Month: November 2009

The 2009 Daiwa Lake Awoonga Night Championships produced a session of red hot fishing, in turn rewriting the ABT barramundi record books.

Under a full moon anglers were treated to some of the best tournament fishing conditions on record.

With no less than eleven anglers catching more than 5 meters of fish it was going to take something special to eclipse the field of 32 teams assembled to do battle on Lake Awoonga.
Daniel Grech, a 21 year old apprentice fitter and turner, produced a sensational 5/5 583cm tournament limit to take out the championship, in turn securing his maiden ABT barramundi victory and rewriting the previous 5 fish limit of 514cm set at the same 2006 tournament. In a sign of how successful anglers were at this event, eight anglers overcame the 2006 record set by Jake Schwerin. Furthermore the record for the largest barramundi caught in an ABT tournament, also held by Schwerin, was bettered with a monster 126cm specimen captured.

  Fishing upriver Grech, of Team JT Reel Repairs, targeted a weedy point identified in the prefish. Fishing in 10 feet of water, Grech found a submerged weedbed that produced eight fish during the session, with six over the magic meter mark. Using 12cm and 14cm long Rapala X-Rap lures in black and silver colour, Grech secured his bites throughout the session. The Rapala X-Rap lures were retro fitted with Decoy wide Gape trebles and split rings to further secure the bites on offer.

  “It was an amazing experience. The stuff you read about in fishing magazines. The session of a lifetime. Sharing a double hookup with my teammate on a pair of 120cm barramundi and landing both fish was something special.”

  Using his Humminbird Side Imaging sounder, Grech identified barramundi moving into the area. “The fish would come into the area in groups. Often shortly after we would get bites. It was a useful tool to identify the prime bite periods.” The key to bites explained Grech was constant motion, “The lures were worked fairly aggressively with few pauses. This action proved to be most effective during the session.”

  Grech, who has fished both northern rounds of the 2009 Daiwa BARRA Tour, was clearly happy to achieve such an outstanding result. “I don’t get to fish the southern dams as much as I like so this is a great result. To be able to go out with a mate and achieve this is something to remember.”

  Grech’s outfit consisted of a 7″ Daiwa Steez machine gun rod teamed with a matching Daiwa Steez baitcaster reel spooled with 20lb Bionic braid and 40lb Black Magic fluorocarbon leader. “The thinner profile braid goes through the weed much easier than heavier gauges. If you tie your knots correctly, I find that 40lb leader does the job nicely”, explains Grech of his decision to use lighter gauge braid and leader.

  Jason Croft, a 29 year old BCF Manager, produced a sensational 5/5, 582cm to narrowly fall short of taking victory. Fishing approximately 40 meters from Team JT Reel Repairs, Croft targeted a point with a nearby deep water dropoff. With challenging conditions greeting Croft at the start of the session, it took some time to begin his assault on the competition.

  “Upon arriving the wind was gusting 20-25 knots. As a result it took about 40 minutes to get a solid anchor hold. With up to 50 feet of rope out at times, the start of the session was challenging weather wise”

  With a second place finish at the Teemburra round in 2008, Croft had runs on the board at tournament level. Once Croft had anchored and found his rhythm the bites began to eventuate. In total Croft landed 7 barramundi with 5 over the meter mark. Whilst falling agonisingly short of his maiden victory, Croft broke a long standing BARRA Tour record.

    “Mid session I was using a Rapala X-Rap 14 SPM lure. I was slow rolling the lure with periodic twitches when I hooked into a big fish. What unfolded was special.” What eventuated was not only a personal best capture for Croft, but also an ABT BARRA record for biggest barramundi caught in a tournament. Eclipsing Jake Schwerin’s 2006 125cm record set at the same tournament, Crofts sensational 126cm barramundi showed the potential on offer at this great fishery.

  Using 12cm and 14cm Rapala X-Rap lures in spotted minnow and purple gold, retro fitted with size 2 Owner ST66 trebles and Owner Hyperwire rings, and 130mm Squidgy Pro Slick Rigs in drop bear colour painted black on the back, Croft effectively worked his chosen tournament location.

  Croft on his lure modifications, “I would paint the back of my slick rigs black to give them more contrast in the water. With the X-Raps I would add a hand made tail, made from a combination of feathers and kinky fibre. This would generate more movement and action in the water.

