Coping with COD

The arrival of Trailer Boat's V-eight Ford Explorer and Trailcraft Profish project rig in Brisbane, after a stint in Victoria, coincided with a trip I had been planning to inland New South Wales to chase the elusive Murray cod. So I didn't have to be asked twice when Editor Granville suggested I take it for a whirl.

I headed to Moree to catch up with a couple of locals who had been on the scout for a patch of water where cod were on the bite. I was hoping to shake the Murray cod curse that had haunted me for so many years by landing a respectable version of this inland Aussie icon.

The V-eight Explorer made towing the project boat to Moree a dream.

Electric tilt seats and lumbar supports make life that much more comfortable, and the kilometres just slip by in cruise-control. You hardly notice the Trailcraft on the back, except for its bulk blotting out the internal rearview mirror.

The Cunningham Highway has quite a few passing lanes, which helps to get a lot of the B-double trucks out of the way. Cruising at 110kmh is very quiet, comfortable and economical.

The Gwydir River runs through Moree and is quite narrow compared with the rivers I'm used to. It is often quite murky and stirred up due to the release of water from Copeton Dam for irrigation. The river is also strewn with tree stumps, logs that lie along its edges and gravel bars that separate the deeper holes that hold fish. These fish are restocked every year and cannot escape this system.

THE CURSE IS BROKEN
The minefield of snags and other restrictions in this waterway make it difficult to travel in larger trailerboats, so the project boat was left on the trailer. Keen to get a few fish under the belt, your scribe hooked up with Clayton Livingston on arrival and headed off with his 3.7m punt to a stretch of river upstream from Moree.

The water was so dirty I doubted we'd catch anything, but Clayton was sure that with the right bait all would be fine. He was right.

With just three yabbies taken from the waterway in front of Clayton's house, a lamb chop, one dilapidated shrimp net and a box of worms that could double as baby anacondas, we motored upstream.

Clayton was looking for back eddies caused by logs lying out from the bank. Pulling into one likely spot, we tied up to an overhanging tree and put an offering from the bait selection over the side. Within a few minutes a tell-tale twitching on the rod tip produced a small cod.

It was followed up by a plump 7lb fish that will go down in history as the cod that got the monkey off my back! I was more than happy to let him slide back into the water unharmed.

The next three hours saw the release of three smaller cod, six yellowbelly and two catfish. A couple of fat carp had their throats cut and stayed on the bank for goanna tucker, although Clayton reckons even the crows won't eat them!

Moree has seven angling clubs and revolves around pig shooting and fishing. To encounter such a good session so close to a large population in this type of water was heartening and a credit to the Moree fishing clubs that make up the local stocking group.

Packing up for the evening, we dragged the punt up the bank and called it a night.

THE GOOD OIL
A trip to Hong Yuen's shop the following morning gave us the good oil on what was fishing and where. Richard Ping Kee runs the tackle side of the store and is a good source of local knowledge. After ascertaining that Copeton Dam was still our best bet, and after a 'round robin' trip of Radio 2VM and the local paper, The Champion, both of whom were wanting information on our project rig and its travels, we headed east-southeast along the Gwydir Highway to Copeton Dam.

This large impoundment is situated about 30km southeast of Inverell in an area known as 'The New England'. The feeder creeks that run into it on the southern side are steep ravines and the tops of 30m-high gums protrude spasmodically across its surface further out from shore.

Upon entering, a camp fee can be paid at the kiosk. There are powered sites and a toilet and shower block available, as well as pit toilets positioned around the dam.

Ice and bait may be purchased at the kiosk, but the bait when we were there was as dear as poison!

Twenty-five anorexic worms cost $6, which is a bit rich in my book, so it may pay to take your own. The fat worms (baby anacondas) I spoke of earlier came from Hong Yuen's in Moree.

If you ring ahead, Richard will freight them to his shop for you to pick up. Shrimps and yabbies are not readily caught at Copeton Dam, so some forward thinking will ensure that you have the right bait, just in case lures aren't doing the job.

COPETON CAPERS
Copeton Dam basin was not clear-felled when constructed, so much of the timber is still there, submerged and waiting to entangle lures and outboard legs.

Our arrival coincided with a 43% capacity that saw the red drum floats warning of submerged snags suspended 15m in the air, although some submerged trees in other parts of the dam still had 30m of water around them. Even at such a low capacity, this impoundment is a large waterway on which the trailerboat angler can spend quite a few days without fishing the same area more than once.

Because the water level fluctuates so dramatically, the edges are always soft. Consequently, the launch tracks, which consist of finely-crushed granite, are rolled and graded by the caretakers, who come under the jurisdiction of the Department of Land and Water Conservation. Stick to these tracks when reversing down to the water or risk sinking to the floor pan.

Camp was pitched in the shade of the trees at Woonulla Bay. From there it was about 5km to the gorges where a lot of freshwater was coming in from rain over the previous 24 hours.

We found a couple of yellowbelly at this spot then motored about 20km around Sepoy Knob and out into the dam proper.

With some casting and more trolling between two boats, we caught another four yellowbelly on lures. It was pretty slow going for this area, according to locals, and I had to agree.

Deep divers were the only way to go, even when casting amongst the rocks. The lures need to get down immediately to scrape and rattle amongst the timber and stones under which the fish were hiding.

BACK HOME AGAIN
Cutting out of camp early the next day, our trip back to Brisbane took five hours. On my return, I refuelled the Trailcraft and was shocked when the fuel filler overflowed with just 11lt on the bowser gauge. I made a rough calculation on a mud map of Copeton Dam and reckon we had travelled 30km and much of that at 4000rpm.

The rest of the time the boat was trolling. Amazing fuel economy from a mix of Yamaha's efficient 80hp four-stroke motor and Trailcraft's buoyant hull.

Our Waeco icebox still had ice in it on my return, which was another surprise. I had been away for four days and the beers were still ice-cold.

Closed season for cod in New South Wales is from the September 1 to November 30 each year. The colder winter months see cod fishing pretty well shut down, so organise long-range trailerboat trips during the warmer months of the year. It will pay to check on fishing management laws on arrival at your particular destination – and don't forget your bait!