Daiwa ABT/Hobie Kayak Tournament - H&C Bay, 21st Nov 2010

Finally the season was here for us Sydneysiders and shock, horror, the weather gods had forgotten about us and it dawned a simply beautiful morning with just a faint breath of wind. Forty yakkers lined up for the 7am kick-off and on go we spread out to our favoured haunts.

I turn right from the beach and proceeded to the jetty in Hen and Chicked Bay but the SP's I flicked into the shadows didn't even get a bump. No problem, I'll slowly make my way over to the mangroves (ah crap, I can already see half a dozen yaks over there) and pick up a few on blades on approach. Or so I thought but it was another zero.

Over on the other side, the others were all working the shallow water and I followed suit with a couple of shallow divers. I kept my eyes peeled and after ten minutes of MORE fruitless casting, I'd realised that none of the others were having any luck either. Time for a change of tactics, me thinks.

On with a Squidgy Lobby (Dusk) and I start heading out into deeper water, slowly increasing the depth, hoping I'll eventually find the depth that the fish will be in. At 1.5m depth, I hook-up. Ooh, it's a bream. I think he'll go legal, too. This year, the tournament legal length has been changed from last years 25cm fork length to 26cm total length (or one cm more than the fisheries legal length, so it'll change from state to state). This guy goes on the ruler and NOOOOOOOOOOO! He's 25.8 cms, so he back into the drink. Just once I'd like to get a good start in one of these ABT/Hobie events and today looked like it may be a typical crappy start for me.

I re-rigged and thought I'd stay in the 1.5m zone. A few minutes later the line jumps and I set the hook again. This feels better and yes, it's 27 cms so I'm on the board! Woo hoo! With the donut monkey off my back, I change to a Gulp Camo sandworm and blow me down, I hook another one. Another good tussle and this one stretches out to 29 cms total length. Two in the yak and I'm aware that I haven't seen anyone in the shallows land one yet. I'm hoping they haven't seen me and I quietly slip this fish in the well with his mate.

Back to the Lobby and it's not long before the rod bends and I'm thinking 'Please, please please be a bream.' I'm peering into the water and there's a silver flash. Ooh, it's not a flatty! Good, good. Then another flash and it's not thin. So it's not a whiting either. Gooder, gooder. Only one more thing it may be... then up she comes and yes, it's not a trevally! Into the net and I grab the camera and take a photo. Not of the fish, but of my watch. It's only 8:17am and I already have my bag. Un-bloody-believable! This one is 28 cms, so no monsters but three in the well by this time is great.

Nonchalantly whistling to myself while furtively looking around, I sneak this one into the well, too. Back to casting and looking for upgrades because those two smallest fish, although legal, are pretty thin. Try as I might though, the bite has finished and I move off to new pastures. I pass Paff on the way and he has two good fish in the well (a 29 and a 33 from what I recall) and while saying "Well done, fellow Hobie Team Member" with a big grin on my face I'm really cursing him until the cows come home. ; )

Into Exile Bay and I bump into Squidder (Squidgy GF winner). He only has a 26'er in the well. That's a big surprise for me and I leave him to his side of the bay and move to the other. I switch to blades and land a small flathead. There's little activity and I decide to give the shallows one more try even though the sun is high in the sky now and I figure the edges wouldv'e already been worked over by others before me.

I approach a section where there is a big Rubber Tree casting a shadow over the water and I shoot a Gulp 2"Shrimp (banana) towards it's edge. The line immediatly goes tight and the drag buzzes under the pull of a good fish. This thing wasn't stopping so just short of the shoreline I have to clamp down on the spool. I turn the fish and ease him out into the open but he's not finished yet. He runs again, but this time into the open so I let him have his head and follow him.

I back off the drag now as I don't want to risk loosing him in these final stages and I can see he's a good size. He keeps darting away from the net but the drag is faultless and eventually he's in the net and all mine. YES! That's what I needed. He's 35 to the tip and one more like this will see me up there amongst the leaders. I get him in the well and set the 27cm fish free. I just need one more to upgrade the 28cm one and I'll be happy. Well, I was happy now, but you know what I mean.

The wind was starting to pick up now and I move into France Bay and catch up with Scotty Lovig (the 2009 champ). He has two in the well and he hooks up but it's a massive whiting (phew, I say). Then my blade gets munched and the drag sings again but it's the twin brother of Scotty's whiting. Bugga! He had me going for a minute there.

I leave and land a few more whiting and flatties but that was it for me on the breaming stakes so I head back for the weigh in. I pass Steve Fields and Greg Lewis (AOY for the last two years) and they both only have one. Hmmm, could it be that everyone has done it tough? I still haven't seen Stewart or Andrew yet and those bloody Mexicans (Scott, Matty, etc) are too good to write off. Then there is the central coast gang (Dave, Ronnie, Jason, etc) so although I feel I'm in with a chance, there's too many good breamers that I haven't seen to start counting my chickens yet. Plus there's the Woods brothers and Gary Cook and WayneR so I'll just keep my fingers crossed for now.

At the beach there's plenty of tales of woe but also a few success stories that have me wondering about whether I'll make that podium and snare one of the GF qualification spots. Paff bagged out, as did Scotty and also Andrew. Stewart turned up right at cut-off time and shock, he only had one. I was guesstimating my bag to be about 1.4 to 1.5 kgs. Daniel Holder shot to the lead with a 1.445 kg bag which was quickly followed by Paff with a 1.435 kg bag. Only 10 grams in it and one of Paffs fish had a huge chunk (healled) missing out of it from a bite or net that if intact, would have put him in the lead. My turn next and I'm fearing that skinny fish will cost me. onto the scales and....1.390 kg! Ah, 45 grams short but at least I'm in third.

And then it comes down to Andrews turn. As he lifts his fish out of the live well, I know that my goose is cooked. He smashes us with a 1.815 kg bag and pushes me out of the qualifiers into fourth. Ooh, so close but there's more chances yet so I'll just have to get some bigger ones next time. Andrew also won the Squidgy round that was held on Sydney Harbour so we'll all be watching him the next time there is a comp on here. Here's a photo of the 'Rooster of Hen and Chicken Bay' surrounded by photographers. So well done to Andrew, Daniel and Paff for making it to the GF that will be held in Port Macquarie in October next year.

