The Day of Champions

Sunday, November 19, 2017 Mandurah, Western Australia Yesterday, Day Two of the tournament was a crucial turning point in the 2017 Hobie Kayak Bream Series 9 Australian Championship. Local angler Alex Greisdorf moved up to take the lead by a mere 40g over fellow Western Australian (WA) Paul Burton who held the lead by only 20g going into the session. Sean Higgins also from WA and the angler who caught the heaviest fish of the tournament (1.29Kg) on day one, in the canal system, dropped back behind Simon Morley from New South Wales (NSW). Morley moved up from 5th place to split the WA stranglehold at the top of the field of 45 anglers. When looking at the two-day bag totals, it appears that the next Australian Champion will come from the top four. If the leaders struggle, and Shane Owens turns on some of the magic for which he is known over in the west, he also enters the mix. As anglers pedal off from the Power-Pole starting line this morning the top ten anglers are:

1. Alex Greisdorf  WA  3.94kg
2. Paul Burton  WA  3.9kg
3. Simon Morley  NSW  3.55kg
4. Sean Higgins  WA  3.3kg
5. Shane Owens  WA  2.71kg
6. Danny Jobson  NSW  2.46kg
7. Massimo Salomone  WA  2.42kg
8. Luke Rogan  QLD  2.15kg
9. Joseph Gardner  WA   2.14kg
10. Scott Marcinkowski  NSW  1.94kg

Luke Rogan from Queensland was rewarded this morning for catching the biggest bream of day two of the championship, taking home $250 for his Atomic Big Bream which weighed in at 960g. Last night the Australian Championship Dinner was held, and Geoff Alford from the Australian Capital Territory was recognised for his massive effort in helping anglers with transport arrangements to and from Perth airport and the Mandurah Quay Resort. Michael Halliday won a Lowrance Elite-5Ti sounder, that same fish finder, mounted on the 2017 Hobie Pro Angler 14 kayaks used in the championship. All anglers voted for the competitor they thought competed in the best spirit of Hobie events and nominated their choice for the Anglers Choice Award. Simon Morley won the accolade, and with it received a trophy and a refund of his entry fee. The function culminated in a massive fireworks display that spectacularly lit up the sky over the resort marina. When the anglers blasted off this morning the smell of cordite still hung in the air and highlighted the sense of battle that will end this afternoon at 2 pm with one man standing at the top of the podium.