Kerrin Taylor, 5/10, 515cm has taken out the Berkley Lake Awoonga Evening Championships. After finding the going tough in the first session with one fish for 96cm, Taylor bounced back with a 4/5, 419cm second session to overcome Jason Wilhelm by a mere 27cms.
“In session one our team traveled to a point close to the main boat ramp. Fishing in around five meters of water, using a Rapala X-Rap lure I caught one fish around twilight slowly rolling the lure back to the boat. Come the second session I knew I had to find fish to be in the hunt, so went out looking, as we do in a prefish, for a likely spot. We ended up finding a bay on the western side of the dam. It had a small island situated nearby, and the main feature of the bay was a gully extending out from the shoreline. The gully was around 4 meters in depth and on each side would rise up to around 2 meters in depth”.
“We had a look and could see fish on the sounder so decided to try our luck. We anchored about 60 meters from the bank and proceeded to cast into the area using 15cm Rapala X-Raps in gold colour retro fitted with Owner hooks. There was weed present on the bank and a slow roll of the lure got an almost instant response. The fish that we caught came early in the session before dark. After dark the bite shutdown, so ultimately it was an afternoon bite window”.
“The fish responded instantly when we arrived. After the initial catch the remainder were caught progressively till darkness set in. The wind was strong throughout the session and was blowing along the shoreline of our location. I am very pleased with the result and look forward to the last event of the tour at Lake Monduran. Due to the influx of water the dams are high. This in turn has made the prefish tough, as there is so much area to cover and find fish. Heading in to this event I am confident and looking forward to competing in this event”.
Taylor’s outfit consisted of a Millerods Salty Barra rod teamed with a Shimano Chronarch spooled with 30lb Fins braid in yellow with 80lb Black Magic leader.
Jason Wilhelm, 5/10, 488cm, finished in second place for the tournament. Fishing his location at Pelican Point over both sessions, Wilhelm added another top finish to his impressive tournament credentials.
“It was only on the day, based on web and on-site information that I decided to head to Pelican Point. The location is one that I have used guiding on the dam and I was confident I could find fish there. I anchored in 15 feet of water and fished to a weedbed. Using a Jazz Vibe retro fitted with Gamakatsu trebles, I would cast into around 30 foot of water. Using a hopping retrieve I would lift and wind the lure back to boat to attract any bites on offer. As it turned out it accounted for two fish in the first session”.
“On day two it was too windy to fish the Jazz Vibe. I switched to a Squidgy Slick Rig 130mm in lorikeet colour. This particular colour works well in overcast & night conditions as the colour silhouettes very well. This lure is matched to a custom TT jighead with a number of alterations and added acoustics. The technique was to cast, let the lure sink to the bottom, slow wind with a sequence of hops, burns and shakes. This combines multiple presentations in each retrieve”.
“Conditions were trying with waves and wind both challenging us throughout the session. We decided to stick to the plan and location and just work throughout the entire session. Due to weather variations there was defined bite periods. It was a matter of using the time effectively and working as a team”.
Wilhelm’s outfit consisted of a 702 Barra Flatspin Shimano T-Curve rod teamed with a Shimano Stradic CI4 4000 size reel spooled with 30lb PowerPro braid and 100lb Black Magic leader.
“Without the support of all my sponsors it would be difficult to compete in these tournaments, so I want to thank Shimano, Evinrude, Millerods, Minn Kota, Skeeter, Lowrance and Blue Eye sunglasses for their support”.
Michael Weick’s 124cm first session catch took out the event big barra. Caught off a point at Cormorant Bay near the end of the session, the fish fought hard before finally succumbing, much to the delight of the angler.
Weick explains the capture, “The location had a lot of dark, dirty water. There was a lot of bait in the area, predominately garfish. We were anchored in around 8 feet of water. I was using a 125mm Smith Saruna lure in sardine colour. The lure was retro fitted with number 2 Owner and number 6 Decoy trebles. Importantly these changes help to suspend the lure, which is something we try to do with all our lures. The lure mimicked the baitfish perfectly”.
“When hooked the barramundi put on an aerial show and took plenty of line on deep runs. Even when we were about to net the fish it made a final dash for freedom. When the fish was finally netted I was very relieved. When measured it was a personal best, and we quickly got the photos and made a successful release. The hooks were actually straightened in the net, so it almost was the one that got away”.
