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Details of Riverina Sportfishing's 2007-08 season are contain below.
10th June 2008 To sum up Riverina Sportfishing's season, there were 599 fish caught which included 475 cod, 99 trout cod, 20 golden perch, 4 carp, a silver perch and one redfin. The average number of fish per trip was 7.5, or a fish every 81 minutes over the whole season. The largest fish was a 127cm (80lb cod). A big thankyou to all my clients. Getting back to what is happening at the moment, Mulwala and Hay continue to be the standout locations. Hay produced 17 fish for Dave Carter and myself in a day and morning casting spinnerbaits. The best fish went 71cm and we missed a few other lumpy specimens which managed to spit the lures. Purple and black/red spinners with copper blades were the most consistent lures, but the key to getting fish was very accurate and repetitive casting to heavily snagged areas.
2nd June 2008 With the water temp trickling below ten degrees, and the levels almost non existent in Berembed, Yanco and Gogeldrie Weirs, its got to the point where fish are hard to come by. With a lot of hard work and accurate casting of spinnerbaits, you will get fish, but there are a lot more hours between bites. The exception to this is Mulwala and also Hay Weir, which continue to fish well . Both these locations have large fish populations and produce fish when other places are shut down. Winter is big cod time and with few bites in between its tough going. However if you are interested in putting in some long hours for a chance at a big cod through the winter give me a call.
20th May 2008 Cold, wet and windy best describes my last few outings on the Murrumbidgee. Despite the poor conditions slowing the bite down considerably, fish were still able to be caught using both spinnerbaits and the ever reliable Hammerhead and 70mm AC Invader. Prior to the onset of poor weather the fish were biting strongly and despite spells of inactivity 21 fish were boated in the past two days. You have to work for each fish, but the rewards are there.
15th May 2008
9th May 2008 Spinnerbaits, spinnerbaits, spinnerbaits - did I say that enough times? If you have never caught a fish on a spinnerbait, now is the time. The river is low, slow and clear. These are the three things that make the fish easy to find and ideal targets for spinners. This past week I have been using Mudguts and Angler Tech spinners in purple or green mainly. Black nickel or copper blades and single or quad configurations. My best session was with George Podmore from Queanbeyan when we boated 14 cod in an afternoon and I have also had a few trolling sessions with hard bodies with fewer fish than spinners but the average size is 55-60cm. Solid fish but you have to work for them. The big fish are sniffing around with one hit on a hard body pulling the front tow point out of the hammerhead (and still didn't connect to the 2/0 Owner swinging off it!). Water temp is around 12 degrees and plenty of fishing left yet before the big freeze hits us.
28th April 2008 If you didn't manage to get out for for a fish last week you missed probably the best week of fishing so far this season. The water temperature was ideal at around 15 degrees and the weather was cold in the mornings and warm and clear through the day. The water clarity was perfect and the fish were hungry. Spinnerbaits and hard bodies were both equally effective, with the fish really starting to hammer the lures later in the afternoon. The only spoiler to the perfect conditions was a nasty cold front that dropped the temperature to near freezing and bought cold winds and rain. Accordingly the fish stopped biting as soon as the front hit. It will take a couple of days for the fish to get used the start of winter, and hopefully things should get back to normal. The bardi moths have flown in the past night, so the cod will be chewing on them - perhaps a surface lure when the weather clears?
17th April 2008
8th April 2008 The Autumn conditions are ideal at present with the better sized cod (50-60cm) being relatively prolific. These fish are attacking medium (90mm) to large (120mm) lures with gusto. It can be a while between strikes but by working structure the fish will come. Better colours at present are yellows, greens and browns. Bright colours aren't working all that well at the moment and spinnerbaits should improve this week as the water clears further. The cooler water has also sparked the hunger of trout cod, so make sure that you know the difference between the two species as some of the trout cod are well above 55cm. See the photo gallery for pics of both Murray and trout cod.
3rd April 2008
1st April 2008 The cold weather has hit with a vengeance with jumpers and beanies needed a week after 30+ sunscreen was a necessity. The rapid change in air temp has had a similar result on the water with a ten degree drop from 27 to 17. The fish usually take a week or so to re-acclimatise to the new environment and then the pre-winter feed starts in earnest. The first signs of better fishing to come is that the shrimps start to disappear. Once this happens the fish need to work harder for a meal and a lure wobbling by is an easy target. A few better fish are starting appear in my catches and it wont be long before a few monsters are landed.