So another successful tournament has been run and won and here is a photo (Courtesy of

ABT/Hobie) of the entire group that competed. So the next round is on the Tweed River this weekend. Full details can be found here: http://www.bream.com.au/abt/2010/Tweed10.pdf

and as per all of these events, you can rock up on the day and enter so if you suddnely wake up and decide to give it a go, do it. Good luck to all the competitors and I know the usual contingent of travelling fishos will be there and good on them for supporting this great series. Work keeps me stuck in Sydney but I'll be checking the web regularly and making the obligatory phone calls at about 3pm to see what the shaledown is. Happy yakkin, everyone!

cheers,
Cid

Bloody Bream! Squidgy Grand Final - Oct 2010

Two days of breaming and all I caught were three of the buggas. This can be a heartbreaking sport sometimes. Day one was at St Georges Basin and the weather was fantastic. I had a great days fishing but a crap days tournament fishing.

In total I landed 3 Luderick, all caught on blades, 2 legal squire and eight flathead from 42 to 53 cms. Plus I lost a ripper of approximately 80cms right at the side of the yak. But I didn't land one single bream all day. I don't think I even hooked one!

Day two was held on The Shoalhaven river. Talk about chalk and cheese weather. The southerly was blowing at 20-25 knots and right on start time, it started to rain. What a miserable day. There were even boats coming back in by 9:30 am. But most of us crazy yakkers stuck it out in the cold rain and wind.

The breaming today was HEAPS better than yesterday as I hooked three of them. Two I landed but both were just undersize (one was 24.8 cm. They have to be 25 cm) and I dropped the only decent sized one that looked about 30 cms or so. So back on the beach I handed back my keytag and recorded a double donut. Shizer. Here's a collage of my fish from the weekend anyway.

The top three were deserved winners and the podium list was Squidder, Rebel1 & Blueyak. I hope next years grand final (if I make it) will be better for me.

The highlight of the weekend though was seeing the biggest bream ever caught in one of these catch and release style comps. It was landed by Adrian Van and pulled the scales down to 2.510 kgs. Man, this thing was MASSIVE! Apparently it was hooked on a blade in only 6 feet of water and it buried him in the weeds before he could manage to land it.

Photos never do them justice though but this guy was 46 cms fork length and at least 4 inches thick across the shoulders. If a kayaker had landed it, it wouldn't have fitted in any of our live wells. And it was fantastic to see it swim off at the end of the day, too.

But to more recent news, the ABT/Hobie series returns to Sydney this weekend and returns to where it all started three years ago, and that's good ol' Hen & Chicken Bay. Fingers crossed and touch wood, but the weather is looking pretty good so far and from recent reports, the bay has been fishing fairly well.

Come on yakkers, let's turn up in force and get a good crowd there. You can enter on the day so just be there by 6am and sign up. Here's a link to a PDF with all the info you need: http://bream.com.au/abt/2010/Sydney10.pdf There's always good prizes for the winners and a chance to qualify for the Grand Final at Port Macquarie next year. In fact there's three spots up for grabs. Well, only two of them really, because I plan to take one... : ) Happy yakkin', everybody!

cheers,
Cid

Georges River - 2/10/10

Well, the soccer season is over and we ended up the Minor Premiers and also the Premiers! Go the mighty Hedgehogs!

But with the end of one season, another begins and this weekend sees the start of the Daiwa Hobie ABT Bream Series at two locations: Mandurah and Ballina. Once again it's going to be a fantastic year with new venues and an extended competition, with the Grand Final planned for Port Macquarie on 29th-30th October 2011. The first one I'll get to is the Sydney round (where it all started nearly two years ago) on the 21st November, so put that date in your calendar and join in on a fantastic day with some great prizes and a chance to qualify for the big one next year.
For the full calendar, visit the Hobie Fishing website and start planning: http://www.hobiefishing.com.au/bb/viewtopic.php?f=23&t=317

In preparation, I hit the Georges River on a few days for some practice and now that the water is warming up, the bream are becoming more active. I ventured over to the racks at Towra Point and extracted a few (and lost a few, too) on a beautiful morning that was simply magic to be on the water. Hardbodies were the go today, and the SP's never even got a touch.

The best I boated went 27cm fork but they certainly are feisty critters. I normally get a few big flathead around here this time of year too, but try as I may, I couldn't even land a tiddler from any of my spots. They'll turn up eventually though...

A few days later, I went to Oyster Bay and targeted the weedbeds and channels. First cast and I come up tight and it's a small whiting. Any fish on a first cast is good though, and I spent the morning drifting about picking up plenty of undersize fish but there was nothing of note over the flats. The tide was still dropping, so I moved to a channel and switched to blades. This saw me land two keepers within 15 minutes as well as another three that were just undersize.

On my way back to the ramp, I rigged up with a mango ripple minnow and pulled a 28 fork bream out from under a pontoon. Another gutsy effort from a medium fish and twice I thought he had me back to the posts and his freedom. next time I'll remember to tighten the drag.

So in two weeks, a flotilla of 25 of us will be competing in the Squidgy Southern Series Grand

Final that is held on the St Georges Basin and the Shoalhaven River. The competition will be high and another fun weekend is guaranteed, regardless of how many fish we get. To read more about this comp, visit the Basin Lure and Fly website: http://www.basinlureandfly.org.au/forum/viewforum.php?f=8

The team have done a fantastic job with the series (boaters and kayakers) and they concentrate on the southern half of NSW, so you southerners have a wealth of opportunities for your competition fix and the next series dates are up already.

It's been a while, but it looks like Tezza and I will hit the Cooks River tomorrow to get a couple of kilo size bream (fingers crossed). Here's hoping for a cracker day. Good luck to all the competitors over this weekend and may your bags be full. Happy yakkin', everyone!

cheers,
Cid

Snapper and Bream

Only two weeks to go and the soccer season will be over. No more saturdays or sundays where time is at a premium and finally, I'll be able to get back to some serious fishing. Hallelujah!

A couple of weeks ago, Stewart and I set out for some snapper. the sea was supposed to be 0.7m but it was more like 2.7m! Still, we perservered but Stewie was the only winner for the day with a 45cm Reddie. While I, with my vast knowledge and incredible skill, I managed to land two stinky Pike. Great, huh?

Eventually we came back in and while I headed home, Stewart slunk off to his secret possie and managed five of 'em in about an hour, the biggest going 53cm. Next time, buddy, next time...

Last weekend I tried Captain Cooks Bridge for a jewfish or two and managed another donut. I wasn't going home empty handed though, so I turned my way towards shore and a set of jetties and pontoons that I was sure would hold a bream or two. It was the top of the tide and a hoped a soft plastic lobbed into the shadows would change my fortunes for the better.

