Peter Kaye
Fishing Author And Sponsored Angler
Peter is a Brisbane based fishing journalist who has spent many years perfecting the fishing in Moreton Bay. He’s written approximately 100 articles for Fish and Boat magazine and enjoys helping everyday anglers come to terms with lure fishing.
Peter’s Top Tips For Moreton Bay Estuary Cod
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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.
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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.
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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.
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The summer months fish best – very hot days often fish above average. Having slightly discoloured water doesn’t hurt the cod fishing either.
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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.
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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!
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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
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
Episode 593: Great Sandy Straits Autumn Fishing With Ryan Holdsworth
The Great Sandy Strait has almost unlimited barramundi, mangrove jack and threadfin habitat….. you just need to know how to fish it. Fortunately, today’s guest Ryan Holdsworth gives his tips freely and will put you on the right course to success!
Episode 580: Mangrove Jack Roundup With Greg Vinall
Mangrove jack are a popular North Australian specie, but how much do you know about their habits and behaviours?
Episode 547: Fishing Around Exmouth In Spring With Steve Riley
Every time I interview Steve Riley about fishing the Exmouth area I get blown away by the opportunities on offer, but I think this interview could be my favourite so far. Steve spills the beans on five land-based fishing spots that are available to visiting anglers during spring. In the course of the conversation we cover everything from bream and whiting to tuna, reef species and pelagics including monster GT from the beach. What a destination!
Episode 537: Hinchinbrook Winter Mangrove Jack With Adam Royle
They might be considered a “warm-months” species, but Adam Royle fishes for Hinchinbrook mangrove jack right through the winter months with good success – even on topwater lures! In this episode he does a great job of explaining exactly how he achieves good catches of red dogs when the water is a little on the cooler side.
Episode 529: Mackay Slow Pitch Jigging With Mick Hassett
My Slow Pitch Jigging technique is something I’ve been working on lately – I’m on a steep curve. Not Mick Hassett though, he’s a machine with the SPJ and in today’s interview he shares a ton of pro tips.
Episode 593: Great Sandy Straits Autumn Fishing With Ryan Holdsworth
The Great Sandy Strait has almost unlimited barramundi, mangrove jack and threadfin habitat….. you just need to know how to fish it. Fortunately, today’s guest Ryan Holdsworth gives his tips freely and will put you on the right course to success!
Episode 580: Mangrove Jack Roundup With Greg Vinall
Mangrove jack are a popular North Australian specie, but how much do you know about their habits and behaviours?
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