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Cod Heat Up
  |  First Published: April 2009



February was an amazing month where any day below 35° seemed like a cool day and was nice to go fishing. With the spell of super-hot weather, the lake temperature rose to previously unseen levels.

On the surface, 32° was common for a couple of weeks, making the fishing tough for the month, but those who worked hard were rewarded.

Over the weekend that included Black Saturday, the Fitters Classic was held by a group of finely tuned athletes who paraded as anglers. With the extreme conditions not conducive to fishing, the majority of time was spent on the bank trying not to dehydrate and telling a few yarns about times gone by.

A few boys managed to sneak out for a quick fish but returned quickly to the shade. Russell Ferguson managed to land his best cod, 66cm, to take out champion angler title. Gav Lawless finished a credible second for the fourth year in a row while Tim Long was third. I was awarded the coveted NAFA award for apparently (according to the judge) getting a little scratch on my foot and going home because it was to hot!

Truth be known, I managed to stand on a broken stubby and had six stitches in a rather large cut on my foot. I urge all campers to have a bit of respect and keep their rubbish out of the water, especially broken glass.

Passionate fisho Andrew Jacotine makes the trip from Mansfield to Mulwala at least once a week, accompanied by a couple of other boys. They fish the lake harder than most, putting in 14-hour days.

With persistence come rewards. In early March they were rewarded with up to 20 fish per day for their efforts. The best cod in February was 84cm with numerous others over the legal 60cm.

Barooga boy Brad Stillard teamed up with Gordon Bennett for a quick flick on the lake late in February and in an hour they had managed four good cod to 70cm casting spinnerbaits in 4m of water.

Roger Miles of Cod Hunter Fishing Tours speaks of how tough the conditions were in the heat and wind, but he managed to guide his clients onto some good numbers of fish.

Roger’s tip for present conditions is to cast brighter spinnerbaits such as orange, pink and chartreuse in the shallower water. Another method to produce fish has been trolling darker hardbodied lures below 8m.

The Lowrance Da$h 4 Ca$h Super Series had a great turn-out and some good fish were landed. A full report can be found in the tournament section.

The one bonus for the month with the increased water temperatures was the prolonged surface fishing action. Things usually start to slow down through February but large numbers of small fish were reported on surface lures into March.

Best areas to try are around the Kyffins area or the willows on the south side of the lake and Silverwoods Bay.

Below the weir, fish are everywhere but you would be lucky to land a legal fish from 50 caught.

Small cod, trout cod and silver perch take your bait but provide for a fun day out not short of action.

New shop

Our new tackle store, Lake Mulwala Fish Camp & Ski, is now open at 74 Melbourne Street, Mulwala, opposite the Post Office. We have the largest range of cod lures in town along with anything else you may need while fishing Lake Mulwala. We will be open late on Fridays so you can gather all your supplies when you arrive. Please call in and say hello to Vanessa, Tori, Cooper, staff and me, who are eager to hear your fishing stories and hopefully put you onto a big green monster.

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