ABT now heads to the final event of the 2010 BARRA Tour, the Halco Lake Monduran Afternoon Championship, Nov 26th-27th. For more information check out www.australianbarra.com.au.
| Place | Angler | Team | Status | F1 | L1 | F2 | L2 | TF | TL | Cash | Prizes |
| 1 | Kerrin Taylor | Millerods/Shimano/Evinrude | Pro | 1 | 96 | 4 | 419 | 5 | 515 | $1400 + $400 Pro | Daiwa Heartland rod & Daiwa Luna reel & Prize Pack |
| 2 | Jason Wilhelm | Shimano/ E-Tec | Standard | 2 | 203 | 3 | 285 | 5 | 488 | $900 | Gary Howard G Force rod & Prize Pack |
| 3 | Spencer Troxell | McArthur Customs | Standard | 5 | 486 | 5 | 486 | $700 | Shimano Curado & Prize Pack | ||
| 4 | Simon Barkhuizen | Samurai Reaction Rods | Standard | 3 | 299 | 1 | 95 | 4 | 394 | $500 | Spotters sunglasses & Prize Pack |
| 5 | Carl Jocumsen | Millerods/ Fish N’ Bits | Standard | 2 | 204 | 2 | 190 | 4 | 394 | $400 | Shimano Catana rod & Prize Pack |
| 6 | Daniel Grech | Rapala/JT Reel Repairs | Standard | 1 | 102 | 3 | 273 | 4 | 375 | $200 | Berkley Tacklebag & Prize Pack |
| 7 | Dean Silvester | Gamakatsu | Standard | 1 | 98 | 2 | 203 | 3 | 301 | $200 | Prize Pack |
| 8 | Glyn Barkhuizen | Samurai Reaction Rods | Standard | 1 | 100 | 2 | 186 | 3 | 286 | Prize Pack | |
| 9 | Ian Miller | Millerods/ Fish N’ Bits | Standard | 2 | 207 | 2 | 207 | Prize Pack | |||
| 10 | Adam Paskins | Reel Smooth | Standard | 1 | 113 | 1 | 86 | 2 | 199 | Prize Pack | |
| 11 | Michael Weick | Team Nerangatang | Standard | 1 | 124 | 1 | 124 | Prize Pack, Berkley/Hollowbelly Big Barra Prize Pack (124cm) | |||
| 12 | Jake Schwerin | Fish Catching Machines | Standard | 1 | 112 | 1 | 112 | Prize Pack | |||
| 13 | Craig Griffiths | Rapala Street Team | Standard | 1 | 108 | 1 | 108 | Prize Pack | |||
| 14 | Tim Carter | Halco | Standard | 1 | 108 | 1 | 108 | Prize Pack | |||
| 15 | Alan McNamara | Shimano/ E-Tec | Standard | 1 | 107 | 1 | 107 | Prize Pack | |||
| 16 | Trent Short | Sunline | Standard | 1 | 106 | 1 | 106 | ||||
| 17 | Jason Medcalf | Team Polycraft | Standard | 1 | 102 | 1 | 102 | ||||
| 18 | Jon Millard | Rapala/JT Reel Repairs | Standard | 1 | 100 | 1 | 100 | ||||
| 19 | Brian Todd | Sunline 2 | Standard | 1 | 99 | 1 | 99 | ||||
| 20 | Matt McArthur | McArthur Customs | Standard | 1 | 99 | 1 | 99 | ||||
| 21 | Roderick Walmsley | Sunline 2 | Standard | 1 | 96 | 1 | 96 | ||||
| 22 | Rob Wood | Team Gin Gin Hotel | Standard | 1 | 92 | 1 | 92 | ||||
| 23 | Matthew Mott | Bass to Barra | Standard | 1 | 92 | 1 | 92 | ||||
| 24 | Trevor Burgess | Berkley | Standard | 1 | 90 | 1 | 90 | ||||
| 25 | Jason Ehrlich | Halco | Standard | 1 | 90 | 1 | 90 | ||||
| 26 | David Reynolds | Bass to Barra | Standard | 1 | 87 | 1 | 87 | ||||
| 27 | Jarrod Dalton | Sebile | Standard | 1 | 84 | 1 | 84 | ||||
| 28 | Katsutoshi Furusawa | Sunline | Standard | 1 | 82 | 1 | 82 | ||||
