Success chasing Murray Cod in dams during the day… in summer!
Yeah I know… that’s a bold and very rare statement. And I agree.
If I was reading this, I’d be thinking the same thing as you… but let me explain because it does make sense.
Over the past month or so, we have noticed a trend with Murray Cod feeding actively during the day in our large impoundments… more so than they have been during the dark!
And that’s saying something!
Recent Experiences
I heard from a mate who had been fishing the lake (Blowering) and landing some quality fish just after New Year’s. These fish were all caught between 10am and 3pm, during the day (yep… during the day!). From my experience, and many others, we don’t even bother in high light during summer.
(Now remember, this is a specific scenario and the best rule of thumb is low light periods. This is a situation where if everything lines up the fishing can be incredible).
My mate told me he landed 5 cod in these short few hours with two over the metre mark. He then mentioned that every day during their holiday they were getting fish… but all fish were in the middle of the day.
I was totally confused… and you can understand why!
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I had to test this out for myself. I headed up to the lake for a session in the afternoon. Only fishing for a few hours I managed to hook and land a cracker 80cm Murray Cod.
IT WORKED!
When it hit the net I said to Adam, “I can’t remember the last time I landed a dam cod in the middle of the day, in full high sun”. I did everything he mentioned, and it worked.
The following day my mate went back out and between three of them landed 8 fish for the full day between 67cm and 93cm!
A hot and sunny day… 8 cod, all on lures!
Why are the Fish Actively Feeding in the Day?
When it comes to any concept or new idea in fishing… I have to work out WHY!
I wanted to find out why the fish were behaving like this… there has to be a reason so we can try to replicate the process and continue to achieve results.
After some time thinking about the technique, spending another full day on the lake, hearing from other mates who tried the same thing and also testing the theory at other lakes…
I believe WE FIGURED IT OUT!
There were 5 key factors and if you had all five the results would follow.
I’ve outlined them in the detailed article below…
Intro from an article published in the SF Magazine, login here to read the full article.
Article: Daylight Murray Cod in Summer
If I asked you, “What’s the best time of day to chase Murray Cod?”
I’m guessing your answer would be along the lines of, “Sunrise”, “Low Light”, or maybe even “In the Dark”. I would agree with all of those answers. It is a proven fact, and we know that cod will feed better in these conditions.
In this article I’m going to share a theory with you that contradicts the above statement.
Now this is only a new theory that myself and a few other anglers have experiences over this summer, but I believe it has credit and I’m keen to share it with you.
Just remember… to take it on board and remember it for when you find yourself in the same conditions. It might not always work, but I’ve seen some incredible results this summer.
The Story: The First Trigger & Testing
I’d spent a large portion of time fishing low light hours at Blowering Dam since cod opening. Four solid sessions without any interest from a cod… and it was starting to annoy me. I knew with the warmer weather they would start to be on the move, it was just a matter of working them out.
During these sessions we casted a range of banks and usually started around 7:30pm and fished through till midnight.
It had finally rolled around to Christmas and that’s when I usually pull the pin for a few weeks, due to holiday goers and ski boats. The dam becomes busy over these few weeks and from experience the fishing can be tough.
A Message from a Mate
I was sitting at home working on the computer the day after Boxing Day and I received a message from a mate who is local to the dam. The text read:
“Cod are going off at the dam. Dad got two metre cod and his mate got six smaller fish.”
To put this into context if you are not familiar with Blowering Dam. Heading up and catching one fish on a lure for the session, is a good session. Sometimes everything can come together, and you might get 3 or 4 from a big session, but that’s a rarity.
My initial thoughts where they must be on bait while they are camping… how wrong I was!
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