We are still in the grip of a drought and it seems the first part of the month the barometric pressure refused to fall below a1020. It may sound great, but the truth of it is the fishing was exceptionally hard.

At the beginning of this high stretch, the cod were on the chew as you might expect, but as the days ticked over the feeding pattern slowed almost to a stop. Most of the big fish were caught during the later periods of the high but there weren’t that many. Many of them were generally foul hooked in the top or side of the head and this style of hook up is more often associated with an aggressive response than a calculated attempt to feed.

The highs and lows of cod fishing are most definitely governed to some degree by barometric change and it seems short, sharp bursts are far more productive than long settled periods. Once we return to a normal weather pattern, if there is such a term, the fish will become a lot more responsive.

Mildura anglers that have been trolling and casting lures are doing very well on cod, with several reported captures of fish in excess of a meter in length. Many of these fish were caught on large lures, a general trend for this time of the year as they feed up for the winter months.

Several lures that are working well are the 150mm AC Invaders, 130mm Big Mongs, JD Pythons and the ever-reliable StumpJumper. Green seems to be the pick of colours at present but that can change at the drop of a hat. Fickle things cod, you would hardly think them to be art critics, but it’s amazing how a particular colour pattern will work one day but not the next.

Golden perch have also been prevalent in this area, keeping anglers entertained on both bait and lures. Lipless crankbaits are still all the rage amongst fish and anglers alike. These small lures are very effective on a range of fish species and the next big cod to scoff one won’t be the first.

You may notice some very large moths on the wing, some of them almost the size of a small birds. These are called ghost moths and are the adult version of the bardi grub. When these moths are about in good numbers, it’s often worth fishing surface lures into the night. Any moths that land onto the water are fair game and a favourite snack for Murray cod.

The Murray River at Robinvale has fished slowly with only a few big cod to date. Golden perch have been the main stay for many anglers with some solid fish to 3kg taken on trolled lures and cast spinnerbaits.

As the weather and water temperatures continue to cool, we can expect to see a few more cod landed in this area. Down stream of Euston, anglers fishing bait are still catching good numbers of perch with bag limits achieved on most outings. A few cod to 70cm have been taken on bait and spinnerbaits cast around the snags.

The Wakool River has been producing a few nice cod on spinnerbaits with several fish over a meter caught in the past month. The fishing in this area should continue to improve as the water drops and continues to clear.

The Murrumbidgee at Balranald is still producing plenty of golden perch on bait and lures, with a few nice cod thrown in the mix for anglers using lures. The biggest I have heard of so far topped 1.2m and that’s more than a handful in this snag infested waterway, believe me.

Most areas have begun to show promise for the coming month and while I would like to override Mother Nature and predict brilliant fishing, it is she who will have the final say.

Oh, and before I forget if you have a spare minute or two why not look in on my new website at www.codmac.com . There are plenty of photos to get you primed and raring to go for that next great fishing adventure.