Episode 64: Copeton Dam Murray Cod With Josh Usher

Josh’s Top Tips For Murray Cod Fishing

• Copeton Murray Cod are catchable all year round, however angler comfort becomes a factor in the winter months when it can be very chilly. January and February tend to be the toughest months for Copeton Cod.
• Best conditions are when it is completely glassed out, but fish can still be taken when there is a breeze.
• Copeton cod seem to be more mobile than cod at other locations, moving about to follow the bait. Watch the shoreline for pelicans, as they are a good sign that there is bait in the area. Carp are one of the key dietary items for Copeton dam Murray cod, but spangled perch are also on the menu.
• Get there early, you don’t want to miss the predawn period. Make sure you’re on the water and fishing by 5am.
• Josh prefers to fish away from woody structure. He looks for big flat banks with lots of shallow bays where the size of fish the size tends to be bigger.
• Slow it down. Josh reckons most people work their lures too fast. Try to contain the excitement and anticipation so that you can work the lures very slowly.

Josh’s Preferred Tackle For Murray Cod Fishing

• Josh likes the Venom 7 ft, 8 kg baitcast rod for all of his cod fishing, which he couples with a Combat Plus ATC reel, 40lb Mustad Braid and a 40lb Wilson FC leader.

Josh’s Murray Cod Lure Selection

• The 1oz Bassman Mumbler is a great choice of spinnerbait for this storage and is especially good if the fish aren’t super active. Colour is not important and the lure can be fished at any depth. The technique depends a little what level the fish are feeding, but it is essentially just slow rolled without too much rod action.
• If the fish are active the Jackall Gigantarel is a great choice for Copeton Cod. It’s a very large lure that is a good imitation of the bait species and Josh prefers to slow troll it at around 1.5km/hr rather than cast it.
• In the early mornings and late afternoons Josh favours the 180mm Zerek Stalker stickbait. He’ll work this over flats but also doesn’t mind working surface lures around timber and other structure. Make a long cast, shake the lure around a bit, then slow roll it back across the surface. Josh reckons the mornings are better than the afternoons for this style of surface fishing.