The Social Fishing Podcast

New to chasing cod? This is the episode for you! Rhys & Dan share a few tips for getting started in the world of lure fishing for Murray Cod – for both lakes and rivers. There is an endless amount to learn when it comes to Murray Cod, but this episode summaries the basics to help you get started. In this episode: 3:00 – Early memories of catching cod on a lure 10:00 – Tips for Learning to Lure fish in a Lake/Impoundment 16:20 – Tips for Learning in a River or Creek 36:00 – Techniques and Learning more 39:20 – Location and spots are important 45:50 – Looking after Murray Cod Learn more about lure fishing in the Freshwater Mini Series > https://socialfishing.com.au/free-freshwater-mini-series/

If you like a good fishing story… you’ll enjoy this episode. I sat down for almost two hours to chat with Jake Miles all about his fishing story and North East Victoria. Jake covers fishing on the Ovens River, Lake Eildon, Lake Buffalo and the Murray River. He shares his story about how he moved to Australia and learnt how to fish well after school. Quite a different story to many, and he shares how he overcame the hurdles of learning to fish, starting with Trout and advancing to Murray Cod. This is a great yarn full of plenty of laughs and banter. Enjoy! In this episode: 2:40 – Jake’s story and background – how he got started in fishing. 14:00 – The next step of learning in Jakes’s journey chasing Murray Cod. 27:30 – Jake’s first metre cod story. 34:50 – Fishing Small Rivers in North East VIC – Ovens River. 42:45 – Fishing the Murray River. 48:30 – Fishing Lake Buffalo. 1:01:00 – Jake’s experience at Lake Eildon. 1:15:30 – The story of Outback Adventures Australia YouTube channel and content. 1:30:00 – Jake’s dream trip. 1:35:30 – Story of Jake’s Biggest Ovens River Cod. For more information on freshwater fishing head to: www.socialfishing.com.au

A new season is upon us… and it’s going to be EPIC! Dan and I wanted to sit down and have a chat about what’s ahead and we cover our thoughts on how to approach this summer. Our focus for this chat is on rivers, now that we are heading into a drier period (this means lower flows and clearer water). We talk about what it’s been like the past three years, the current conditions, water clarity and how it affects cod, some key lures worth using over summer and our thoughts on weedless plastics. Before finishing up we also touch on the impoundments and share a few tips. Enjoy this episode and if you have any requests for topics, please send them through. For more information visit: www.socialfishing.com.au In this episode: 5:00 - Rivers for cod and conditions over the past 5 years 9:40 – Current conditions and the year ahead (fishing will be epic) 14:30 – Water clarity and how it affects feeding behaviour of cod 26:00 – Tips for the summer ahead and our predictions on good spots to fish 31:20 – Key lures for chasing summer cod 40:00 – Best rod for weedless plastics 50:30 – Tips for chasing cod in lakes & dams over summer

Recently I headed down to the Crater Lakes in Southwest VIC to fish the famous Lake Purrumbete and Lake Bullen Merri. On this trip I was joined by SF team member Chris Muscat who writes the reports for this region. At the start of this episode, we both share a recap of our trip and an overview of these two lakes. Chris then shares his fishing story before we talk about Chris favourite places to fish, his favourite techniques for Trout, go-to lures and his favourite setup. If you’re keen to learn about chasing Trout in lakes or you’re looking to fish Lake Purrumbete or Lake Bullen Merri, this is the episode for you! Join the Social Fishing Membership here: https://socialfishing.com.au/sf-membership/ In this episode: 3:30 – Our Crater Lakes Trip Fishing Lake Purrumbete and Lake Bullen Merri 32:50 – Chris’ Story and how he got into fishing 38:40 – How did the Anglers Australia page start 41:40 – Living through COVID in Melbourne 44:50 – Places Chris is keen to visit 54:03 – Favourite three places to fish 56:30 – Most productive technique for chasing Trout 57:18 – Key Lures for Chasing Trout 1:02:35 – Go-To Rod, Reel, Mainline and Leader for Trout 1:05:30 – Chris final piece of advice

