Hardb8
03-02-2008, 09:03 PM
Hi Ausfishers,
The Murray Cod has long been on my much catch list,And untill recently,We'd never crossed paths.With my Australia Day ritual of casting for one of our natives being missed due to other draining commitments,A special trip to make up for it was planned...
Jimargie was to be the destination,And a chance to meet a legend was the prize.
As usual,Kyle was more than keen for the trip.The calls were made,The accomadation booked,The gear and tackle jammed into bags,And off we went in hope and wonder.The trip was 5 and a half hours from home (Redcliffe just North of Brisbane) that included 1/2 an hour to stop and stretch the legs,The total distance to Jims house was 423km's.
Make sure you have everything with ya,As it's 54km's and a 45 min drive to the nearest fuel and supplies in the town of Deepwater.That makes it a 100km,Hour and a half return trip if ya low on anything.
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A little about Jimargie...
Mr Jim Cowin is the owner,And a polite and informative character indeed.He told us alot about both the land and it's dangers,And also about our quarry.He also spun us some very cool storys of himself,And of his experiences on his property.Also of his times abroard.He is a man who really cares for his land and it's inhabbitants.
Jimargie is a 2000 acre block of land in the town of Emmaville,Situated in the N.S.W granite belt.It has approxamitly 3km of the Severn River headwaters running through it.It's real gorge country,And a true natural habbitat of the Murray Cod.
There are some very real dangers to consider when in this habbitat,Such as snake bites,And slips and falls can cause :- Sprains,Fractures and breaks of bones.As your in a gorge,And have no communication,These scenearios can even prove to be deadly.Dehydration must also be seriously considered.It's tuff walking,And I went through my water very quickly.Fortunantly for us the water was running,And I drank from the rapids with no ill effects whatsoever.Jim had informed us that this can be done if needed.
I'd personnaly recommend fishing two up,And within sight of ya partner at all times.After I had a slip and fall,I realised how easy it would be to,Slip,Bang ya head,Sustain a concussion,And fall into the water to drown.Jim insisted we take compression bandages with us,Just in case.
Jim also had us watch a short movie that had Mr Neil Shultz starring.It was to ensure we had correct knowledge on how to care for these fish,And sustain the fishing of the waterway.He also asks you use a minimum 20lb line,And a minimum size of 100mm lures.All barbs must be crushed down,And there is no bait fishing.It's lure and fly only.
Then we got some words of advice on 4WDing.Little did we know just how sketchy some of the tracks were to the water from our bunkhouse.Low range 1st and 2nd gear 4WD was the order for a fair amount of the 8km trip to the river.The drive to and from is great,And only added to the adventure.It took us about half an hour to make the one way trip.It was like being in a zoo.On our first trip down,We seen :- Dear,A mob of about 20 pigs,Kangaroos,And heard of mountain goats.Other critters we came across were,Wallaroos,A couple different varietys of Snake,Spiders and a few big Goannas.Really 8-) stuff.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The fishing...
We were already on a high from the drive in,And seeing the water only made it worse.We were greeted by a beautiful waterfall cascading over massive boulders into a fairly large pool.Everything was worth it already :) .The enviroment is pristene,And I would imagine unchanged for thousands of years 8-) .
I had a purple 1/2oz chatterb8 tied on,A style lure I've never used before,But my confidence in it was high after the first few casts.The vibration it put off was wicked,And my rod throbbed and pulsed as the lure flashed through the water.Kyle had tied on a large spinner blade,Also in purple,And was casting away at the studded boulders in the mid section of the pool.I was at the head,And on about my tenth cast recieved my first whack,But no hook up.Kyle was recieving quite a bit of attention in the middle of the pool,So I moved down to join him.It was here that a dream was realised.He was only small,Around 30cm,But a scale perfect Murray Cod was recorded on camera,Breifly admired,And released.I was STOKED!;D
We soon began pool hopping,And the next bend syndrome was as bad as I've ever had it.And although we are novice Cod anglers,We were aware that several casts can be needed to one area,To draw a strike,So we thoroughly worked over the pools.Fish started to come on both rods,Taking a liking to both our presentations.Our confidence began to grow with each fish,And we observed the type of habbitat and the retrive speed needed to draw strikes.It was great as always to be learning,And refreshing to be in new country.And the new species made it that much better.
We discovered that these fish will hide in the smallest of cracks,And don't need much water.I've pi$$ed bigger puddles that my best Cod came from.It blew me away that such a fish would hide in such shallow skinny water.But it had shade,Current,And an eddy.
We also discovered that a slow to medium constant retrieve speed worked best,And drew most attention.
The best habbitat we found was pools that had 1 to around 10 foot of water with large boulders studding their lenght.These areas soon became our favourites,And almost always produced the goods.I assumed the deeper more still pools were home to the larger fish (20+ pounders) as they were void of smaller Cod.But we found these areas barron and lifeless.The lack of small Cod in these prime looking spots,For some reason,Told me that this is where the big boys were,And were eating the little blokes that entered unaware of the danger that lurked beneath.I put my theory in practice and used big lures,And worked prime ambush points in these areas,Frustratingly for no result.....(So much to learn).....
