You do not need a tackle shop's worth of gear for cod opening; you need four lure types that cover the water from the surface to the bottom of the timber, in sizes that match early-December fish. This is the box we would pack for the season opening at Nagambie, where the fishing is tight to drowned timber along the old river channel.
01Spinnerbaits: the workhorse
If you tie on one lure for Nagambie timber, make it a spinnerbait around the half-ounce mark (3/8 to 5/8 oz covers it). They crawl through snags that eat trebles, they fish at any depth, and they catch everything from rats to metre fish. Dark skirts (purple, black) early and late; brighter gold-bladed options in stained water.
02Deep hardbodies: for the channel edges
A diving hardbody in the 80 to 120 millimetre range that gets down 4 to 6 metres covers the pool edges where the tracking data says the bigger fish hold. Work it slow with long pauses, and expect to bounce it off timber: that collision is often the trigger.
03Surface lures: the December religion
Early season warmth means surface fishing on dark, and nothing in freshwater beats a cod eating off the top. Paddlers and walkers in the 100 to 130 millimetre range fished with a steady, noisy retrieve across the timber flats after sunset are the classic opening-week play. Slow down in flat calm; speed up with chop.
04Swimbaits: for the fish over the slot
Big swimbaits are the specialist's pick for the resident big fish, fished slowly along the deeper structure. At Nagambie every fish over 75 centimetres goes back anyway, so this is trophy hunting for the photo and the release; rig them on gear that can turn a big fish before the timber does.
05Don't forget the perch box
A few small lipless crankbaits and soft plastics mean the golden perch can save the session when the cod sulk. They often share the same water.
If you are starting from nothing, read buying your first cod setup first, because the rod and line decide which of these lures you can actually fish properly.
06Common questions
What is the best lure for Murray cod? Across most water and most days, a 1/2 oz spinnerbait fished tight to timber. It is the most forgiving and the most consistent, which is why every cod angler owns a dozen.
What size lures for Murray cod? Bigger than feels natural: 80 to 130 millimetre hardbodies and surface lures are standard, and swimbaits run larger again. At Nagambie the slot means the target fish is 55 to 75 centimetres, well able to eat a big lure.
Do surface lures really work for cod? Yes, from dusk through the night in the warm months, and opening week in December is exactly when the surface bite starts. Fish them across timber flats and hold your nerve on the strike.