The Forster ABT tournament will go down in folklore, it is what it is. After a successful Hobie event associated with the Forster Fishing Carnival, followed by the inaugural series Grand Final, competitors and hosts alike enjoy its Mecca like status. 33 entrants gathered for the 2 day combined bag event. With a pre fish ban in place previous to the tournament, only a few individuals managed to scout the water on the allocated pre fish day (And the tale of the tape was promising).
Another event was being held on the same waterway this weekend, the infamous Forster Mega Bucks, with a showcase of the who’s who of tournament fishing. I was quite surprised I didn’t see any of these rather large boats on the water during day one, a sight unseen but only heard as they thundered beyond. It was only when I had a good look at the shallow environment I was habiting during the competition did it finally made sense, no way these guys were bringing boats in here!
A massive body of water, Wallis Lake extends far beyond its namesake island, Breckenridge channel and the arms disappearing behind Tuncurry. Some spent hours traversing to promise locations without a single flick of an offering, others sauntered just the other side of the twin town bridge. No matter the flip of the coin, with a combined bag limit over the two days all competitors were looking for the one fabled occurrence, big Bream off tap.
Day one started with light showers, low light but bright enthusiasm. Kayakers sped out of sight with game plans in hand, splitting the field until the end. Racks, flats, drop offs and shallows offered options aplenty, bamboozling those that failed to do their area research. Accompanying morning weather turned to torrential periodic downpours, switching off surface action until the barometer rise returned.
Most entrants I managed to speak to on the water fished surface lures like Megabass Dog X juniors, Jazz Zappos, Lucky Craft Sammys, Bassday Sugapens and Ecogear PX 45. The art was to imitate fleeing Prawns or anything else caught resembling them. Many got bricked and lost thumper Bream, only to encounter willing smaller participants. Some great fish (But not truly monstrous) were brought back to presentation to Simon and Marcel from ABT. Big Bream of the day when to Rowan Stanek that weighed 680 grams, with a couple of other entrants fish closing just under days ones Boss Hogg.
After the end of day one results were tallied, giving a pretty good indication of what was required to take out the tournament on day two. The top five day one leader board consisted of (From first to fifth) Jason Reid, Stewart Dunn, Daniel Brown, Gary Cooke and Brian Rutledge. With tournament main stayers Peter Woods, Scott Baker and Greg Lewis not far behind just how close would the final result of the combine bag event be? (Or would it?).
Rain and cloud cover hampered the beginning of day two, delaying the marina exit due to concerns once again about low light (A good decision). Some anglers took the route through Breckenridge channel, prospecting ‘Tourist fish’ as they searched for its flats. From what I can gather from the top echelon of competitors many were happy to return to past prospected grounds. The fishing was mainly classic although costly on the flats, losing good fish and expensive lures to sunken oyster covered rocks (Out of sight, out of mind unfortunately).
No matter where you went, fishing light was a risky option. Big Bream pull hard, especially when fleeing to the safety of a rack. The sharp, raspy surfaces play havoc with any leader size and locking your drag was the only option (Paying the price dearly). With lure donations mounting and wounded Mirage drives flailing (Again, oyster rack mayhem) entrants began heading in early with full bags, others used up every spare minute they had up their sleeve.
Contestants found Bream maestro Stewart Dunn grinning from ear to ear back at the ramp early (For good reason too), a sure sign of some big bruisers hidden in the well. Anticipation was high uring day two’s weigh in, exceeding and failing a few with expectant results. The difference between anglers submitting three fish bags or two came down to mere millimetres. What measured legal on the water was called short upon presentation to Simon Goldsmith from ABT (Earning the term ‘Marcels’ from previous rounds, or in this case, ‘Goldfish’).
With Stewart Dunn weighing in first chasing the lead bag proved impossible. With a whopping bag weight of 2.41 grams and a Boss Hogg of 1.19kg’s, Stewart’s bag weighed more than a kilogram heavier than second place. Stewart is no stranger to winning in Forster, taking out the Hobie kayak event at last year’s Forster Fishing Carnival. Two more rounds remain in the 09/10 series, being the Victorian State Titles at Marlo and the Camden Haven event on the North Coast of NSW. With eight grand final spots still available and up for grabs, these events are sure to be heavily attended.
For full Forster ABT tournament results, click on the link below:
http://www.hobiefishing.com.au/2010/03/ ... r-results/
Place Angler Status/PRO F1 W1 F2 W2 Boss Hog TF TW Payout$ Prizes
1 Stewart Dunn K 3 1.68 3 2.41 1.19 6 4.09 $750 + $100 Boss Hog, Berkley tackle bag, Prize Pack
2 Peter Woods K 3 1.38 2 1.65 5 3.03 $500 Berkley Tackle Wrap, Prize Pack
3 Daniel Brown K 3 1.64 3 1.24 6 2.88 $400 Berkley lures, Prize Pack
4 Gary Cooke K 3 1.57 3 1.28 6 2.85 $350 Berkley lures, Prize Pack
5 Greg Lewis K/PRO 3 1.29 3 1.4 6 2.69 $250 + $250 1st Pro Berkley lures, Prize Pack
6 Scott Baker K/PRO 3 1.38 2 0.93 5 2.31 $100 + $100 2nd Pro Daiwa Pack
7 Andrew Hillyard K 3 1.21 3 1.07 6 2.28 $100