ABT Hobie Tournament - Narrabeen - 27th & 28th Oct 2012

Okay, this was my last chance to qualify for the Grand Final down on the Bemm River in Victoria on the 17th and 18th November. The top 3 get the qualification but if anyone has already qualified, it'll go to the next competitor that hasn't qualified. This means you could potentially come 4th or 5th and still get a spot. But oh no! Numbers are down and we only have 27 kayakers. You need at least 30 to get the 3 spots available, so now there are only two invites up for grabs. Looks like I'd better get into the top 2 to make sure of it then. Aye Carumba.

About 4 weeks prior I'd had a quick session with Luke Kay to narrow down some potential spots. I'd only had joy in one area and only on an old style of soft plastic, so I'd punched the waypoint into my GPS and made sure I had a pack or two of the 2" Berkley Hawgs in Green Pumpkin ready to go. From the start I high-tailed it the 3.5kms to the waypoint and flicked out the Hawg rigged on a 1/20th TT jighead and 3lb fluoro leader.

Immediately I started getting some hits but it was 15 minutes before the first keeper went into the well. 27 cms, so I'll want to upgrade him later. There were a few other yakkers close by and I saw Jason Lambert throw one in the live well, too. Ooh, there's another bream for me and that's two. This guys a monster at 28 cms! LOL

I drift about but keep coming back to the same waypoint as this is where I'm getting most bites. Plus even though I'm switching between the Hawgs, Squidgy Wrigglers and Cranka vibes, it's the Hawgs doing all the damage. The sun starts to come out a bit too much for my liking and the bites shut right down.

Time to scout about and I pick up 3 more bream but they are all just under. I just cant manage to get my 3rd fish. Back at the weigh in and after the wash up, my bag goes 0.62 kgs and I'm sitting in 7th place. Jason Lambert is on top with 1.175kgs and Meechy is in 2nd with 0.98 kgs but I don't need to worry about them as they have both qualified. Patrick Macquarrie was in the 1st qualifying spot with 0.925 kgs with Rob Chambers next with 0.775 kgs. "Not much to peg back," I'm thinking and one kicker fish or a full bag will do it. Fingers crossed.

The next day it's back to the same waypoint (with a slight diversion to fish a weed bed on the way. Pffft, what a waste of time THAT was) and out with the same lure. The wind is up enough to ruffle the surface and thankfully it's a bit overcast today.

I'd been fishing for about 20 minutes when something happened which hasn't happened to me before. Within 5 casts I had my full bag. It had just gone 9am when I got number 3. Yahoo. This is the sort of start I dream of but just to make sure, I'd love to get a decent fish in the well. These 3 were 27, 27 and 28 cms. I want one in the 30's just to ease the nerves a little more.

Things went a bit quiet so I moved around trying to find some better fish. Try as I might, I couldn't get a bite off anything. Back to the waypoint and I'm onto another fish. This one is 28 cms too, so there is my 1st upgrade. Not much of an upgrade, but every little bit counts.

I give it another 30 minutes for zippo and decided to move over the the main weed bed in the middle of the lake. Lots of other yakkers are moving about, so it could be a good sign that not much is happening. I finally get another keeper bream on the hawg (this time rigged on a 1/40th HWS jighead) and at 29 cms tip he's my best. So now I have two at 28 and a 29, not very impressive and they are skinny fish but it's a full bag all the same. It's time to head back but have I done enough?

I bump into Eric wood on the way and he's only managed one but he says it's a pretty good one. Meechy has a full bag so it should be his but Jason Lambert has donuted. I weigh my 3 and they go 0.895 kgs. I nervously wait as bags come up and get weighed in. I'm sitting in 2nd spot when Eric brings his beasty up. It is easily the biggest bream for the weekend at 0.77 kgs. but it's not enough and I hang onto 2nd place and get one of the much sought after qualification spots. Finally, and I had to leave it to the last hurdle to get it.

Meechy took out top honours with 1.995 kgs, me next with 1.515 kgs and Eric Wood in 3rd with 1.455 kgs. That's my best placing in an ABT round so I'm pretty pleased with myself. Also a big thanks to the Seeto dudes from lureandfly.com for some of the photos. Check their site out for updates on many of the bream tournaments and also a heap of great info.

Now it's time to read up on Bemm and see what all the fuss is about. Lots of big bream down there from all the reports I've heard and bags caught within 20 minutes. Let's hope so! Wish me luck. Happy yakkin', everyone!

cheers,
Cid

Squidgy Southern Bream Series Grand Final - 20th-21st October 2012

Another year and another Grand Final. The previously dreaded St Georges Basin no longer sent chills through my bones as lately I've managed to wrestle a few fish into my live well during the comps. A total of 25 kayakers had qualified and we set off knowing a southerly was forecast to hit a little later on. I moved to the same point that Jason Reid and I had success at last year and we started casting within 30 meters of each other again. Deja Vu!

