# Googong on Mothers Day - Hullo Mumma!!!!!



## Guest (May 13, 2007)

Have a got at this Mutha 



















Paffoh will do his usual report a little later this evening so I will let him give all the details, but I'm glad I caught up with the big mumma this morning.


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## Cuda (Sep 18, 2006)

So Paff did tease up a big cod for you Funda - what a stonker :shock:


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## DGax65 (Jun 7, 2006)

Happy Mutha's Day. Your aren't kidding. That is a big mutha. Well done.


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## Peril (Sep 5, 2005)

Brilliant Allan


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## fisher (Aug 30, 2005)

Gday Funda - fantastic, I can't wait to read the story - make sure you make it as detailed as possible  
Honestly, I've just gazed at that pic for several minutes - its an awesome photo of an awesome fish - it perfectly depicts what this kayak fishing is all about. Well done.


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## Bart70 (Jan 28, 2007)

Well done Al!......great stuff!.....

Cant wait to read the report....

Bart70


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## DiveYak (Feb 5, 2007)

WOW.... looking fwd to the report. WOW


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## polylureosis (Jul 24, 2006)

Catch o' the day there.

Great stuff.


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## LizardKing (Dec 29, 2006)

Awesome Allan welld done W :shock: :shock: W.

Cheers

LK


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## ScottLovig (Aug 7, 2006)

Superb Funda

Cheers

Scott


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## aleg75 (Dec 20, 2005)

What a beauty Allan! good stuff mate! looks very healthy indeed!

Ash


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## .329 (Apr 17, 2006)

Absolutely awesome! :shock:


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## hoit (Aug 29, 2005)

Now thats a fish  Well done.


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## granpop (Mar 23, 2007)

Brilliant, just brilliant. I pedalled all morning yesterday and just got exercise :shock:

Cheers

Dave


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## bazzoo (Oct 17, 2006)

Alan , fantastic absolutely fantastic, cant say anymore :shock: :shock:


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## seabear (Jan 12, 2007)

Gees thats nearly as big as the Cod that pinches all my Bluefin I get hooked up to at my favourite ledge.
That muther of a potatoe cod is 2 mtrs at 200 to 250kgs.
Maybe you could get that for me,you'd be doing me a big favour.

Well done Alan.

Cheers Tez.


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## Guest (May 13, 2007)

Hi all,

Thanks for the replies and great comments, I'm still too bloody chuffed to say much.

I went out this morning expecting nothing but a sand monster tale of woe for the comp, but as usual mumma always comes good in the end.

Thanks Mumma


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## victor-victor (Jan 12, 2006)

Well done Allan!

Googong is my tail of woe.

Bloody nice cod.


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## paffoh (Aug 24, 2006)

*Canberra - Googong Dam 13/5/07*

Mothers Day, my mum lives in Sydney ( So I went fishing )...

Typical start to the morning this time of year, it is getting bloody cold in Canberra and must have been around the 4 degree mark when Funda arrived to pick me up complete with Thule carrier to house my Quest for the journey through Queanbeyan out towards the Dam, a few heart flutters as we were pulled up for a breath test but Allan laid off the grog more than usual opting for a headache free launch onto the gin clear waterway.

Arriving at the gate about 7:45am, which was open early, we opted to meet Craig ( Newest Canberra AKFF member and old friend ) at the ramp which is totally out of the water creating a muddy exit, Craig arrived bang on 8am complete with his cute orange Ocean kayak Ã¢â‚¬ËœFrenzyÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ and we all rigged up in hope of a native fish or two, was a bit surprised to see CraigÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s kayak had no seats and no rod holders ( And scupper holes located in the seat position ) so felt sorry for him till he remarked the kayak was a gift from his sister, nothing like a FREE yak no matter which brand or model.

Paddling / Pedaling past ShannonÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s Inlet behind the island we moved off in search of shelter as the wind was blowing ever so slightly creating a cold and overcast morning, a journey to the far reaches of Wells inlet was on the cards looking for the rocky structure and decrepit dirt cliffs to cast Spinnerbaits along, on the way we trolled amongst the 4-5m mark for a good half an hour parallel to the shallow weed beds often sighting large schools of active Redfin on the sounder, these fish were either high in the water column or lying on the edge of my sonar beam hugging the bottom hard in numbers.

