Norbs was lucky enough to spend some time on the water with this country’s undisputed cod king, Rod “Cod Mac” Mackenzie. It was on a casting deck, bobbing up and down on the Murray River, that Norbs heard first hand where Cod Mac’s love of lure fishing for the enigmatic Murray cod first started.
“After accruing all the lure fishing wisdom available to a man living in the harsh Victorian bush, he set off with good mate Gus Storer for a spot of bait fishing down at his local watering hole.
It wasn’t until he was on the water that he proudly showed Gus his new toy. With a wry smile Gus told his mate straight, ‘we’ll give it an hour’. After the customary nod between the fellas, like they were up to no good, they set off on their first ever troll run.
As fate would have it, no more then 20-minutes into their maiden troll run and Rod’s stick buckled over and lengths of 30lb mono went spewing from his rickety eggbeater. I’m on, I’m bloody on! Almost bemused Rod hauled a board a feisty Murray River yellowbelly that was pinned in the side of the mouth by the plucky little Predatek lure.
His next outing on the same patch of river again saw him bust out his blue and white Predatek, but this time an aggressive little Murray cod inhaled his lure on the troll. But it was his third lure-caught fish that would cement his obsession for life.
It was a routine summer-time trip to the mighty Murray River, again with old mate Gus, where he snuck out his new favourite toy. ‘We’ll give it an hour’, Gus repeated again through his cheeky smile. But they needed far less then an hour as the rod was nearly ripped from Rod’s grasp, as he was hit with a freshwater bolt of lightening.
Initially thinking he must be snagged, as he couldn’t move the huge mass at the end of his line, Rod began to take line from the underwater giant. After a bruising battle on far less sophisticated gear then we have today, the two bush blokes had lured a fish of a lifetime – an 86lb monster Murray cod. It was at that point under a tirade of gloating that Gus admitted he was willing to give this lure caper ‘more’ than an hour.”
Check out Norb’s full article The Cod Father in the latest copy of Freshwater Fishing Australia #132