The Murray Cod is the icon of Australian inland waterways, our largest freshwater fish and also the 4^th largest in the world. There are historic records of cod reaching sizes of 1.8m long and over 100kg. They are most commonly caught in the 40-70cm bracket with captures up to 130-140cm popping up every now and then.  

If you want to up your game and finally land that meter cod, it pays to know and understand the Murray Cod’s habits and patterns. Read on to step it up and take it the next level.

They are a tough fish that can be found throughout the Murray Darling Basin; from Southern Queensland all the way down into Victoria and South Australia. They have the ability to live in a range of climates and conditions and have been able to survive the harshest of droughts.

With a life span of up to and beyond 45 years of age which makes some fish out there twice as old as me. With all these years of experience the larger fish become extremely intelligent and hard to catch. That’s what I love so much about targeting Murray Cod. They manage to push us to our limits and we need to be on our toes to try and trick them into biting. The Murray Cod is a prized sports fish among anglers with fish over the metre mark, classed as a trophy or milestone size for anglers.

Murray Cod are an ambush predator and are lazy. They spend most of their time sitting close to structure; logs, deep holes, rocky areas, willows, shade and any other form of cover they can find. They usually sit in still water, away from faster flowing current and only move from their home (structure) to feed. Majority of the time they will find a home that is close to flowing water and they will sit in wait for food to come to them.

They attack their prey with such extreme power as they inhale and swallow them whole. The Murray Cod has a large bucket mouth that can suck in food from a foot away. They have pads of needle sharp teeth that grip and hold onto larger prey.

They feed on anything that is alive and comes near them… and I mean ANYTHING! From the more standard; yabbies, shrimp, juvenile fish, moths, grubs and worms to the extravagant; Murray Crays, ducks, water fowl, turtles, eggs, lizards, rats, mice, snakes, mussels and basically anything that comes in contact with the water.

They are lazy as I said, but they can be extremely aggressive and powerful when they are hungry. Their large plate shaped tail is built for quick accelerate off the mark. They have poor endurance, but they are built for moving quickly to take their prey.

More information on Murray Cod and tips on how to catch them in Nagambie coming soon. Make sure you keep up to date with all my tips around the GoFish Nagambie competition by subscribing to the newsletter.