This time I started fishing a squidgy 100mm wriggler in bloodworm rigged on a 1/40th HWS jighead with 3lb fluoro leader. I'd give it 10 casts and would then swap to a HB, namely a Jackall Chubby. This brought me my first fish but it wasn't the right type. A nice luderick hit the lure only 10 feet from the yak and it put up a spirited tussle before I swung it aboard. Back into the drink it goes and I swap back to the wriggler. This proved to be a good swap as within 3 casts I had my first bream in the well. Not huge at 26.6 cms total length but it only needs to be 26 cms. So that's the donut monkey off my back, now to get number 2.

The wind picked up a little and added a bit more chop to the surface. that was good and I started to get a few fish. Unfortunately they were just under but eventually a bigger specimen latched on and he went 28 tip length. Great, only one to go!

But now the wind died off and with it went the fish. I tried various lures and even went out into deeper water but apart from whiting and flathead, I couldn't get another bream for my live well. I decided to give the weed beds another try and just as I arrived the southerly moved into town. And with it, BANG, another fish. This guy was another 28 tip and that's my three! What a relief.

The wind started to increase and as the white caps rolled in, I got another. 27 tip and he's an upgrade! Where is that kicker fish though? The wind kept howling and for the next hour I bobbed around for a big fat zilcho. Eventually it was time to head in and see how I'd done.

Best for the day was Simon Morley who blitzed it and weighed in 3 fish for 2.08 kgs. The big fish for the day though went to Jason price with a 1.36 kg beauty. Unfortunately for him (but fortunately for the rest of us) he couldn't find a couple more to go with it. Rounding out 2nd and 3rd for the day were Rob Chambers (1.55 kgs) and Jason Reid (1.54 kgs). I was sitting in equal 6th with 1.04 kgs. Tomorrow is another day though and the Shoalhaven can be very tricky at times, so it was still anybodies to take.

The next day dawned beautifully but I would have preferred a little more wind to stir things up a bit. I had my plan and set off to where I'd picked up a few fish off the surface the last couple of times I'd been here. This time however, they weren't coming out to play and I left the spot with only a flathead to my name. Off to the channel where Hedgey snaffled the big bream from right under my yak last comp and it's where I got my first for the day, once again falling for the squidgy wriggler. Only 26.5 cms again, but she'll do.

Things were very quiet and I moved to the other side of the river to try some weed beds. Not even a hit, so I ventured back up to my original starting area as by now the tide was pushing in and a drift over the flats there may be productive. A few of the power boats were thinking the same thing and I slotted in among them. Cast retrieve, cast retrieve, cast....ooh, the lines moving sideways. I lift the rod and set the hook and 'Zzzzz' goes the drag and this feels better. It's silver AND it's a bream. He punched above his weight though and only goes 28 tip. Ok, one more to go and I've got my bag.

I tried all the edges, all the poles and time eventually was up so I headed back to the weigh in. On the way I passed some old oyster rack rails that had sandy patches between them. As I  moved along, I flicked a Lobby into these patches. Thankfully, one of these had a bream waiting and frantically I heaved him away from the structure and quickly lifted him into the yak. YES!!! That's my 3rd and at 30 tip, he's the best. But where is that bloody kicker fish though?

I'm hot tailing it back and as I pass some more dilapidated racks, I hear the 'kiss,kiss' sound of a bream taking something off the surface. It's right in between 4 poles sticking out of the water. Nothing ventured, nothing gained, so I lofted my Lobby into the middle of them, gave it a few twitches and let it sink. BANG! The fish hit it like a train and the rod bent as I lent back. The drag was locked up but all the fish had to do was swim sideways and he'd do me. And that's what he did. PING! went the line and he was gone. So that's where the kicker fish was...

Back on shore there was the usual grumbling about lost fish and no fish what-so-ever but the guy with the biggest smile was Stewart Dunn. He had a cracker bag and looked like he'd take it out. Jason Reid had his full bag though, so it wasn't a given and Luke Kay had also managed three good fish. Down to the wire it went and the eventual stat's played out in that exact order. Stewart (2.78kgs), Jason (2.66 kgs) and Luke (2.48 kgs) Simon Morley could only manage 1 fish today and dropped to fourth with 2445 kgs. Without that kicker, I couldn't keep up with these guys but I managed a very creditable 5th place with 2.175 kgs and was one of only two anglers to get a full bag both days, the other being Jason Reid. Jason took out the AOY and deservedly so too as he's been so consistent all year, nearly always placing in the top 5.

Thanks again to the organisers for another fantastic year and also thank you to Steve Fields and Hobie for supporting me during these comp's. the next report I'll put up is for the ABT Narrabeen round which was my last chance to qualify for the ABt Kayak Grand Final down in Victoria on the Bemm River. Stay tuned. Happy yakkin', everyone!

cheers,
Cid