The Social Fishing Podcast

Ep99 - Rollover Tragedy: How a Cold Snap and Dam Releases Killed Nesting Murray Cod

Fish kills are disappointing and heart breaking, no matter where we see them or how devastating they are. Recently Murray Cod have shown up dead at Burrinjuck Dam. Fishing this lake often we wanted to know why!

After witnessing a similar fish kill at Blowering back in 2019 we have already had some experience witnessing similar fish deaths with a similar pattern.

In this chat we dive deep into what a ‘roll over’ event is, how it happens and why we believe this is the cause of this fish kill. In this episode we discuss how the water behaves, stratifies and reacts to the environment around it. This also affects fish activity and can be a reason as to why fishing is so tough at times…

 

In this episode:

00:30 – Introduction to the Episode

10:00 – Theory – Fish Dying from Fighting and Bacteria

19:00 – Theory – Roll Over

Ep98 - Part 1: Unlocking Barometric Pressure - Understanding Swim Bladders and Dissolved Oxygen in Water

You’ve probably heard the saying, “1020 the fish are plenty”? This is in reference to the Barometric Pressure and when it’s over 1020hPa… the fishing is good.

But how does the barometric pressure affect the fish? The most common theory that been around for many years is the direct impact on the swim bladder on the fish… but this theory had its flaws.

So I decided to do a deep dive into barometric pressure and explored other avenues as to how it directly impacts fish, especially freshwater fish. In this episode I look at swim bladders, and how they work. As well as exploring dissolved oxygen to see if this has a direct correlation to pressure changes.

What I find in this episode is fascinating… and well worth a listen for any angler – fresh or salt. Enjoy!

 

In this episode:

1:00 – Introduction into Barometric Pressure and Old Theories

10:00 – Does Dissolved Oxygen Change During Barometric Pressure Shifts?

19:00 – Fluctuations of Dissolved Oxygen in Freshwater Impoundments

 25:00 – How Do Fish Swim Bladders Work

45:00 – How Does Barometric Pressure Effect Fish?

Ep97 - Want More Podcast Episodes? We Launched Another Podcast

That's right! We launched another podcast that talks about key topics, techniques, locations and also discusses theories, those 1% extra things that will make a big difference on your sessions.

Join us on our other podcast channel!

Head to our website to learn more: https://socialfishing.com.au/

Ep96: Copeton Dam Team Trip – Stories, Lessons and Recap of the Trip with Rhys & Matt

Welcome to this episode where we chat about our 2025 team trip to Copeton Dam! Every year the SF Team heads off to cod waterway in the winter, to chase big cod. This year Copeton was the choice, and wow was it one insane trip!

A trip we will never forget, and a trip where we learnt some incredible new lessons – which will change the way we target cod in the next few years.

This is an episode you don’t want to miss! Enjoy.

 

In this episode:

3:00 – Intro to the Trip

4:30 – Figuring out the Bite at Copeton: Tricky to Work Out

11:00 – Fish Behaviour and Last Light Bite

13:00 – Stories of Fish from the Trip

Ep95 – First Time Chasing Barra: Lake Monduran Trip with Rhys & Nate

Welcome to the episode where I share my first experience chasing and catching Barramundi! What a special fish and I feel very privileged to have experienced some monster Barra from Lake Monduran with Nate Archer.

This podcast shares the story of how this trip came to be, my family holiday but more importantly the experience over the three days of chasing these insane Barramundi.

Keen for a great chat, some laughs and plenty of discussion around Barra – listen up!

 

In this episode:

4:00 – Introduction to our Monduran Trip

11:00 – How Nate plans his trips

14:00 – Start of Day 1 Session

48:00 – Jerkabits & Glidebaits for Barra

54:00 – Filming and Mapping on Day 2 & 3

Ep94 – Murrumbidgee Drift Chat: Lessons, Stories and Adapting on Every Session

Welcome back to another episode on location from the Murrumbidgee River! Another float with good mates, telling stories and sharing lessons. This is a phenomenal river to fish during Autumn, and we had great success floating in out Takacat Inflatables.

We filmed a VLOG session for our membership which will be available soon, but we also sat down for a podcast on the last night. Enjoy the banter in this latest episode.

 

In this episode:

3:30 – Introduction to the Team and Trip

14:00 – The Bite on this Trip

24:00 – The Flamingo Story

38:00 – Fish of the Trip

43:00 – Insane Day Time Surface Bite

48:00 – First cast into the key zone

53:00 – More Stories and Chats

Ep93 - Billy Westerveld: Surface at Lake Mulwala & Lake Eildon for Big Cod

Ep93 - Billy Westerveld: Surface at Lake Mulwala & Lake Eildon for Big Cod

 

Billy Westerveld looks at Murray Cod in a different way to most, he is very in tune to their behaviours and makes small changes to his fishing with big results. A top guy who is willing to share and help others – which lead him to become one of the SF Team and writing the reports for Lake Eildon.

In this episode Billy talks about surface fishing at Lake Mulwala and also how he targets big cod at Lake Eildon. We get into details about cod behaviour, having the correct hooks and a basic rule for getting started with live tech.