The first few jetties I didn't even get a touch and I was wondering if the bream weren't there or if they weren't interested in my 3" Bass Minnow. I decided to change to a Gulp 6" Sandworm in camo cut in half. And first cast I drop what felt like a good fish.

Onto the next jetty and this time the hooks stick and out comes a plump 28 fork Bream. Yee hah! I'm on the board. Finally I can give the Hobie Livewell another run. The water temp is still quite low - only 14 degrees - so the fish are a bit sluggish still.

Off the next jetty I drop a small flattie and then it goes quiet for the next 3 or 4. I make it to the last one and there is a set of steps that lead down to the water. "There has to be one under there," I think as I skip the sandworm into the gloom.

As the lure sinks I notice the line 'tic' ever so slightly. This is normally a sign that something has picked it up so I slowly lift my rod and feel some weight on the line.When I feel it move off, I strike and I'm into number two! This fish puts on a better show and I just manage to get him out from under the steps and out into the open. A beautiful silver bream it is, too and it's the exact same length as the first one. Maybe twins, who knows? They are both in excellent condition and have obviously fattened up over winter. Two like this in a comp would be a good start and all you'd need is a kicker fish to be in with a show. But as much as I try, I can't get that one big fish on the moored boats I suss out on my way back.

Towards the end of next month is when the big flatties start to show up, so hopefully by the middle of October I'll have cracked my PB of 86cms and fingers crossed, the 1 meter mark. Come on the warmer weather! Happy yakkin', everyone!

cheers,
Cid

WSBB Bream Scramble - 27/6/10

Another year, another Scramble. This time Gary and I weren't fishing it together as he's sold his boat and still hasn't received his new one yet. So I teamed up with Dave (Just Crusin) in Jason Meech's tinnie. Thanks for the loaner, Jason!


It was a freezin' start to the morning but at least the predicted wind was absent. We started off in Exile Bay and I picked up our first (bang on 25cm fork) after about 30 minutes. We snaffled a few that were just undersize so we moved upstream to Brays Bay near Ryde bridge and started working a likely looking shoreline. Dave was fishing the shallows, I was casting out into the deeper water.


Dave gets a whack and lands number two (27 fork). Then I get another that's 26. Beauty, that's three and we still have three hours to go. All the fish have been caught on blades so far, even though we are changing between various HB's and SP's.


Then Dave calls out 'Yeah, this feels good!' and I turn to see his rod loaded up and the line zipping through the water. But bugger! It's a nice whiting of 37cm instead. Then he gets a flathead and another whiting.


I'm perservering with the deeper water and finally I hook up. This fish puts in some strong runs but every now and then I feel this 'thump, thump' reverberating up the line, so I'm starting to think that it's a trevally. And it is, too! Double bugga. 50cm worth of treva is a good fish but not what we want.


We'd reached the end of the shoreline and figured it'd be worth another run, so back to the start we go and turn the boat as it drops down into 5 meters. I purchased a new outfit last week (a Shimano Stradic Ci4 matched with an Okuma spin travel rod) and I was keen to christen it on a good bream.


We're still using the blades and first drop into the deeper water I get a double-bump and strike. Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz goes the drag and there is some good weight here. There are a few head shakes but no tell-tale trevally signs so it's either a bream-from-hell or a jewie. The drag on the Ci4 is beautifully smooth, which is just as well as I'm using 2lb crystal braid with 4lb leader.


The fish takes me around the boat a few times, then turns and rewinds itself. We're still hoping for a bream, but I'm almost certain now that it's not. And sure enough, she surfaces and it's a nice jewfish. Dave does a stirling job of scooping her up in the net and at 70cm total length, she's well and truly christened the new outfit.


So that was it from this area so we scoot around a bit and only manage those evil, pesky 24cm bream that always come out in force during a tournament. We have an hour to go so head back to Hen and Chicken Bay for some drifts over a 'Spot X' that Dave has been told about. First drift and Dave gets a 26'er. That's four, just one more for a full bag. We really need a kicker fish though and as the last minutes tick away, we both drop a couple of legals but nothing that would've pushed our bag out to a tourny winning weight. So it's time up and we head in with our four fish.


We manage 18th place with 1.51 kgs so it wasn't a bad effort, we just couldn't get those thumpers that we needed. In fact we didn't even hook any that we'd call good fish. Still, it was a great day, even if Dave and I felt a bit funny fishing out of a boat rather than a yak.


On the Botany Bay front, Terry has been hitting it all this week (jammy git has been on holidays, hasn't he!) and has been getting heaps of tailor on the troll. Most of them have been up near the 50cm mark too, so they're a good size. Every now and then he'll pick up a trevally as well, so he's been having a ball in his new Hobie PA. Happy yakkin', everyone!


cheers,
Cid

First Jewfish of Winter - Georges River

It was about this time last year that we started getting a few jewfish in the Georges and now that the ABT/Hobie series is finished for a few months (there is still the Squidgy Southern Series though), I thought I'd try to tangle with a few of my other favourite fish. It had to be a mid-week assault though as my weekends are pretty much tied up with family sport, so I ventured out for an early morning half-hour to catch dinner.

With a 10 knot SW blowing, it was a bit cooler than Forster a few weeks back but the water wasn't as discoloured as I thought it would be. No boats out here and I hoped I'd hook up quickly and be back for a warm shower before work.

Thankfully I came up trumps and at 51 cms, it's an ok start to the season. This guy was caught on a Strike Pro Blade lure and gave a very decent account of himself, seeing as I hooked him on 4lb braid and 8 lb leader.

Feeling that tell-tale head-shake reverberate up the line is just magic and I'm hoping it'll be another few months of peering over the side waiting to see these silver-purple fish rise out of the depths to a waiting net (or gaff )! My biggest to date is 82 cms (and that's the one in the DVD) and I'd love to crack the meter mark this winter.

Maybe I'll have another crack this week as this one went down a treat. I prepared a home made curry paste of onion, garlic, eschallots, ginger, chilli, fresh tumeric, coriander, cumin, clove, salt, pepper and lime zest, coated the fillets and baked them wrapped in foil. Superb!

Yep, I've gotta get some more...

cheers,

Cid

ABT/Hobie Kayak Grand Final at Forster- 15th-16th May 2010

Day 1

Here we were! Forty nine finalists and at 7am we are off in the Hobie supplied PA's. First off I feel like I'm sitting in a lounge chair, the seats are that good. Last year I went up the Breckenridge Channel but this year I'd decided to do something different and fish the Tuncurry side of the system. Yesterday in the pre-fish I'd managed a few ok fish (the biggest at 29 cm's) and had a couple of spots in my plan and figured it may be quieter (on the competitors front) over that side.

