>> Site Map >> News
Berkley Clarence River Super Series - Results & Story
#501 - 0--bream--Berkley Clarence River Super Series - Results & Story--2009-05-08 15:50:31
#
in Clarence Super Series
Queensland's Michael Horn
claimed victory in one of the most prestigious events on the Ford Ranger BREAM
tour when the Gold Coast breamer claimed honours in the Berkley presented Clarence River BREAM Super
Series, 8-19th May.
One of the toughest events in the tournament's five year
history, the most northern NSW stop on the tour delivered anglers a constant
stream of undersize fish and a river heavily under the influence of freshwater,
courtesy of recent rain. - While event winner Michael Horn and fourth placed angler
Steve Eldred completed perfect tournament limits and filled their well each
day, the remainder of the 120 angler field failed to do likewise, a rare
occurrence on a usually productive and tournament friendly Clarence River.
Victory for Horn (15/15, 7.45kg) was a wire-to-wire
achievement, with the Clarence champion grabbing the lead on the day one with
the tournament's biggest bag and never letting go until the $4,800 Berkley
cheque was in his hands on Sunday afternoon.
Starting day one with no prefish under his belt Horn relied
on his experience and headed straight to a spot that had served him well in the
past, the rock walls at Palmers
Island. A rock laden
location with plenty of current Horn played to his strength and used one of his
go-to techniques, deep cranking.
"I'd use a deep diving Jackall Chubby when the current was
running hard then I'd swap to a Lucky Craft Tango when the tide wasn't pushing
as hard", explained the newly crowned Clarence victor.
With about three metres of water under his boat Horn worked
his way along the wall with the current, making long casts before retrieving
the lure back into the current with a slow constant retrieve.
"Bringing the lure up-current was important to get the lure
down deep enough and to keep it swimming slowly and in the bream's face",
explained Horn.
When the tide eased Horn would swap to the Lucky Craft Tango
and use a more jerkbait styled retrieve to get his fish.
"Giving the lure a couple of twitches and rips then letting
it suspend was the key to working the Tango", explained Horn.
While he caught a constant stream of fish throughout the
session, it was a window of big fish activity on the run out tide that enabled
Horn to fill his well when many other couldn't.
"This was the window of opportunity that I new I had to take
advantage of each day if I was to be in with a shot", explained Horn.
This level of mental focus and commitment is always crucial
for success in tournament fishing, and by Michael's own admission was the main
reason for his success on the Clarence.
"In the past I've made the mistake of second guessing what
I'm doing and I get caught up in thinking about what the other anglers have got
and where they're catching their fish. This weekend I forced myself to
concentrate on only what it was that I was doing, and to have confidence in my
choices and abilities", explained a reflective Horn.
The results of his change in thinking are obvious with Horn
adding his second BREAM victory to his tournament resume.
Horn's choice of tackle used to win on the Clarence included
two 7'2" G.Loomis TSR862 GLX rods, matched to a Daiwa 2000 Sol and Daiwa 2004
Infeet reel, both spooled with 3lb Sunline Super FC Sniper fluorocarbon fished
right through to the lure.
Horn used two colours when opting for a Chubby, swapping
between ghost ayu and salmon roe head colours. While his choice of colour for
the Lucky Craft Tango was a single colour know as chocolate.
Horn valued added his winnings for the event, picking up the
Sunline and Lucky Craft bonuses by winning the event using those products.
When quizzed post victory about his intent for his $4,800
prize cheque Horn was less fishing focused than most event winners.
"My wife is keen for us to take a holiday, so since I missed
Mothers' Day I guess it's the least that I could do".
Claiming the number two spot for the event was Taree breamer
and ABT regular Martin Richardson, (14/15, 6.42kg) who in contrast to event
winner Michael Horn fished shallow to compiled his bag each day.
Spending his tournament fishing Wooloweyah
Lake, Richardson utilised a crankbait approach to
catch his fish, swapping between Jackall Chubbies and Atomic Hardz.
A super shallow (1-2 feet deep) and hard to access lake punctuated
by sand, mud and weed, Richardson
used a variety of retrieves always making sure that the lure made contact with
the bottom.
"The water was dirty and you couldn't seen the bottom so you
worked the lure by feel making sure it hit bottom and caused commotion for the
bream to hone in on", explained Richardson.
The retrieve ranged from a slow roll that had the lure
touching the bottom and puffing up dirt, to twitches and rips that had the lure
hitting the substrate with purpose.
The final day saw a change in conditions with the light
winds of the first two days replaced by a strong southerly and a swell running
through the lake.
