Trelly's Weekly Fishing Report - November 28, 2025
by Trellys 29 Nov 00:07 UTC
28 November 2025
Murray cod © Trellys
Murray cod season opens this coming Monday, 1st December and many keen anglers are getting ready to toss a few lures around and once again target these iconic native fish.
In this weeks Murray Cod Special report, I will break down a few locations and a few techniques to help you catch a Murray cod this season.
Next week I will resume my regular fishing report.
Firstly lets start with some good fishing spots...
Goulburn River
The Goulburn River is one of the best rivers in the state to target Murray cod. Due to the large size of the river and the deep holes, it houses a healthy number of larger cod.
The Goulburn River from Nagambie Downstream is some of the best Murray cod fishing in the state.
There is also some great Murray cod fishing upstream of Nagambie if you know where to access the river, but it is the lower Goulburn that is most popular with Murray cod fisherman.
Broken River
Access to the Broken River is limited due to it being such a small waterway, but it is a very popular little river for Murray cod fishing. Most of the Murray cod in the Broken River are small with larger, legal sized cod being few and far between.
The odd monster Murray cod does turn up from time to time, but it is rare.
The Goulburn River is a better river to target bigger Murray cod and the Broken is a better river if you are just wanting to catch a few smaller fish.
Ovens River
The Ovens River is my backyard. I live in Wangaratta and fish it regularly. It is an amazing Murray cod fishery, and is known to be the best river for Murray cod spawning in all of Victoria.
There are a lot of small Murray cod in the Ovens River, and not a lot of big cod. Each year a giant Murray cod or two will turn up in the Ovens, but they are not common place like they are just downstream at Lake Mulwala.
The Ovens is seen as a bit of a nursery Murray cod fishery with the odd larger fish in the mix.
There are quite a lot of Trout Cod and Macquarie Perch in the ovens River as well which are both fully protected. It is the anglers responsibility to be able to tell them apart.
Downstream of Wangaratta the river is wider and more accessible. Upstream of Wangaratta access is a lot more limited.
Lake Mulwala
Often regarded as Australia's premier Murray cod fishery, Lake Mulwala is a truly amazing place. Despite the constant fishing pressure this lake still regularly produces both quality and quantity Murray cod.
It's the kind of place that you can catch good numbers of Murray cod, as well as have a real chance of catching a monster.
The downside to Lake Mulwala is that it is often quite busy, and that if it gets windy you may have to change your plans.
Bank fishing is OK, but having a boat allows access to so much more water.
Murray River
The namesake of the Murray cod, the Murray River is certainly a great place to target Murray cod. The section between Yarrawonga and Tocumwal re-opens on 1st December after being closed to all fishing during the closed cod season.
That area has seen no fishing pressure at all for three months and will definitely be well worth fishing when the season opens.
Kiewa River
The Kiewa River has some really nice Murray cod in it, however access is limited to just a few places and fluctuating water levels tend to switch the cod on and off. Whenever water is released from the Mt Beauty regulating pondage the Murray cod shut down.
There's some nice fish in the Kiewa, but it is an unpredictable river to fish.
Loddon and Campaspe Rivers
These two rivers in Northern Victoria both hold decent numbers of Murray cod. I do not know the waterways overly well myself but from what I can gather, the Loddon seems to produce larger fish more regularly than the Campaspe.
Both rivers have healthy populations of Yellowbelly which frequently turn up as a by-catch to anglers targeting Murray cod.
There are plenty of other waterways in Victoria that offer great Murray cod fishing, I just wanted to focus on the main, popular areas to help send you in the right direction.
Bait Fishing
In this world full of fishing lures and fancy tackle, it is great to know that bait fishing is still just as popular as ever.
My favourite bait for Murray cod is cheese. Tasty cheese cut into small cubes. Other than that, raw chicken is a great bait, so are Bardi grubs and yabbies.
Worms are also an excellent bait, however I never really catch any big cod on worms.
If you use a hook about the same size as your thumb, put a couple of cubes of tasty cheese on it and drop in next to a big log in deep water in any of the areas that I mentioned above you will have a decent chance of catching a Murray cod, especially at sunrise and sunset.
Lure Fishing
There are so many colourful Murray cod lures on the market these days. We are spoiled for choice, but I will suggest a couple of my favourites.
If you use any of these lures, make sure you cast them close to the structure. Whether that's logs, spindly snags, undercut banks, boulders etc... Even hard up against the bank is a great place to cast. Murray cod loves to hug the banks.
Again, the low light periods of the day are my favourite. You can catch cod all day, but those low light periods just seem to be the best. I think the cod must feel more confident to venture further from their hiding spots in the low light.
Old Mate lures are great. The 15ft model is dynamite on Murray cod. Colour is a personal preference, but my favourite is green.
Number 1 Stumpjumper. These have been around for years and have caught more than their fair share of Murray cod.
OneWell Sumo Mini. These are a smaller, heavier lure that cast like a bullet and appeal to both Yellowbelly and Murray cod.
Spinnerbaits: While spinnerbaits are not my favourite, they are a favourite of many and definitely catch a lot of Murray cod. I have always liked the Bassman 4x4 spinnerbaits.
Surface Lures: I am in a predicament here. My favourite surface lure, the Koolabung Codwalker, is getting increasingly difficult to find, forcing me to make changes. This season I will be using a Jackall Pompadour, and the new Blue Dog jointed paddler.
There are many more lures to choose from, these are just the ones that I use a lot. I will add some links below to these products:
Good luck to everyone heading out Murray cod fishing next week.