Cornacarpio & Co.'s Callop & Cod Catching Caper

Murray Cod, Australian Bass, Golden Perch and more.
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Cornacarpio
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Re: Cornacarpio & Co.'s Callop & Cod Catching Caper

Post by Cornacarpio » Tue Jan 05, 2016 5:54 pm

4liters wrote:How come the colour of the yellowbelly varies so much from fish to fish? Is it to do with the water clarity?
Good question! And to answer your own question, the answer is "yes"

According to the Encyclopedia of Australian Fishing (1979), p.1103:

Colour Variations
There is some variation in the colour of these fish and it can be related directly to the colour of the waters in which they live. In the perennially muddy rivers of the plains country of western New South Wales, Queensland and South Australia golden perch take on a very light beige colour. Usually there is only a hint of yellow on the body and a deepening of body colour between the lower and upper surfaces.

Sometimes the back is olive green; this may become very dark in specimens from water which is nearly always clear; it lightens to a bluish tinge in fish from semi-clear rivers and dams. Fish that have lived for some time in clear water mostly have a deep golden belly area, but if the turbidity of the water increases they may lose their rich colour. Clear water fish often have a crimson tint around the fins, particularly the pectorals. This conditions appears most common in male fish at spawning time.


So basically, if the water is muddy they will take on a very light appearance; conversely, if the water is very clear they will take on a more dark appearance.

Although this doesn't really explain why there is so much colour variation in fish from the same body of water! But having said that, the Yellowbelly from the lake are generally a lot lighter than the ones from the river, giving credence to the information contained above.

I have included a photo of a Yellowbelly my mate caught in the Wimmera River in December 2012 which is a real dark olive-green colour, again further highlighting the natural colour variations in this fish...
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IMG_4262.jpg
A very dark olive-green Yellowbelly, taken from the Wimmera River on 22nd December 2012 (released)

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Re: Cornacarpio & Co.'s Callop & Cod Catching Caper

Post by wokka1 » Wed Jan 06, 2016 1:05 pm

What are the crowds like at Taylor's ? Might be up this weekend.

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Re: Cornacarpio & Co.'s Callop & Cod Catching Caper

Post by Cornacarpio » Wed Jan 06, 2016 10:42 pm

wokka1 wrote:What are the crowds like at Taylor's ? Might be up this weekend.
It was really busy straight after Christmas (think word has gotten out that the Cod & Yellas are on the go up there) but has died down quite a bit since then, as most people head back to work...
Last edited by Cornacarpio on Wed Jan 06, 2016 11:07 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Cornacarpio & Co.'s Callop & Cod Catching Caper

Post by Cornacarpio » Wed Jan 06, 2016 11:06 pm

Was up at Taylor's again today (just for something different) with the old man targeting both Yella's and Carp. For the second time running, the Yella's won out 1-0.

Was a bit quiet up there today. With 4 rods in between us, we only had one decent bite on my 'Carp rod' (corn) and several small bites on yabbies which yielded just the one fish.

Despite picture perfect conditions and still getting the odd one, it has been a bit slow going up there the past couple of days. I think part of the problem has been the time we've been fishing - during the day. For Yellowbelly, as with most other species, the best time to chase them is definitely the hour or two before dark. But alas, I was using my Dad's car and everything had to be done on his watch, when he wanted it. Still, he was relatively happy with all the Yellowbelly he's been eating lately...


Callop count - 6

Bait fisherman sometimes suspend their baits about 0.3m (1ft) above the bottom to make them more attractive. The use of a float and a live shrimp just above the river bed, where the shrimp’s vibrations can be detected by a prowling fish, makes a particularly sound presentation. Most anglers take a more passive approach, being content to let their bunches of worms writhe away on the bottom, a less obvious attraction to the golden perch.

From Encyclopedia of Australian Fishing (1979), p.1105
Attachments
IMG_5747.jpg
A nice little Yella
IMG_5745.jpg
41cm Yella taken on yabbies
IMG_5744.jpg
The only Carp I saw...

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Re: Cornacarpio & Co.'s Callop & Cod Catching Caper

Post by wokka1 » Thu Jan 07, 2016 6:50 pm

I should be fishing Sat morning. Blue Hobie Revo 11, Nissan Pathfinder. Give me a wave if you are there.

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Re: Cornacarpio & Co.'s Callop & Cod Catching Caper

Post by Cornacarpio » Sun Dec 25, 2016 4:32 pm

Headed out to Taylors Lake in what is now becoming a bit of a tradition: the annual father & son fish-off on Christmas Eve/Christmas Day. It was hot and hardly a ripple on the water when we arrived - conditions very propitious for fishing, or so we thought. We arrived, threw our lines in and waited...and waited. As usual I was targeting some imported species, namely Carp, while my Dad was targeting natives, namely Cod or perhaps even a Yellowbelly or Silver Perch. We baited our respective rods accordingly: mine with corn and his with chicken meat ('something I heard on ABC radio' he said, and because we couldn't be bothered doing a Yabbie run before we got up there).