"It was a lot tougher fishing on the final day with the open
lake buffeted by the wind and swell. The fish were still there you just had to
work harder to get them", explained Martin.
A hard to access and rarely fished location during the
Clarence BREAM rounds, the Wooloweyah
Lake is an area that
Martin has been trying to get to for the last three years.
"There has been a heap of obstacles that have prevented me
from fishing the lake previously including motor breakdowns, access problems
and weather", explained Martin.
"Now that I've finally managed to get there I'm over the
moon with the fishing that it has to offer and the result that I've got this
weekend".
Richardson's
choice of tackle included a custom made Hastings URL rod, Daiwa 2500 reel,
spooled with 10lb Sea Bass PE and 6lb Yamatoyo leader. While Richardson alternated between a Jackall Chubby
and Atomic Hardz two things remained constant, the use of brightly coloured and
rattle filled lures.
"This was important in the dirty water, without it the fish
had a harder time in finding the lure", explained Richardson.
Richardson
added an additional $500 to his earnings for the weekending picking up the $250
Mercury and $250 MotorGuide bonuses for being the highest placed boater using
these products.
The dominance of the Taree based anglers continued in the
non-boater division with 26 year old breamer Trent Fahey claiming top honours
(8/10, 3.01kg).
Fishing with Norm Kemp on day one and Gavin Dunne on day
two, Fahey fished for a deep water bite, working the Collis wall and Browns
Rocks to fill his bag each day.
Utlising a jighead rigged soft plastic Fahey focused on the
eddies and the base of the rock where it met to the sand to catch his fish.
"There was a lot of small fish where we were fishing so I
increased the weight of the jighead (1/6 & 1/4 oz) to get the plastic
through the pack of little fish to where the bigger ones were.
Using a standard lift n' drop retrieve Fahey adjusted his
technique once he got a bite.
"The little fish would pick and play with it so you'd
basically pull the plastic away from them. The bigger fish however would take
the lure differently so when that happened you'd feed the lure to them so
they'd take it and you'd get the hookup, explained Fahey.
Using a jighead with a larger hook (1 & 1/0) was one of
the other measures Fahey took to deter the plagues of little fish that would
maul his lure. While the 2" Gulp Shrimp was his gun lure on day one, day two
proved tougher with the bream becoming accustomed to the most used plastic on
the tour.
"I swapped it around on the second day alternating between
different Gulp colours, models and shapes", explained Fahey.
The tackle used by Fahey to deliver his Gulps to the bream
included a Berkley 1-3kg Pro Tactic rod, ABU Garcia 802 Cardinal reel, spooled
with 3lb Berkley Trilene. The liberal application of Gulp Scent was another
step taken by the Clarence non-boater champ, with Fahey adding it to the lure
after every few casts.
The Go-So Big Bream for the event cracked the kilo mark,
with Ian Seeto picking up the prize with his 1.23kg specimen caught on day one
from ‘Middle Wall on a 100mm Squidgy Wriggler in wasabi colour.
Non-boater Natan Tuskes scored the Daiwa Cap Bonus,
returning to the weigh-in first on Saturday to claim his $250 Daiwa gift pack. The
Atomic Big Bream Bonus also fell on day one with Steve Morgan picking up the
prize for his 520gram fish.
Event sponsor Berkley were on hand for the weekend, with the
red Berkley tent filled with all the latest and hottest tournament tackle on
offer. Ecogear and Fishing Monthly also pitched a tent in the park and
displayed their wares for fans and competitors to see.
Competitors weren't the only ones to reap in the rewards at
the weigh-in each afternoon with Berkley,
Ecogear, Engel, Fishing Monthly and AFC prizes given out to the eager crowd.
The next round of the Ford Ranger BREAM Series sees the
bream tour head north for the Atomic Tweed River BREAM Challenge, 30/31st May. For more information visit www.bream.com.au or phone (07) 3387 0888.