11th March 2008 The weather is right, the water temp is sitting nicely at just over twenty degrees, the barometer has been high but the fish are still running hot and cold. The consistent bite that usually occours at this time of year has not yet arrived and mixed results are apparent with half a dozen fish one day and fifteen to twenty the next. There are some better fish starting to show with spinnerbaits being the primary weapon of choice. Spinners must be cast hard against structure to get results as the fish aren't coming far from their homes to feed.
3rd March 2008 Ideal fishing conditions at the moment with a high barometer, a clearing river, cool mornings and warm days are allowing anglers to catch plenty of fish. Redfin at Blowering Dam and the Hume Weir, a few golden's at Burrinjuck, and stacks of small cod in the Murrumbidgee. Whether you are a lure or bait fisherman you shouldn't have too many problems catching fish at present. The cod in the river are starting to increase in size as the water cools with some good fish appearing amongst captures. Trolling hard bodies remains the most consistent technique with a lot of casts required for success with spinnerbaits.
28th February 2008
12th February 2008 The cool weather has dropped the water temperature by several degrees, but as yet the larger cod haven't started to move. The odd decent fish is still being taken and I have had some cracking bites but as often happens, the hooks are hard to set in a big fish. Juvenile murray cod to 55cm dominate the days catch, with golden perch, trout cod and even a lure eating carp filling in the numbers. The average number of fish per day is still hovering around 8-10, but it wont be long before the fish bite as the winter chill sets in.
29th January 2008 The water has cleared up nicely and the fish have responded by readily taking lures. Spinnerbaits have been very quiet, but a trolled hard body (particularly a small hammerhead or AC) will get snaffled very quickly by a small cod. Interestingly in the past few days I have caught a few fish on large hammerheads, including an 89cm or 30lb cod. This fish took a "Forbes Special" colour (which mimics a juvenile cod or trout cod) trolled along a clay bank that is thick with little cod. The same lure also took a couple of other fish above 55cm. So if you want numbers of fish, go small or if you want quality, fish large lures and be patient.
22nd January 2008 With the return to work for many people after the Christmas holidays, its also meant that I have been busy with tours as peoples lives return to normal and think of fishing as a break before launching into another year of work. The river was just starting to fire when we had three inches of rain last weekend which clouded the water somewhat. The fish are still biting but its hard work. The average size is remaining small with few fish above 55cm. Interestingly the odd golden perch and some large trout cod are starting to feature in the catches. The river has dropped about 50cm in the past few days, so it will take a bit of time for the water to clear and the fish to get used to the new water level.
7th January 2008 The fish didn't really appreciate the influx of dirty water over the Christmas/New Year period and have only just started biting again in the last couple of days. Prior to this, the raging torrent of water down the Murrumbidgee made lure and bait fishing very hard work, but the high water levels were ideal for those who may be more interested in boating. The massive numbers of people on Burrinjuck and Blowering, also made for tough fishing, with very few fish landed at all. The water in the river is clearing, but with stable levels the fish are biting on trolled hard bodies in particular.
22nd December 2007 The lead up to Christmas has had me on the water more days than on dry land (which is fine by me). The fishing has been exceptional with the only blemish being a very tough day at Blowering Dam during the week. The Murrumbidgee has yielded Murray cod, trout cod and a single golden perch this week with about 8-10 fish per day on average with the largest being a 126cm monster (about 75lb). About time a few good pics hit the photo gallery! I have plenty of vacancies in January so book now to make sure you get your chance at the fish of a lifetime.
20th December 2007
17th December 2007 With the cod season in full swing there are boats aplenty along the Riverina's rivers and lakes. Reports coming in from Burrinjuck and Blowering have not been encouraging with a smattering of fish but nothing special. Similarly, the Murrumbidgee has been slow with fishing upstream of Wagga very difficult (perhaps due to murky water) however downstream is better with improved water clarity. Cod to 55cm form the bulk of fish caught, however Alan Bond fought a monster cod late on Sunday afternoon with the braid eventually rubbing through on a log after a one hour battle. The lure was an 'Owner' equipped medium hammerhead (frog pattern). Trolling hard bodies is the preferred technique at the moment as the fish aren't active and a lot of water needs to be covered to find a few hungry ones.
