It was perfect conditions for a record breaking weekend at Lake Awoonga for the first Event of the Daiwa BARRA Tour Southern Leg.
It was perfect conditions for a record breaking weekend at Lake Awoonga for the first Event of the Daiwa BARRA Tour Southern Leg.
A record field of 72 anglers gathered for the Ecogear Night Championship Event and 15 year old Jake Schwerin showed exactly how to do it. Blitzing the record Go-So Big Barra landing a 125cm brute and a new record 5 fish bag of 514cm.
The Toowoomba Grammar student has taken a week off to fish the Tour with his father in team FCM. Fishing Futter Creek, Schwerin landed 14 barramundi in the boat throughout the night. For his efforts, he takes home $1000, a Millerods Camofish Barra Boof Stik, Shimano Cruxis reel and various other prizes.
Followed in second place winning $500, a Daiwa Team Advantage rod, Daiwa Millionaire SW203 reel and TD sensor braid was Ben Platten with 5/5, 485cm. Third (Nigel Webster, 5/5, 459cm), fourth (Brad O’Sullivan, 5/5, 455cm), fifth (Matthew Mott, 5/5, 423cm) taking out the remaining places winning cash and prizes including Angler DCX and Ian Miller Raider Barra Mauler rods.
With the previous ABT Big Barra record mark set at 118cm, Schwerin caught 2 fish of 120cm and 125cm on slow rolled Squidgy Slick Rigs.
His father John, as proud as punch commented, “Getting those two big ones was unbelievable! The biggest I’ve seen! It blew me out of the boat! Magic!â€
“I tried to follow the contour of the weed whilst slow rolling the lure†Jake explained.
His rod of choice was a G.Loomis GL3 matched to a Daiwa CVZ spooled with 50pd Whiplash braid and 80pd Penn 10X leader. Tying a double in the braid to a single length of leader attached to a 130mm Slick Rig with a Gamakatsu stinger hook.
Second placed and local Tackle World Gladstone worker Ben Platten used a hard body approach to score his 5 fish. Catching two fish early in the timber of the Ivoreagh arm on a Rapala Barra Magnum, he later changed to shallower suspending baits such as the Rapala X-Rap and Owner Rippin Minnow for fishing at night in the weedbeds in the main basin.
The Champion Team went to Evakool-Squidgies with Matthew Mott and Kerry Symes scoring the only 10 fish limit for a total length of 830cm.
A record 105 barramundi were caught and released during the Ecogear Night Championship with an average of 81.95cm per fish.
With all anglers getting a much needed sleep, the next event is the Halco Lake Awoonga Evening Event commencing 3pm Monday November 6.
If you would like to join in the fun for either the remainder of the 2006 Daiwa BARRA Tour or want to start planning for next year, check out all the info at www.australianbarra.com.au.
| Place | Team | Angler | F1 | L1 |
| 1 | FCM | Jake Schwerin | 5 | 514 |
| 2 | Fatman and Ribbon | Ben Platten | 5 | 485 |
| 3 | Team Halco 2 | Nigel Webster | 5 | 459 |
| 4 | Mundi | Brad O’Sullivan | 5 | 455 |
| 5 | Evacool-Squidgies | Matthew Mott | 5 | 423 |
| 6 | Evacool-Squidgies | Kerry Symes | 5 | 407 |
| 7 | Charltons | Simon Barkhuizen | 5 | 372 |
| 8 | QFM-Evinrude | Steve Morgan | 5 | 359 |
| 9 | Team Halco 2 | Jason Medcalf | 4 | 330 |
| 10 | Squidgy-Lowrance | Jason Wilhelm | 4 | 309 |
| 11 | FCM | John Schwerin | 4 | 295 |
| 12 | Slick Rigs | Tony Zantiotas | 4 | 269 |
| 13 | Torment | Karl Rembacher | 3 | 265 |
| 14 | Team Ecogear | David Young | 4 | 237 |
| 15 | Millerods-Shimano | Cy Taylor | 3 | 235 |
| 16 | Spotters Sunglasses | Jason Bird | 2 | 205 |
| 17 | Ando Sportfish | Danny Anderson | 2 | 194 |
| 18 | One of These Days | Peter Price | 2 | 184 |
| 19 | Charltons | Glyn Barkhuizen | 2 | 168 |