The water was deep in parts with 36m registering often so staying tight to shore was the only option till structure was established, removing weed from trebles was a common occurrence so in frustration at lack of sunshine and shoreline cruising Golden Perch we spilt up with Allan powering his Adventure ahead while Craig remained central in deep water following slowly behind, I moved on to the opposite side of the Dam hoping to catch some fish off guard in untouched water ( We had the whole Dam to ourselves ).

Rounding a significant point I noticed Craig had caught up to Funda and from a distance they seemed to be having a chat, I watched them from afar occasionally but I was too busy trying to focus my energy on trolling and the GPS / Sounder to pay much attention, out of the corner of my eye I saw Craig jostle to the side and remain patiently alongside Cod Whisperer below some steep rocky structure, I knew this only usually means one thing so pulled in my Viking Talisman and franticly paddled the 700m distance hoping I wasnÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t to late to witness the catch ( The time had just passed 9am, catch of the day already? ).

Seems the fight had been going on longer than I thought ( Around 10 minutes before I arrived on the scene ), as I got closer Craig was waving me over and Funda smiled and remarked Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ Get your camera ready, biggest fish you will ever see Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ, I asked him if it was a Cod but in hindsight realised that was a stupid question as his Heartland Z was buckled to breaking point, the battle continued and was watched by a well traveled bank angler who had made the long trip from the carpark, he was caught mid step in awe when he saw / heard Funda coaching / coaxing the fish from the bottom.

After 20 Ã¢â‚¬â€œ 25 minutes the leader knot appeared and a MASSIVE Murray Cod measuring 1m + ( 115cm to be exact ) was secured with the Boga grips, we quickly moved over to the bank and its angler offered some assistance grabbing FundaÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s paddle which allowed for perfect controlled handling of the fish and the opportunity for 20 seconds of photos as I drifted by, I must say I am getting better and better at taking photos of Allan with Cod and think I captured the moment superbly with my 3.2mp Olympus Digital Camera.

Funda joked that it was time to go home but promised to stick around for us newbies to get a shot at the title but with a fish like that we new are chances were slim to nil, I mentioned I was off to get a Redfin and departed the duo thanking the bank angler again as I moved back to the other side of the lake I was working previously before I was so rudely interrupted, after I could hear Cod Whisperer mentioning to Craig what a poor bastard I was being only able to catch fish with red colours, English Perch, Red Rock Cod and Sgt. Baker ( DonÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t forget the occasional Snapper mate! ).

Deployed the silver and red Viking Talisman and commenced trolling once again only this time I hit a large school of Redfin on the head cruising the foreshores, a quick check on the rod tip indicated I was on to a 20cm Specimen much to the amusement of Funda, I was determined to at least catch a horde of the English invaders but as time took its toll ( About 45 minutes later ) I only managed to land a slightly larger model around 25cmÃ¢â‚¬Â¦ Wonder how Craig was faring?

Caught up with Craig who exclaimed Ã¢â‚¬ËœNo gloryÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ so we had a nice chat, was great to catch up with Craig as he was around when I first started DjÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ing out at Raves and Dance parties and lived with some good mates of mine back in the day, we both spotted some fishy looking rocky ledges in the distance ( Known locally as Ã¢â‚¬ËœThe CliffsÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ ) but before we could both head over we realized Allan was already there throwing Spinnerbaits in search of Perch ( I donÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t think he was targeting Cod anymore by this stage ).

Well and truly entrenched in Wells Inlet we pulled over on a bank for some lunch and a few brews while we talked smack, I finally had a chance to show Allan the photos I was so happy with and the look on his face said it all, he mentioned he was still shaking from the experience and was on cloud 9 at the moment, I mean who wouldnÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t beÃ¢â‚¬Â¦ Some people go Skydiving, some people go Bungy Jumping and some people just catch metre plus Murray Cod ( Enough said really, donÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t you think? ).

The wind had dropped for the most part but was starting to pick up so we headed back towards the ramp following roughly the same route but with slight variations, I moved on ahead of the duo who were eagerly swapping fishing stories and tried my luck trolling different lures and casting Jackals into unknown small Inlets, at one stage a fish appeared on the surface next to my yak and headed deep into a weed bed but I was only able to sight the trailing fin breaking the surface, I was running out of time to get a decent comp entry ( Feral species or not ) but knew today was not my dayÃ¢â‚¬Â¦ Somehow I didnÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t feel too dejected after witnessing such an awesome spectacle beforehand and I felt extremely proud that Craig and I witnessed such a feat, what a way to welcome a new member to the forum.