  “The X-Rap lure mimicked the garfish bait in the area. A constant retrieve with gentle twitches mixed up at times with aggressive rod movement proved to be the key. The always moving lure emulated the bait to perfection. As bait moved into our area the bites followed.”

  Crofts outfit consisted of an AC Custom 6-10kg 6’6″ fast action rod teamed with a Daiwa Zillion HSA reel spooled with 30lb Berkley Tracer braid and 60lb Black Magic Tough Trace leader.

  When quizzed on the key to his tournament success Croft deliver this helpful piece of information, “When an angler hooks up, other people on the boat often quickly wind in their lures. We found that continuing to cast until immediately needed on the net often resulted in further bites or a continuation of the bite window.”

  The Daiwa BARRA Tour now moves to the penultimate event, the 2 day Berkley Lake Awoonga Evening tournament, Nov 30th-Dec 1st. For further information on the Daiwa Barramundi Tour check out www.australianbarra.com.au or contact ABT on (07) 3387 0888 (B/H).
 

Cy and Kerrin Taylor continued their successful 2009 Daiwa Barramundi Tour with a 1st and 2nd place finish at the Sunline Peter Faust 2-day morning event. Fishing together as Team Shimano/Millerods the Taylor brothers found consistent bites over the two days to finish over a meter ahead of their nearest competitors. With Cy securing victory at the previous Teemburra event, the result at Faust handed him the Northern Barra Angler of the Year title. With the tour now heading south to events at Awoonga and Monduran, the task of securing the Southern and overall Barra Angler of the Year honors, is clearly on the agenda for these talented anglers.
Cy Taylor 9/10, 651cm captured victory at Faust with 83cm separating him from his brother Kerrin 9/10, 568cm . Fishing small bays deep in the timber at the back of the dam, Cy identified areas adjacent to deeper water that presented horizontal timber and structure. Tying off to trees, Cy would cast into the shallows before retrieving the lure with small hops.

  “The water temperature was quite warm (approx 29-30 degrees) in the areas we identified. We found the fish were moving into deeper water, around 3 meters, where it was around two degrees cooler. We found three areas that provided fish over the two days. Consequently I was able to catch my limit on day 1 and four on day 2.”

  A 110mm Squidgy Pro Slick Rig in Drop Bear colour fitted with a size 4 stinger treble through the belly proved to be the lure of choice. Alternating with a Rapala X-Rap in green Cy was able to secure the bites on offer.

  “On day one the bites came fairly early. As the sun got up it became more difficult, but we both got our limits. Come day two the weather and wind changed, making conditions more challenging. We found that when the sun would come over the bites would often follow. We both secured four fish for the session and fortunately in the end that was enough.”

  Cy’s outfit consisted of a Millerods Salty Barra rod teamed with a Shimano Core 100mg reel spooled with 20lb Fins braid and 80lb Black Magic Tough Trace leader. Kerrin used a Millerods High Roller rod teamed with a Shimano Curado reel spooled with 20lb Shimano Power Pro braid and 80lb Black Magic Tough Trace leader.

  “We tend to use lighter breaking strain braid, as it allows for better feel and finesse. You may have to freespool if you get caught in the timber, but the bites you otherwise gain make it worthwhile.”

  Robert Ebzery captured the events Big Barra of 117cm on day two of the tournament. Caught around 10am on a weedy point, the barramundi fell to a Stiffy Bony Bream lure in silver. Going deep the barramundi slugged it out before finally succumbing, much to the pleasure of Ebzery. Aaron Moggs session one beast of 115cm narrowly missed out to Ebzery’s fine catch.

  Overall 124 barramundi were caught over the two days of the event with an average size of 63.59cm. The 2008 event at Peter Faust saw only 52 barramundi caught overall. Lindsey Dobe from the Peter Faust Dam Fish Stocking Association gratefully accepted a stocking donation of $250 for further continuation of the organisations great work. With water levels up and fish found scattered throughout the dam, ABT is sure to return to this great fishery in the not to distant future.

  The Daiwa Barramundi Tour now travels south to Lake Awoonga for the Daiwa Night Championship event, Sat 28th – Sun 29th November. Briefing is on Saturday, 2.30pm at the Awoonga Dam Foreshore (adjacent to Rangers Hut), with the event beginning at 4pm and ending at 8am on Sunday 29th November. For further information on the Daiwa Barramundi Tour check out www.australianbarra.com.au or contact ABT on (07) 3387 0888 (B/H).    

