Since making their mark on the fishing scene, kayaks have received a large amount of press but canoes have proven just as, if not more efficient in a wide range of circumstances. Andrew McGovern explains how to get the most out of them when chasing Murray cod.

The decision to purchase a new watercraft is big one for any fisher. The new generation of kayaks has created an entirely new market, opening up fishing opportunities for those who couldn’t afford, or handle a boat. Many seem to forget though that kayaks are not the only style of water craft that are designed for comfort, affordability, and fishability. Canoes also fit this description and have the advantage of being fitted with electric power as opposed to pedal and paddle powered vessels. Some kayaks now have the option of electric power but lack the ease and simplicity of a bow mount on the back of a canoe.
I spent many years fishing with mates Bill Allan and Chris Lemmon out of old style Canadian canoes for bass, trout, cod, bream, flathead, and perch. After a day of fishing it wasn’t uncommon for my back to be covered in welts. My legs would cramp, the lower back resembled a warped piece of treated timber, and my shoulders felt like I had just had a tackling session with a 120 kg front rower. Fortunately those days are long gone thanks to comfortable, light, purpose designed fishing canoes becoming the norm these days. Plenty of leg room, adjustable lumbar support, in built rod holders, and small storage containers hard fixed into the canoe, are just a few of the features that convinced me that a canoe was an essential requirement for my fishing future. In addition, these vessels open up some fishing techniques that are best suited to our beloved green fish, the Murray cod, more so than any other.
As mentioned, I opted for a canoe that allowed for a bow mounted electric motor, which provides me with a few distinct advantages when chasing cod. Top of the list is the ability to troll and manoeuvre the canoe with ease. This is particularly handy during long days on the water while making repetitive casts at shoreline structure and features. A short break from casting can not only reinvigorate the body but also provide a mental release. We like to incorporate short periods of trolling into a days’ fishing to deliver that break. The other option is to pull up on the bank, stretch the legs, and pour yourself a coffee or re-hydrate with water. The disadvantage of doing this is that you have taken a break from fishing; however, if you add in a few short trolling segments into your casting sessions, then you have lures swimming at all times, providing a chance at another green fish. In saying this, trolling provides much more than a break from casting.

If fishing unfamiliar water, trolling can allow you to explore new areas and gather valuable intelligence on the fish holding capabilities of a waterway. At the same time your lures are working away; covering plenty of water that you may have missed or not had the opportunity to work with cast and retrieved lures. These are both big positives in impoundments and river situations. The other plus for a trolling session, particularly when using large deep divers, is that a long line trolled behind the canoe will ensure your divers can plummet the depths, dredging the deepest holes, pockets, and indentations scattered along the substrate of the area you are fishing. Occasionally, cast and retrieve lures will not be able to reach the depths that a trolled lure can, due to the limited amount of line between the lure and the angler. This means that at times the lure will not be able to reach its maximum depth, and if it does achieve that depth, it will not be able to swim there for extended periods (for more details on this see Freshwater Fishing Issue 129: Hybrid Native Tactics).
Another instance where trolling is advantageous is when you are moving large distances between locations. Rather than chew up valuable power from your battery travelling at high speeds, undertake a slow troll from spot to spot as you might just stumble across a fish. We have executed this process numerous times and just last season we caught three smallish cod between 50 and 63 centimetres. They were not huge fish but they turned a mediocre trip into one well worth the effort. I am convinced that it is only a matter of time before one of these trolling periods used to move between areas will result in a high quality cod.
SHORT LINE WORK
One method that lends itself to effective cod casting is what we refer to as ‘short line work’. I detailed this method many years ago in our sister magazine Freshwater Fishing but it wasn’t until recent sessions in my canoe that I was reminded of how successful this style of fishing is. Short line work involves you positioning your canoe in close to a specific piece of structure or feature. Then it is a matter of making a handful of short, accurate casts into the back end of the feature. This method is not restricted to clearly visible features such as clusters of boulders, submerged trees, or rock walls. It is equally effective when fishing small inlets or bays, back eddies, and even inside prominent points. Position the canoe in close to where you want to work your lures and then make three to five casts across, over, and around the feature you have selected. In many cases we have found that one of the first two or three casts will be the one that generates a strike.
It is similar to targeting wily big bream around snags and oyster racks, when that first cast must be ‘on the money’. If it isn’t, the fish can become alerted to the fact that something is abnormal with the foreign creature continually swimming through the water and the opportunity may be missed.
Much has been written about making 50, 70, 100 casts near a snag to annoy a cod into a territorial strike. There is no doubt that you will catch cod with this method, and some monster fish at that, but is this the most effective way to spend a session on the water? Some may say, “Yes the session has been worthwhile,” if they walk away with a catch and release, brute of a greenfish. However, with all that time spent on one feature or area, have you foregone the opportunity to tangle with a number of other fish holding near or under features in other parts of the waterway? These are the issues constantly plaguing a dedicated cod angler and even with years of experience a defined answer is not straightforward.

