If you don’t mind the stifling heat or the incessant drone of mosquitoes, then the Murray River has been the place to fish this Summer.

Anglers fishing the Murray between Swan Hill and Robinvale have reported good catches of both cod and golden perch. Bait is now making way for lures as the water clarity slowly improves. Cod are still on the smaller side averaging around 2-4kg with the odd monster fish thrown in. The larger fish should make their presence felt over the coming months as the weather begins to cool a little.

Golden perch have been taken in good sizes and numbers with most fish falling to lures. Spinnerbaits were the flavour of January with reluctant anglers now coming to terms with the effective nature of these flashy lures. Trolled or cast, they have been responsible for newfound interest amongst many die-hard bait fishos. The Wakool River has been no exception with golden perch to 4kg falling to the flashing blades.

The Bidgee has been a little slow on the cod but once again, plenty of goldens for anglers casting small hard-bodied lures or spinnerbaits around the snags.

One river that we don’t hear a lot about that has been fishing exceptionally well is the Niemur. Only small boating long distances can prove difficult due to the many large snags breaching its course. Energetic anglers have brushed this problem aside by taking the challenge on foot and many have been rewarded for their efforts. Anglers casting spinnerbaits from the bank have reported cod to 11kg with a few explosive bust ups on unstoppable size models. There are some huge fish in this river, the only problem is getting them out.

The Murray River at Wentworth has fished well over the past month and will only continue to improve as the season rolls on. Reports of a few cod falling to lures and bait have begun to filter through but the consistency of the golden perch is what has anglers buzzing. Baits of shrimp bobbed around the snags, or small hard-bodied lures used on the troll have been the catalyst to success in this area.

The peak of summer is always the hardest time to fish the Murray and adjoining rivers. For the most, the large cod are reluctant to feed in the warm water temps, while it is also very taxing on the angler trying to fish.

While most areas are fishing very well, over the coming months things will only continue to improve. Until then, remember to slip, slop and slap and don’t forget the mosquito net.

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Spinnerbaits are the flavour of the month. Darren Brant landed this quality golden on a Bassman spinnerbait in the Wakool River.

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Another golden spinnerbait victim from the Wakool.