There was no shortage of grunt in this photo of a Murray cod caught on a Bassman DT spinnerbait.

 While large lures are generally accepted as those most suited to trolling, they certainly have other applications that include tempting large Murray cod on the cast. Many in my tackle box look like they have been hewn from the end of a strainer post before being whittled into a range of creations that in size alone could almost pass for legal size fish species. One elderly fisherman by chance observed several of these large lures in an open tackle box at the local boat ramp. Having returned fishless he jokingly enquired on whether he might take a fillet of a couple as they might surely provide a feed. In all seriousness though, casting large lures around the snags is a sure fire way to tempt the biggest of Murray cod from cover. Once they commit they will rush and strike at the larger presentation with frightening force. At this time of the year the cooler water temperatures affect the feeding habits of these larger fish. They begin to feed in a more calculated manner where assaults on prey are most often measured to optimise energy spent for that gained. Fuel is the driving force where one assault on large prey is far more efficient than several assaults on smaller items. And this is where the presentation of larger lures comes to play.  The grunt began as a joke but often follows the longer casts when sending these heavier lures towards the snags.  The sound itself a parody of those highly ranked tennis greats as they power the ball back and forth across the net. Of course the grunt is optional, but brings hearty relief as you wait the savage strike of a hungry fish.  As casting goes it is wise to upgrade rod weights to around 6kg plus. Not only will this give you greater casting control for better accuracy, enabling you to place the lure in the prime spots at distance. It will also help persuade any rampaging cod that are hooked close to timber to alter course with the extra turning power they provide. What constitutes a large lure in big cod standards are those that exceed the 100mm mark. There are many lures readily available that exceed this length including the ever popular number 1 StumpJumpers, 120mm Codzillas  and Bassman DT spinnerbaits. The later a meal in itself, has two flashing blades that ride above a plastic trailer system that creates both bulk and plenty of water displacement. The DT preceding this lures name aptly stands for double trouble and that certainly rings true where big cod are concerned.   Over recent weeks we have seen several big cod caught casting both large hard-bodied lures and spinnerbaits. As mentioned earlier, the grunt is optional when casting these lures towards the snags but all too often involuntary when lifting the fish they catch for that long overdue mug shot.