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murray cod - Canberra Australia

mitch bitch's avatar
mitch bitch 2 posts
2 posts
mitch bitch says:
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Mark Totzke's avatar
Mark Totzke 835 posts
well done man. looks like you've been through a good battle there 😊
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itsaboat's avatar
itsaboat 1447 posts
Nice little cod.

Was it a keeper? Looks like it might have been just under. But a nice fish. Looks pretty healthy, where did you catch it? In the Bidgee?
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Mark Totzke's avatar
Mark Totzke 835 posts
seems pretty big to me, looks like more than 60cm long.
But then I don't know anything about Murray Cod ;-)

How big can they grow and what's the size limit for keepers?
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itsaboat's avatar
itsaboat 1447 posts
Yeah, It's a nice fish.

Most places the limit is 2 fish 60cm to 110cm.

BUT...In the ACT (ie Canberra) the size limit is 55cm to 75cm with a bag limit of 1.

If Mitch has an arm length about the same as mine, then his cod is probably a dinner fish. So I was just asking if it is a keeping size.

How big do they grow? Well, these days to about 1.8m (180cm or 6 foot). In the old days much bigger.

Don't ask me why the ACT has different limits...I don't know 😊
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Mark Totzke's avatar
Mark Totzke 835 posts
whoa catching one in the 1.8 meter range would be an awesome experience.
Are they good fighters?
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itsaboat's avatar
itsaboat 1447 posts
Don't know...I have only ever caught small ones. I guess my largest would have been about 80cm maybe a bit smaller. I have never kept one, I always let them go, so I have never actually measured. They put up a fight but they are a bit lazy.

In the old days I know they used set lines. So I would assume that the larger ones probably don't fight much. (still done) get a rabbit or fox, dead of course. Put it in a net type sack and hang it off a tree branch over the water. It will get fly blown and the maggots will drop in to the water. Put in a set line right where the maggots are dropping...next morning...Murray cod :)

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mitch bitch's avatar
mitch bitch 2 posts
hey guys thanks for the replies! Was about 60cm and I am in the ACT but I only keep about 2 a year for special occasions as they are a protected species. Size limits in ACT is 55-75cm. They are bigger in the man made lakes around Canberra but I prefer to fish the natural waterways. I got this one from a vein of the Murrumbidgee.

honestly they fight like hell half the time, the other half of the time its like feeling in a brick. This one didn't fight much haha.
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itsaboat's avatar
itsaboat 1447 posts
It looks pretty healthy. So that is a good sign that it came from the Bidgee :)

Most I have caught have been in the Murray River. Mostly west of Mulwala on the Yarrawonga side. Got quite a few around Gundagai over the years,

Yeah, bit strange that the ACT has different rules...
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Murra1208's avatar
Murra1208 1 posts
In all states other than SA, the limit is 55-75cm and 2 per person. In SA you cannot keep these fish and cannot take them out the water. 
Biggest recorded was 1.8 mtr but bigger fish recorded these days are up to 1.3 mtr. They still look very prehistoric at that size. 
They are good fighters, especially the initial strike on a lure and when you gets big fish, you surely know about it. 
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itsaboat's avatar
itsaboat 1447 posts
Yes, I noticed the trend of changing to 55-75. Vic just recently changed to 55-75. So too has NSW.

Qld is still 60-110 with possession limit of 2 (as at todays date May 2018). And remember that is "possession limit" which means if you have one at home in the freezer. you can only catch and keep one.
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