Arriving safely back at the ramp we packed our things, bid farewell to Craig and departed Googong Dam, this was only the third time I have taken my kayak out here and hope once the weather returns to make many similar trips, I do not wish to catch metre Cod ( Or any Cod mind you ) until I am ready and am quite happy to support Allan on future endeavors till its my time, till then its Ã¢â‚¬ËœReddiesÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ and Ã¢â‚¬ËœOogliesÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ onlyÃ¢â‚¬Â¦ Lucky for me both species taste superb!

Yours truly,

The Redfin Whisperer.























































PS Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Hope you enjoyed the report! 8)


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## bazzoo (Oct 17, 2006)

Aww Paff, NICE report mate , and very unselfishly done, you can write mate and your piccies are great, should sell that article to a fishing mag , after carefully disguising the territory, good one mate


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## craig450 (May 11, 2007)

Excellent report Paffoh and some great photos too, it was a great day for me (even with no fish) but the wonderfull company and Funda's monster Cod made up for it. I would like to put out a big THANK YOU to Paffoh and Funda for letting me tag along, it was one of the finest fishing trips i have been on yet!!!!

Thanks a heap guys.
Craig.

P.S, my photos sucked so if it wasnt for you Paffoh i may have been shot.


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## Guest (May 13, 2007)

Oh my...
I stand in awe. The words 'nice work' just don't seem enough here 
And yeah, nice snaps there Paff.


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## Dave73 (Dec 3, 2006)

Cod Whisperer allright....that's fantastic!!

Congratulations Funda.


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## PoddyMullet (Aug 29, 2005)

What a top shelf effort Funda, congratulations :!: . Those big greenies make a beeline for ya yak all too often :shock:


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## Clarkos (Oct 11, 2006)

I'm speachless. Absolutely speachless.

Congrats to all involved.


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## RedPhoenix (Jun 13, 2006)

Unfortunately, due to the change in ownership of this web site and the lack of response by the owners to my requests to remove my email address from all administrative-level notifications and functionality, I have decided to remove my posts on AKFF. Thank you for the great times, the fantastic learning experiences and the many many fish. If you are desperate for the old content of this particular post, it is available below base64 encoded and bzip2 compressed.

Red.

----

QlpoOTFBWSZTWb85mbgAABdXgAASQAcwgFAAP+ff4CAAioamRqZT2lNqaY9U9TA0Gp4ok9TD1TTNQA9QIORxua7cW4/PbCh20rPu28RtSvvHmWj0jCGeYMit1XaYEI63UUlcvbklUYP4j+vvPS2dtM0uxgcz1dZSO5i8VE167ehCiB4lAKWKC81ZAmo1WU/rQwoR+sEYTIYG9g6TL4BxQVZ19fxdyRThQkL85mbg


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## Squidder (Sep 2, 2005)

Haha, that's a corker fish Allan, congrats mate    And only a few days ago you were lamenting the lack of a good fish to enter in the comp :lol: :lol:

I'm starting to think that I'm an anti-good luck charm for the green fish.....yet another big cod gets caught while I am elsewhere :roll:


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## Davey G (Jan 15, 2006)

Funda with No Beard = little fish

Funda with Beard = big fish

:shock: :shock: :shock:

well done Allan, another cracker fish and reinforces your position as AKFF's very own "Coddus Whisperus Maximus"


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## Guest (May 14, 2007)

Beautiful fish Allan 8) well done mate.


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## Y-Knot (Sep 26, 2006)

Yep well i think its all been said ... WOW, OMG, :shock: , Unreal, Jeezussssss and CONGRATULATIONS. Outstanding effort Funda and very good report to go with it. nice job Paff


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## Kevin (Aug 29, 2005)

Just caught up with this magnificant catch. Others have mentioned it being "catch of the day" and "fish of the month" - for me it's catch of the century!

Magnificent - I'd given up on cod for the year thinking that the water temp had dropped too much. Guess the bigger dams change in temp. not so quickly.

Great pictures too Paffoh - Funda would have to happy that this great feat was recorded so well.


