Trolling for Murray cod

We all know you can troll for Murray cod, that’s no secret. In fact, there aren’t many fish that lend themselves so readily to trolling as the Murray cod. Given that they like large presentations, often require repeated offerings to strike, like to sit down deep, and aren’t particularly afraid of boats passing overhead, it really isn’t surprising that they respond so well to this technique.

Murray cod and be trolled for in rivers and impoundments, and it’s just a matter of adjusting the size of your tackle to suit the size of the fish in the area.

As with all trolling, some thought needs to go in for you to get the most out of it. A sounder is very handy for mapping out structure below, as this will give clues as to where the cod will be, and where to focus your efforts. Generally, the biggest nastiest cover, whether rock, timber or anything else, will house the biggest cod. Getting lures to these fish is sometimes tricky, but there are a range of lures, some designed for cod trolling and some not, that are great at probing the depths for these predators.

Some notable classics are the Bushranger Digger 25+ Hard Body Lure, Sebile Koolie Minnow Hard Body Lure and the Taylor Made Blood Hound 80mm Hard Body Lure.

If you want to fish with something that snags up a little less, large spinnerbaits actually make really good Murray cod trolling lures. As with hardbodies, spinnerbaits should be large to provoke a response from this aggressive species. The Westin Monster 65G Vibe and Tackle Tactics Striker Spinnerbaits are great plus-sized models that will bounce of structure and keep you in the strike zone, fouling up and snagging less often than hardbodies.

Given that Murray cod trolling demands the use of large lures, it makes sense to fish these presentations on sturdy baitcast tackle. This heavy tackle also comes in handy when dragging large cod out of structure.

Repeated passes are recommended when fishing this way, as cod often won’t strike the first time they see a lure, but can be goaded into a response after a few times. Once you establish a ‘trolling run’, be sure to give it at least 4-5 passes before finding somewhere else. If you get a hit but don’t hook-up, it pays to give this area special attention.

Trolling is a great way to fish when the casting bite is slow and you want to cover a bit of ground, and is definitely a good trick to have in the arsenal. You can’t argue with the results either, with many, many metre plus cod succumbing to trolled lures over the years!