Murray cod

Australia's biggest freshwater fish: a heavy, deep-bodied fish with a broad, flat head, a huge mouth and a rounded tail. Green-yellow to olive with dark green mottling all over, and a white or cream belly. The fins have pale or white edges. Not a true cod.

20–35 in and 5–25 lb; fish over 40 in ("metre cod") are caught every year.

About 6 ft and 250 lb (113 kg); fish over 100 lb are very rare today.

Fish (carp, golden perch, other cod), yabbies (crayfish), shrimp, frogs, and even ducks, snakes and mice that fall in.

A territorial ambush predator that holds tight to one snag (a fallen tree or log) and may live there for years. It can live nearly 50 years. Cod spawn in spring, when the male guards the eggs on a hard surface inside a hollow log.

Found from South-East Australia & Tasmania. The Murray–Darling Basin of NSW, Victoria, South Australia and southern Queensland: slow, deep river bends full of fallen red gums, and big lakes such as Mulwala, Eildon, Copeton, Burrendong and Hume.

The Murray–Darling Basin of NSW, Victoria, South Australia and southern Queensland: slow, deep river bends full of fallen red gums, and big lakes such as Mulwala, Eildon, Copeton, Burrendong and Hume.

3–30 ft, in the snags of deep bends and holes.

Right in the snag, 5–20 ft.

December to August; the season closes from September 1 to November 30 in NSW and Victoria while cod spawn (a few lakes are exempt). Summer nights and the cold months before winter are best for big fish.

Dawn, dusk and night; surface lures after dark in summer are a big-fish trick.

No tide in fresh water; rising or steady water levels after rain are usually best.

Stable weather; a steady or slowly rising river is good, and overcast days with a falling barometer often fire the cod up.

Yabbies, shrimp, bardi grubs, cheese and big worms, fished on the bottom beside snags.

Big spinnerbaits, deep-diving hard-body lures, swimbaits and noisy surface walkers ("cod wakers") at night.

6½–7 ft medium-heavy to heavy baitcasting rod and a strong low-profile or round reel.

5/0–8/0 suicide or circle hooks for bait; stout trebles or single hooks on lures.

30–60 lb braid.

40–80 lb monofilament to handle the snags.

Cast or troll spinnerbaits and divers right into the snags, banging them off the timber, or drop bait into the shade of a fallen tree. Once hooked, lock up and pull the cod out of the snag before it wraps you.

Big cod are lazy: slow the lure down and keep it in the strike zone longer, and cast to the same snag more than once.

Catch and release: wet your hands, keep the fish in the water when you can, and release it quickly. Use circle hooks and a dehooker.

Good eating when fresh.

Bleed and ice it right away. Fillet, then remove the skin and any dark bloodline.

White, moist and mild, best from fish inside the slot; grill, bake or fry. Fish from muddy water may need skinning.

Strong jaws with rows of fine teeth like sandpaper — use a lip grip or wet glove, and hold big cod horizontally with support under the belly. River banks can collapse, and red gums drop branches without warning; don't camp under them.

Murray cod is listed as a threatened (vulnerable) species under Australia's national law. NSW and Victoria use a 55–75 cm slot limit, a bag limit of one or two fish depending on the water, and the spring closed season; South Australia and Queensland have their own rules. Check current state rules. A freshwater licence or permit is needed in NSW, Victoria, Western Australia and Tasmania, and a Stocked Impoundment Permit for Queensland's stocked lakes; the Northern Territory needs none. Each state sets its own bag limits, size limits and closed seasons.

Many anglers release every cod, especially the big breeders over the slot. Keep them in the water for the photo if you can.