Well worth a listen and I’ll have more episodes to come with Billy. If you want to ask him any questions – join the SF Membership.

 

In this episode:

1:20 – Billys Fishing Story – First Experience with Big Surface Cod at Mulwala

10:00 – More tips for Surface Fishing for Cod (Hooks, Lure Types, Trolling)

15:30 – Surface at Lake Mulwala – Key Areas & Structure

19:40 – Weed and the Drawdown at Mulwala: How it works?

24:30 – How to get more info on fishing Lake Mulwala

25:10 – Fishing Lake Eildon for Murray Cod

34:00 – Growth rates for Eildon Cod & their behaviour

36:00 – How to find success using Live Tech for the first time

45:00 – Billy’s Go-To Lures for Cod

54:50 – Billy’s Most Memorable Catch

Ep92: Alex Ross – Fishing Land Based & from a Stand Up paddle Board for Murray Cod & Yellas

Alex Ross loves his freshwater fishing, especially land-based fishing for Murray Cod on creek and river systems. Based in the Wagga region and growing up on the Murray River, he has been surrounded by premier cod rivers.

In this episode Alex shares a wealth of knowledge on his experience bank walking, and what he has learnt along the way, including how to avoid snags, gear to pack and the approach for fishing land based in rivers.

He has also kitted out a Stand-Up Paddle Board for fishing along these rivers, and has had some good success. He shares his journey of purchasing the board, and what he has learnt along the way.

You won’t meet a nicer guy, who is happy to help and do anything for anyone! Enjoy this episode with Alex Ross!

 

In this episode:

03:30 – Previous podcasts with Alex from our river drifts

13:20 – Alex’s fishing story and where it all started

26:20 – Gear for Fishing Landbased for Murray Cod  

36:30 – Technique & Approach from the Bank

52:00 – Fishing from a Stand-Up Paddle Board (SUP) in the Freshwater

1:18:00 – Using the Correct Rod for the Situation – Understanding Rod Action

1:26:30 – Fishing in Your Comfort Zone V Pushing to Try Something New

1:39:10 – Final Lesson from Alex

1:45:30 – Alex’s Top Fishing Moment

Ep91 - Nate Archer: Chasing Impoundment Barra, Lake Monduran & First ABT Win

Nate Archer has a passion for fishing, and specifically targeting Barramundi. I was lucky enough to catch up with Nate to talk about Barra, fishing at Lake Monduran and how fishing started for him.

If you are new to chasing Barra or want to learn a few new tricks… this is a podcast you don’t want to miss. Towards the end of the episode Nate talks about his 1^st place win in this years ABT Barra Tour at the Lake Monduran leg.

His attention to detail when it comes to chasing Barra, Murray Cod or any species is incredible. Nate also writes reports within the SF Membership, where he shares what he learns on his trips to Monduran, Hinze, Glenlyon, Lesie and more.

Nate loves sharing and helping others. A top fella and was a privilege to have him on an episode of the podcast.

 

In this episode:

3:00 – Why Nate loves sharing and helping others with fishing

9:00 – How Nate started fishing chasing Catfish

19:40 – Monduran and Awoonga floods & the Barra comeback

37:30 – Fishing for Barramundi in Impoundments

51:25 - Fishing at Lake Monduran

1:20:45 – ABT Barra Tour Win on the Monduran Leg 2024

Ep90 – Lubin Pfeiffer: Key Conditions for River Murray Cod, Fish Behaviour, Extended Trips and Fishing the Lower Murray River

Back at the microphone with the legend that is… Lubin Pfeiffer! A lot has happened since the last time we spoke four years ago, including Lubin’s lifestyle, job and some of his fishing techniques – we touch on these before diving into key topics around chasing Murray Cod on rivers.

Lubin shares stories from travelling over the past few years, we discuss his travelling setup and what he does for power, internet, water etc (handy tips to help you setup a system for travelling). We discuss key conditions for river Murray Cod including flows and clarity. What’s the best surface fishing retrieve? And so much more!

Towards the end we chat about the Lower Murray River and how the water flows through this section, what are ideal flows and some background and history around the river.

This is a fascinating chat that you don’t want to miss!

 

In this episode:

4:00 – Catchup with Lubin on what’s been happening, his YouTube channel and the past four years

9:30 – How long should my trip be chasing a big river cod?

15:30 – Filming and running a YouTube channel

27:00 – What has changed since we last spoke:

• surface retrieves for cod
• fluorocarbon mainline
• using sounders

44:00 – How does Lubin approach a new system/location for the first time?

50:30 – Setup for travelling (power, internet, sleeping, water, charging etc)

58:30 – Process for a surface retrieve for cod

1:06:00 – What’s most important for rivers? Flow, clarity, water temperature, weather, moon, barometer?

1:10:00 – Understanding flows in the lower Murray River system

1:29:00 – Lubins learning on cod behaviour over the past few years

1:41:00 – Lubins rods, reels, lures and gear

1:46:30 – Top Must Visit Spots in each State

1:50:30 – What’s the future look like for Lubin?