FOR the keen Murray cod angler the Mulwala Classic is one of those “must fish” events. Ken Smith reports.
We arrived Thursday afternoon and picked up the key to our deluxe cabin, which we have shared with the same guys for the past two years .
Day one arrived and the forecast was for high westerly winds that felt like they were coming straight off snow .
My team mate, Warrick Osborne, and I opted to fish the back end around Bundalong to shelter from the wind as best we could. The fishing was tough and a check with Bryce Macdonough and local Luke Tanner around midday found they were still scoreless, whereas Warrick had scored a 58 cm Murray cod.
At 3.33 pm a message came through to my phone. There was a picture with Bryce holding a cod which he stated as 108 cm but on review by the officials it was actually upgraded to 110 cm. he was being conservative (as it seemed a lot of other anglers were with their catches, as most photo catches that were reviewed were upgraded in length rather than down graded).
Bryce was very happy as this was his first ever metre plus cod. Luke also scored a 61 cm fish in close proximity to where Bryce had scored his beast .
The boys had set the goal posts high on day one .
That night as we sat around the marquee enjoying a baked dinner that was, like every year, superb, and which was followed by the most exquisite deserts that replicated mini Mount Kosciuszkos on the plates.
Day two saw eager anglers hit the water again. The wind was stronger than forecast and the winter bite it carried was intense. We made the call to leave the main lake and hit the river end again.
At the end of the day we checked with Bryce and Luke to find out they had been fishing for donuts all day. We on the other had had landed three fish (I use the term “we” very loosely as it was actually my team mate who put the three fish in the boat).
At the end of day two it was Bryce Macdonough who took out the largest cod with his 110 cm specimen.
Other winners included:
- Champion Angler – Michael Massier
- Champion Teams – Leehane & Miller/Tanner & MacDonough
- Most Murray Cod Caught – Robert Whyte (8 Cod)
- Best Placed Yak – Doug Baker (15th)
- Biggest Golden Perch – Roger Miles
- Winner of the Zero Catch Card – Peter Cross (second year running)
As at the end of fishing on day two there had been a total of 256 Murray cod caught.
With prizes awarded and the raffles and super draw run and won, it was down to the Dash for Cash on Sunday morning .
Yarning with the Bryce and Luke back at the cabin they indicated their intentions to miss the Dash for Cash, instead opting for a very early start and a crack at a good fish that Luke knew the whereabouts of.
Luke reckoned the fish would possibly be caught in the dark but was pretty sure at first light it would go back into hiding and shut down until the sun again disappeared .
The boys alarm went off at 3.45 am as they made their way back to the lake .
My phone received a message from Bryce at 6.26 am; there was a picture of him holding a 128 cm cod. What a fairy tale ending for a deserving young man.
Three years in a row I have shared Luke’s company in the cabin and now to see him catch his first metre plus fish then increase his PB to a massive 128 cm. I must say I was so very happy for him .
It was after the sun was up on Sunday morning that the Dash 4 Cash was run. Winners were Dan Way and Mathew Mclellan who with 900 Points took away $1000.
Mathew Mclellan fished consistently over the three days catching fish every day, a feat achieved by only a few anglers
If you’re keen to join in this invitational event I can suggest you message Mulwala Classic FB page and register your interest in being added to a list of potentials .Yes, it is invitational, but with most events there is always last minute withdrawals or other reasons why additional teams will be sought.
Luke and Bryce caught their fish on Friday on a Jackall Gantia
Further information and placings can be found on the Mulwala Classic Facebook page.