| 20 | Just Hafta Fish | Stephen Brodie | 2 | 165 |
| 21 | Fatman and Ribbon | Scott McAuley | 2 | 163 |
| 22 | Millerods-Shimano | Kerrin Taylor | 2 | 162 |
| 23 | Team Tennessee | Steve Kanowski | 2 | 158 |
| 24 | Just Hafta Fish | Rod Sealy | 2 | 148 |
| 25 | Heavy Equipment Maintenance | Darren Pegg | 2 | 114 |
| 26 | Spotters Sunglasses | Adrian Lindsay | 1 | 114 |
| 27 | Team Hellfish | Trent Brown | 1 | 112 |
| 28 | Mundi | Trevor Burgess | 1 | 110 |
| 29 | Slick Rigs | Craig Simmons | 2 | 109 |
| 30 | Nitro Tournament Rods | Pete Morgan | 1 | 100 |
| 31 | Tackle World Bundaberg | Gary Leather | 1 | 99 |
| 32 | Vindaloo | Dave Robinson | 1 | 81 |
| 33 | Logan River Marine | Rod Watt | 1 | 80 |
| 34 | Far Kens | Ken Best | 1 | 80 |
| 35 | Ando Sportfish | Colin Slade | 1 | 80 |
| 36 | Sweetwater Fishing | Dale Sinclair | 1 | 78 |
| 37 | The Tackle Warehouse | Adam Meredith | 1 | 75 |
| 38 | G.Loomis-Siglon | Josh Batterson | 1 | 75 |
| 39 | Gudgeon | Alf Gudgeon | 1 | 75 |
| 40 | The Tackle Warehouse | Andrew Orley | 1 | 73 |
| 41 | One of These Days | Arthur Lovern | 1 | 70 |
| 42 | Team Halco | David Hodge | 1 | 66 |
| 43 | Team Halco | Tim Carter | 1 | 53 |
| 44 | Logan River Marine | Corey Tarr | ||
| 44 | QFM-Evinrude | Julian Gascoine | ||
| 44 | Heavy Equipment Maintenance | Anthony Pegg | ||
| 44 | Far Kens | Ken Berry | ||
| 44 | The Assassins | Aaron Mogg | ||
| 44 | The Assassins | Matt Coleman | ||
| 44 | 2 Blokes in a Tinnie | Lee Hutchinson | ||
| 44 | 2 Blokes in a Tinnie | Mick Shore | ||
| 44 | Team Hellfish | Mark Daley | ||
| 44 | Nitro Tournament Rods | John Schofield | ||
| 44 | Team Ecogear | Gavin Dunne | ||
| 44 | All Torque | Frank Ohl | ||
| 44 | All Torque | Peter Gray | ||
| 44 | Torment | Jason Sizeland | ||
| 44 | G.Loomis-Siglon | Mike Connolly | ||
| 44 | Vindaloo | Brendan Jones | ||
| 44 | Brother in Arms | Jesse Buckley | ||
| 44 | Brother in Arms | Daniel Buckley | ||
| 44 | Squidgy-Lowrance | Steve Starling | ||
| 44 | Team Tennessee | John Bridar | ||
| 44 | Jet One | Trevor Cassidy | ||
| 44 | Jet One | Neil Campbell | ||
| 44 | Tackle World Bundaberg | Chris Galligan | ||
| 44 | Tin of Gold | Justin Fisher | ||
| 44 | Tin of Gold | Justin Nye | ||
| 44 | Gudgeon | Ben Gudgeon | ||
| 44 | Scales & Skin | Gary Wode | ||
| 44 | Scales & Skin | Andrew Rooney | ||
| 44 | Sweetwater Fishing | Garry Fitzgerald | ||
| 105 | 8605 | |||
| Avg | 81.95238095 |
| Place | Team | TF | TL |
| 1 | Evacool-Squidgies | 10 | 830 |
| 2 | FCM | 9 | 809 |
| 3 | Team Halco 2 | 9 | 789 |
| 4 | Fatman and Ribbon | 7 | 648 |
| 5 | Mundi | 6 | 565 |
| 6 | Charltons | 7 | 540 |
| 7 | Millerods-Shimano | 5 | 397 |
| 8 | Slick Rigs | 6 | 378 |
| 9 | QFM-Evinrude | 5 | 359 |
| 10 | Spotters Sunglasses | 3 | 319 |
| 11 | Just Hafta Fish | 4 | 313 |
| 12 | Squidgy-Lowrance | 4 | 309 |
| 13 | Ando Sportfish | 3 | 274 |
| 14 | Torment | 3 | 265 |
| 15 | One of These Days | 3 | 254 |
| 16 | Team Ecogear | 4 | 237 |
| 17 | Team Tennessee | 2 | 158 |
| 18 | The Tackle Warehouse | 2 | 148 |
| 19 | Team Halco | 2 | 119 |
| 20 | Heavy Equipment Maintenance | 2 | 114 |
| 21 | Team Hellfish | 1 | 112 |
| 22 | Nitro Tournament Rods | 1 | 100 |
| 23 | Tackle World Bundaberg | 1 | 99 |
| 24 | Vindaloo | 1 | 81 |
| 25 | Logan River Marine | 1 | 80 |
| 26 | Far Kens | 1 | 80 |
| 27 | Sweetwater Fishing | 1 | 78 |
| 28 | G.Loomis-Siglon | 1 | 75 |
| 29 | Gudgeon | 1 | 75 |
| 30 | The Assassins | 0 | |
| 30 | 2 Blokes in a Tinnie | 0 | |
| 30 | All Torque | 0 | |
| 30 | Brother in Arms | 0 | |
| 30 | Jet One | 0 | |
| 30 | Tin of Gold | 0 | |
| 30 | Scales & Skin | 0 |