Slowly the field dispersed and I soon found myself at spot number one. On with a Gulp 2" shrimp to work the edge of a channel that branched off the main river. Yesterday I pulled a 26 cm fork from here but today all I could manage was a 23 cm forker. Not good enough. I moved off and started to fish some racks out of the wind. Nothing here either, so I'm off to some weedbeds where yesterday I landed the 29 cm guy.

Zippo here too, except for a mass of Long Toms (they were all over the place). One of the bigger ones I got (see the photo) was after me big time once I landed him. These are the only fish (not including sharks) I've landed that WILL TRY TO BITE YOU. Vicious prehistoric things they are, but amazing looking. And their acrobatics over the water is quite fun, especially on light gear, but not when you're in a tournament chasing bream. If fishing a surface lure, you'll normally know when a Long Tom is after it as you'll see their long beak-like mouths coming out of the water trying to eat it.

Eventually I get a legal bream but he's bang on 25 cms. It's 10 am and I'm struggling a bit, so I move off and find a set of racks I hadn't fished before. Here I find Dave (Just Crusin) who's feeling a bit crook and says he may head back if he doesn't improve. He has two in the well, so he gonna keep plugging away. He moves off and I start fishing the edges of the racks with an 80mm Squidgy Wriggler in bloodworm. First cast and whump, I'm on. I skull-drag him in and this one is 26 cms. That's two!

I continue on and five minutes later I get another that is 25 cms and 2mms! Whew! That's my bag but I really want to upgrade that smallest one. Sometimes they can shrink in the live wells (they must tense up or something) and I'll be nervous until he's outta there. There are another set of racks nearby and thank the lord, I pull one more out, and he's 26 cms too, so I can put the smallest one back in the drink. Time to head back and although I have a bag, it's nowhere near big enough to be near the top and with 1.210 kgs I'm sitting in 23rd place.

Day 2

The wind has dropped a bit this morning but is expected to pick up again soon, so we're in for another breezy day. I venture up to the Tuncurry side again and land three bream quickly, but the biggest is only 24 cms fork. Shizer! No more bites from this area, so I move up to the racks where I got my bream yesterday. Today there is nothing about and by the time it's 10 am, I'm starting to twitch nervously.

Another move to some racks that looked good yesterday and where Dave had done pretty well. He was fishing not far off so I left him to his set of racks and started a drift over my own. I'd swapped to a HB and was using an Atomic Crank (green) shallow diver. The idea was to put in long casts over the top of the racks that had 30-40cms water over them and slowly roll it back, hoping to entice the bream that should be feeding on the oysters.

The PA was perfect for this as I could easily stand and scope the area. First cast and I twitch the lure a few times to hopefully draw a lurking breams attention and then I slowly crank it back to me. From out of nowhere, a shape races in and grabs the lure. I'm just as quick to react though, and I'm on the board with a 28 cm fish. Yahoo!

That's the donut monkey off my back and what a relief! Back to the same technique and half a dozen casts later I have a massive swirl behind the lure that had me cursing it had missed. I fire the lure back to the same spot and quickly a bow wave appears behind it. The lure is tapped but there's no hook up. "Come on," I pray. I twitch the lure once, twice and the water erupts and the rod loads up.

Ooh, this is what I need. I wind quickly trying to keep the breams head up and he slices sideways towards the next rack. I angle my rod to get him out and dip the tip in the water to keep the line clear of the rails. Out he comes and he zips back to his original rack. I swing the rod back to the other side and finally get his head up. The wind has pushed the yak right over another set of racks and I quickly grab the net and scoop him up before he can dive again. Oh, what a buzz! He's 36 to the fork and that's a nice kicker fish. Trembling, I get the hooks out and put him in the well. One more like that will see me in with a chance of making the top 5, I reckon.

A few casts later and I get another hit but it fails to stay on. I've reached the end of the racks so I move back to the start and begin the drift again. The wind has picked up a bit and I'm drifting across the racks rather than along them, so basically I'm getting one, maybe two casts on each rack. The little Atomic is swimming enticingly just below the surface when it's smashed again and it's another cracker.

This fish dives immediately and I feel the braid rub against the racks. Into the water goes the rod again and I'm waiting for the line to break but amazingly I get the fish out. I wind furiously to keep it coming towards me and as it comes in I can see it's a similar size to my 36'er. The wind has swung me about and I'm fighting facing backwards and just as I almost clear the fish from the racks, it dives and ping, he's gone! Nooooooooooooooooooooo.......

Oh, so close. That hurt. He would've pushed my bag way over 2 kgs which is what I need to have any chance of getting near the top. And even worse, that was my last Atomic! There's no time to cry about it though, so I tie on a Lucky Craft NW Pencil and go for a 'Walk-the-Dog' presentation. I'm still getting a few follows and it's not too long before I get another 28 fork to join his mates.

The bite continues and I land a couple of 26'ers before it shuts down. Time to change to the SP's and the wriggler comes out again. Twice I get busted up by some bruisers and before I know it, I have to head back. Man, that was an amazing session in the racks. This close quarters combat really gets the adrenaline flowing and I was chuffed to get all my fish from here today.

Dave also managed some good fish and a few times I heard him and Steve Fields from Hobie
swearing and cursing lost fish. Thems the racks , for ya!

Back at the weigh-in I was hoping for a top 10 finish. If I'd landed that other biggun, I'd be hoping for a top 5, but I'd need for the guys above me to miss out on their bag limit, which is pretty rare for these top anglers.

My bag weighed in at 1.83 kgs, which was the fourth heaviest bag for the day and at one stage I was in 2nd! LOL. The top 5 were weighing in last and I knew that they all managed three fish each, so I didn't hold out any hope for being up with them.

It was quite a spectacle with all the anglers in their tournament shirts and a big crowd watching the bags being presented to Simon from ABT. My bet had been placed on Stewie taking it out, but he couldn't get any kickers and he eventually came in at a very respectable 5th place (3.58 kg), with Dave (3.57 kg) just being edged out into 6th by 10 grams.

Top honours went to a very deserving Daniel Brown with a 4.62 kg bag. Runner up went to Andrew Krushka with 4.22 kg, 3rd was taken by Jordan Trusty with 3.78 kg and 4th was the ever consistent, nearly always in the top 10, Greg Lewis (AOY as well) with 3.61 kg.

As these guys weighed in and kept bumping me down, I was still hoping for 10th place until Adrian Ryan knocked me off by 110 grams. So I have to settle for 11th with 3.04 kg but I'm pleased with having jumped 12 places up the board.

