B.R.E.A.M - Spirit of Tasmania St Helens BREAM Qualifier

Chris Wright, 10/10, 9.395kg has taken out the victory at the Spirit of Tasmania St Helens BREAM Qualifier. Taking an early lead in the race for the Tasmanian Angler of the Year award, Wright landed the tournaments largest bag in session one and found quality fish again in session two to finish more than 1.5kg ahead of his nearest rival.

“I am stocked to capture the win and now look forward to the next event at the Derwent which is always challenging. The fishing over the two days of the tournament was not easy by any means. The key for me was just to persist each day regardless of how many fish were in the well, focus on the fishing and grind it out.”

Alternating between a Stiffy Minnow in the appropriate Tassie Tiger colour and a prototype 65mm medium running hardbody from the Jackall stable, Wright targeted bream across the vast flats areas prominent in St Helens. On day one Wright travelled to an area known as Swagmans and found fish in around four feet of water.

“With the incoming tide I would cast into the current and crank the lure down to the bottom. I would then pause the lure and let it drift naturally just above the seabed. Using this technique I quickly accumulated my limit in the first hour. Changing to the Stiffy Minnow I captured one further upgrade near the river mouth later in the session.”

Wrights session one limit of 5/5, 5.585kg was to be the heaviest bag of the tournament and sent a strong message to his fellow competitors as to what was needed to take out top honors.

Day two saw Wright return to his day one location. Unlike the previous day Wright was unable to find any fish and only after moving to the edge of his area did he manage to find a fish. With one in the well at 12pm and the session rapidly moving Wright made a decision to move location.

“We moved to an area known as Molting Bay. Using the Stiffy Minnow I had my second fish at 3.15pm and my full limit just 25 minutes later. The key was adapting the technique to the area. The area was heavily weeded with around a foot of water sitting on top. I would high stick my rod and slowly retrieve my lure in the subsurface water over the weed. The bream were deep amongst the weed, but were happy to come out and hit the lure in that bite window. With time running out I caught the last fish of my limit on the second last cast and made my way back to the weigh in.”

Nervously awaiting the returning competitors Wright was the last angler to weigh in for the session. With weight to spare Wrights 5/5, 3.81kg bag gave him the well earned win. Bolstering his $1600 first prize check was the added pleasure of taking out the Pro category, bolstering his winning by a further $573. On a more somber note Wright and fellow non boater victor Andrew “Joffa” Wallace dedicated the victory to a close friend and colleague, David Colson, who had past away recently. A fellow abalone diver and good friend Colson is remembered fondly by all those lucky enough to have shared in his life.

Wrights outfit consisted of a Millerods Long Cast XF 7’2” and Starlo Stik flatspin 7’3” teamed with a Shimano Stella 1000 and Shimano Twin Power 1000 reels both spooled with 3lb Sunline FC.

Shaun Clancy, 9/10 7.81kg muscled his way into second place with the tournaments second largest bag in the final session. Building on his day one bag of 4/5 2,80kg, Clancy found quality fish in session two, and quickly moved up the leader board. Clancy’s 5/5, 5.01kg session two limit leapfrogged him from seventh position after day one to second overall.

“In the prefish the fish were scattered. After day one I was still confident as St Helens can produce big bags if you find the fish. My goal was to get my limit and as it turned out today I was in the right place at the right time which ultimately made the difference. All said it was one of the best days I have had in a tournament bar none.”

On day one Clancy fished flats outside a spit near Swagman’s flats and near the seaway entrance. Targeting fish in1-3 feet of water Clancy used a Ecogear MW62 in 307 colour.

“The technique with the lure was twitching and ripping with lots of pauses. The current proved difficult at times, but by using my Minn Kota I-Pilot I kept the boat in the zone and as a result was able to get the fish”.

Day two saw a return to the same locations. By rotating and resting the spots throughout the session Clancy was able to find four fish by 3pm. A late move upstream to similar territory and water depth saw Clancy find his fifth fish and a number of upgrades to anchor his tournament limit.

Clancy’s outfit consisted of a Daiwa Tournament Master Z rod in medium light teamed with a Daiwa Luvius 2000 eel spooled with 3lb Yamatoyo Spinning Fluro.

“The rod was perfect for both shallow and deep retrieves. Using fluorocarbon straight through was key to not spooking the fish in the bright conditions as well as providing good cushioning when the fish would run.”

Andrew “Joffa” Wallace took out the non boaters honors with a 5/10, 4.075kg tournament bag. Teamed with Tim Hodge on day one, Wallace travelled to Molting Bay where he targeted shallow sand patches amongst the weed in 1-2 meters of water. Alternating between a Nories laydown minnow in green back, red eye colour and an Atomic Hardz 50mm shad in ayu Wallace boated two fish.

Day two saw Wallace travel with Grant Stingel to Swagman flats where he targeted areas outside the weed edges. “The technique was lots of twitches followed by regular pauses. Some of the bites were very subtle so any little bump was potentially a bite”.

“To come here and have this experience is fantastic. My boaters on both days were of great assistance. The help of fellow anglers including Chris Wright and Michael Hardy made the journey here much easier so a big thanks to them”.

“I look forward to the Derwent, but there will always be a soft spot in my heart for St Helens”.

The tournaments Big Bream went to Spyro Spyropoulos day one effort of 1.445kg. Caught on a Smiths Panish 55mm in translucent brown/purple colour retro fitted with Owner ST11 trebles, the bream was caught in the last half hour and anchored Spyropoulos’ bag. Caught at Stockyard flats in four feet of water, the bream fell to a twitch and pause retrieve. The bream displayed great fight getting sideways into the current, but eventually made the net after a tough battle. Spyropoulos also claimed the $250 Mercury sponsors bonus for being the highest placed Mercury user.

