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2005
Cod Opening Classic Report. by Neil Slater
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Cod
Opening Classic
December 3-4 Lake Mulwala
FOR
me, the Cod Opening Classic was a 4 hour drive from Geelong to
Yarrawonga telling my QLD visitor (dad) that the rain would cease
as soon as we passed over the range - just like going to Lake
Somerset.
Anyway, after an inch of rain while we were standing in line to
register at the Mulwala Footy Club grounds, it was wearing a bit
thin.
The Cod Opening Classic is total catch and release for all native
species and with 5 boat - motor - sounder packages (SIX next year!)
up for grabs, you can see why it is popular!
To all of you that were camping in tents, my deepest sympathy.
The turnout to the competition was a staggering 2260 competitors
(up 180 from 2004) and with an estimated 1080 boats, makes this
competition the largest inland fishing competition in the world!
It wasn't really as bad as it sounds. The lake is around 14km
long and there were plenty of areas to wet a line. You could just
about walk from boat to boat in the most popular casting spots,
but some fantastic fish still made it to the measure stations.
I
have to make special mention to Chris Millar. Chris and his mates
got there early Friday and decided to get the rods wet for a 'practice'.
You guessed it - (long story short) Chris, busted rod, no net,
managed to land and release a 110cm brute of a fish that sent
water everywhere and nearly pulled his arms out of their sockets!
Unfortunately, it was ineligible for prizes since it was caught
out of competition time, but I know for sure Chris is one happy
chap!
The
weather was as ugly as some of the heads I saw crawl out of beds
early Saturday morning. The wind blew a nasty westerly that followed
us wherever we tried to hide from it and a decent rain cloud let
loose on those competitors near the wall.
Saturday night saw an estimated 3500 people pack the 100 X 25
(yep, big!) marquee on the footy oval for pro and armature casting
competitions, Flathead Fred kids fishing clinics, as well as Catch
and release seminars.
Sunday
saw the wind ease a tad and the cod got onto the lures with a
bit more aggo for the short fishing period up until 10am.
The
stats that matter:
Total competitors: 2260
Estimated boats: 1080
Boat winners: Lucky Door - Harold Adams, Mulwala
- Cod C & R - Jack Florence, Corowa
- Carp Boat - Brett Scott, Werribee
- Raffle - John Davis, Mulwala
- Early Entry - Alan Vucenik, Boronia
Fish
Numbers
353 Murray Cod (- 62 on 04), 150 Golden Perch (+30) & 785
European Carp (+255) - Total 1288 (+223)
Longest Cod Adult - Gary Lord 110cms Junior - James Scott 57cms
Longest Yella Adult - Damien Leeburn 55cms Junior - Anthony Free
- 50cms
Longest Carp (Open Section) Joel Thomas 75cms
Cod: 353 Caught & Released
Most Productive Methods - Bait 245 (+ 52 on last year) Lures 82
(- 64 on last year) No Response 26
Breakdown - Bait - Bardi's 153, Yabby's 37, Worms 26, Cheese 14,
Shrimp 13
Lures - Oar Gee 20, Stumpjumper 13, Codger 8, Bassman Spinnerbaits
8, Legend 5, Custom Craft 3, AC's 3, Predator 2, Swagman 2, Halco
2, Schooner 2,
Mongrel 1, Others (non sponsors) 15
Golden
Perch: 150 Caught & Released
Most Productive Methods - Bait 70, Lures 68, No Response 12
Breakdown - Bait - Worms 36, Yabby's 20, Shrimp 8, Bardi's 6
Lures - Stumpjumper 21, Bassman 10, Predator 6, AC's 6, Mongrel
5, Custom Crafted 3, SMAK 3, Outcast 2, Swagman 2, Predatek 1,
Codger 1, Oar Gee 1, Others (non sponsors, includes spinnerbaits
& soft plastics) 21
European
Carp - An incredible 785 Carp were removed from the lake and
taken to "Charlie Carp" for processing. Ron Kaponica
form Charlie Carp report that the total weight of all the Carp
was 1.34 tones.
Casting
Champions
Juniors: 1st Tom Heatherington, 2nd Jesse Street, 3rd Cooper Bennett
Adults: 1st Brett Rice, 2nd Joe Copper, 3rd Jamie Roberts
Pro's: 1st Cameron Whittam, 2nd Tony Bennett, 3rd Nick Jeans
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Longest
Cod Winner, Gary Lord & Merv Hughes
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A
Healthy Cod at the Hogans Rd Boat Ramp Measure-in |
Click
on map for larger version
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Click
on images for larger version
Neil
Slater
Related
Topics
Casting
for Cod in Mulwala's Margins Article by Neil Slater
2006
Cod Opening Classic Report
Lake
Mulwala Hotspots - Article by Ian Stead