Matt Martin loves his Golden Perch, and it was great to get him on for a chat to hear his story, chasing yellas and also fishing Burrendong Dam. The start of the chat kicks off learning a little bit about Matt, his background in fishing and his travels to end up where he is today. He has chased Barra on the ABT circuit and loves fishing a range of competitions for Murray Cod and Yellowbelly. His local is Burrendong and we get into discussions about the key bite periods, the behaviour of the yellas throughout spring and the best way to chase them. Matt is a great fella, and this was a super casual chat. Enjoy our first episode on spring yellas for the season. For more info on access, key fishing spots and up to date reports on Burrendong Dam. Join the Social Fishing Membership: https://socialfishing.com.au/sf-membership/ In this episode: 00:00 – Intro to Matt Martin 07:35 – Where and how did it all begin? 14:30 – How did the fishing the ABT Tournaments come about? 21:42 –Recent fishing comp at Burrinjuck? 24:20 – Spring Yella’s in Lake Burrendong 46:00 – What’s your go-to Yella Technique? 56:01 – Favourite colour pallet? 59:30 – Matt’s experience at the AFTA tradeshow 1:06:24 – Matt’s most memorable moment 1:10:10 – Piece of advice going forward?

This is a new style of podcast… recorded on the water while fishing! Lake Eildon is a popular destination, so we planned a trip this winter to explore and unlock the lake. On the final night we decided to record an episode of the podcast, and we ended up doing it in the boat while fishing. This is different and unique! Follow along as we share what we learnt on our trip to Eildon, how we found and landed trophy cod and how you can learn more about fishing the lake. We also talk you through the technique we were using with the live tech during the night session on the water. It’s different… but epic! Enjoy and please let us know if you like this podcast format. In this episode: 1:00 – Intro to Eildon Podcast 8:22 - Jim’s big fish 12:00 – The size of lake Eildon and finding key areas 16:00 - Beginning of a HOT run in Dans boat (3 fish over the mark) 24:00 – Spotting fish on Live Tech (distinguishing between) 26:00 – Dans wader story 31:00 – Rhys triumphs! 36:00 – Phone call from Jakes boat 38:30 – Talking tactics of working a shoreline with live tech (fish behaviour) 41:00 – Dans 3rd fish for the trip! 46:00 – Thoughts from Dan on the 4 fish bite window 50:00 – Exploring new areas within an impoundment and identifying likely water that’ll hold fish – setting GPS marks to use once night falls 1:04:00 – Explaining what we’re looking for while using live tech (LIVE) 1:15:50 – Lake Eildon Trip Summary within SF Membership Join the SF Membership: Learn More Here

Jakko is BACK! Perfect timing to get Jakko Davis back on for another podcast chat and we broke the record for the longest chat yet… but it’s epic. This is one you’ll want to make sure you listen to the entire way through (and possibly again). We chat about three key topics: These are three hot topics in the cod fishing world at the moment. As always, we get into good discussion on a range of ideas and experiences. Enjoy this chat! In this episode: 4:30 – Intro and catchup, recent sessions and life 6:00 – Fishing the Macquarie River this season 15:30 – Camping out of a backpack in summer 21:00 – General life and fishing the river 25:30 – Fishing from the inflatable boat 36:00 – Fishing from bank V boat 44:30 – Live Technology Chat: Where is it going? 1:06:00 – How fish behave to splash and boat pressure from the use of Live Tech 1:14:00 – Murray Cod intelligence and understanding their behaviour on live sonar 1:38:30 – Moon Phases and Murray Cod: Bite Periods and Bite Windows 2:13:30 – What do we watch on YouTube 2:16:30 – Membership update, Social Fishing and life updates