3rd December 2007 The 26 degree water flowing through the Murrumbidgee at present has the small fish on the chew with plenty of undersized fish attacking lures well above their weight division. A smattering of larger fish have been caught over the past couple of weeks with some big cod coming from Blowering, Burrinjuck and the river. Mulwala is full of weed in the shallow sections and harder to fish than usual, but if you look for the old river and creek channels there are plenty of fish to be caught. In the past two weeks I have been fishing the river in the Galore region, averaging 8-15 fish per day on both spinnerbaits and hard bodies.
22nd November 2007 The past couple of weeks have seen the big cod moving about with Gold Coast fisherman, Sam Power, feeling the power of a massive fish for a few minutes before it busted him off on a snag. Spinnerbaits again have been disappointing as hard bodies such a small hammerheads and 70mm AC invaders continue to tempt fussy eaters. With the cod season fast approaching, now is the time to dust off the big lures and sharpen those hooks as the big Murray's become a prime target.
12th November 2007 Burrinjuck fished well last weekend, however it wasn't the usual run of golden perch typical of this time of year, but a strong showing by cod, including credible 74cm (18lb) fish landed by Rhys Grant. Sunday the 11th I was back in familiar territory on the Murrumbidgee landing a neat dozen cod for the day. Hard bodies such as AC's and Hammerheads are the pick of lures with spinnerbaits taking a back seat last weekend. The water is over twenty degrees and the fish are active throughout the day, but still showing favour for early morning and late afternoon.
30th October 2007
25th October 2007 The Murrumbidgee has been fishing nothing short of exceptional. I have guided a few trips since my last report and apart from the 24th (which was a strong low pressure system, but we still landed a few nice fish) fish numbers in double figures are becoming the norm. Mudguts spinnerbaits and the new Scatterbrains by Mudguts (due for release in November 07) have been the lures of choice, with casting much more productive than trolling at present. The prime time for fishing remains late afternoon with the middle of the day being relatively uneventful, but persistence has kept a flow of bites coming through the midday lull.
12th October 2007 If you haven't been fishing in the past couple of weeks, now is the time to dust off the gear and get out there. The water temperature which was hovering around 13-14 degrees for quite a few weeks has finally jumped to 17-18 degrees and the fish have responded. Marty Asmus and I had a post work casting session off the bank during the past week landing 6 cod and a trout cod, with Marty backing up a couple of days later with a couple of cod on his way home from work. Mudguts spinnerbaits with some sort of purple in the skirt, and small hard bodies such as Extractors and AC Invaders have been the lures of choice. I also fished Blowering a couple of weeks ago leading up the full moon which apart from a few small cod and a lone golden perch was a tough nights fishing. The next moon should be a ripper, but mid week may be best as I'm sure there will be plenty of boats on the water.
18th September 2007
17th September 2007 The past week has seen a mixed bag of weather with gale force winds, some rain and a few warm sunny days in the midst of it all. Despite the confused weather, Chris Taylor enjoyed a great morning on Thursday hooking & releasing his first Murray cod, whilst on Saturday the fish fired up for Chris and Kara from Melbourne with one highlight being a double hookup with a Murray cod for Pete and a trout cod for Kara.
11th September 2007
4th September 2007 Mitchell Carter treated his dad, David, to a days fishing as a Fathers Day present. Much of the day was spent casting spinnerbaits in the rapidly rising waters of the Murrumbidgee. Our efforts produced an undersize cod and a golden perch in what was a slow day on the river. The goldens started to bite just on dark, but keeping the hook in them was difficult and only one made it to the shore.
14th August 2007
25/26 July 2007 Surprisingly warm weather greeted the posse of fisherman from Australia's leading fishing website www.spooled.com.au . Travelling from Sydney, Rick, Pete and Craig were appreciative of the pleasant conditions. The fishing wasn't easy with a single trout cod and a handful of bites to show for the first day, but we had the consolation prize snaring ten large Murray crayfish after dinner which made a perfect lunch on day two. Our second day was more successful with Rick landing his first ever Murray cod before Craig showed a clean pair of heels to land a fantastic 85cm (25lb) Murray cod. This fish ate a Mud Guts Spinnerbait (colour 10) beside the boat after at least thirty casts to a large snag.
