EPISODE 59 – Lake Mac Attack!

The Cod Tales Podcast hit the road and headed down to Lake Macquarie to catch up with our good mate Banksy… and somehow ended up living out a full blown bucket list weekend.

First up chasing marlin offshore.

And guess what… Azz ticks off a DREAM fish with his very first Blue Marlin. Absolute scenes. Chaos. Screaming reels and Dane getting crook for the first time in some ordinary weather out on the big blue. But that fish will live rent free in his head forever.

Then we backed it up with a morning session on the lake where it was just one of those relaxing days that turn into great memories

• Dane knocked over a new PB flatty 🏆

• AND landed his first ever snapper

Somewhere in between we got creative with ChatGPT comparing fish to cars… which turned into one of the more unhinged but weirdly accurate chats we’ve ever had. You’ll never look at a marlin or a Corolla the same again.

We also dive into the upcoming Teams Fishing Australia State of Origin New South Wales vs Victoria — and who we think is taking bragging rights this year 🏆

And to top it all off… Azz cops a heartfelt surprise from galvo live on the pod that genuinely caught him off guard. Proper goosebumps stuff.

Big fish. Big laughs. Big moments.

Episode 59 is one of those ones.

Available now wherever you listen.

Tag the mate you’d chase a marlin with.

🚨 RIVER DRIFTS, BLOWN TRAILERS & FISHING 🚨

Just before Christmas we squeezed in one of those river drifts… you know the ones that make you look over your shoulder thinking “surely this isn’t allowed.”

📊 44 fish in 6½ hours.

Absolute mayhem.

The highlight? Without question the most bizarre eat we’ve ever seen — a mid-70s cod climbing halfway out of the river to eat a lure off the bank. Still not convinced it was real, but it’s burned into our brains forever.

Of course… Codtales rules apply:

⚡ Electric motor decided it had had enough

🛑 Trip ended early

🛞 Lost a wheel AND hub off the axle

🚤 Boat trailer log-slated its way 17km into Binda

We also had:

🎣 A tough river session with Mick Hayden, still boating six fish for the morning when it was proper grindy

🎣 A trip with Daddy Marto, only one fish on a Lighthouse Diver, but it turned into an elite arvo — a few beers, soaking bait and talking absolute nonsense

🎣 A quick fish with Nick & Ivy — 10 cod for the morning, and Ivy landed a cracking cod all by herself (outfishing blokes twice her size as usual)

Now we’re staring down the barrel of State of Origin Teams Fishing Australia in just five weeks 😳

Dam fish… what are you going to do?

Meanwhile at Codtales HQ:

💡 New neon sign pumping

📱 TikTok lives rolling

🎤 Portable mic setup dialled

✈️ Locked in for Lake Monduran, QLD

🎣 Plan to catch up with the one and only Nate Archer

River chaos, big fish, busted gear, good mates and better yarns — this is what Codtales is built on.

🎙️ Episodes coming.

🍻 Beers cold.

🎣 Lines tight.

#Codtales #MurrayCod #RiverDrift #FishingFeltIllegal #BeforeChristmasChaos #CodLife

🎣 COD TALES PODCAST 🎙️

2025 RECAP • CHRISTMAS • RIVERS • PBs • WHAT’S NEXT

This one’s a proper sit-down yarn.

No rush. No egos. Just looking back on a year that gave us everything — the highs, the heartbreaks, the quiet nights, and the moments that make it all worth it.

🔥 2025 wasn’t just about fish numbers

It was about time on the water, time with mates, learning rivers properly, and earning every bite.

💥 Big moments this year

• Metre-plus cod

• Surface eats that still live rent-free in our heads

• Watching mates land PBs they’ve chased for years

🎯 Azz’s year

PB trout. PB barra. Two different fisheries. Two massive achievements. Proof that the grind pays off.

🌊 Cod opening & river reality

Not a smash fest — but honest fishing.

Early surface windows. Weedless surface becoming essential. Slower presentations winning. Timber, edges, and patience holding fish.

Some nights it’s one bite… and that one bite is everything.

🚤 Dane & the new boat

He’s closer than ever — and when it happens, Cod Tales levels up. New water. Bigger trips. More chaos.

🧠 Mental health & the Cod Tales community

What started as mates talking fishing turned into something bigger.

Real conversations. Lure auctions. Fishing as therapy.

If this pod helped one bloke through a rough patch — that’s the win.

🎄 Christmas check-in

This time of year isn’t easy for everyone.

Check in on your mates. Slow down. Get outside. Wet a line. Speak up if you need to.

🔮 Looking to 2026

✔️ Bigger guests

✔️ More river breakdowns

✔️ More technique talk

✔️ More mental health initiatives

✔️ More trips

✔️ More honesty

To everyone who listened, shared, messaged and supported — thank you.

From all of us at Cod Tales: Merry Christmas, stay safe into the New Year…

🎣 One more cast is never just one more cast.

We’ll see you in 2026. Tight lines, legends.

#CodTalesPodcast #MurrayCod #RiverLife #FishingYarns #MentalHealthMatters #SurfaceEats #PBSeason #AussieFishing