General News
4 September, 2026
Flashback: September 1, 1976
Mrs Thelma Vincent of Cherrypool landed a Murray cod weighing 22 kilograms at Lake Charlegrak, near Goroke. Veteran anglers believed the catch weight to be a record for female fishing in the Wimmera.
Mrs Thelma Vincent of Cherrypool landed a Murray cod weighing 22 kilograms at Lake Charlegrak, near Goroke.
Veteran anglers believed the catch weight to be a record for female fishing in the Wimmera.
The cod was one of four caught by Mrs Vincent and her retired husband, Tom, from the lake’s bank.
The others weighed 3.6kg, 4kg, and 4.5kg.
Mrs Vincent hauled the fish in by hand when her small Mitchell reel ran out of line, and she worked the fish back to the bank where Mr Vincent used both hands to heave it from the water.
Mrs Vincent said she caught the cod on a bardigrub bait.
“When he bit, I grabbed the rod and leaned into him so he wouldn’t take me into the water,” she said.
“I was using a 27lb breaking strain line.
“Suddenly, I realised I was making no headway.
“I looked down and saw there were only about three loops of line left on the reel and the nylon was slipping around the drum.
“There was nothing else for it - I went up the bank with the rod, and pulled him in, hand over hand.”
The fish was too big for a landing net and Mr Vincent decided against using a gaff.
Mrs Vincent said a Stawell party at the lake caught two big cod - the biggest weighing 23.5kg, and the other 16.8kg.