The Social Fishing Podcast

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?

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/

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

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

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   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

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

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 1st 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

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?

Another campfire chat between six of us from our April float down the Murrumbidgee River in the Takacat inflatables. We took three Takacat inflatables boats and drifted down the Murrumbidgee. April is all about low flows but on this trip we were met with far from ideal conditions with a fast rising river due to dam releases. We went ahead with the trip and tried to work out if we could catch them during a rise. Fishing was tough but we still managed to land some great fish. Enjoy the stories, laughs and banter as we recap this trip while sitting around the campfire on the last night of the trip. We recorded a feature film along this trip which will be available in the SF Membership! To watch the full film login to stream in full HD (film available mid-May 2024). Join today: https://socialfishing.com.au/sf-membership/   In this episode: 0:00 – Introduction 4:00 – Conditions and Lead Up to the Trip 11:00 – Recap of the Trip from Day 1 42:00 – Recap of Day 2

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: Chasing Murray Cod in Rivers The Effect of Live Technology on Cod Moon Phases and how they Affect Cod 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