In this episode I sit down and have a chat with an experienced podcast host and content creator… Jono Bleakley. He is the co-host of the Reel Action Fishing Podcast with Michael Guest, he works as a content creator at OzFish Unlimited and has been a presenter for a number of brands in the fishing industry. This chat is loaded with content including the story of Jono and how he got to where he is today. Then we talk about chasing Bass on the Bellinger River before finishing the podcast discussing the fishing content industry. We discuss hosting and running podcasts, creating content and how to stand out in the fishing world. Jump in and listen to this jammed packed episode! In this episode: 04:15 – Introduction to Jono’s Story 45:00 – Bass Fishing and the Bellinger River Journey 1:01:00 – Rhys’ Content Creating Processes 1:09:00 – Creating Content in the Fishing Industry 1:28:28 – Jono’s Memorable Moments 1:37:20 – What does the future look like and Jono’s future ambitions 1:50:00 – Advice for young content creators

We are back from another epic SF Team Trip with our amazing crew! We went back to Wyangala once again (after amazing success last year) and we managed to produce another amazing session. In testing conditions, the fish pushed us, but we learnt a lot and caught some amazing fish. Dan and I jumped on an episode for a chat about the trip. We discuss the key lessons, stories and what we learnt (along with the funnies). Enjoy this chat and if you’re keen on more details about our Wyangala session checkout the latest trip report inside the SF Membership: Join the Membership Here In this episode: 1:00 – Intro of the trip 3:30 – Accelerated Learning Fishing in a Group or at Competitions 8:00 – Key bite windows 11:00 – Dan talks of dropped fish 20:30 – Our moments of the trip 34:20 – Funny Moments from the Trip 39:00 – Why the Cod Fury 220mm Works so well in Winter 52:40 – Our Top Tips for Wyangala this Winter 57:40 - Content and Filming from Trip 59:00 – Our top Catches from Trip

We are back with another episode and this one is special! Kate Norman knows her stuff when it comes to big Murray Cod in lake Eildon, and it was a privilege to have her on for an episode. I this episode Kate shares her story, how fishing started and why she loves chasing cod so much, and especially, Lake Eildon. She shares how she juggle family life and fishing, how she goes about fishing solo and even how she deals with really bad motion sickness (and yes still goes fishing). Then we jump into a chat about Lake Eildon cod and how Kate goes about chasing these monster fish, especially in the winter months. How the cod behave, the approach, how she plans her trips and works a bank, the key lures and what depth they usually hold in. This is another amazing episode and I hope you learn plenty to help with your next Eildon trip. In this episode: 3:00 – Kate’s Recent Session on Lake Eildon 7:00 – Schedules and fishing with a young family 14:50 – Kate’s fishing story and how it started. 25:00 – How Kate deals with motion sickness 27:30 – Does Kate fish only in good/key weather conditions? 31:00 – Fishing Lake Eildon for Big Cod 59:00 – Clothes Kate Wear for Winter Fishing 1:06:00 – Where Kate Bases herself for Trips and Sessions 1:08:00 - Searching and Fishing During the Day 1:12:03 – Do Eildon Cod Switch On and Off? 1:13:45 – Most Memorable Metre Cod 1:19:30 – Kate’s last piece of advice

This adventure was too special not to record a podcast on location. On night two of our three-day drift, we sat down to record an episode for the podcast, sharing stories, lessons, and everything from this amazing adventure. Six of the SF team, in three boats and lots of fish. What we find is most incredible about fishing as a team is the ability to learn. From mid-day on the first day, we worked out the bite pattern, and then capitalised on it for the rest of the trip. In this podcast you’ll hear plenty of stories and banter, but also, you’ll learn lessons that you’ll be able to apply to your next session on a river system. Enjoy this casual and relaxed, but also very insightful episode of The Social Fishing Podcast! In this episode: 00:30 – Intro of the group and the location. 11:00 – Why we all went looking for shallow running lures. 15:30 – The start of day one, what we caught and what we learnt. 20:30 – Stand out yella lure. 22:00 – Why we went to weedless plastics. 24:00 – Middle of day one & Alex’s 95cm capture. 38:50 – Karen’s topwater fish, morning of day two. 43:00 – Approach and techniques we used on day two. 1:21:20 – Everyone’s moment of the trip.