| Berkley Clarence River BREAM Challenge Boater Results | |||||||||||
| Place | Angler | State | F1 | W1 | F2 | W2 | F3 | W3 | TF | TW | Payout |
| 1 | Michael HORN | QLD | 5 | 2.87 | 5 | 2.19 | 5 | 2.39 | 15 | 7.45 | $4800, $50 Big River B&T voucher |
| 2 | Martin RICHARDSON | NSW | 5 | 2.11 | 5 | 2.58 | 4 | 1.73 | 14 | 6.42 | $2650, $500 MB, $50 Big River B&T voucher |
| 3 | Peter MACOR | NSW | 4 | 1.54 | 5 | 2.31 | 5 | 2.54 | 14 | 6.39 | $2000, $50 Big River B&T voucher |
| 4 | Steve ELDRED | QLD | 5 | 2.22 | 5 | 2.2 | 5 | 1.97 | 15 | 6.39 | $1650, $1250 1st Pro, $50 Big River B&T voucher |
| 5 | David WELFARE | NSW | 3 | 1.16 | 5 | 2.72 | 5 | 2.27 | 13 | 6.15 | $1200, $50 Big River B&T voucher |
| 6 | Robert KWIATKOWSKI | Qld | 5 | 2.67 | 4 | 2.26 | 2 | 1.17 | 11 | 6.1 | $1,000 |
| 7 | Kristoffer HICKSON | NSW | 3 | 1.35 | 5 | 2.2 | 5 | 2.2 | 13 | 5.75 | $1,000 |
| 8 | Adam WARD | NSW | 5 | 1.72 | 4 | 1.73 | 2 | 0.76 | 11 | 4.21 | $800 |
| 9 | Matthew FINNEY | NSW | 5 | 2.29 | 3 | 1.25 | 1 | 0.31 | 9 | 3.85 | $800 |
| 10 | Michael TORLEY | QLD | 5 | 2.1 | 3 | 1.4 | 1 | 0.34 | 9 | 3.84 | $600 |
| 11 | Norm KEMP | NSW | 3 | 1.34 | 5 | 1.74 | 8 | 3.08 | $600 | ||
| 12 | John TIMBRELL | NSW | 2 | 0.94 | 3 | 2.02 | 5 | 2.96 | $400 | ||
| 13 | Warren CARTER | Vic | 3 | 1.19 | 4 | 1.77 | 7 | 2.96 | $400 + $750 2nd Pro | ||
| 14 | Adrian MELCHIOR | NSW | 2 | 0.71 | 5 | 2.24 | 7 | 2.95 | $400 | ||
| 15 | Mark HOLMAN | NSW | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0.93 | 6 | 2.93 | |||
| 16 | Ian SEETO | NSW | 3 | 2.58 | 1 | 0.32 | 4 | 2.9 | $500 BB | ||
| 17 | Mark DUNPHY | NSW | 5 | 2.05 | 2 | 0.84 | 7 | 2.89 | |||
| 18 | Daniel BROWN | NSW | 4 | 2.27 | 1 | 0.59 | 5 | 2.86 | |||
| 19 | Steve MORGAN | QLD | 3 | 1.44 | 3 | 1.32 | 6 | 2.76 | $500 3rd Pro | ||
| 20 | Shaun CHAPMAN | NSW | 2 | 1.05 | 4 | 1.56 | 6 | 2.61 | |||
| 21 | Jay PERHAM | QLD | 1 | 0.71 | 4 | 1.69 | 5 | 2.4 | |||
| 22 | Gavin DUNNE | QLD | 4 | 1.58 | 2 | 0.81 | 6 | 2.39 | |||
| 23 | Brenton SMITH | NSW | 3 | 1.35 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 2.35 | |||
| 24 | Darren BORG | QLD | 5 | 2.3 | 5 | 2.3 | |||||
| 25 | Craig SIMMONS | QLD | 4 | 1.86 | 1 | 0.38 | 5 | 2.24 | |||
| 26 | Stuart BUCKINGHAM | NSW | 1 | 0.42 | 4 | 1.69 | 5 | 2.11 | |||
| 27 | Darryn LOVE | Qld | 3 | 1.38 | 1 | 0.72 | 4 | 2.1 | |||
| 28 | Ian BAKER | QLD | 1 | 0.42 | 4 | 1.67 | 5 | 2.09 | |||
| 29 | Anthony WISHEY | QLD | 2 | 1.01 | 3 | 1.05 | 5 | 2.06 | |||
| 30 | Ben GODFREY | Qld | 3 | 1.19 | 2 | 0.79 | 5 | 1.98 | |||
| 31 | Scott BUTLER | QLD | 3 | 1.28 | 2 | 0.67 | 5 | 1.95 | |||
| 32 | Chris FINDLAY | NSW | 4 | 1.89 | 4 | 1.89 | |||||
