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SIX TEAMS SHARE BREAM MEGABUCKS BOUNTY
At a perfect weekend of breaming in Forster, NSW, six teams shared in a $22,500 cash bonanza. And, on a weekend where Forster reasserted its claim as 'home of the biggest bream in Australia', the all time ABT Big Bream record was broken again - a 1.99kg fish caught by AFC Champion Angler Chris Wright.
In fact, the www.sportsfish.com.au/ Blakes Marine team of Kaj Busch and Chris Wright stole the show on the first day of the tournament, bagging a 10/10 bream limit of 7.14kg and pocketing $5500 for their day's work.
Their bag, anchored by Wright's monster bream, easily kept last year's MegaBREAM winners, Ross Lamotte and Chris Martin (10/10, 6.75kg for $3,000) at bay, while the Wiggle Fin Action Disc team of Mark Mangold and Scott Towner (10/10, 6.24kg) grabbed third place on Day One, earning $1500 for their efforts.
When exploring the various oyster racks in the main maze of channels between Wallis Lake and the three river systems that feed into it, Wright finally admitted that they'were lost' when they spotted the 1.99kg bream feeding on top of a rack.
"Those are the sort of fish that you always cast at but never hook," Wright said. "I pulled the lure across in front of it and let it drop down and it was unbelievable - the fish just followed it down and klunked it!"
Team member Kaj Busch also explained that he lost a similar sized fish earlier in the day.
"Every time I come just reaffirms why the breaming here is so good," Busch said on stage. "Big, mean bream and miles of oyster racks - you guys who live here are lucky buggers indeed."
Wright and Busch targeted racks that were close to deep water and fast current.
"We fished the shady side of the racks and used a pretty fast retrieve, swimming the lures just under the level of the racks and tempting the bream out that way. We didn't let the lures hit the bottom," Wright explained.
Their secret weapon for the weekend was the #2 Squidgy Wriggler in Bloodworm colour, fished on a 1.5g Squidgy Finesse jighead. Bushy used a Millerods Bream Brawler and Shimano Stella 1000 with 10lb Squidgy Braid while Wright used a Bream Buster Finesse, Sustain 1000 and 4lb Fireline to great effect. Both added some 12lb Berkley Vanish as a leader.
"$8000 isn't bad for a day's fishing," Bushy remarked when it became obvious that Wright's 1.99kg Big Bream would stand for the weekend. Everyone agreed.
However, the skins format of BREAM Megabucks means that Day Two is essentially a whole new event, and three different teams took advantage of the fact at the final weigh-in on Sunday.
The Attack Boats team of Trent Butler and Drew Griffiths (10/10, 6.39kg for $3,000) led the skin until the last bag of fish weighed, where the Howard Homes/Culprit team of Andrew Howard and David Otway presented the biggest bag of the weekend to take the cash (10/10, 7.70kg for $5500). Team Mako (John Schofield and Kevin Gleed (10/10, 6.31kg for $1500) finished third.
"It was an exciting session in more ways than one" said Howard as he explained the day's events.
"One of our watches was still set to daylight savings time, so we really struggled to get our limit. We landed a really nice fish - our 10th - at what we thought was about 15 minutes to go and started racing back. When we realised that we were coming in an hour early, we raced back and upgraded several times with kilo-plus fish."
Howard and Otway targeted racks in clearer water around Wallis Island with both hard-bodied and soft plastic lures. Attack Minnows and OarGee Lil'Rippas in gold/brown colourations, as well as 2" Culprit Swim Fin Grubs in a variety of colours, did the damage.
Using the hard-bodies around the racks, David said they used faster retrieves when the water was flowing quickly and slower retrieves when in slower flows. They swum the soft plastics over weed beds with a slow roll to keep them off the bottom.
Both used Millerods - Howard a Bream Brawler and Otway a Bream Buster - both with 4lb Fireline and 10-12lb leaders.
"I do a lot of fishing at Forster and it really is a fun place to fish" Howard said.
All of the 30 teams managed to weigh bream over the weekend and take advantage of the hospitality offered by the Forster Beach Caravan Park and their magnificent Reef Science live display of all the bream caught.
More information on the BREAM tournament circuit can be found on www.bream.com.au or by calling Simon Goldsmith on 04-BREAMING during business hours.