In this special episode, we sit down with the man behind the microphone and the founder of Social Fishing, Rhys Creed. Interviewed by Dan Webber, Chris Cotterill and Karen Rees, Rhys shares the journey of how he turned his passion for fishing and educating others into what Social Fishing is today. We get a glimpse into who Rhys is behind the scenes, the key people who have helped shape his path and his approach to life. Rhys shares some pivotal moments along the path to building Australia’s largest freshwater fishing community, the Social Fishing Membership, the challenges faced along the journey and where's next for Rhys and the Social Fishing brand. This is a great episode, filled with a stack of stories and laughs as Rhys gets grilled by the team and of course the episode is filled with fishing tips for this upcoming big winter cod season. Make sure to tune in and we hope you enjoy this episode! In this episode: 2:00 – How Chris Cotterill, Karen Rees & Dan Webber fit into the SF picture 14:00 – What inspired Rhys to create the Social Fishing brand? 35:00 – The launch of the SF Membership 46:00 – Key people who helped Social Fishing get where it is today? 57:00 – Why fishing for Rhys? 1:04:00 – Family life, running a business and the SF Membership 1:20:30 – Memorable catches in the past three years 1:31:00 – How Rhys approaches chasing winter cod 1:39:50 – Where to next for Rhys and Social Fishing 1:45:20 – One lure, one waterway, one session 1:48:30 – Biggest challenges we face building the SF Brand 1:54:30 – Quote or phrase that Rhys lives by

The story of Jimmy Barwick is next level! This is an epic chat as we learn who Jimmy is and the crazy adventure he has been on over the past two decades. He has travelled a fair portion of the world, lived overseas working and spent a massive part of his life living on the water. Currently working as a fly guide on the Tumut River in NSW, and also working in retail. He has seen and done it all, and in the first half of this episode we get an insight into his amazing life journey. The second half of this episode Jimmy shares his last 12 months of chasing Murray Cod. Having never chased them ever before, to learning about this incredibly intelligent species, to catching his first (and now multiple) metre Murray Cod on the fly. We discuss techniques and approach for using the fly, and lessons Jimmy has learnt along the way. This is a big episode and one you’ll want to listen to. In this episode: 0:00 – The Jimmy Barwick Story – Early life in Tasmania 12:50 – The Story – Super Yachts in Europe 18:00 – The Story – Move to Indonesia 21:00 – The Story – Guiding at Arlie Beach 29:30 – The Story – Charter Boat in the NT 30:45 – The Story – Move to Tumut as a Guide 40:00 – The Story – Working on a Super Yacht Travelling the World 50:00 – Learning to target Murray Cod (having never chased them before) 58:00 – How Jimmy started out with chasing Murray Cod 1:05:00 – First sessions on the water 1:17:30 – Spending more time on the water and catching cod on lures 1:27:00 – Going from lures to first metre cod on fly 1:35:00 – Tips for chasing cod on fly

We’ve been using our custom inflatable boat setup a lot this summer, and with so many questions we thought we’d sit down and have a chat about them. In this episode we talk about our sessions this summer drifting in the inflatable, including our Ovens River adventure. We went on an epic 3 day float/camp trip and Dan and I look back on the trip and share the stories, adventures and lessons. This episode is all about the inflatable boats and the Ovens River, including plenty of tips to help you if you’re panning a trip to the Ovens River. Enjoy this episode and stay tuned for the video we will be releasing soon which will highlight the inflatable boat setup we use. Become an SF Member: https://socialfishing.com.au/sf-membership/ 0:30 – Recap from the recent Ultimate Fishing Expo 6:15 – Sounder Series Course announcement and our recent session at Burrinjuck 13:45 – Benefits of fishing from an inflatable boat 26:15 – Our camping setup in the inflatables 33:00 – Are the inflatables tough? 39:00 – Fishing from a small pool boat 42:00 – The Ovens River Adventure – Sharing the story 56:45 – Tips for fishing the Ovens River 1:10:30 – Dan’s cheap inflatable setup 1:24:00 – More advantages of the inflatable setup

