Start by looking at the timber as a set of separate presentations. The outside branch, the shaded side of the trunk and an open gap between limbs may need different cast angles. Work the accessible edges before committing a fly to a gap you cannot retrieve through.

This is a method for water where Murray cod are already a known target. A fallen tree on its own does not establish that they are present. Use the species and water guides to choose the fishery, then use the timber to plan the cast.

Choose a rod and line that will deliver your chosen fly without repeated forced casts. A bulky wet streamer is a different load from a trout dry. Start with a fly you can place beside a branch consistently; size is of little value if accuracy disappears.

Use a strong hook and a robust leader, with knots you have tested before fishing. A mobile rabbit-strip or marabou pattern with weighted eyes is one option for a falling presentation. A less heavily weighted pattern with a sinking tip gives a different angle of approach. FlyLife’s Murray cod fly article describes these contrasting actions. It does not make every large fly interchangeable.

Watch the fly in water before you cast at timber. Find out whether it drops level, dives head first or hangs beneath the leader. A weed guard may reduce some hang-ups, but it does not turn a branch fork into an open retrieve lane.

Decide where the fly will land, where it will sink and which way you will bring it back. The plate shows an outside-edge presentation: the fly falls beside a branch, then moves away through clear water. The line does not cross the trunk.

Land close enough to work the cover without deliberately throwing over it. Let the fly fall while taking up spare line gently. Watch the leader during that first descent. A stop or change of direction deserves attention; the retrieve has already begun even though you have not made the first strip.

Use a short pull to move the fly, then let its materials work during the pause. Adjust the sink to the branch you are fishing. If the fly is already below an obstruction, a longer pause may put it in the wrong place rather than make the cast more convincing.

Keep the rod directed along the line until there is weight to respond to. Make a firm strip to establish contact, then use the rod to guide the fish towards the open water you planned for. The point of choosing the angle first is that you are not inventing an exit after the take.

Fish another edge with a deliberate change of angle or depth. Repeating an identical cast into the same fork mostly tells you how well the hook holds timber.

The fly lands beyond the snag. The line crosses branches before the retrieve starts. Work the near edge or change your position.

The leader falls in a heap. You cannot follow the sinking fly. Recover spare line while preserving the descent.

A huge fly that is exhausting to cast. Reduce bulk and improve turnover. A controlled cast is the foundation of this method.

No clear landing or retrieve route. Choose another presentation. Do not let the desire to reach one branch dictate the whole session.

NSW DPIRD’s fishing safety guidance advises wearing a lifejacket when boat fishing and never entering the water to recover snagged tackle or fish. Use those precautions when fishing timber; a lost fly is a reason to retie, not climb into the snag.

Check the current rules for your jurisdiction and water before targeting cod. This technique does not establish access permission or replace local season, closure and tackle rules.