Choosing The Right Cod Rod

Graphite rods are perfect when lure fishing for big Cod.

Ok, so you've been bitten by the cod casting bug and now you need a rod, or you have a cupboard full of graphite sticks and just want a new one.

No matter what your situation, there are a couple of things you need to ask yourself to ensure you are stepping into the best cod stick for your money.

Murray Cod Fishing Rod

Straight up, a baitcaster rod is far superior for most Murray cod lure applications due to their ergonomic ease of use and their accuracy to launch repeated pinpoint casts.

When assessing rod length, look at the type of fishing you are doing. If you are fishing from a boat or the bank, a longer, 7ft+ stick will give you greater leverage to punch lengthier casts. If you are fishing skinny water or from a small craft, like a kayak, a shorter 6ft rod might be better.

However, gone are the days of needing a crowbar style baitcaster rod to stop a cod. Technology has evolved significantly over the last decade and most 5-10kg rods are now capable of landing even a metre cod in most conditions. Obviously if you are fishing dense, snag laden terrain, you'll need a thicker rod to keep it from ramming you in the sticks.

With technology now catching up to our mottled monsters, the bigger question we must ask is not will the rod stop a rampaging cod, but will it cast the cod candy you have in your tackle box.

A Cod Rod To Match Your Tackle Box

Most medium sized diving hardbodies, spinnerbaits, surface lures, soft plastics, lipless crankbaits and other lures, weighing from 20-50gm are comfortably covered with rods ranging from 5-10kg in their line class rating. The 'line class' being the manufacturer's recommended line strength you partner with the rod.

However, this can be slightly misleading as anyone sticking to the manufacturer's script can come undone, as using 5kg line for Murray cod is setting yourself up for failure - they can grow to over 70kgs. You should start your main line and leader at 15kg line strength and only go up from there, not down.

A great allrounder for anyone throwing medium to large-sized lures for Murray cod should start with a rod-like the ubiquitous 6-12kg Shimano Cod Raider 642.

Well priced, two piece, tough as steak and great for someone looking to start their cod journey or add to an existing collection.

Swimbait Rod Revolution

At the heavier end of the spectrum and to cater for the increased enthusiasm Aussies are showing for 'big bait' fishing is the growing availability of even thicker rods.

Bait or lure wise, I'm talking about monstrous chunks of metal, wood, resin, plastic, or sometimes all of the above, that tip the scales north of 100g - like the 200mm and 150gm+ Jackall Gigantarel.

So, if you are getting into swimbait fishing, make sure you look at the lure rating or 'cast weight' on potential rods as there is nothing more devastating than losing a $100 swimbait and the tip off your new rod in one costly cast.

Alternatively, line class is also a good proxy if cast weight isn't readily available to determine how capable your rod is.

As a general rule, a 10-15kg line class rating, like on the Shimano Tcurve Premium 722 10-15kg baitcast rod, is capable of casting 100gm+ lures with ease.

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Find your local Anaconda store or browse online to check out our extensive range of fishing gear for your next cod fishing session.

Whether you're into surf fishing, estuary fishing or any other style, make sure you check out our range of fishing guides for all the helpful information you need.