North Pine River--Mary River Cod

[Mr Squiggles]

Have just gat a 2nd hand shmick 'yak & was wondering about these fish in the river as I'm a bees willy away from the upstream reaches. I've done a fair bit of bass fishing but know zilch about Mary Cod. Are they different to a Murray? I just read in the Qld Fisheries guide that they can be found upstream of the North Pine dam. Yes/No????
Thanks in anticipation
Steve

[Feral]

Lots have been stocked, few have been seen.
Smaller than Murray's, but buggered if I can tell the difference looking at them.

[kingtin]

PRFMA stocked 5,000 in the year 2008/9 and 20,000 in the previous 7 yrs. They haven't stocked since 2009 and I believe that there hasn't been one reported as caught by a club member for the last 4 yrs. Personally, I've been bricked a few times with 15lb line assuming them to be big yellers, but they could just as easily have been cod.

[tunaticer]

Last decent Mary I heard of was a 65cm frame of one left on the bank and Bullocky Rest. Was collected and sent out for analysis for the PRFMA. This was about 4 years ago.
They would prabably be swimming upstream with the flushes and probably around Juffs Crossing or higher I reckon.

[Mr Squiggles]

That's good news as that's where I was thinkng of going. As soon as the river slows down I'll be there. What would be the best enticement?

[Mike Delisser]

Lots have been stocked, few have been seen.
Smaller than Murray's, but buggered if I can tell the difference looking at them.

A Mary River Cod (Somerset) on top, and a Murray below
009.jpg2011_0327MonsterMurrayCodTrip0022.JPG

And some pups, again a Mary on top and a Murray below.
2MA.jpg2011_0326MonsterMurrayCodTrip0005.JPG

IMO The Murray's white fin tips are more pronounced, esp in smaller specimens. Also with larger fish of a similar length the Murray has a greater girth.
BTW all these fish were caught on spinnerbaits.

Cheers

[Mr Squiggles]

Thanks fellas. At the moment it's raining, believe it or not, so the rivers not going to settle for a good while. Have had 170mm since yesterday morning. The dogs are starting to go troppo!

[aussiebasser]

Nice Emmaville fish Mike.

[Mike Delisser]

Nice Emmaville fish Mike.

Yes well, I need all the help I can get Dale. It is a stocked lake but I think those were the only
2 hits we got in 2 & 1/2 days fishing. Have you fished it before? It's a lovely place for a closed down mine site?



BTW, like the 2 Mary's above, the one below was caught at Somerset (by Carl J's non boater in a ABT). Wierd thing is over all the trips and comps I've fished Somerset over 15 years, I've only seen or heard 1st hand (photo) of around 8 cod being caught. Yet the 3 in the photos here were all caught there on the same weekend, late April 2010. I'm wondering if the cod might be more active at this time of year?
We don't hear about them often but with so many stocked by you guys there must be 1 on every rocky point. Perhaps it's because everyone just fishes for bass n yellows when they visit.



11-06-09_1400.jpg
Cheers

[aussiebasser]

Mike, I fished the Tin Mines in January and we've booked it again for Australia Day weekend next year. You did better than we did. It is an awesome place. I'll take the Kayaks next time and fish the back dam with the timber in it. I've probably fished Wivenhoe as much an anyone and I've never caught a Cod there. I saw one in Somerset a few years ago but couldn't catch him. I called him for a Murray. There are both Murrays and Marys in Wivenhoe and Somerset from what I've heard. Wivenhoe flooded som e farm dams when it was built, which had been stocked with Murrays.

[Luc]

"PRFMA stocked 5,000 in the year 2008/9 and 20,000 in the previous 7 yrs. They haven't stocked since 2009"

25,000 over an 8 year period is not a lot of stocking in a dam like NPD.

Even if you deliberately and consistently target them, I still would not expect to land one very often. I don't know that there would be any permit holders with that sort of dedication!!

[Little grey men]

Anywhere around these parts they would be a very very rare bycatch. I think I'm a patient fisherman but I know I wouldn't waste my time looking for them.

[Hardb8]

I had the misfortune of finding the remains of three frames in the same place in a pool upstream of the dam. I was fishing Bass when I noticed a complete bone frame on the bottom in about two foot of water. I banked the kayak to have a closer look.

Upon getting out and standing up, I seen two more frames that had been filleted and had been rotting away on the bank. Upon closer inspection of the submerged frame and the banked remains, I confirmed all three to be Cod estimated to be ranging from around 50 to 60cm in length. It was pretty sad to see.

Sounds like your in the right area, with the right vessel. Try some topwaters at the first and or last hour of daylight around any dominate snags. Pools need not be big/long to hold them, I've peed bigger puddles than I've found Cod residing in.

They are a very special fish indeed. Good luck, and stay persistent. Results will follow.

[Mr Squiggles]

Thanks for the feedback. I'm pretty patient when it comes to fishing (not much else but). A shame about the frames though. Have succeeded in nailing a few Bass, losing a few lures & having an enjoyable experience. A couple of pleasant sidelines were the spotting of a Platypus & a Ceratodus. Made my day on both occasions!