Well done to Adrian though and all up it was an amazing weekend. The prizes on offer were fantastic, and everyone received something from lure packs to shirts, hats, line and PFD's plus the top 6 guys all took home a Daiwa Steez Reel and matched rod with a combined value of $1300! Oh, was I jealous! Don't forget the cash payouts of course and Dan also took home the Hobie Pro Angler he fished out of.

Absolutely brilliant so a big thank you has to go out to all the sponsors. Hobie, as without them, this series wouldn't have even eventuated. And how great was it to rock up to Forster, from all corners of Australia and to have a top of the range PA ready to go for you.

Then ABT who run the show so professionaly, followed by the major supporters of the comp: Daiwa Fishing Australia , Pure Fishing – Berkley, JML – Ecogear, Frogleys Offshore – Atomic Lures & Hogs Breath Cafe.

So let's sign off the tournament year for ABT/Hobie with a shot of the top 10 anglers. Any of them could have taken it out and I'm sure they'll all feature prominently in next years series as well. Thanks to all the guys who shared tips with me throughout the year and a big thanks go out to all the dealers that make us all welcome when we visit their neck of the woods.

Next year will be bigger and better still and I can't wait. It won't be long until the calendar is released and I'll be locking down some of the events immediately. especially in Victoria where some massive bags were brought in. Happy yakkin', everyone!

cheers,
Cid

ps If you buy the latest copy of Sport Fishing Australia incorporating Yak Fisher, you'll be able to read an article of mine with tips on gear and techniques for these Kayak Bream Tournaments. Read it and jump in to next years events. They're a hoot!

Pre-Forster ABT/Hobie Grand Final update

Last friday morning (7th May) at about 9am, I received a phone call from Simon at ABT. He told me they'd had a few interstate finalists drop out and that I was next on the list for the Grand Final next week. That's if I was interested in attending, of course? Holy Crap! You betcha I was. I was chuffed. Talk about scraping in by the skin of your teeth.

I'd competed in four of the events this year and didn't manage a podium finish in any of them, which cheesed me off big time, as I managed to do alright in the Squidgy Comps when I entered. Go figure! But luckily for me, I'm in with a chance. There is a field of 51 anglers, with the top kayak breamers from around the country jet setting into sunny (and windy apparently) Forster, the same arena as last years Grand Final.

This year we will all be competing out of Hobies angling flagship, the Pro Angler, which is now the choice of nearly all the top anglers for the tournaments. Steve, John, Greg and the crew have been frantically setting these amazing fishing platforms up for the last week and they are ready for allocation tomorrow morning for anglers wanting to pre-fish before the comp kicks off at 7am on Saturday morning.

I haven't been in one of these yet, but from all reports I'm in for a great weekend. The stability of these craft are second to none and standing while casting is a breeze. This has distinct advantages over sitting (longer casts, casting to sighted fish, better rod control, better visibility of the surrounding area).

Add the extra storage capabilities (you can even store six fully rigged rods within the hull), great maneuverability and quick speed and the scene is set for a cracker of a Grand Final. Plus by Hobie providing these for all anglers, interstate travellers don't have to worry about getting their own kayaks here and the field is completely level, with no craft having any advantage over another. For more photos (and thanks to Hobie for allowing me to use their photos in this post) on the setting up, follow this link to Hobie Fishing: http://www.hobiefishing.com.au/

So who are the top contenders? Stewart Dunn (Blueyak) is my favourite as he absolutely blitzed the field back in March for the State Titles that were held on this same system. But then you have consistent performers that can catch bream anywhere it seems: Greg Lewis, Jason Meecham, Jason Price, Dave Hedge, John Chen, Peter Woods and of course, the King himself, Scott Lovig that took it out last year.

Plus there's Matty Petrie, Neil Carstairs, Gary Cook, Adrian Ryan, Andrew Death, Rowan Stanek, Craig Coughlan and that local with the knowledge on all the hot spots, Roberta Pearce. All I know is it's gonna be a tough tournament to take out and the wind is really going to throw a spanner into the works.

Now it's time to load the car up and head up to Forster. Good luck to all competing this weekend, have a great time and may a few big blue noses make it into your live wells. Happy yakkin', everyone!

cheers,
Cid

Towra Point - 10/4/10

So who's been fishing lately? NOT ME!!! Not even last weekend when it was my birthday! The last time out was two weeks ago when I had an early morning session with Andrew hoping for a few nice bream from the shallows, weedbeds and mangroves. The tide was good, the weather was good and all we needed was for the fish to be there.

But they weren't! I started off by picking up a few small flathead while Andrew landed a legal whiting but set it free to grow a little more. The tide was running out so we figured the fishing would be good but for some reason they just weren't on the chew. Maybe we needed to wait for a bit more water movement before they came on.

I switched from the Sammy 65 to a shallow diving chubby. By now I'd moved out to slightly deeper water and was working the edge of the weedbed where it joined the sand flats. Slow rolls with pauses and a few twitches were the undoing of a nice trevally that raced around the flats with his turbo on. These speedsters are great fun and they taste pretty good, too.

But that was it for me. I landed two more small flathead (good to see so many littl'uns around) before having to head back in. Andrew rang me a few hours later and reported that 45 minutes after I'd left he managed a few bream, the biggest going 33cms fork. If only I'd hung around. Next time I guess. Happy yakkin', everyone!

cheers,
Cid

ABT/Hobie Forster Tournament - 13th-14th March 2010

So this report has taken a couple of weeks but better late than never, I suppose. Forster was the location for this years State Titles and reports from guys that had pre-fished were pretty promising. One of the guys landed a 1.47 kg horse on the friday, so fingers crossed for action like that over the weekend.

The weather was pretty gnarly and pouring rain saw us all huddled under the tent during the briefing. Luckily, by launch time it had finished and by 6:20am we were on our way.

I had contemplated moving over towards the Tuncurry side but chose to fish the waters that I knew from last year and headed straight to a set of flats which had been fairly productive. On the way, I stopped for a quick flick at a few moored boats while the other guys continued on.

'No way,' I think. First cast and I'm on. This feels like a good fish and I'm stoked...UNTIL it turns into a 50cm flathead! Bugga. Onto the next boat and I'm on again. This time it's silver AND a bream but on the measure it only goes 24.5 cm fork. Shizer! Next boat and hello Mr Pike! Crapola... Off to the flats for me.

