream to Nagambie. There is a very good camping area just near Mitchelton Winery, which offers boat launching and also puts you right in the best water. Apart from the river itself, there are some very good lagoons in this area that can be accessed by boat anglers. These also provide excellent fishing for both cod and redfin.

The Goulburn River is very much under-rated and untried by many anglers. It’s time to do yourself a favour, and put the Goulburn on your list of places to fish. What makes this river even more attractive, especially to Melbourne based anglers, is that it is only an hour or so away and can comfortably be fished in a day trip. So if you haven’t tried the Goulburn at Seymour yet, add it to your list for this summer and give it a go –you won’t be disappointed!

Don’t forget, if you capture your catch on camera, I would appreciate it if you could email (or snail mail) your photos to me.