FISHERIES in Victoria and NSW are reminding fishos that the three month closed season for Murray cod will not apply in Copeton Dam and Lake Eildon this spring.
The Murray cod closed season remains in place in all other NSW and Victorian waters but the closure will not apply in Copeton and for the first time Lake Eildon this September, October and November.
Research has found that the vast majority of cod in these lakes are stocked fish. If they are not breeding, it makes no sense to protect them unnecessarily with a closed season, especially when it limits fishing opportunities.
Both waterways have gained great reputations as cod fisheries in recent years thanks mostly to stocking programs funded by recreational fishing licence fees.
Fisheries Victoria Executive Director, Travis Dowling, said this was the first year that fishers could target and keep Murray cod from Lake Eildon during September, October and November.
“If Lake Eildon’s Murray cod are not breeding, it makes no sense to protect them unnecessarily with a closed season, especially when it limits fishing opportunities during spring,” Dowling said.
“The change mirrors a New South Wales decision to remove the Murray cod closed season at Copeton Dam, which has proved popular with anglers and fishing dependent businesses,” he said.
Murray cod catch limits on these waterways include a slot limit of 55 to 75cm and a bag limit of two fish for Eildon and four fish for Copeton.
Click here for Victoria’s Murray cod rules and here for NSW’s Murray cod rules.