17th July 2007
15th July 2007 With the river high and turbid it presented ideal conditions for crayfishing. The crayfish were obliging and we easily scored a bag limit for the afternoon with a large average size. Multiple crayfish on each pot were common with up to six on a pot at one time.
26th June 2007
11th June 2007 Apart from 8 degree water, thick fog and an icy breeze we still managed to land six solid trout cod for a day casting spinnerbaits. We had quite a few nips at the lures, but the frigid conditions were slowing the reflexes of both fish and fisherman. Best fish was a hard fighting 52cm trout cod.
27th May 2007 A magnificent late Autumn day was the backdrop for a day on the river for the Gilfedder family. Sam (8) and Lucy (10) both boated their first ever Murray cod and congratulations to them both. Very cold nights have slowed the fish down and it took a lot of work to coax the fish into biting. With warm, clear days ahead the water will warm back up and so will the fishing.
22 May 2007
19th May 2007 With rapidly dropping water levels making it hard to launch the boat at Berembed Weir, I opted to fish from private property above the weir pool with Paul Prenzler. We had a consistent day landing nine cod to 61cm and a lone golden perch. Our best success was casting spinnerbaits into heavy structure, however we did manage a double hookup (both fish spat the lures though!) trolling through some deep water.
11/12 May 2007 The 11th and 12th May were reasonably tough fishing days. Roger Nell from Junee landed 7 cod to 12am, but the afternoon only produced one more fish. Trolling was the standout performer with only one bite casting lures into the snags. The next day I hosted Nick Freeman and Dave Harp (Mudguts Spinnerbaits) at Berembed Weir. The fish bit well early in the morning and again later in the afternoon, but shut down during the middle of the day. Six fish in the boat and plenty of missed bites made for an entertaining day.
4-6 May 2007 Dennis Scantlebury enjoyed three days at the Hay Weir. Dennis is an accomplished bowhunter but decreased mobility in recent years has turned his attention to fishing and specifically a desire to catch a big cod. The water level was down about 2m in the weir pool, but the water was clear and it only took a few minutes to land our first undersize cod of the trip. A flurry of bites followed with several fish landed to 3kg. The middle of the day proved uneventful, but as the sun dipped the fish started to move again and we ended up with 8 cod for the day to 60cm. Day two was tough and we worked hard for our five cod and one carp, but the average size was good with all but one cod around the 60cm mark. We also missed a bite from our first big cod which inhaled and rejected a 90mm AC Invader. Our last day started at a sprint with two 60cm cod and another lure eating carp in the first hour. The second hour was bittersweet with a monster cod smashing a Hammerhead only to break the lexan bib and escape. Several more solid cod and a 3kg golden perch soothed the angst of a bust off, but in the dying light Dennis hooked and landed a 74cm cod which put a grin on the big mans face. Our total for the last day was 7 cod, 1 golden perch and 1 carp.
30th April 2007
21st April 2007 Brad and Pete from Rod's Compleat Angler in Wagga Wagga enjoyed a contrasting day of fishing. For the morning session we fished the river at Jones' Reserve and whilst we attracted bites tallying double figures, only three fish made it to the boat. Two of these fish were well over 50cm which reduces the frustration of dropping so many fish. For the afternoon session we fished Bundigerry Creek specifically looking for a bigger fish in the deep, still water. A fat cod of 65cm, weighing around 6-7kg, hammered a 150mm AC Invader mid-afternoon and topped off a pleasant days fishing. Photo's from the day are in the gallery.
26th March 2007
23rd March 2007 Rob Paxevanos and his Fishing Australia crew filmed a day on the Murrumbidgee at Wantabadgery. We managed to get some nice fish later in the afternoon once the stifling heat (37 degrees) started to subside with Rob landing a hard-fighting 3kg trout cod which highlighted the trip. Look out for our day on the water during July on Channel Nines Fishing Australia.
24th February 2007 Rod Beadman and Chris Pennings enjoyed a good day on the water downstream from Wagga with five trout cod and four Murray cod being landed. Most fish were on the smallish side with many more bites than fish landed. The largest cod was approximately 53cm. The standout lure of the day was a 90mm AC Invader and not far behind was a Custom Crafted Extractor which attracted its share of strikes. Trolling was the most successful method, with only one bite registered for the hours spent casting amongst the snags.
RSF Report 27th September 2006 RSF Report 12th September 2006
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