If you love chasing cod, especially river cod – this is a must listen episode! Our special guest for this episode, Jackson Haussler has achieved so much in the cod world in such a short space of time. Fishing in Northern NSW, he is familiar with the gorge country for Murray Cod. In this episode we talk about the Northern Basin rivers including the Severn, Macintyre and Gwydir. Jackson talks about weather patterns, moon and how critical he is when it comes to conditions for chasing cod. He also gets chatting about how he has changed and mistakes he made in the past when it comes to friendship and respect. It’s an amazing listen with such an incredible angler. Strap yourself in for this one. Visit our website: www.socialfishing.com.au Become an SF Member: https://socialfishing.com.au/sf-membership/

Well, there goes another year… 2022 all over but what an epic adventure! We were lucky enough to have some amazing trips and epic moments. In this episode Rhys and Dan share stories from the year, their favourite moments and highlights throughout 2022. Plus along the way they share plenty of lessons they learnt from over the prior 12 months. This is a cracker way to welcome in the new year, and it’s going to be big! To follow along with our journey, make sure you follow us on Facebook and Instagram, but more importantly join our free community email list. We send out content that isn’t shared anywhere else. Join here à https://socialfishing.com.au/free-gear-ebook/

In this episode Rhys is joined by Sunny Martins, and what an epic chat it is! Sunny has an eye for detail and is very particular in the way he fishes and his approach, so much so that it pays off with plenty of big fish hitting his deck. He has an addictive passion for fishing that drives him to continually seek new challenges and experiences (and also helping him spend countless hours on the water). In this episode Sunny shares his background, how fishing started for him and where he is today in his fishing journey, along with plenty of tips to help you catch more fish. The boys talk about Murray Cod, Golden Perch, Trout and Bass - different techniques, approach, and lures for all those species. Then Sunny gets into some specific but important topics around boat position and how he fishes a bank for both cod and yellas in a deep dam (like Eildon) and a shallow lake (like Mulwala). In this discussion he explains fish position, how they feed, how to position your boat, how and where to cast and more (very important stuff to learn). Plus, he shares plenty of stories from his past, memories, and lessons, along with future goals and handy tips for you to take away and into your own fishing. This is an episode you don’t want to miss, and make sure you share it with your friends! Join the SF Membership Today: https://socialfishing.com.au/sf-membership/ In this episode: 3:00 - How Sonny gets to fish so much? 10:45 – How fishing started for Sunny and where he is based? 20:00 – Fishing solo v with a mate, and fishing from a kayak 26:30 – More on Sunny’s fishing journey 34:00 – Thinking outside the box – boat positioning for cod and yellas (inc. dam example) 47:30 – Boat position continued – Example at Mulwala 57:00 – Favouirte way to chase each species (cod, yellas, trout, bass) 1:06:10 – Approach for a Session and Fishing Over Summer 1:14:00 – Lure Choice and Approach: weedless plastics, plastics with exposed hooks, hardbody & spinnerbait 1:30:10 – Preferred Colour Choice for Sunny 1:33:45 – Sunny’s Goals Moving Forward