My approach over the years has varied depending on conditions, time of year and location. My current approach is a mix of the two above-mentioned techniques, in that I will tend to undertake approximately 10 to 15 casts around a stretch of water before moving on. If the area looks particularly attractive, in regards to big fish holding potential, then I will return at a later time in the session to work the area again. Speed prospecting can be beneficial when fishing an area for the first time as it will provide you with several locations to return to and fish more thoroughly. The twofold benefit is that you can pick up fish along the way.
If you do happen to hook a fish in close quarters to its snag then you need to be quick to move out into open water unless you want to make a lure donation to that snag. It is hand-to-hand combat where we have found that fishing with our bait casting outfits at almost locked up drag is our best chance of extracting a fish. As soon as one of us hooks up, the person on the electric will immediately kick it into reverse to move the canoe out. The hooked up angler simply holds tight for that first five or so metres as the fish is pulled out via the reverse motion of the canoe. A responsive, fail-safe electric motor is vital to effectively apply this technique and I personally believe this is another big plus in having the ability to reverse quickly in certain situations.

A cracking cod that fell for a Wood Chopper fizzer style surface lure worked from the author’s canoe.

SAFETY FIRST
No matter what sort of water you canoe in, there are associated risks involved. Too often anglers are so focused on the fishing that safety requirements become an afterthought. From our very early canoeing trips in the upper reaches of the Clyde River chasing bass, drifting the shallow flats of the Tomaga River for flathead and bream, or shooting the rapids of the Murrumbidgee prospecting for natives, safety factors were always are the forefront of our minds. The best approach we have found is to run through the potential risks prior to getting on the water.
The old saying: “Fail to plan and you plan to fail,” can have dire consequences if safety is not taken into account. There are no excuses these days for not wearing a life jacket. The old style of bulky, cumbersome life vests that would restrict your casting and movement are long gone. Streamline inflatable PFDs are cheap, practical, and even fashionable. Some of the ‘trendy’ life vests are marginally more expensive, yet are now available with pockets and tabs to hold personal items like a small tackle box with a few lures, and a spool of leader line. I have a few mates who are gun swimmers yet even the best will struggle to stay afloat if you jag your leg on a rock or even worse, if an over turned canoe smashes you on the head and knocks you out.
I know some of these examples are extreme, however, risk mitigation for the worst scenarios will mean you can handle and adapt to any situation should it arise.
When fishing remote areas or areas away from easy public access you need to ensure you have sufficient water and food in case you become delayed in an area longer than anticipated. Ample water is vital, particularly when canoeing the hotter months. First aid kits are also essential and it pays to familiarise yourself with treating snake and spider bites.
LASTLY
Canoeing for cod is a great way to target the apex predator of our sweet water rivers and impoundments in some of this country’s most amazing and pristine bush land. With the opening of the season just around the corner on December 1, it is time to drag out your favourite cod lures and service your favourite baitcasting reel, so that you are primed and ready to hit the water.

Andrew has been fishing the Canberra, Monaro, Snowy Mountains and south coast of NSW region for almost 40 years and is considered one of the country’s most innovative and competent anglers. He has been a freelance journalist for almost 17 years, has written two extensive books on the region, and featured in numerous AFN tactics DVDs. He regularly undertakes all forms of fishing with casting soft plastics for trout, chasing kingfish from the rocks, pelting baits from beaches, and luring his local estuaries amongst his favourite pastimes. Andrew is currently a Pro Angler with Jarvis Walker Australia and endorses their range of products.