I'm using one of Mick Munns surface lures and land a few smaller guys until I finally get a good take. This is better and he goes 28 cms fork but he's a skinny fish. Still, it's one on the board. I get a few more under size ones until my surface lure is monstered by a big (70 cm+) flattie who decides she wants to keep it as a souvenir. Swine...

Now I head into the racks where I got most of my fish last year and I'm quickly rewarded with about half a dozen undersize fish but no legals (how is that rewarded???). I now target some weedbeds but don't even get a touch but I do get absolutely soaked by some torrential rain which cooled me down a bit.

I move about trying to find some fish and eventually find an old rack with abgout a foot of water under it. I skip in a Gulp 2" shrimp and it's pounced on. 24 cm fork. Come on! Another cast and I'm on again. This ones number two for the well with a 26cm forker. One more to go and I'll have a full bag. Next cast I'm on again but it's the first guy again with 24 cms fork. Three fish in three casts is pretty good though.

I have an hour left to fish and decided on some risky tactics to get some fish. I'm moving up along the old posts and railings and putting in long casts with my shrimps, landing them on the exposed sand. The problem is, the fish only have to move two feet either way to find line shredding barnacles and oysters, so I'll have to be on my toes to get them up and out of the danger zone.

The first stretch I fish I get absolutely smoked by a big fish that didn't pull drag but pulled the kayak a good 10 feet before busting me up. A few casts later it happens again. The third fish I hook I crank up and get him 6 feet from the yak before he dives and shreds me on the rail. I lose two more before having to head for home with a two fish bag. Not good enough I'm afraid and I only manage 800 grams which leaves me in 14th place. The good news though is Stewie smacked 'em good and proper and is in the lead. Tomorrow is another day though and I'll hit some flats further upstream in hopes of finding some big fish.

I'll keep day 2 short and sweet because the upshot is I didn't land a legal bream all day. I did hook a nice one off the surface first thing in the morning but I pulled the hooks which saw me cursing a missed chance. And that was it for me. Nothing over the flats, nothing in the racks, nothing over the weedbeds.

Back at the weigh in, Stewie was already at the bump tubs and he had a massive bag and an absolute corker that went 39 cms fork and weighed in at 1.19 kgs. Stewie ended up the well deserved winner and the State Champion with a two day bag of 4.09 kgs, beating his closest rival by over a kilo. Sensational stuff and about bloody time he took one out, too. : )

So unfortunately, that's it for me for the ABT for the year. I couldn't get down to Marlo last weekend (where the fishing was simply superb from all reports) and Camden Haven is out as it's my sons 6th birthday that weekend. It's a bummer missing out on the GF which will be back in Forster in May but I'm hoping all who made it have a great time and get onto some massive bluenoses. Stewart has to be one of the favourites now and I'm sure he'll put in another sterling effort. Happy yakkin', everyone!

cheers,

Cid

Squidgy Southern series - Rnd 3 - Port Hacking - 7-3-10

17 kayaks and 62 boats lined up for this round and we were all away fairly quickly just after 7 am. The boats would obviously get to any spots before us yakkers and the kayak field split, half going upstream and half back out towards Gymea bay. I shoot into Mansion Bay but only landed a few small guys until getting to a small rockwall where I got my first for the day. Bang on 25cm fork and I was hoping he wouldn't be in the live well too long. Down towards south west arm and there are a few boats and a couple of kayaks. I move down into Gymea bay and there are a couple of more boats working the pontoons I had in mind.

'Bugger this', I thought, 'I'm off to Yowie Bay.' I made a beeline and passed another 3 boats and two more yaks. My god, there everywhere! Thankfully, when I rounded the corner into Yowie, there wasn't anyone else in sight. I was flicking about a squidgy 100mm wriggler (bloodworm) and the first pontoon I hook up and land a 26 fork. Great, that's two. Onto the next pontoon and what? I'm on again. Woohoo! Another 26 fork and that's my limit. Now for upgrades.

I check my watch and it's 8:45 am. My wriggler is a bit beat up, so I change to a Gulp 2" shrimp (banana). I get a few more tentative touches until I skip the lure up into the shadows under a jetty. Slowly I see the line move sideways so I lift and set the hook. This definitely feels better and some quick rod work gets him away from the pontoon and pylons and ouit into the open. As calmly as I can, I take my time and ease the net under him. YES!!! That's what I want.

A quick measure and he's about 34 fork and a good kicker fish. The 25 fork goes back into the water and I'm feeling pretty confident now. I just want to get those two 26 fork lengths out and I'll be chuffed. It's now 9:05 am.

The wind is starting to pick up and I stick in close to the shore. Another skipped cast and I'm on again. Unbelievable! This one is 26.5 cms so another upgrade. Funny this fishing game. I remember back to Redcliffe in Qld where I could even raise a bream scale over two days fishing and here I am upgrading within 2.5 hours of the start. It just goes to show that luck can play a big part and being in the right place at the right time makes all the difference.

Uh oh! There is a boat coming towards me working the pontoons and another one about 50 meters behind him. One more pontoon will do me. The line shoots off again and blow me down, I get another one that's 26.5 cms. Not huge but they're in excellent condition so the weight will be good. I figure I've got about 1.6 kgs in the well which may be enough if this wind keeps up.

I decide to make my way down towards the flats near the Ballast Heap and on the way the wind really kicks in. All I pick up down there is a few Pike and after a fruitless hour or so, I head back towards Yowie and Gymea Bay. I battle the chop and the Jet Skis and the Wakeboarders and decide that any decent bream will have scarpered off from all this racket. I slowly make my way back to the weigh in and get back right at 2 pm.

There is the usual banter amongst us all and I quickly find out that Stewie is the only other yakker with a full bag. Three good fish but no kicker, so I'm in with a chance. He weighs in first and goes 1.51 kgs. I'm next and my big fish (775 grams) stretches the weight out to 1.66 kgs. You beauty. I just made it again and ended up with the winners cheque of $330 which will pay for next weekends journey up to Forster for the ABT/Hobie State Championships.

I traced out the path I took on Google earth and worked out that I travelled 17.8 kms for the day. No wonder I was knackered! The yellow dots are where I picked up my six legal fish.

Once again it was another fantastically run comp and well done to the organisers for making it such a fun day for everyone. Stewie has qualified for the Grand Final now which is great and I'll have to pick his brains about St Georges Basin where it'll be held. I don't think he'll be to helpful though. Happy yakkin', everyone!

cheers,

Cid

Deadmans - Alive and Kicking

I haven't spent a lot of time in the Yak recently, a couple of bass trips and some land based, but nothing in the salt in the kayak.