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## Blaen (Jul 4, 2006)

Brilliant Funda, obviously that landing net sees very little action, those suckers are just far too big for it !!!!!!!!! :lol:

I love the look of your Rod holders, very inspiring.


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## kingfisher111 (Jun 13, 2006)

Thats one beautiful fish Funda. Best reward for lots of hard work. Not just anyone lands magic fish like that. Congrats, I`m having a beer for you  Any guess on the age of that beauty? Steve.


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## MangoX (Feb 18, 2006)

:shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock:

*Marvelous! just Marvelous !!!!*









PS: let us know what magazine it appears on (cheers to the photographer)


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## Guest (May 14, 2007)

Thanks everyone for the great replies and kind words, I really appreciate it, especially after reading the comments on the same picture at fishnet, no wonder I like you guys and AKFF so much.

That Cod will more than likely be my last for the season and what a way to top it all off, I'm still pumped about catching that fish.

Great write up Paffoh and the pics are professional quality, well done mate.

Thanks again everyone


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## Marty (Mar 18, 2007)

only just saw your cod pic and report mate, congrats Alan , thats one hell of a fish and a great way to end the cod season , did you spy the cod on your sounder mate or just trolling the contours ?
I know it would be a guess but how much would a cod of that size weigh ?


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## Guest (May 14, 2007)

Marty said:


> only just saw your cod pic and report mate, congrats Alan , thats one hell of a fish and a great way to end the cod season , did you spy the cod on your sounder mate or just trolling the contours ?
> I know it would be a guess but how much would a cod of that size weigh ?


Hi Marty,

I hooked the fish throwing a spinnerbait at rocky structure in very deep water, I'm estimating the cod to weigh in close to 30 kilos.

It's not your typical impoundment fish this one is really fit and lacks the huge gut that most impoundment fish have, this cod is the most memorable one I have caught in regards to fighting ability, this one took many long runs to the bottom in over 60 feet of water trying to get to a ledge I could see on the sounder.

I had to pedal away from the fish a number of times to get some angle on the line, my 10kg gear just could not lift it off the bottom once he went deep under the yak.

I'll never forget this one!!!!


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## devo (Sep 12, 2006)

Well done Funda...
Bloody Brilliant !!! That really is as good as it gets !!!!
cheers mate
Devo


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## sitonit (Dec 29, 2006)

WOW


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## something fishy (Sep 5, 2006)

wow, :shock: er speachless wow!!!

very cool! 8)


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## GuardianZAct (Feb 7, 2007)

I know I am going to add this post to my Favourites. Its going to get re-read a lot....

Paffoh great report, Fantastic Photos.

Funda, I can see and read why you are still stoked / Pumped. A great looking / lean fighting machine. The love of the geen ones is contagous.

Well done.

And for me to know what is possible will keep me fishing.

Wow.

Adrian


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## Wattie (Apr 30, 2007)

Wow,
If I catch something that big in my LIFE I would be rapt!

Well done.


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## Guest (May 14, 2007)

Series of shots by Paffoh


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## Guest (May 14, 2007)

last one


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## craig450 (May 11, 2007)

An absolute lump of a fish, what a great example!


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## spottymac (Aug 29, 2005)

Awesome Funda, and a top job landing a fish that size. well done


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## Guest (May 14, 2007)

craig450 said:


> An absolute lump of a fish, what a great example!


Rob Paxavanous reckons so too 

Keep an eye out for his fishing report on friday nights news on ten, also get Sunday's Canberra Times :wink:

Rob is now aware of AKFF and is probably browsing the forum now.


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## squizzy (Mar 3, 2007)

wow funda, thats the best fishing pic I have ever seen. Absolutely fantastic, Im still a yak newbie but I can imagine the buzz you got from catching that fantastic fish. Well done mate, you have made my week. Ive showed everyone I know this post and keep going back for another look myself.


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## craig450 (May 11, 2007)

Funda said:


> Rob Paxavanous reckons so too


Good stuff mate, ill be sure to keep an eye out for it.
Well done!


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## Kevin (Aug 29, 2005)

> Rob Paxavanous reckons so too


At least you, Funda, hooked yours from your yak and not some mother ship :lol:


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## Davey G (Jan 15, 2006)

Kevin said:


> > Rob Paxavanous reckons so too
> 
> 
> At least you, Funda, hooked yours from your yak and not some mother ship :lol:


ooooh, nasty :? :roll: c'mon, we're NICE people here at AKFF....no need to start throwing low blows at others...


