The summer season of fishing fun continues to roll on in the Mildura region.

The Murray River around Mildura is seeing plenty of flow right now. The water has taken on a definite green tinge of late, with clarity disappearing at about the 30 cm mark in many areas.

That said there’s still plenty of fish being taken, even if the lack of clarity means the lure anglers are working that little bit harder than normal. There are good numbers of fish being taken in the Nangiloc and Colignan areas.

Bait anglers are taking some nice golden perch on worm and shrimp baits and there seems to be plenty of smaller Murray cod taken in this area on both bait and cast and retrieved lures. Further downstream I have reports of the odd Murray cod as well as a few good golden perch being taken in the Red Cliffs area.

The golden perch fishing around the Mildura lock has thankfully abated from the absolute decimation of the spawning fish of the past two months. The captures and bags are now at far more respectable levels with some nice golden perch being taken on worm and shrimp baits, as well as a multitude of different lures trolled, as well as cast and retrieved.

Aside from the usual popular diving minnows, the metal vibes and bibless minnows are all very successful. The afternoons seem to be the best time to fish with the perch responding best in the cooler hours of the day when the sun is largely off the water.

The Murray cod captures are fairly typical for this time of year; plenty of fish are out there for the cod anglers but many of them are of a smaller size. Local angler Therese Ketling caught and released a cracking cod of about a metre in length recently. This fish took a liking to the ever reliable Stumpjumper lure in purple colouring.

If there’s anything more satisfying than a father putting a son onto their first ever fish, then I’m yet to find it. I recently had this joy when one of my 8 year-old twins Tom accompanied me to Curlwaa for a fish.

Putting a trolling rod in his hand with a green Custom Crafted Hammerhead attached, it was a matter of mere minutes when Tom was on and his first capture, a lovely golden perch was landed. I’m still not sure who was prouder, Tom or me!

Further downstream well-known local angler Ash Mills took a sensational Murray cod recently in the Lock 8 region. This very healthy looking specimen was just shy of the 1m mark and took a one of the very popular JD lures. It just goes to show that not all of the early season cod are little fellas, with quality fish a just reward for anglers willing to put in the time and effort.

The Mildura region will continue to fish well through February. A settling of the water clarity will put a smile on the Murray cod lure angler’s faces, but don’t be deterred by a little bit of colour in the water. I personally tend to move to the darker shades of lure at these times, with a more definitive silhouette proving successful.

If fishing the sub 6m water depth I suggest lures such as the Goulburn Lures Codger, Legend Yarrum, OarGee 70mm Plow and the Custom Crafted Lures range. All of these lures are quality Australian made products and will serve you well.

Heavily wooded shallower banks are productive to work over with these lures. If fishing the deeper 10m plus mark, the new 100mm OarGee or the larger bibbed AC Lures are well worth a try. The deeper holes found on the bends of the river are good places to work the ultra deep divers, or the deeper troll runs out beyond Wentworth at Fort Courage are quality Murray cod hotspots.

Lure casters are well served with the myriad of quality spinnerbaits, chatterbaits and bibless rattlers out there, although if targeting cod specifically your choice of lure must be of appropriate robustness. Bait anglers too will continue to be successful. Bardi grubs, large yabbies, cheese and scrubworms will be the baits to use, if targeting cod specifically.

The golden perch will become far more widespread. Look for deeper banks with accompanying weed beds for best results. I suggest trolling medium sized lures such as the 60 mm OarGee Plow, the Little Codger or medium sized Custom Crafted Hammerhead. I used to swear by the purples, but the spotted green pattern has not let me down in recent times. Don’t leave home without one!

Casting at the weed beds with smaller spinnerbaits, vibes or diving minnows or bibless rattlers will also be successful. Locally sourced shrimp and worms (either scrub or night crawlers) will continue to take golden perch, for those anglers with a penchant for the more passive style of fishing.

I’m very happy to get your feedback. Please email me at --e-mail address hidden-- with “fishing” in the title, if you’d like to submit a report or a digital photograph of your capture. I’m also happy to field any fishing related enquiries you may have, send ‘em through and I’ll do my best!