Hours and hours had passed without even a nibble. Suddenly,in the hour before sunset, my rod - baited with corn - buckled over and decided to nearly go for a swim. I grabbed my rod thinking I was fighting a trophy sized Carp until I got it about 15ft from the bank when I noticed its dinctinct non-Carp characteristics - it looked black, was it a Silver Perch? No. That yellowy-green colour, was it a Yellowbelly? No. It wasn't until I landed it that I realised it was a Murray F****** Cod! I couldn't believe it! My second MC from the same impoundment - both on corn! I raced to the car to get the no-frills 'brag-mat' out. It measured about 50cm - 5 cm under the legal limit. Because I was in a bit of a rush to return the fish to the water ASAP, I didn't get a really good pic of it. He was really well hooked (in the corner of the mouth) so I decided to cut the line as close to the hook as possible and let it swim free, which it did with great gusto.

That was it for the night, no more nibbles, no more bites, no more fish, but what a highlight! My biggest MC - on corn! My Dad couldn't believe it, and neither could I! I don't know why, but I'm really proud of myself for catching a Cod on corn!

The next day (Christmas) started much like the first with not much action happening at all, so we decided to move spots. It brought an almost instant change in fortunes - I soon hooked into what I came for - a Carp - to the tune of about 45cm. Not the biggest Carp ever but it was good to hook into something after a bit of a dry spell. Two more Carp followed and I had about 3 of various sizes get off. All in all, the anuual Christmas fishing pilrimage returned a sub-par performance (would have liked a few more Carp - or any fish for that matter) but I was really happy with the fact that I caught my second Murray Cod - which is about two more than my old man has caught - despite 'specialising' in the native fish-catching department) and it was good just to get out in relatively good conditions after a bit of a hiatus from the old fishing caper.

+1

Cod Count - 2

Murray Cod

Feeding habits
Murray cod are omnivorous feeders, preying mainly on other fish, crayfish and freshwater mussels, but supplementing this diet with water fowl, frogs, water rats, grubs and worms available. They are most active in the summer, epecially at night. During the day they tend to shelter near submerged logs and trees and tree roots, where they often take up a position on the downstream side of the obstruction and wait for back eddies to bring food to them.

From Encyclopedia of Australian Fishing (1979), Bay Books, 157-167 Bayswater Road, Rushcutters Bay, NSW, Volume II, part 36, p.1414
Attachments
20161225_143945.jpg
On the way home
IMG_5809.jpg
15672817_10154949658810362_8832720515890202605_n.jpg
This fella went about 50cm
15698060_10154952540730362_3831820712713170653_n.jpg
Nearly perfect conditions
Last edited by Cornacarpio on Wed Jan 04, 2017 11:30 pm, edited 5 times in total.

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Re: Cornacarpio & Co.'s Callop & Cod Catching Caper

Post by Boonanza » Sun Dec 25, 2016 5:44 pm

That's a great report & I bet your Dad is as proud as being out fished by his son :a_goodjob:
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Re: Cornacarpio & Co.'s Callop & Cod Catching Caper

Post by Lightningx » Sun Dec 25, 2016 6:26 pm

Nice report and pics mate :thumbsup:

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Re: Cornacarpio & Co.'s Callop & Cod Catching Caper

Post by Cornacarpio » Wed Jan 04, 2017 10:29 pm

I got a small Silver Perch on a lure today out of the Wimmera River. I couldn't believe it! They were all schooled up (along with a few Redfin and Carp) in a rockpool only a foot or so deep.

Silver Perch

Bidyanus bidyanus

The silver perch is an inland-dwelling member of a large group of fish belonging to the grunter family, Theraponide. Various sub-species of its family are found in the freshwater streams of the coast and interior. The silver perch is distinguished as being one of the rare Australian freshwater species which lays planktonic eggs.

From the Encyclopedia of Australian Fishing (1979), Bay Books, 157-167 Bayswater Road, Rushcutters Bay, NSW, Volume II, part 43, p.1710
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IMG_5848.jpg
A Silver on a lure!

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Re: Cornacarpio & Co.'s Callop & Cod Catching Caper

Post by Cornacarpio » Mon Dec 25, 2017 6:32 pm

Well, its that time of the year again when the now traditional father/son fish-off occurs at Taylor's Lake. It was a little bit quiet - not even the Carp were biting this year for us, although the mob next to us didn't seem to have any trouble catching various species (Cod, carp, redfin and silver perch) in numerous quantities, but I guess that's just the way it goes sometimes.

In slightly more positive news, I did manage to land a PB Murray Cod - taken on a medium sized yabby which measured around 50cm (I didn't actually realise I caught a similar sized one this time last year until I jumped on this thread again, but I think this year's one is a fraction longer and a bit more weightier as well).

With all the stockings taking place in recent years, Taylor's Lake is turning into a nice little native fishery. Cod catches were very rare 10 or so years ago (at least for me anyway), but they are quite common now. If and when the Carp virus gets released, things should only get better for our native species.

Cod count - 3 (now just working on catching a legal sized one!)

Taylors Lake

Approximately 18km from Horsham, Taylors Lake was once one of the most popular Murray Cod waters in Victoria. In the 1960s drought, large numbers of Murray cod were caught by anglers in the outlet channel and the receding lake. In recent years there has been limited restocking of Murray cod but it will take many years for this to be fruitful.

Fishing Wimmera Waters by Gary Knight (1989), Sportfish Australia Publications, Noorat, Vic, 3265, p.36
Attachments
20171225_145011 (1).jpg
PB Cod - taken on a yabby
Last edited by Cornacarpio on Mon Dec 25, 2017 9:43 pm, edited 3 times in total.

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