The first session of every new cod season is the longest period these fish go without seeing a bait thrown in anger. This tips the scales ever so slightly in the anglers favour, so you want to make sure you cash in on this advantage to fool Australia’s biggest freshwater sports fish.
1 – Staying Sharp
Best done over an amber ale, we start every cod season prep by running an eye over every one of our cod baits. The main thing we check is the sharpness of the hooks and the integrity of the split rings and tow points.
After a season of rocking and rolling, all baits are prone to having one or all of their hooks points roll over. This can happen to swinging trebles that repeatedly bang into the side of the bait, or courtesy of deep-set snags, or simply pinning too many fish.
If you are not a fan of replacing or upgrading hooks, no sweat, just raid your old girls beauty kit and use their nail file on any rolled hook points – it works a treat!
When it’s not all about the bass!!!
It’s also worth checking all new baits you purchased in the off season. Don’t wait until you’re on the water to see if the trebles are ‘cod-strong’ or whether the split rings are super sturdy, as it may be too late.
2 – Use It To Lose It
A good tactic to spike your catch rate this cod season is to chuck your bait where other anglers wouldn’t dare. Yes, I’m talking about right into the teeth of a gnarly snag where the chances of losing your bait are much higher than the average cast.
Anyone who has fished with Rod Mackenzie will know he chucks his trusty StumpJumper or Bassman DT in places you wouldn’t dare look at, let alone cast.
These suicidal snags will make it extremely difficult to get any hooked fish out, but with the right ‘cod system’ – rod, reel, braid, leader, knots, bait, split rings and hooks – you at least stand a fighting chance. I know i’d rather hook a good fish and let the cod gods decide if I get a picture with it or not.
The second area to throw your bait is the outer limbs of snags. Rather than investing all your energy to hit the honey hole or root ball area of a drowned tree, try casting perpendicular past the tips to the deepest point of the snag.
Traditionally, these areas don’t see as much bait traffic and can hold fish that are a little more receptive to your artificial presentation.
3 – Reverse Parking
The final tip is as much about cost saving as it is about prepping for
To double the life of the braid, and your investment, after three to four trips we always reverse the braid. What this means is reeling your existing braid onto a new reel. Then reeling it onto a third reel, before winding it back onto your original reel.
What this three-stage process does is reverse the braid you once had on your main reel. So, the braid that was once at the back of your spool and never used, is now on the front line and ready to rumble.
The final bonus tip is to use the time before cod season, if you can’t already, to learn how to tie an FG knot. At near 100% strength, there is no excuse good enough for not learning the best braid-to-leader knot in the business.