| 33 | Richard POTTER | NSW | 2 | 1.39 | 1 | 0.47 | 3 | 1.86 | |||
| 34 | Nigel WEBSTER | QLD | 4 | 1.74 | 4 | 1.74 | |||||
| 35 | Stephen WILSON | QLD | 3 | 1.22 | 1 | 0.46 | 4 | 1.68 | |||
| 36 | Russell BABEKUHL | NSW | 2 | 0.8 | 2 | 0.84 | 4 | 1.64 | |||
| 37 | Mark HEALEY | NSW | 3 | 1.63 | 3 | 1.63 | |||||
| 38 | Andrew HOWARD | NSW | 2 | 0.79 | 1 | 0.81 | 3 | 1.6 | |||
| 39 | Scott DWYER | NSW | 4 | 1.58 | 4 | 1.58 | |||||
| 40 | Daniel CUPITT | NSW | 2 | 0.83 | 2 | 0.7 | 4 | 1.53 | |||
| 41 | Paul GILLESPIE | NSW | 3 | 1.15 | 1 | 0.36 | 4 | 1.51 | |||
| 42 | James YEUNG | NSW | 3 | 1.5 | 3 | 1.5 | |||||
| 43 | Matt FRASER | QLD | 2 | 1.41 | 2 | 1.41 | |||||
| 44 | Ben LOCKWOOD | NSW | 1 | 0.37 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 1.37 | |||
| 45 | Dean HAMMOND | NSW | 1 | 0.33 | 2 | 0.89 | 3 | 1.22 | |||
| 46 | Dean SEABORN | NSW | 2 | 0.82 | 1 | 0.37 | 3 | 1.19 | |||
| 47 | John MILLS | NSW | 2 | 1.09 | 2 | 1.09 | |||||
| 48 | Tom WEIERS | NSW | 2 | 1.04 | 2 | 1.04 | |||||
| 49 | Brett HYDE | NSW | 1 | 1.04 | 1 | 1.04 | |||||
| 50 | Chris RUSSELL | NSW | 2 | 0.9 | 2 | 0.9 | |||||
| 51 | Mick LEAVEY | NSW | 1 | 0.34 | 1 | 0.44 | 2 | 0.78 | |||
| 52 | Yilmaz NEZIZ | NSW | 1 | 0.76 | 1 | 0.76 | |||||
| 53 | Wayne REED | NSW | 2 | 0.76 | 2 | 0.76 | |||||
| 54 | Karen BERRY | NSW | 1 | 0.44 | 1 | 0.31 | 2 | 0.75 | |||
| 55 | Jason SEATON | Qld | 1 | 0.35 | 1 | 0.4 | 2 | 0.75 | |||
| 56 | Chris BRITTON | QLD | 1 | 0.36 | 1 | 0.36 | 2 | 0.72 | |||
| 57 | Peter CASHMAN | Qld | 1 | 0.51 | 1 | 0.51 | |||||
| 58 | Michael STARKEY | NSW | 1 | 0.43 | 1 | 0.43 | |||||
| 59 | Graham FRANKLIN | NSW | 1 | 0.41 | 1 | 0.41 | |||||
| 60 | Anthony DUFF | NSW | 1 | 0.4 | 1 | 0.4 | |||||
| 61 | Warwick CREGAN | NSW | |||||||||
| 61 | Anthony NYBERG | NSW | |||||||||
| 61 | Steve EBELING | NSW | |||||||||
| 61 | Josh BATTERSON | NSW | |||||||||
| 61 | Gary NEWELL | NSW | |||||||||
| 61 | Trent MANDER | QLD | |||||||||
| 61 | Peter MORGAN | QLD | |||||||||
| 61 | Robert LYNN | NSW | |||||||||
| Berkley Clarence River BREAM Challenge Non-Boater Results | |||||||||||
| Place | Angler | State | F1 | W1 | F2 | W2 | F3 | W3 | TF | TW | Payout |
| 1 | Trent FAHEY | NSW | 5 | 1.87 | 3 | 1.14 | 8 | 3.01 | Engel MR40F, Prize pack, $50 Big River B&T voucher | ||
| 2 | Simon MCALPIN | NSW | 5 | 2.41 | 1 | 0.37 | 6 | 2.78 | G.Loomis DSR820, Team Daiwa Advantage 2500 reel, Prize Pack, $50 Big River B&T voucher | ||
| 3 | Arthur HATZIPETROU | Qld | 3 | 1.27 | 3 | 1.34 | 6 | 2.61 | T Curve Flight Series rod, Shimano Seido reel, Prize Pack, $50 Big River B&T voucher | ||