Another episode where I’m joined by Dan Webber to have a chat about the current fishing, techniques, and approach for chasing Golden Perch in spring and summer. There is a huge amount of information and content that you can apply to your sessions in this episode which runs for over two hours. During the middle of the chat, we get into conversation about fish behaviour, which include Murray Cod, Trout and Golden Perch and a critical concept that makes a massive difference to your fishing sessions (this is a must know concept). Then we finish up the episode by referring to the amazing response we got from the last episode with Dan Webber on mental health. Plenty of learn and discover in this episode of The Social Fishing Podcast! Join the SF Membership: https://socialfishing.com.au/sf-membership/ In this episode: 2:00 – Intro and Catchup on Recent Session this Spring 7:00 – Learning from Failure and Poor Sessions – Recap from Dan’s Recent Trout Session 14:50 – Lessons from How Fish Feed from a Recent Burrinjuck Session 19:00 – Example on Fish Behaviour from Lake Hume 26:00 – Late Spring & Summer Techniques for Golden Perch 53:50 – Most IMPORTANT Thing to Remember About Fishing!!! 56:45 – Summer Techniques for Yellas continued. 1:00:50 – Go-To Trolling Lures for Yellas in Summer 1:05:30 – Concentrations Concept – Understanding this is Key to Success 1:40:00 – Few Final Words about the Upcoming Season 1:49:00 – Catchup on Mental Health from the Last Episode

This is a sad topic but one that needs to be shared. There is so much false information, blaming and comments going around in the media around the fish kills. So, with that I wanted to produce a series of podcast, articles, blog posts and videos interviewing knowledgeable people and sharing the reasons behind these fish deaths. This is the third major fish kill along the Murray River we will have seen in 12 years. We as humans have caused this issue and it’s up to us to fix it. This is a MUST LISTEN and SHARE episode. I was lucky enough to be joined by environmental science teacher Peter Phillips who is completing his PhD on the flooding along the Murray River. He spent over 50 days floating the Murray River in the 2016 floods and has an in depth understanding on this river system. In this episode we discuss a range of topics including blackwater, the current flooding and what’s causing it, what has happened in Shepparton and Echuca with the suspicious fish deaths. We also discuss the nature of the river and how the flows have changed over the past 50 years, the prediction of these current fish kills and what we need to do to stop this from happening again in the future. Everyone who cares about native fish needs to listen to this episode so please share it with your friends. And let’s make a difference! 0:00 – introduction from Rhys about what is happening with flooding 8:15 – Overview of the flooding in the Murray, Goulburn, and Campaspe around Echuca 10:10 – Peter Phillips background, passion, and PhD study 11:30 – What is Blackwater and Hypoxic water? 14:55 – What is happening with the current floods and why the fish are dying around Echuca 24:30 – Dissolved oxygen and what fish need to survive 29:30 – What’s happening with the flood continued. 38:00 – Fish kills further downstream in the Little Murray, Gunbower Creek and the Murray River 41:00 – Why the fish kills have been so bad in the past decade 46:00 – What’s the solution? Is it going to get worse? 51:10 – How the riparian vegetation filters carbon from blackwater 54:00 – Will we see a massive fish kill this summer coming? 56:15 – IMPORTANT: Summary by Rhys on the issues and moving forward

In this episode I’m joined by Matt Mildren to talk all about chasing Trout at Dartmouth. It was great to have Matt on to talk a little bit of Trout fishing jumping into the history of Dartmouth, the fish species, the size and layout of the lake. We then talk about the Trout in the system, the best approach, key lures and seasons. Matt also jumps in and explains trolling for Trout in detail and how he uses different gear throughout the year to target them effectively. We then finish up with a few cod stories. Matt writes a monthly report on Dartmouth Dam. It’s available inside the SF Membership along with other reports from NSW and VIC. You can learn more here. To become an SF Member, click here: https://member.socialfishing.com.au/sf-membership/ To get your FREE Gear & Tackle eBook, click here. In this episode: 4:00 – Fishing Competitions at Dartmouth 5:00 – Dartmouth over 100% and spilling since 1996 9:30 – Trout Stocking, Macquarie Perch and History of Dartmouth 20:40 – Matt’s background and fishing journey 32:30 – Fishing for Trout in Dartmouth – Tips & Seasons 1:01:00 – What is it about Trout that Matt loves 1:04:45 – Best lures for Dartmouth 1:12:45 – Your most memorable fishing moment 1:21:40 – Matt’s last piece of advice