Cy Taylor showed his intent for the 2009 Daiwa BARRA Tour with victory in the opening round of the series, the Engel Teemburra Evening Event, 20/21st November.

The first round of the four event series, Taylor lead the charge, compiling a 10/10, 732cm limit to relegate first time podium finisher Willem Reichard, 9/10, 633cm to second place.

Victory for Taylor comes off the back of a success AFC campaign only a month prior, with the Teemburra champ teamed with his brother Kerrin and fishing a mid depth, main basin pattern to score his fish.
“We targeted fish we found with our sounder hanging on deep banks and points near the main basin”, explained Taylor.  

Using his beloved Squidgy Slick Rig 110s in Drop Bear and Green Grunter colours Taylor would position his boat in four metres of water then cast up into the shallows (2 metres) then slow roll the plastic back, pausing it occasionally to allow it to sink back towards the bottom.  

“It was important to keep the lure close to the bottom and keep it moving to intercept the barra as they moved up along the edge”, explained Taylor.  

With the team catching 16 out of their 18 fish after dark Taylor was open in his assessment of the bite pattern of the event.  

“It was hard to find numbers and sized fish during the daylight hours, once the sun went down things definitely turned on and the fished moved up out of the deep and started to feed”.  

Jumping off two metre plus fish for the tournament Taylor’s victory could have been even more comprehensive had all the fish stuck.  

The tackle he used to catch his winning fish included a Millerod Salty Barra rod, Shimano Core reel, spooled with Fins 20lb and 80lb Black Magic leader.  

Adding to his $1250 cash earnings for the win Taylor topped up his bank balance with an additional bonus courtesy of the 1st placed $362 Pro Bonus payout. Claiming the champion team title at the event the pair will once again set the bench mark for team performance on the 2009 tour.  

Securing the runner-up position at the event was 24 year old Feedlot Worker Willem Reichard.  

Fishing with last year’s runner-up Jason Crofts for Team Gulpin Xraps, Reichard fished the Teemburra Creek arm of the dam, focusing on wind blown points at the back of timbered bays.  

“Fishing windblow and deeper than usual locations was crucial for success”, explained Reichard.  

With their boat in 15-20 feet Reichard would cast his Rapala Xrap (purple/ gold colour) towards the edge working it back through 15-20 feet strike zone with a three-twitch-pause retrieve.  

“We were using 10 and 8 cm Xraps that would dive to about eight feet and it was on the pause as the lure sat motionless before the next twitch that most of the fish would hit the lure”, explained Reichard.  

“A deeper pattern than usual is something that many of us found during the tournament, and it seemed to be important for finding quality and quantity”, explained Reichard.  

Dropping ten fish on day one and seven on day two the pair’s catch sheet could have read even more impressive than their fourth placing fourteen.  

The tackle Reichard used to present his money winning Xraps included a 10-17lb Samurai Reaction rod, Shimano Cronach MG50 reel, spooled with 20lb Berkley Tracer Braid and 40lb Black Magic fluorocarbon leader.  

“We went light with 20lb mainline so we could get maximum depth and action with our lures”, explained Willem.  

His best result to date on the Daiwa BARRA Tour Reichard is excited about the rest of the tour.  

“It’ll be great to fish hard for a couple of weeks and experience the fishing out barra dams have to offer”, explained the Teemburra Dam runner-up.  

The Daiwa Big Barra for the event went to two prize winning anglers, with Shimano BARRA Pro Alan McNamara catching two 92cm fish on day two and Spencer Troxell landing and equal sized fish on day one.  

The quality and quantity of fish during the event set new records for the venue, with the field landing 231 fish for the tournament, eclipsing last year’s 201. The average length of fish show a similar improvement, jumping from last year’s 54.27 cm to 67.90cm. With a $250 Stocking Donation made to the MAFSA all bodes well for further growth and barra numbers for the future.  

The next stop on the Daiwa BARRA Tour sees the series head north for the Sunline Peter Faust Morning Event, 24/25th November. For event information and entry visit www.australianbarra.com.au or contact ABT (07) 3387 0888.  

Individual Results

Teams Results