Lure Fishing Tips and Techniques for Moreton Bay Gold Spot Cod

Peter’s Top Tips For Moreton Bay Estuary Cod

• Estuary cod (aka Gold Spot Cod) are usually taken as a by-catch when targeting other species, but shouldn’t be underestimated. They are more common than you might think, take lures aggressively, fight hard and taste great.
• Estuary cod are structure oriented fish. In the rivers and estuaries they are usually associated with wharves, pylons, docks, pontoons and natural structure such as rock bars and snags. In Moreton Bay they are typically found on the fringes of relatively shallow reefs, near wrecks and so on.
• Water depths of 2-5 m often fish quite well, but cod can be found in both deeper and shallower structures. There are no optimum tides when fishing for estuary cod, they are equally at home when there is very little tidal movement as when there is massive flow.
• The summer months fish best – very hot days often fish above average. Having slightly discoloured water doesn’t hurt the cod fishing either.
• Heavy tackle and locked drags are normal when Peter is fishing for gold spot cod. Being structure oriented, these fish will take your lure back into the reef at any opportunity. The trick is to prevent them from turning their heads, but expect to lose plenty of fish.
• Early in the season Peter is happy to lose a few fish to straightened hooks, rather than lose lures. He notes the location of large fish and returns later in the season with heavier gear to even the score!
• If things are quiet on the water, try trolling for estuary cod. It will allow you to cover more water in search of fish​. Deep diving hard bodied lures will do the trick.

Peter’s Gold Spot Cod Tackle

• Tackle is basically barra gear and Peter uses a Black Hole Ones series baitcast rod for most of the season. He switches to a Venom 10kg baitcast rod towards the end of the season when he’s targeting the larger Estuary Cod that may have escaped earlier in the season. Long casting is not necessary, so a short, strong rod is often best.
• Peter likes the 13 Concept baitcast reel, which has 10kg of drag. Line capacity is limited, but gold spot cod don’t run out a lot of line, it’s more important to have stopping power.
• Peter has been using 30-50lb braid on his medium rods and 80lb braid on his heavy outfit, but thi year switched up his medium rods to 60lb Siglon PEX4 braid due to the increasingly thinner diameter of modern lines. 4 carrier braids tend to be more abrasion resistant and therefore better for catching estuary cod.
• Leaders are 40-80 lb fluorocarbon.

Peter’s Best Cod Lures

• Norman DD22 and Zerek Giant Ruby are two deep diving hard body lures that have similar attributes but are complementary when fishing for estuary cod. The Norman lure dives a little deeper and gets to maximum depth faster, so it’s suited to fishing steeper sloping banks, while the Giant Ruby runs a little shallower and dives more gently, making it a good choice for more gently shelving banks. The red and black colours work well, with fluoro green and orange being a good choice in discoloured water.
• The Zerek Fishtrap is a good lure for deeper water and can be hopped around pylons and so on. Soft Vibes are generally quite prone to snagging, so getting close to structure without making contact with it is the key. Use your sounder to identify structure that’s holding fish before wetting a line.