Remembering my first (and only) Cod

[looseplucker]

When William was about 2 or 3 (8 years give or take ago) or so we went fishing a lot down at the local lake. All the lakes in Canberra used to be stocked with trout but that changed to natives a few years back. Anyhow one afternoon when Mrs Looseplucker was working at home I took William for a redfin outing. Usual rig: spinning rod, 4lb line and small hook with garden worms. Anyhow we’d caught a few – even William hauled a few in. Then I got an almighty bite and something on the end really didn’t want to be there. I thought it was a big carp but something in the feel got me excited about a big yellowbelly or one of the legacy trout. After a few heart in mouth moments it turned out to be my first Murray Cod. No giant by any means but based on the length and girth the local tackle shop owner calculated it could have nudged double figures. I didn’t weigh it as it was closed season for Cod so it was to be released. And I don’t kill natives anyhow as for a start they are too damned beautiful. I didn’t have a camera so I held the fish in the water with one hand and phoned the missus to come down with a camera (we’re only about 5-10minutes away).
The picture was non-digital and I thought I had lost the prints. Anyhow, one dropped out of an old box and so have scanned it in. I’ve caught a lot of fish over the years but funnily enough this one is the main ‘memory’ fish.

Mcod.jpg (135.4 KiB) Viewed 2972 times

[bigbob]

What a beauty L/p your one up at least on me!

[Stickbow Hunter]

Nice fish alright mate; not so sure about the hat though.

Jeff

[terryzac]

very nice LP gotta love them cod

terry

[Gringa Bows]

Nice fish,thats one cod more than i've caught

[wayoutwest]

Looks full of eggs, was that lake berly griffe(sp)?

[hazard]

That is a very nice fish!! I have never caught a Cod but when I do I would like it to be as big as that!!

Wheres your funny hat?

Hazard

[looseplucker]

Lake Ginninderra is where I got that. Caught some yellowbelly there too. I reckon it was a hen fish, based on girth to length. But they don't breed in the lakes anyhow so the closed season is a bit like gun control. Only the law abiding do the right thing. Not a giant and a tiddler compared to some I've seen caught in the ACT region and beyond. But a good fish nonetheless. Hope she's still swimming out there.

As for the hat. Twas my main fishing and hunting lid. But William got a holt of Indiana Jones and it belonga him now. He is very good at hooking his ear with a bullwhip, hat notwithstanding.

[rodlonq]

Thats a beauty LP. What do you reckon happened to the trout population?

Cheers....... Rod

[looseplucker]

It was all "put and take" as they dammed Gininnderra Creek to make the Lake - and I doubt the orginal creek was a spawner anyway. So the trout probably have reduced through attrition. More common to get redfin and natives there now and big carp. The natives keep the smaller carp under control.

They stopped stocking the Lake with trout and shifted to natives a fair while ago - cannot recall when.

In the 1990s there were some quite big Cod taken in that Lake - a client of mine caught several that were well into double figures. I've caught yellowbelly there too - and in the 1980s when the Lake first filled it had Silver perch but that population collapsed.

[jindydiver]

Great fish

We used to get a few (smaller than yours) from the bank east of the dam wall(1980's). There have been reports of plenty being caught in Yerrabi this year too. I haven't seen a trout out of that lake for well over 10 years, the last stocking was in the 80's IIRC. I am keen on getting into kayak fishing and Ginninderra will be where I will take my baby steps

[looseplucker]

Cheers Mick. That is a deep channel there Mick - probably the old creek bed. Down past the BBQ area where the rocks are is super deep. Some big ones were taken there in the 1990s as well as near the Police ramp (I dropped a big one using woodgrubs one evening). Around closer to the dam wall we would flyfish for trout of an evening and bait fish for browns and rainbows - but that was the late 70's or so. I reckon there'd still be trout in there.

Along the bike path in Burely Griffin near Black Mtn is the prime spot at night - anywhere from the rowing regatta point to the peninsula and then over the other side - that is the main channel of the Molonglo. I've seen a huge Cod taken there on an aeroplane rig and I've had yellowbelly to a respectable size out there on yabbies and pink medium stumpjumpers.

If you head to Gin - give me a yell. I'll come and watch and hurl stones and abuse and then you can come to my place for a beer.

[jindydiver]

I suspect that after my first go on the kayak I will need more than one beer

[looseplucker]

and a comfy seat to watch it all on Youtube.

[JaseW]

There's some massive cod getting around Canberra if you know where to fish for them. Some of the deeper areas of the Murrumbidgee. I've done a few hikes and caught some beasts with a mate a few years back. He was mad keen on it and I usually tagged along and caught the odd one and a few Trout Cod as well. He has a photo of the big beast that was caught in Burley Griffin. That thing was huuuuge. A guy caught it in a kayak as well. We released all the fish we caught.

Hmm I can still recall all the photos of the trout my uncle caught when he was my age around the Canberra lakes. Browns and Rainbows. Seems a shame that they aren't around anymore but again, they are close by.