“I was very happy to see the bream in the net. My goal this event was to qualify for the Grand Final and by securing third place overall that box is ticked. I now look to future events and more importantly enjoying the next event at the Derwent”.

With three Grand Final places up for grabs the competition over the two days was fierce. For those anglers who missed out we now look to the next opportunity to qualify at the Pflueger Derwent River Super Series, 6-8th March where 5 qualifying spots (Boater and Non-Boater) are up for grabs. For further information contact ABT on 07 3387 0888 (B/H) or check out www.bream.com.au for more information.

Daiwa BREAM Series: Spirit of Tasmania St Helens BREAM Qualifier Boater Results
Place	Angler	State	F1	W1	F2	W2	TF	TW	Payout
1	Chris WRIGHT	NSW	5	5.585	5	3.81	10	9.395	$1600 + $573 PRO
2	Shaun CLANCY	VIC	4	2.8	5	5.01	9	7.81	$900
3	Spiro SPYROPOULOS	VIC	5	4.89	4	2.645	9	7.535	$600 + $500 Big Bream + $250 Mercury Bonus
4	Scott TOWNER	NSW	5	3.14	5	2.855	10	5.995	$500
5	Grant STINGEL	TAS	5	2.755	4	2.895	9	5.65	$400
6	Cameron WHITTAM	VIC	3	2.255	5	3.3	8	5.555	$200
7	Leroy TIRANT	TAS	4	3.11	3	1.985	7	5.095
8	Steve MORGAN	QLD	5	3.445	2	1.27	7	4.715
9	Patrick SULLIVAN	TAS	3	1.805	5	2.785	8	4.59
10	Graham FRANKLIN	NSW	3	2.43	2	1.89	5	4.32
11	Andrew KRUSHKA	TAS	2	1.055	5	3.09	7	4.145
12	Nick MARTIN	TAS	2	1.14	5	2.95	7	4.09
13	Tristan TAYLOR	Qld	1	0.61	4	3.39	5	4
14	Ben HILL	TAS	4	1.625	4	2.295	8	3.92
15	Tom DEER	SA			5	3.865	5	3.865
17	Mark MANGOLD	NSW	2	1.48	4	2.285	6	3.765
16	Mike STEVENS	TAS	5	3.21	1	0.55	6	3.76
18	Darren BORG	QLD	5	2.39	2	0.805	7	3.195
19	Greg WOODS	TAS	2	1.425	2	1.31	4	2.735
20	Tim HODGE	TAS	3	2.11			3	2.11
21	Mike SUTCLIFFE		1	0.685	1	0.775	2	1.46
22	Leigh MCKENZIE	TAS	1	0.66	1	0.74	2	1.4
23	Stephenross THEODORE	VIC	2	1.35			2	1.35
24	Steve STEER	TAS			2	1.31	2	1.31
25	Shane LING	TAS	1	0.47	1	0.685	2	1.155
26	Andrew DYSON	TAS	2	0.775			2	0.775
27	Craig TEMPLAR	NSW	1	0.74			1	0.74
28	Rob WARREN	VIC

Daiwa BREAM Series: Spirit of Tasmania St Helens BREAM Qualifier Non Results
Place	Angler	State	F1	W1	F2	W2	TF	TW	Payout
1	Andrew WALLACE	NSW	2	1.445	3	2.63	5	4.075	Daiwa Pack inc Luvias 701LFS, Luvias 2000 reel, Daiwa vest, shirt, cap, braid, fluoro and lures, + $50 Tamar Marine Voucher
2	Isaac HARRIS	TAS	5	3.065	1	0.445	6	3.51	Shimano Stradic reel, Shimano Catana rod, Prize Pack + $50 Tamar Marine Voucher
3	Mark HAYES	VIC	3	2.375	1	1.115	4	3.49	TT Pack, Prize Pack + $50 Tamar Marine Voucher
4	Neil GROSE	TAS	1	0.69	4	2.665	5	3.355	Spotter Sunglasses, Prize Pack + $50 Tamar Marine Voucher
5	Mark HEALEY	NSW	4	3.19			4	3.19	Ugly Fish Sunglasses, Prize Pack
6	Jamie HENDERSON	TAS	3	2.32	2	0.865	5	3.185	Squidgy Tackle Bag, Prize Pack
7	Tracey MAMMEN	QLD	4	2.105	2	0.985	6	3.09
8	Michael MILBURN	NSW	1	0.41	3	2.515	4	2.925
9	Philip NIX	NSW	4	2.24	1	0.675	5	2.915
10	Angela WOODS	TAS	1	0.7	4	2.195	5	2.895
11	Jordan TRUSTY	VIC	5	2.68			5	2.68
12	Peter DEGROOT	WA	1	0.775	4	1.66	5	2.435
13	Peter MORGAN	QLD	2	2.24			2	2.24
14	Grayson FONG	Qld			3	2.235	3	2.235
15	Leon BETTSON	WA	1	0.67	1	1.36	2	2.03
16	Matt DYSON	TAS	1	0.79	1	0.815	2	1.605
17	Byron BLAIN	VIC	1	0.355	2	0.8	3	1.155
19	Mark MORRIS	WA			1	0.865	1	0.865
18	Max LINE	WA	2	0.855			2	0.855
20	David O'REILLY	WA			1	0.68	1	0.68
21	Andrew WILLIAMS	NSW	1	0.665			1	0.665
22	Peter GODFREY	NSW
22	David MORRIS	Vic
22	Alan WILSON	VIC
22	Travis BRYAN	TAS
22	Daniel BRAY	NSW
27	William LEE	QLD		-0.05				-0.05