The Dam Busters

Glen Innes and the Severn Shire in the New England area of northern NSW offer outstanding fishing. Rainfall dictates the rise and fall of its rivers and dams, and your chances of battling Australia's largest freshwater fish, the mighty Murray cod.

I have visited the area in both drought and flood, and have come to realise how rain changes the district. The clean-running Severn River, with its deep pools and gently flowing rapids, can take on a less benign look as rain tumbles down, bringing with it silt, fallen trees and other natural debris. Fortunately, the legendary Murray cod is used to the chaos of drought and flood, and adapts to the ever-changing conditions.

You can sometimes wait months for perfect river conditions, and with most of the country in the grip of drought, it is always comforting to have a trump card up your sleeve when you fish a new area - especially when we were trying to capture one for my Escape with ET TV program. My trump card was local fishing guide and good mate Don Lawson. He understands Murray cod like no other fisherman I know. So with the Severn River low and in desperate need of a good flush, and the notion of catching a cod among the green river rocks in the "too hard" basket, Don opted for plan B.

DAM DROUGHT
The campsite looked like an ad for Coleman outdoor goods, with three tents, chairs, tables, cutlery, air mattresses, gas stove and lanterns bearing the Coleman emblem. Well, there is no point using second best when you're spending a few nights under the stars, is there? The majestic Severn River, which we had hoped to fish, was replaced with several large dams, each like an oasis in an arid landscape.

Two other mates, Dave "Environet" Irvine and Geoff (whose nickname was about to change to "Murray"), joined Don and I.

Fishing for Murray cod in a dam situation requires a sturdy baitcasting/spinning outfit loaded with 6-8kg line, a good selection of deep-diving lures used in trolling, and a few fizzers or poppers for some surface action. Lures usually catch more fishermen than fish, and going by the size of our tackle boxes this looked to be the case once more. But Don has fished for Murray cod so many times his collection of half a dozen tried and true performers was all he needed. Don had handcrafted each lure personally after countless hours of testing on his elusive quarry. To put it simply, they worked.

EARLY BIRD
Early morning greeted us with song as rosellas crowded a gum tree close to the camp. Ducks and other waterfowl gathered towards the centre of the dam, and as we rushed to gather our tackle, a sudden commotion on the water sent our hearts racing. A waterhen disappeared in a flurry of feathers and white water as a massive Murray cod sucked it from the surface. Several seconds later the waterhen emerged, flapping its way across the top, pursued by a cranky cod, which broke the surface before sucking the waterhen under again.

We decided to fish from the bank with fizzers and poppers hoping to excite this cod or any of its mates into becoming an early breakfast.

A willow on the farthest end of the dam looked a likely ambush spot, and as Geoff retrieved his second cast across the face of the overhang, the surface exploded. His fizzer disappeared under a huge boil, and for 15 minutes he was led around the dam wall not knowing what size fish he was connected to.

When the biggest Murray cod I had ever seen appeared from the depths and boiled on the surface close to the bank, I could definitely sense some nervous energy in the air. This is where most fish are either won or lost, and where anglers tend to rush and panic in the anticipation of seeing their prized catch in the net. Geoff kept his cool, and after several powerful runs and another 15 minutes, the mighty Murray cod lay in the Environet.

What a fish! After it bottomed out our only set of scales that went to 40lb, we estimated it at a definite 50lb. After the customary pats on the back and photos we could not have asked for a better sight than to see this majestic fish swim away. What a start! From then on, Geoff was called "Murray".

GO DEEP
After breakfast we launched the boats. Dave and Geoff were in an 11ft punt powered by a Minn-Kota electric, while Don and I fished in two Coleman canoes that had been fastened together to create one electric-powered craft. We commenced trolling with deep diving lures set down about 20ft. The action was steady throughout the day with plenty of Murray cod being landed between eight and 15lb.

The campsite buzzed that night as we relived the day's adventures. There is something special about escaping to the bush and camping under the stars.

Well, I am sure we all dreamed about catching another 50lb Murray cod that night, because the zippers on the tents were calling out right on dawn. It was another day of surprises. This time Don hooked into a solid cod as he was attempting to catch a redfin perch with a smaller model of his effective lure. After moving the canoe out and away from any structure it was terrific to see a master in action as he played the fish out with a soft approach. At around 35lb it was shorter than Geoff's but just as thick, with a huge fat belly.

The afternoon proved successful again on the troll, with fish coming from the edges of weed beds, drop-offs and rocky points. All in all, it was fantastic. It is these types of adventures, with a top guide and a group of mates, that I can't recommend highly enough.

Don Lawson can be contacted on (02) 6734 7282. This episode of Escape with ET will be on air during May.