| 4 | Darren PAINTER | NSW | 4 | 1.72 | 2 | 0.88 | 6 | 2.6 | TD Sol rod, Tica Spin Reel, Prize Pack, $50 Big River B&T voucher | ||
| 5 | Nabeel ISSA | Qld | 4 | 1.72 | 2 | 0.74 | 6 | 2.46 | TT Prize Pack, $50 Big River B&T voucher | ||
| 6 | Greg BYRNE | NSW | 2 | 0.78 | 4 | 1.63 | 6 | 2.41 | Spotters Prize Pack | ||
| 7 | Jay GILLESPIE | NSW | 4 | 1.45 | 2 | 0.79 | 6 | 2.24 | Shimano Raider Rod, Prize Pack | ||
| 8 | Geoffrey BORG | NSW | 2 | 0.75 | 3 | 1.31 | 5 | 2.06 | Shimano Raider Rod, Prize Pack | ||
| 9 | Shayne GILLETT | NSW | 4 | 1.79 | 4 | 1.79 | Ugly Fish Prize Pack | ||||
| 10 | Peter KELLEHER | NSW | 2 | 0.73 | 3 | 1.03 | 5 | 1.76 | Prize Pack | ||
| 11 | Michael MAAS | QLD | 4 | 1.75 | 4 | 1.75 | |||||
| 12 | Jordan FUSSELL | NSW | 3 | 1.25 | 1 | 0.38 | 4 | 1.63 | |||
| 13 | Jonathan GALLETLY | NSW | 4 | 1.61 | 4 | 1.61 | |||||
| 14 | Scott CHARD | NSW | 2 | 0.85 | 2 | 0.71 | 4 | 1.56 | |||
| 15 | Craig HAILES | NSW | 2 | 1.04 | 1 | 0.43 | 3 | 1.47 | |||
| 16 | Scott LANE | NSW | 1 | 0.49 | 2 | 0.88 | 3 | 1.37 | |||
| 17 | Ross WESTWOOD | NSW | 2 | 1.08 | 2 | 1.08 | |||||
| 18 | Nathan TUSKES | Qld | 2 | 0.98 | 2 | 0.98 | |||||
| 19 | Tony THORLEY | NSW | 2 | 0.89 | 2 | 0.89 | |||||
| 20 | William HORN | Qld | 2 | 0.88 | 2 | 0.88 | |||||
| 21 | Craig ELLIS | SA | 2 | 0.87 | 2 | 0.87 | |||||
| 22 | Dean NASH | NSW | 2 | 0.82 | 2 | 0.82 | |||||
| 24 | Neil GREGSON | Qld | 1 | 0.4 | 1 | 0.4 | 2 | 0.8 | |||
| 25 | Chris SEETO | NSW | 2 | 0.75 | 2 | 0.75 | |||||
| 26 | Bradley WORBOYS | NSW | 1 | 0.66 | 1 | 0.66 | |||||
| 27 | Stephen TRACEY | Qld | 1 | 0.58 | 1 | 0.58 | |||||
| 28 | Mark MULLIGAN | NSW | 1 | 0.5 | 1 | 0.5 | |||||
| 29 | John WILLIAMS | NSW | 1 | 0.47 | 1 | 0.47 | |||||
| 30 | Mark LENNOX | NSW | 1 | 0.45 | 1 | 0.45 | |||||
| 31 | Andrew FAWCETT | NSW | 1 | 0.41 | 1 | 0.41 | |||||
| 32 | Tom SLATER | QLD | 1 | 0.41 | 1 | 0.41 | |||||
| 33 | Glen STURROCK | NSW | 1 | 0.38 | 1 | 0.38 | |||||
| 34 | David WALMSLEY | NSW | 1 | 0.36 | 1 | 0.36 | |||||
| 34 | Paul VANDENBOOM | NSW | 1 | 0.36 | 1 | 0.36 | |||||
| 36 | Nick LOTOTZKY | NSW | 1 | 0.35 | 1 | 0.35 | |||||
| 37 | Robert TOMBS | NSW | 1 | 0.34 | 1 | 0.34 | |||||
| 38 | Jake STEWART | NSW | |||||||||
| 38 | Zach LYNN | NSW | |||||||||
| 38 | Mark WALSH | NSW | |||||||||
| 38 | Ron ASHMAN | NSW | |||||||||
| 38 | Ricky COOPER | NSW | |||||||||
| 38 | Michael RANDALL | QLD | |||||||||
| 38 | Chris GATES | NSW | |||||||||
| 38 | Bernard KONG | NSW | |||||||||
| 38 | Gavin JOYCE | NSW | |||||||||
| 38 | Mario FACCIOLLI | NSW | |||||||||
| 38 | Philip NIX | NSW | |||||||||
| 38 | Rod RILEY | NSW | |||||||||