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Night time.8-)
Our session on sundown was one that will be long remembered,And one of the most awsome topwater bites I've been part of,If not the best!
We were aware of the Cods fondness of surface prey,And as the sun changed through it's hues,And began to dip over the cliffs of the gorge,Topwaters was the call 8-) 8-) 8-) .We both selected stickb8's.Kyle used a Riding Pepper,And I,A Megabass Dog X.Both our lures were yellow.And both got absolutly HAMMERED!The aggression was unbelievable.The Cod transformed into another fish,Like a product of the devil himself as night began to fall.Several strikes on the same retrieve were common,With water,Lures,And Cod flying in all directions.I copped one strike that saw a tiny bloke (About 30cm) launch a vertical attack from beneath to smash my lure,And continue towards the stars :o .We had double hookups from the same rock,Birdsnests caused from strikes before the reel was even engaged :o ,And detonations on our b8's that'd do a depthcharge proud.
It is now dark and visability at a minimum....ZZZZZZZZZZZZ bloop,Kyle makes his cast."Where's ya lure" I ask?KAPKOOOOOOOOOW!And as if on request the Cod would let me know exactly where it was.It was crazy!
Our end tally :-
Kyle...18 Cod.Best fish,59.5cm.
Gear used :- Rod-Megabass Destroyer-Griffon Evoluzion.
Reels :- M-Ito 103 Millionaire Limited Edition & Daiwa Monoblock XR100.
Line & leaders :- 20lb Daiwa Sensor braid.32lb twisted & 20lb single strand.
B8...19 Cod.Best fish,63cm.Also got a thumpin yella.
Gear used :- Rods-Megabass Destroyer Evoulzion-Espada & Gan Craft Killers 00 Dictator.
Reels :- Daiwa Millionaire I'ze Light & Daiwa Steez.
Line & leaders :- 20lb Daiwa Sensor Braid.32lb twisted & 20lb single strand.
It was a pleasure and a privlige to fish Jimargie,And I will definantly return.
I had a great time,With great company.Beautiful surroundings,And it was topped of with the meeting of a very special fish,A true legend...The Murray Cod.
A quick thanks to both Jim,And as always Kyle.
Another one off the list....Regards. B8.;)
The Murray Cod has long been on my much catch list,And untill recently,We'd never crossed paths.With my Australia Day ritual of casting for one of our natives being missed due to other draining commitments,A special trip to make up for it was planned...
Jimargie was to be the destination,And a chance to meet a legend was the prize.
As usual,Kyle was more than keen for the trip.The calls were made,The accomadation booked,The gear and tackle jammed into bags,And off we went in hope and wonder.The trip was 5 and a half hours from home (Redcliffe just North of Brisbane) that included 1/2 an hour to stop and stretch the legs,The total distance to Jims house was 423km's.
Make sure you have everything with ya,As it's 54km's and a 45 min drive to the nearest fuel and supplies in the town of Deepwater.That makes it a 100km,Hour and a half return trip if ya low on anything.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A little about Jimargie...
Mr Jim Cowin is the owner,And a polite and informative character indeed.He told us alot about both the land and it's dangers,And also about our quarry.He also spun us some very cool storys of himself,And of his experiences on his property.Also of his times abroard.He is a man who really cares for his land and it's inhabbitants.
Jimargie is a 2000 acre block of land in the town of Emmaville,Situated in the N.S.W granite belt.It has approxamitly 3km of the Severn River headwaters running through it.It's real gorge country,And a true natural habbitat of the Murray Cod.
There are some very real dangers to consider when in this habbitat,Such as snake bites,And slips and falls can cause :- Sprains,Fractures and breaks of bones.As your in a gorge,And have no communication,These scenearios can even prove to be deadly.Dehydration must also be seriously considered.It's tuff walking,And I went through my water very quickly.Fortunantly for us the water was running,And I drank from the rapids with no ill effects whatsoever.Jim had informed us that this can be done if needed.
I'd personnaly recommend fishing two up,And within sight of ya partner at all times.After I had a slip and fall,I realised how easy it would be to,Slip,Bang ya head,Sustain a concussion,And fall into the water to drown.Jim insisted we take compression bandages with us,Just in case.
Jim also had us watch a short movie that had Mr Neil Shultz starring.It was to ensure we had correct knowledge on how to care for these fish,And sustain the fishing of the waterway.He also asks you use a minimum 20lb line,And a minimum size of 100mm lures.All barbs must be crushed down,And there is no bait fishing.It's lure and fly only.
