Fishing along the Murray River from Swan Hill through to Wentworth has been nothing short of fantastic over the past month.

Reports have been hard to gather because most anglers have packed the gear away – pity, that. There’s only one way to change that problem: Gather the gear and take a look for yourselves.

We’re glad we did: Four trips to different sections of the river between the abovementioned towns resulted in six cod over a metre and a couple a breath short of this length.

That’s sensational fishing, considering many cod experts will tell you they don’t feed during this cool period.

Every destination we fished produced quality cod, even those we had never fished before.

All of these cod were taken on slow-trolled lures in varying depths. There’s no rhyme or reason on where a big cod will turn up during the cooler months, they just do. Winter is cod time so keep this in mind for next season.

As the weather begins to warm over the coming month, bait anglers fishing the Murray and surrounding rivers can expect a little more joy.

Goldens will begin to feed more freely while smaller cod will make a nuisance of themselves by devouring anything and everything they can fit their gobs around.

All is now poised for Spring, a time when our waterways explode to life.

With the onset of this warmer weather it’s a fair bet that the lakes between Swan Hill and Kerang will begin to produce a few nice redfin.

Lake Charm is possibly the most productive lake amongst this wetland system and when it fires it’s full on.

One of the most consistent baits to produce in the lake are the large, clear river shrimp, bobbed off the bottom. If the reddies are on, it won’t take long to find out. Back-up baits of worms or yabbies are advisable because some days their diet varies.

All in all, the fishing has been great over the past month and with cod now off the agenda until December, it’s time to refocus and set the sights on new targets and different techniques.

There’s oodles to do and three months to do it in. That’s what makes fishing such a great sport, so many variables to be crammed into one short life.

There is always something new around the corner if you’re prepared to look for it.