Surface Lure

Ever been on an impoundment on the Murray-Darling Basin just before sundown and the wind has dropped right off, the sky is clear and the sun is entertaining your senses with a marvelous sunset? The water is like a mill pond or even glass like and the magic of this moment does turn ones soul into calming contentment. It's the time of day when most anglers are packing their gear away after a great days fishing before enjoying this quiet moment then heading back to the boat ramp. Then all of a sudden you hear out of the calm an almighty "BHOOFF" and you might be lucky enough to see the water explode in minature. It's a sound that must be heard to be believed and it's a sound that most native freshwater lure casters live for......Murray Cod surface feeding. Once heard all thoughts of heading back are quickly put side and you'll be scurrying through your tackle box for a surface lure and spending a few more hours on he water as this is with out doubt one of the most exciting forms of fishing that an angler can experience.

Using a surface lure to catch a Murray-Darling Basin native freshwater fish is one of the best kept secrets of fishing but is now growing in popularity. Well not really but it seems that way as it's popularity isn't as great as I would have thought it to be. But once you have experienced the feeling of hooking a Murray Cod in shallow water you will be wondering the same. No word of a lie the experience is mind blowing, imagine this, it's another dead calm dusk on Lake Mulwala NSW and not a breath of breeze, the moon is bright and the lake is glass. You are amongst the wooded shallows and you cast your surface lure along the edge of a large stack of fallen Redgum timber. Slowly you crank your reel and momentarily pause every so often, the only sound you hear is the gentle plip plop of the surface lure working its way toward yourself, drawing its way closer to the boat. You hang on every moment and on every turn of the reel praying you get a hit from a Murray Cod scouting the shallows for a meal. You come almost to the end of your retrieve and your anticipation diminishes as you're about to lift your rod then wham! An explosive splash of water and an unreal slurping-sucking sound fills the air and your automatic reflex sensors have just gushed through your very soul. In a moment you realise that your lure has just received a hammering from an aggressive Murray Cod and you have hooked him. Once you struggle to compose yourself after you managed to re-swallow your heart you pull your catch in, gently remove the lure and let your Murray Cod swim back into the shallows. You then sit down and ponder what had just happened and realise that never before have you had a fish that can literally scare the pants of ya.

This was my first experience with surface luring on Lake Mulwala and I can tell you I will never forget it. I think my heart rate goes up a little every time I think about it. You too can share the experience and the best time to give it a try is just before dusk and fish through the hours of darkness for as long as the conditions and keenness lasts. The best and usually only conditions to try surface luring is when the breeze has dropped right off on a warm summers evening but this doesn't mean other times of the year will not produce a good session of surface strikes as it depends on when the fish are active. Sometimes through the year from December to April you will be lucky enough to witness Murray Cod actively feeding on the surface, this is the ultimate time to use surface lures. The best time of the year that is often very productive for surface luring for Australian native fish on the Murray-Darling basin is when the Bardi moths are leaving their pupae cases for the first time. Between mid-March to the end of April depending on seasonal rains is the usual time this phenomenon happens as the Bardi moths leave their ground dwellings on mass when seasonal autumn rains fall otherwise the arrival of the Bardi moth can be a little hit and miss.

The technique used is the same as when you're casting diving lures, that is you try and get you're lure as close to the snags as possible except you're lure stays on the surface of the water. Work it slowly but fast enough to displace the surface water and get a rhythmic action from the lure. Be careful not to make too much splashing on your retrieve as you do not want to spook the fish. Use momentary pauses on your retrieve trying to mimic a bird or lizard that has fallen into the water and most importantly try not to make any loud noises in the boat as knocking things in an aluminium boat creates allot of noise that travels great distances in the water and will spook the fish for sure. I find that having everything carpeted in the boat makes a huge difference as it dulls much of the sound, this includes the inner side walls..

There are a good range of surface lures to choose from and many more colours as well although the best colours would be black and natural type colours. The type of lures that you could try are Arbogast "Jitterbugs", Halco "night walker's", Bill's Bugs "Mice Bugs" & "Fuzz Bugs" & "Flutter Bugs", Heddon "Crazy Crawlers", Mudeye Lure's "Depth Charge's", Producer Lures "Chug-A-Lug", Koolabung Lure's "Fizz Wizz" & "Kodlua" and Ambush Lure's "Gorilla's". This list is only a portion of what is on the market and we have not had experience with all of these so have a good look at them before you buy and ensure they have good quality fittings and trebles that will stand up to the hammering they will receive from an angry Murray Cod or even a large Yellowbelly. These lures will take a hiding and don't expect to hook into a fish every time it strikes, more often than not you will have 5 misses to each one solid hook up. So be confident the lure you choose will withstand this harsh treatment.

But what ever lure you purchase rest assured when your on the dead calm glassy water just before the sun sets and you are lucky enough to gain the attention of one of our native freshwater fish sooner than later and when at least you expect it, you will get the pants scared off ya when you receive your first strike on a surface lure. And keep in mind, a comment I read once in a Roger Dark article, "it's the best fun you can have with ya pants on mate".

Steady