I'd been doing a lot of work around the house lately and finally this weekend there was almost nothing left to do. I spent some time with my son and then after lunch today my lovely wife said "Why don't you go for a fish". I offered the young bloke a go, but he refused and I was off to fish my local creek on my own.

I've fished Deadmans before, but had only ever landed 1 or 2 legal fish, today was to be different, armed with some advice on lure choice by my good mate Carl, I headed down the creek, drifting with the wind and tide and casting to likely snags and under the bankside vegetation. It wasn't long before I was on and a lovely specimen around 38cm rose to the side but I managed to bump it off when trying to untangle the net and land the fish at the same time. "Fordy, what are you doing" I cried.

I started casting again and soon had 2 nice 26cm bream in the Yak, I was cheering, "Ciddy is supposed to be the bream champ not me" I thought as my line went tight again, this time it was a nice flathead at 44cm. It went on like this for the next hour and 45 mins until I was blown off the water.

So the final tally was: 11 fish, 9 bream and 2 flathead. 1 bream on fly, 1 flathead on fly, 1 flathead on 100mm squidgy wriggler in blood worm, 5 bream on 100mm squidgy wriggler in blood worm and 3 bream on Squidgy pro lobby 75mmm Dusk colour.

And I've realised that I need a can holder somewhere on my Yak, have you ever tried landing a flathead with a full coke can squeezed between your legs. Not much fun, especially when it spills.

Cheers,

Fordy

Breamin' - Squidgy Rnd 3 pre-fish

This coming sunday is the 3rd round of the Squidgy Southern Bream Series which will be held on Port Hacking, so I needed some practice. First off, Lachlan and I set off to the Georges River (yeah, I know, it's not the Hacking) and trolled a couple of HB's for one just legal fish and three undersize ones.

Before heading back in, we scooted over to some boats and flicked out a SP. Boy, was I glad we did! This fish grabbed it on the drop and bolted. Lots of drag singing before we could control him and when it came up, Lachlan says "It's a monster, Dad!" and he wasn't far off, either.

This bruiser went 43 cms total length and was easily over a kilo. The fish even makes Lachlan look small! Of course, this guy went back into the water after the photo and Lachlan now knows that the big ones deserve another run and he quickly sets them on their way.

Earlier this week, Gary and I did hit the Port Hacking in his tinnie and we had a brilliant day. The bream were out in force and I hope they are there for this weekend, too. We moved around a lot to get our fish though and they fell for a range of HB's and SP's, with neither one standing out from the crowd.

As a bonus, on one retrieve, Gary noticed some squid in pursuit. We quickly rigged up some squid jigs and proceeded to pull eight of these super tasty cephallopods into the boat. Oh man, I can't wait for the salt and pepper squid later on. The colours on these things are amazing. Check out the electric blue dashed lines on the guy in the photo above.

So all up, Gary and I landed a dozen comp legal (25cm fork) bream, with the biggest being 36cm fork. Our five bag weighed in at 3.6 kgs, which we'd be happy with in any competition. Plus we both dropped some big fish, and I'm confident if we hadn't chased the squid for an hour that we would've eclipsed the 4 kg mark.

I'm sure there'll be some cracker bags brought back this weekend and hopefully, one of them will be mine. I guess there'll be about fifty boats and maybe twenty kayaks or more, so if you can make it to the weigh-in at 2 pm at Swallow Rock Reserve, Greys Point, you'll see some excellent fish.

And lets hope a yakker gets the Big Bream award, too. : )

Happy yakkin', everyone!

cheers,
Cid

Towra Point - 13-2-10

Three of us (Andrew, Stewart and I) hit the point, a spot we would've liked to have fished in the Squidgy Round the other week. But it was just a bit too far to travel with the predicted wind. We know there are some cracker fish around here over the weedbeds, so we planned to see how we'd go. Stewart brought the coffee (thanks, Stewie) and we arrived about 7am for kick off.

The water was fairly clear, even after all the rain and I started fishing in 1.5m with a shallow Jackal Chubby (pink). Stewart headed for some racks and Andrew went in close to the mangroves. Conditions were ideal and we were hoping for a good session.

I started off fairly well, landing a 28cm fork within 10 minutes. Ooh, almost as good a start as the Squidgy round. Then I landed a pike and soon after a 24cm fork bream that went back (I was only keeping comp legals in the live well).

The bite wasn't hot so I changed to a 2" shrimp (banana) rigged on a 1/32nd jighead and hopped that over the weeds. This was pounced on by a 40cm flattie and a couple of undersize bream and another two pike!

Back to the chubby I go and it's almost time for me to head in (I only had 90 minutes to fish) when I get a good whack that stays connected. This is much better and the drag sings in short sharp bursts. Into the net she goes and she's a beauty. 34cm fork length and one that'd you'd definitely want in your bag during a competition.

I land one more that 24 fork again and turn to head back in. I faintly hear a whistle though and turn to see Andrew heading towards me. Show off, he has one that goes 35cms fork so I grab a quick snapshot for him. He slips it in my livewell so I can get a photo on the mat on shore. He'd been using surface lures without much success, so he changed to a squidgy bug that he worked sub-surface and this is what did the trick. This was a top fish to pull out of the mangroves on 4lb leader, so well done, Andrew!

Later in the day I rang Stewart to see how he'd gone. I ended up with a great 3 fish bag - 2 x 34

cm fork and 1 x 35 cm fork. That'd would've weighed about 2.6 -2.7 kgs. And all caught in only 4 hours. Another 3 hours could've seen a few bigger fish landed, so the 3kg bag for 3 fish may have been cracked. So all up it was a great morning. The fish were all really healthy and I'd love to spend a few more hours around this location. Just remember that if you do head in this direction that there is a sanctuary zone up in Quibray Bay where all fishing is banned. So check the maps before you head out.

Over the weekend there was the ABT/Hobie round in Walpole, WA. Unfortunately, there were only eight participants and four of these were from interstate. (Well done to those guys for making the effort, too). I'm still hearing and reading things concerning events from yakkers along the lines of next year they'll enter, or that they forgot it was on this weekend. The facts may be that unless the tournaments get the numbers, there may not be a 'next year' to enter. There is a lot of effort and money invested by the organisers of these events and they can't justify running it for only a handful of competitors.

