The new Big Daddy Ti (Titanium) is a cod weapon from the Euro masters of pike on fly, Vision. In Europe, pike fishing is big business and so not surprisingly, the majority of innovation in flies and gear for big predatory freshwater fish is coming from there. When you’ve tried as many rods as I have, you realise that predator/pike/musky rods are built very differently from ordinary saltwater rods. A standard 9 weight is designed around Clousers and crabs but in the predator world, the flies being thrown are at least three times larger than those. So when it came time for me to get into this cod caper, I got obsessed by the myriad options in rods.

Designed by Vision as a top-end, premium pike (predator) rod, the Big Daddy Ti perfectly crosses over to Murray cod fishing: built rugged yet refined enough to deliver those huge flies with ease.

Fit and finish on the Big Daddy Ti is fantastic and the colour selection is even better. It has a bright yellow blank with green and red highlights, so it stands out from the crowd. No expense was spared on the components of this premium rod. The high-quality American Tackle Co. components are built to withstand the test of time and being titanium, they reduce weight and will never rust.  The black EVA grip maintains a solid grip in all weather conditions and the lightweight fibreglass rod tube is the same yellow colour as the blank. One thing for sure is there’s no danger of losing this highly visible rod and tube! The bright colour might not be for everyone, but for me, I love it. In my mind, aesthetics are important.

Murray cod fishing requires a huge amount of casting. You need a rod you can cast comfortably for hour upon hour and still be incredibly accurate. The rod also needs to be robust enough to land one of these prehistoric fish, and pull them out from their snags.

I have fished this rod on two cod trips over multiple days. It has withstood everything I’ve thrown at it, including a couple of very angry cod, and being slammed in a car door! It’s the perfect all-round cod rod being a 8’8″, 4 piece, 9 weight. 8 weights tend to be under-gunned on impoundment cod, and a 10 weight is a lot of mass to be heaving all day… so the 9 is my preferred line weight on cod.

I have fished this rod on boats and land, and I can’t see any limitations. It’s super lightweight and shoots line with ease. I paired it up with a Scientific Anglers Sonar Titan Intermediate Sink Tip line, which so far has seen most of my cod fishing. The line zings through the guides and allows you to quickly pick up and re-cast with just a single false cast. I have also fished the Scientific Anglers Grand Slam floating line through this rod and it casts equally well, being on the more aggressive side taper-wise.

I noticed that because of the way this rods flexes lower down, it takes all the shock out of the rod when casting very air-resistant surface flies. I’m not the strongest bloke but even after 10 hours of continuous casting, I experienced very little arm fatigue. When it comes to fighting cod, you can confidently put a scary bend into this rod. The strong backbone will put the breaks on cod of any size and it would also make a great rod for chasing impoundment barra.

When I first bought this rod, I made the decision based on theory and test casting it in The Flyfisher’s laneway. After a few cod trips and countless casts with big flies, I’m totally addicted to fishing it. In a way, it’s made me want to chase cod more and when an item of gear inspires you like that, it has to be pretty special!

Visions Big Daddy Ti is available now in-store and online for $649.95
https://theflyfisher.com.au/vision-big-daddy-ti

For a cheaper alternative, be sure to check out Vision’s Daddy series. $499.95
https://theflyfisher.com.au/gear/rods/vision/vision-daddy

Or for a full package with reel and line, Vision’s Pike outfit provides the perfect entry to chasing cod on fly with good gear. $549.95
https://theflyfisher.com.au/vision-pike-outfit