Experienced tournament angler Brad Hodges lets us in on a few secrets for targeting Murray cod with Berkley Hollow Belly soft plastics.
Over the past few years Murray Cod have captured not only my
interest, but the interest of most keen lure fishers across the country.
As a target species they are up there with the most
challenging. From impoundments such as Lake Eildon, the sunken forests of Lake
Mulwala or river systems like the Goulburn, Murray Cod are prolific throughout
Victoria and the eastern states of Australia.
When it comes to chasing Murray Cod, lure choice is always
topical and finding the right lure for the conditions on the day is vital.
One thing I’ve learnt from my copious amounts of bream
fishing over the years, is the way to set up for a day on the water. Most of my
lure choices are thoroughly thought out before the day begins. I tend to tie on
a range of lures at the start of the day Which often I won’t change. As a
result, I pay special attention when tying my rigs to be certain they are going
to last the day.
If there’s one lure, I’m confident in that will work in a
range of conditions, it’s the Berkley PowerBait Hollow Belly rigged on an Owner
flashy swimmer weedless hook. This weedless approach is so
versatile as it can be thrown around rivers, impoundments, and sunken forest
lakes with success. It can be worked through shallow laydown timber, cast under
overhanging trees, slow rolled over weed beds and hopped down drop offs.
One of the keys to success when using the Berkley Hollow Belly
is to use a line with stretch. The reason this is so important is because when a
cod inhales the lure, the stretch in the line will allow time for the fish to
close its mouth before you set the hook. I’ve found using braided line often
results in missed opportunities. Currently I’m using Berkley FluoroShield in
30lb, as it has a high abrasion resistance and it’s near invisibile, making it
a great line for this application.
The way I like to retrieve my Hollow Belly is a slow, steady
retrieve. This is my predominate way of working the lure, although I’ve found
that when working the lure through laydown timber in particular – a strike will
often be induced immediately after the lure has deflected off the structure.
I also like to create a little action once or twice
throughout the retrieve when working in open water with a quick flick of the
rod tip or a short pause with my retrieve. I call this kicking the lure out of
gear, which sends the lure into free fall. A big tip here, is to be ready for a
cod strike on either the beginning of the free fall or when you continue the
retrieve.
The Owner flashy swimmer comes in a variety of hook sizes
and weights and are available in Colorado or Willow blade configurations. I
often lean towards a Gold Colorado blade.
When it comes to the colour of Hollow Belly I choose, I either
‘match the hatch’ with a bait fish representation such as Blue Gill, Bone Shad
& Mullet. I find these colours work best in clear water. When fishing dirty
water, I tend to go for a bright coloured option such as Pearl White or Ayu.
The Hollow Belly comes in 4”, 5” & 6” with my preferred
option being the 6” when targeting Murray Cod.
The tail action provides a thumping vibration which
encourages Murray Cod to venture out & investigate. The Hollow Belly’s
realistic presentation combined with the flash of the blade from the Owner Flashy
Swimmer often produces a strike.