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## Blaen (Jul 4, 2006)

Awesome Funda, that series of shots shows exactly how a fish of that size should be handled in the water.

Well done mate, that is one legendary fish.

Rob Pax huh? Cool getting a pro to give you that sort of recognition is awesome.


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## spooled1 (Sep 16, 2005)

A beautiful freshwater stonker.
Good one Funda


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## T-curve (Feb 19, 2007)

Awesome Funda...love the natives..ive caught a few cod..but thats a beast :shock: ...well done!!


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## garrick (Sep 2, 2006)

Mate what can I say that have not been said yet. You bloody beauty. I am really glad for all your efforts to come to this conclusion Allen. Like you said the other day, you caught a lot less greenfish this season than last, but then with a monster like that one who counts.

I just poured a whisky on the rocks and am drinking it to your good health/fishing.


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## OutbackDee (Oct 6, 2006)

That fish is an absolute beauty!

I know you're quite passionate about proper fish handling techniques (and rightly so too), so how did you get such a stonker of a fish to the bank? pedaled while holding it with lip grips? had half of the old girl in a net? on your lap?

Just curious...

geez im still spun out by its size! 
:shock: :shock: :shock:


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## Jeffo (Sep 10, 2006)

An absolute stonker Mate, well done

Cheers

Jeffo


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## Guest (May 15, 2007)

OutbackDee said:


> That fish is an absolute beauty!
> 
> I know you're quite passionate about proper fish handling techniques (and rightly so too), so how did you get such a stonker of a fish to the bank? pedaled while holding it with lip grips? had half of the old girl in a net? on your lap?
> 
> ...


Once the fish was secured in the grips it was decided to get it to shore that was about 10mtr away, I wouldnt have bothered if it was in the middle of the lake tho.

The time frame from grips till release wouldnt have been 3 minutes and probably only 2 minutes, paffoh was under a lot of pressure to get the shots as he only had about 30 seconds to snap them while he drifted past.

Everything went right, had the fish shown signs of extreme stress/blushing my call for the bank and pics would have been very different, every fish reacts differently and I make judgement on if lifting/pics/in water release/what ever, on a wide number of different circumstances.

The big thing for me is, I still have so much to learn and share with others regarding these great Aussie icons.

Cant wait till dec 1st


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## bazzoo (Oct 17, 2006)

Alan , it was certainly a beautiful cod , and you obviously have great respect for the animal , so how about an article for the wikkie on fish handling , as i mentioned in another post , i see lots of videos of fishing comps and the fish are just whipped off the hook and flung at the water , i dont think many would survive. your words blushing made me prick up my ears , a lot of knowledge to be shared there


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## bazzoo (Oct 17, 2006)

sorry folks


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## Naki Man (Aug 30, 2006)

Congrats Funda, what a beast. Any idea of the weight

NM


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## Guest (May 16, 2007)

Naki Man said:


> Congrats Funda, what a beast. Any idea of the weight
> 
> NM


Gday Naki,

I estimated the weight of the fish at around 30kg


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## Naki Man (Aug 30, 2006)

Yeah, it looked like it would go 30kg.

I read that article on the handling of the cod. they sound like they are quite a touchy fish and damage easily. We release snapper over 10lb unless they are for a comp or a record and I now wear gloves to ensure that they don't get finger burn. you can hold the fish alot easier without having to apply pressure.

It's great to see a big fish swim away  
NM


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## JD (Jul 2, 2006)

A fish of a lifetime.


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## Guest (May 16, 2007)

Naki Man said:


> Yeah, it looked like it would go 30kg.
> 
> I read that article on the handling of the cod. they sound like they are quite a touchy fish and damage easily. We release snapper over 10lb unless they are for a comp or a record and I now wear gloves to ensure that they don't get finger burn. you can hold the fish alot easier without having to apply pressure.
> 
> ...


Murray Cod are the Holy Grail for me and I know I go a little overboard at times on the handling of them for catch and release fishing, but yeah your right they are fairly delicate when it comes to stress.

I am going to try and update the C&R article on the wiki to include a few other details on proper handling and realizing stress symptoms in MC's.


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