I know Walpole is not exactly close to Perth, but they still managed to get 34 boaters for that section, so I thought there'd be at least 15 yakkers that would enter. So for the sake of our sport, if you're keen to help it grow, put it in your diary and bite the bullet. They are great days and the camaraderie is brilliant. You'll learn heaps and maybe even take out the event and earn some cash. Happy yakkin', everyone!

cheers,
Cid

Squidgy Southern Bream Series 2010 - Rnd 1 - Georges River

Earlier in the week, Stewart and I had quick yak in Woolooware Bay sussing out the options for the weekends comp. We'd both missed out down at St Georges last week so we were keen to produce the goods on our home turf. I managed a cracker of a fish that went 38 fork and was soooooooooo hoping he'd turn up again on sunday.

This year the series is being run by the Basin Lure and Fly Club (www.basinlureandfly.org.au/) and 20 yaks turned up along with 64 boats that made the beach a very crowded spot at 6:30 am. The boats set off just before 7am and 5 minutes after them, we were off as well.

I'd already planned my day and figured most yaks would head into Woolooware Bay and hit the racks and mangrove edges. I decided to gamble and headed straight for Taren Point, hoping to get my bag quickly from the pontoons and moored boats that can fish well first thing in the morning.

I started off with a Gulp 2" shrimp (pepper) and flicked it into the shadows. 7 minutes were gone when I bagged my first fish. 30cm fork length and that's a good start. At the next jetty I pull a 24cm fork and at the next one I get a flattie.

Now I move onto the boats and land another 24cm fork bream. Shizer! 'Maybe the deeper water will be better,' I think, so I move out to where it is 4 meters deep. I also go for a change of SP and rig up a medium Squidgy Lobby (grenade) on a 1/16th jighead.

I've reached the boat where I got a big girl two weeks ago and optimistically I cast close to the hull and let the lure sink. I let it settle and give the rod tip a few quick shakes and let it sit again. I slowly start to lift the rod and feel some weight and set the hook. The rod bends but there is no big run, just weight, so I wonder what I've hooked. As I peer over the side, from under the boat glides what I'm after.

This beast is just cruising and doesn't even know it's hooked and as I look, I can't see the lure anywhere. Suddenly it notices me and it's off like a shot! I dip the rod in the water and keep it away from the hull and try to gently guide it away. I back the drag off, thinking that it may be hooked deep and I want to keep minimal pressure on it. An anxious minute or so passes by before I can let out a 'You beauty!' when I slide the net under him.

This guy is not overly long but boy he's fat and that's the kicker fish I want. 36 fork length and close to 900 grams I figure which combined with my first fish should put me up near 1.5 kgs. And it's only 7:50 am! It's about bloody time I had a good start.

But he had taken the lure down deep so rather than risk injuring him, I followed the DPI Fisheries advice on deep hooked fish and cut the line and left the hook there. Their studies have shown that survival rates are above 85% and prove just how tough bream are. For further reading, visit their site: www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/fisheries/recreational/saltwater/catch-and-release/research and read the 'bream: the survivor' paper. I figured if he lasted an hour, he should last all day. I had my fingers and toes crossed anyway.

I land ANOTHER 24 fork bream off the next boat and then it goes quiet. As I move about, I keep an eye on the time so I can stick to my plan. Just after 8am I'm just starting to head to Woolooware Bay to hit the racks when the rain sets in. And then comes the wind. No, not again!

As I cruise under Captain Cook Bridge, I notice that the water over the shallows on the eastern side of Taren Point are quite choppy. On rough, overcast days like this, the bream often venture in close so I find the edge of the weed bed with my sounder and start casting a shallow diving Jackall Chubby.

First cast I get a whiting about 35cms long which has me thinking I've got another corker. Gees they go hard! The next cast I get a legal flathead. Third times a charm, so they say and bingo! I'm on! This feels breamy and halleluyah, it is. Another 30cm forker and that's my 3 bag. They're 3 pretty good fish and if I manage an upgrade or two I'll be over the moon.

I drift that weed edge twice and land 3 legal bream but they are all only 25 fork length, so there are no upgrades. The wind is picking up and I head to the racks I decide to fish an area with lots of oyster-encrusted boulders scattered over the seabed. I'm now using a an SX40 and i get another two bream, both 24.5cm fork length.

Suddenly I think, 'What's that splashing?' My eyes quickley widen. I spin around and lift up the lid on my live well and see the three fish on their side in two inches of water. "Yeeeeaaaarrrggghhhhhh" Weed has blocked up my intake and stopped water from getting in. I quickly start scooping some water in and start to head for shore. Ahead of me I notice a yakker. It's Just Crusin (Dave) and as I explain my dilema he comes to my rescue and passes me over his large water scoop. Thank, Dave, you're a legend! I gotta get me one of those.

Back on the beach I unblock the inlet and it's as good as gold. The fish are still kicking strongly thankfully and there is now not too long to go until weigh-in. I don't manage anymore fish and pull up at the weigh-in site at 1:55pm.

There is a long wait for a weigh bag and the fish get constant top ups of water to keep them healthy. Finally it's my turn and I know that the leading weight so far for us yakkers is just over 1.5 kgs by daniel Holder. I'm confident of beating that and hope to crack the 2kg barrier. I have a quick chat to the guys as my fish go on the scale and I punch the air when they announce "2.175 kgs".

Still, my big worry is Stewie. I hadn't seen him all day and he's so good he can catch a fish in a rain puddle. If he'd fished the racks, he might have extracted a couple of real horses. But luckily for me, although Stewie did get three fish, he didn't manage to land any of the bruisers he hooked, so with 1.77 kgs, he took out 2nd place which gave me my first kayak tournament win. $400 for first place, which will obvioulsy be re-invested into the fishing industry! These bream can cost you a fortune...

Happily, my big guy powered off when I released him, so hopefully he'll be in that 85% that survive. The organisers did a fantastic job of the day and with that many anglers I see a hugely successfull series in the offing. I was a bit disappointed that there were only 20 yaks there, especially seeing as it was a Sydney event, too, and for only $50 entry you'll learn heaps and have a great time mixing with other like-minded anglers. Here is a pic of Stewie with his two best fish but I didn't notice the water spot on the lens, so sorry for the slightly smudged photo, Stewart.

The pressure is well and truly off me now, as I've automatically qualified for the Grand Final in

October. Now I can just fish the other rounds and have some fun. but I'll still be aiming for a podium spot and some of the cash. The next round is at Batemens Bay followed by Port hacking on the 7th March. come on yakkers, lets make it a great turn out and try to get at least 30 along for the day. Then we can show these power boaters what real fishing is about! : ) Happy yakkin', everyone!

cheers,

Cid

ps

For some more breaming tips, buy the Kayak Fishing Sydney DVD. : p