King of the Cod

The secret to landing native species on the mighty Murray is all about casting technique and thinking like a fish.

Story By Martin Auldist

Roger Miles is not called the ‘Cod Hunter’ for nothing. The bloke thinks like a Murray cod – or, at least, it seems like he does and it’s no stretch to say that the resident of Bendigo, in central Victoria, knows as much about catching cod and their smaller cousins, the golden perch, as anyone in the country.
Three years ago, Roger gave up a flourishing career with a regional television network to establish a fishing-charter business. As owner and operator of Cod Hunter Fishing Tours, he spends his days guiding anglers around local waters such as the Loddon and Campaspe rivers and down the Murray on the hunt for native species. One of Roger’s specialties is Lake Mulwala by the thriving holiday town of Yarrawonga on the Murray River. For six months of the year, from December through to June, Roger essentially lives in a cabin near the lake.
Fishing Lake Mulwala can be a daunting experience for any angler. For starters, the lake covers an area of some 4450 hectares and supplies two major irrigation channels, the Yarrawonga Main Channel on the Victorian side, and the Mulwala Canal on the New South Wales side. With a vast sea of drowned eucalypts both standing and fallen, Mulwala boasts endless snags that can hold fish. Many anglers simply don’t know where to start. But according to Roger, the secret to success on Mulwala is not about knowing secret hot spots. “The whole of Lake Mulwala holds fish,” he says. “What I hope to do is teach people how to fish well, to do all the little things right and maximise their chances of success.”