Then we got some words of advice on 4WDing.Little did we know just how sketchy some of the tracks were to the water from our bunkhouse.Low range 1st and 2nd gear 4WD was the order for a fair amount of the 8km trip to the river.The drive to and from is great,And only added to the adventure.It took us about half an hour to make the one way trip.It was like being in a zoo.On our first trip down,We seen :- Dear,A mob of about 20 pigs,Kangaroos,And heard of mountain goats.Other critters we came across were,Wallaroos,A couple different varietys of Snake,Spiders and a few big Goannas.Really 8-) stuff.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The fishing...
We were already on a high from the drive in,And seeing the water only made it worse.We were greeted by a beautiful waterfall cascading over massive boulders into a fairly large pool.Everything was worth it already :) .The enviroment is pristene,And I would imagine unchanged for thousands of years 8-) .
I had a purple 1/2oz chatterb8 tied on,A style lure I've never used before,But my confidence in it was high after the first few casts.The vibration it put off was wicked,And my rod throbbed and pulsed as the lure flashed through the water.Kyle had tied on a large spinner blade,Also in purple,And was casting away at the studded boulders in the mid section of the pool.I was at the head,And on about my tenth cast recieved my first whack,But no hook up.Kyle was recieving quite a bit of attention in the middle of the pool,So I moved down to join him.It was here that a dream was realised.He was only small,Around 30cm,But a scale perfect Murray Cod was recorded on camera,Breifly admired,And released.I was STOKED!;D
We soon began pool hopping,And the next bend syndrome was as bad as I've ever had it.And although we are novice Cod anglers,We were aware that several casts can be needed to one area,To draw a strike,So we thoroughly worked over the pools.Fish started to come on both rods,Taking a liking to both our presentations.Our confidence began to grow with each fish,And we observed the type of habbitat and the retrive speed needed to draw strikes.It was great as always to be learning,And refreshing to be in new country.And the new species made it that much better.
We discovered that these fish will hide in the smallest of cracks,And don't need much water.I've pi$$ed bigger puddles that my best Cod came from.It blew me away that such a fish would hide in such shallow skinny water.But it had shade,Current,And an eddy.
We also discovered that a slow to medium constant retrieve speed worked best,And drew most attention.
The best habbitat we found was pools that had 1 to around 10 foot of water with large boulders studding their lenght.These areas soon became our favourites,And almost always produced the goods.I assumed the deeper more still pools were home to the larger fish (20+ pounders) as they were void of smaller Cod.But we found these areas barron and lifeless.The lack of small Cod in these prime looking spots,For some reason,Told me that this is where the big boys were,And were eating the little blokes that entered unaware of the danger that lurked beneath.I put my theory in practice and used big lures,And worked prime ambush points in these areas,Frustratingly for no result.....(So much to learn).....
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Night time.8-)
Our session on sundown was one that will be long remembered,And one of the most awsome topwater bites I've been part of,If not the best!
We were aware of the Cods fondness of surface prey,And as the sun changed through it's hues,And began to dip over the cliffs of the gorge,Topwaters was the call 8-) 8-) 8-) .We both selected stickb8's.Kyle used a Riding Pepper,And I,A Megabass Dog X.Both our lures were yellow.And both got absolutly HAMMERED!The aggression was unbelievable.The Cod transformed into another fish,Like a product of the devil himself as night began to fall.Several strikes on the same retrieve were common,With water,Lures,And Cod flying in all directions.I copped one strike that saw a tiny bloke (About 30cm) launch a vertical attack from beneath to smash my lure,And continue towards the stars :o .We had double hookups from the same rock,Birdsnests caused from strikes before the reel was even engaged :o ,And detonations on our b8's that'd do a depthcharge proud.
It is now dark and visability at a minimum....ZZZZZZZZZZZZ bloop,Kyle makes his cast."Where's ya lure" I ask?KAPKOOOOOOOOOW!And as if on request the Cod would let me know exactly where it was.It was crazy!
Our end tally :-
Kyle...18 Cod.Best fish,59.5cm.
Gear used :- Rod-Megabass Destroyer-Griffon Evoluzion.
Reels :- M-Ito 103 Millionaire Limited Edition & Daiwa Monoblock XR100.
Line & leaders :- 20lb Daiwa Sensor braid.32lb twisted & 20lb single strand.
B8...19 Cod.Best fish,63cm.Also got a thumpin yella.
Gear used :- Rods-Megabass Destroyer Evoulzion-Espada & Gan Craft Killers 00 Dictator.
Reels :- Daiwa Millionaire I'ze Light & Daiwa Steez.
Line & leaders :- 20lb Daiwa Sensor Braid.32lb twisted & 20lb single strand.
It was a pleasure and a privlige to fish Jimargie,And I will definantly return.
I had a great time,With great company.Beautiful surroundings,And it was topped of with the meeting of a very special fish,A true legend...The Murray Cod.
A quick thanks to both Jim,And as always Kyle.
Another one off the list....Regards. B8.;)