| 29 | Steve Eldred | Atomic | Standard | 0 | 0 | ||||||
| 29 | Dale Mullins | Atomic | Standard | 0 | 0 | ||||||
| 29 | Peter Derksen | Aussie Boat Loans | Standard | 0 | 0 | ||||||
| 29 | John Cinciano | Aussie Boat Loans | Standard | 0 | 0 | ||||||
| 29 | Misty Burgess | Berkley | Standard | 0 | 0 | ||||||
| 29 | Matt Fraser | Berkley Nitro R&D | Standard | 0 | 0 | ||||||
| 29 | Mark Lennox | Berkley Nitro R&D | Standard | 0 | 0 | ||||||
| 29 | Greg Mitchell | CJR Industries | Standard | 0 | 0 | ||||||
| 29 | Ben Vonpein | CJR Industries | Standard | 0 | 0 | ||||||
| 29 | Mark Larsen | Dairy Farmers | Standard | 0 | 0 | ||||||
| 29 | Jason Jones | Dairy Farmers | Standard | 0 | 0 | ||||||
| 29 | Mike Connolly | ETEC Evinrude HO | Standard | 0 | 0 | ||||||
| 29 | Leon Parmenter | ETEC Evinrude HO | Standard | 0 | 0 | ||||||
| 29 | John Schwerin | Fish Catching Machines | Standard | 0 | 0 | ||||||
| 29 | Michael Starkey | Gamakatsu | Standard | 0 | 0 | ||||||
| 29 | Simon Black | I’m On Lures | Standard | 0 | 0 | ||||||
| 29 | Andrew Black | I’m On Lures | Standard | 0 | 0 | ||||||
| 29 | Cy Taylor | Millerods/Shimano/Evinrude | Pro | 0 | 0 | ||||||
| 29 | Matt Anderson | Quantum | Pro | 0 | 0 | ||||||
| 29 | Kris George | Quantum | Pro | 0 | 0 | ||||||
| 29 | Daniel Roth | Rapala Street Team | Standard | 0 | 0 | ||||||
| 29 | Mick Jones | Reel Smooth | Standard | 0 | 0 | ||||||
| 29 | Trevor Cassidy | Rum Pigs | Standard | 0 | 0 | ||||||
| 29 | Cameron Golightly | Rum Pigs | Standard | 0 | 0 | ||||||
| 29 | Patrick Morgan | Sebile | Standard | 0 | 0 | ||||||
| 29 | Karl Rembacher | Shitty Tinny | Standard | 0 | 0 | ||||||
| 29 | Jason Sizeland | Shitty Tinny | Standard | 0 | 0 | ||||||
| 29 | Elaine Sanderson | Tackle Warehouse Ladies | Standard | 0 | 0 | ||||||
| 29 | Katie Sanderson | Tackle Warehouse Ladies | Standard | 0 | 0 | ||||||
| 29 | Gavin Dunne | Team Ecogear | Standard | 0 | 0 | ||||||
| 29 | Dean Thompson | Team Ecogear | Standard | 0 | 0 | ||||||
| 29 | Ben Durkin | Team Gin Gin Hotel | Standard | 0 | 0 | ||||||
| 29 | Neville Parmenter | Team Maverick | Standard | 0 | 0 | ||||||
| 29 | Rodney Milkins | Team Maverick | Standard | 0 | 0 | ||||||
| 29 | Glen Smith | Team Nerangatang | Standard | 0 | 0 | ||||||
| 29 | Brad Cooper | Team Polycraft | Standard | 0 | 0 | ||||||
| 29 | Matt Martin | Team Predator | Standard | 0 | 0 | ||||||
| 29 | Matt Hazell | Team Predator | Standard | 0 | 0 | ||||||
| 29 | Steven Wright | Team Reef Suzuki Marine | Standard | 0 | 0 | ||||||
| 29 | Wayne Cox | Team Reef Suzuki Marine | Standard | 0 | 0 | ||||||
| 29 | Phil Lyons | The Likely Lads | Standard | 0 | 0 | ||||||
| 29 | Geoff Newby | The Likely Lads | Standard | 0 | 0 | ||||||
| 29 | Dustin Sippell | Young Guns | Standard | 0 | 0 | ||||||
| 29 | Boyd Read | Young Guns | Standard | 0 | 0 | ||||||
| 26 | 2619 | 29 | 2804 | 55 | 5423 | ||||||
| 98.6 |