| Session: 1 | |||||
| Place | Team | F | W | Payout | |
| 1 | SPORTSFISH.COM.AU/ BLAKES MARINE: Chris Wright & Kaj Busch | 10 | 7.14 | $5,500 | |
| 2 | JOINT EFFORT: Ross Lamotte & Chris Martin | 10 | 6.75 | $3,000 | |
| 3 | WIGGLE FIN ACTION DISC: Mark Mangold & Scott Towner | 10 | 6.24 | $1,500 | |
| 4 | CREW MAN: Chris Deland & Mick Walsh | 10 | 5.93 | ||
| 5 | STESSCO: Craig Simmons & Stephen Kanowski | 10 | 5.91 | ||
| 6 | HOWARD HOMES/ CULPRIT SWIM FIN GRUBS: Andrew Howard & David Otway | 9 | 5.78 | ||
| 7 | ECOGEAR/ SPRINGWOOD MARINE: Gavin Dunne & Colin Singleton | 10 | 5.65 | ||
| 8 | ECOGEAR/ TACKLE TACTICS: Jay Morgan & Dan Stead | 10 | 5.51 | ||
| 9 | ATOMIC: Tim Morgan & Alistair Whitehead | 10 | 5.22 | ||
| 10 | MILLERODS: Travis Davies & Trent Short | 10 | 5.04 | ||
| 11 | SQUIDGY: Steve Starling & David Seaman | 10 | 4.97 | ||
| 12 | MAKO: John Schofield & Kevin Gleed | 10 | 4.55 | ||
| 13 | RACK HACKS: Mike Connolly & Mark Lawson | 5 | 3.65 | ||
| 14 | ATTACK BOATS: Trent Butler & Drew Griffith | 8 | 3.52 | ||
| 15 | BARCLAY MARINE: Max Frost & Josh Batterson | 5 | 3.24 | ||
| 16 | MANNING RIVER MARINE/ CROWDY BAY FISHING CHARTERS: Kristoffer Hickson & Martin Richardson | 7 | 3.22 | ||
| 16 | OKUMA/ BREAMMASTER.COM: David Welfare & Ira Fehlberg | 7 | 3.22 | ||
| 18 | FOSTER BEACH CARAVAN PARK: Michael Metcalfe & Chris Metcalfe | 5 | 2.62 | ||
| 19 | NILPEST SERVICES/ PRIORITY BULIDING SERVICES: Peter Kelleher & Russell Babekuhl | 6 | 2.61 | ||
| 20 | SHIMANO: Mark Dunphy & Brett Wilson | 5 | 2.58 | ||
| 21 | BELLVEUE HOTEL, PORT MAQUARIE TACKLE, TUCKER WAGON ROAD HOUSE: Murray Allport & Wayne Burley | 4 | 2.13 | ||
| 22 | SHIPTON TRADING: Richard Hanley & Clayton Gusmerini | 2 | 1.56 | ||
| 23 | DAIRY FARMERS: Craig Wilson & Darby Wilson | 3 | 1.46 | ||
| 24 | TEAM SMAK 2: Mathew Mott & Scott Lear | 3 | 1.38 | ||
| 25 | TEAM SMAK 1: Peter Morgan & Dave Robinson | 2 | 1.09 | ||
| 26 | BLACK DIAMOND RODS: Trevor Stead & Luke Goodworth | 2 | 0.86 | ||
| 27 | THE MEN FROM MARZ/ THE FISHERMAN'S WAREHOUSE: Tom Weiers & Steele Lambert | 1 | 0.42 | ||
| 28 | FULLBOAR/ SPORTFISHING BOATS & FGI: Tyson Detheridge & Kevin Olsen | 1 | 0.36 | ||
| 29 | SHIMANO: Mark Mikkelson & Chad Rogers | ||||
| 29 | ECOGEAR/ YAMATOYO: Tony Shao & Lance Sulkowski | ||||
| Session: 2 | |||||
| Place | Team | F | W | Payout | |
| 1 | HOWARD HOMES/ CULPRIT SWIM FIN GRUBS: Andrew Howard & David Otway | 10 | 7.7 | $5,500 | |
| 2 | ATTACK BOATS: Trent Butler & Drew Griffith | 10 | 6.39 | $3,000 | |
| 3 | MAKO: John Schofield & Kevin Gleed | 10 | 6.31 | $1,500 | |
| 4 | ATOMIC: Tim Morgan & Alistair Whitehead | 10 | 5.96 | ||
| 5 | JOINT EFFORT: Ross Lamotte & Chris Martin | 10 | 5.85 | ||
| 6 | SPORTSFISH.COM.AU/ BLAKES MARINE: Chris Wright & Kaj Busch | 8 | 5.6 | ||
| 7 | FOSTER BEACH CARAVAN PARK: Michael Metcalfe & Chris Metcalfe | 10 | 4.96 | ||
| 8 | OKUMA/ BREAMMASTER.COM: David Welfare & Ira Fehlberg | 10 | 4.64 | ||
| 9 | MILLERODS: Travis Davies & Trent Short | 10 | 4.61 | ||
| 10 | NILPEST SERVICES/ PRIORITY BULIDING SERVICES: Peter Kelleher & Russell Babekuhl | 10 | 4.29 | ||
| 11 | ECOGEAR/ TACKLE TACTICS: Jay Morgan & Dan Stead | 8 | 3.87 | ||
| 12 | WIGGLE FIN ACTION DISC: Mark Mangold & Scott Towner | 8 | 3.63 | ||
| 13 | MANNING RIVER MARINE/ CROWDY BAY FISHING CHARTERS: Kristoffer Hickson & Martin Richardson | 7 | 3.2 | ||
| 14 | SHIMANO: Mark Mikkelson & Chad Rogers | 5 | 2.71 | ||
| 15 | SQUIDGY: Steve Starling & David Seaman | 4 | 2.57 | ||
| 16 | SHIPTON TRADING: Richard Hanley & Clayton Gusmerini | 6 | 2.53 | ||
| 17 | BARCLAY MARINE: Max Frost & Josh Batterson | 10 | 2.52 | ||
| 18 | TEAM SMAK 1: Peter Morgan & Dave Robinson | 5 | 2.3 | ||
| 19 | TEAM SMAK 2: Mathew Mott & Scott Lear | 4 | 2.24 | ||
| 20 | DAIRY FARMERS: Craig Wilson & Darby Wilson | 5 | 2.15 | ||
| 21 | BELLVEUE HOTEL, PORT MAQUARIE TACKLE, TUCKER WAGON ROAD HOUSE: Murray Allport & Wayne Burley | 5 | 2.12 | ||
| 22 | STESSCO: Craig Simmons & Stephen Kanowski | 4 | 2.11 | ||
| 23 | ECOGEAR/ SPRINGWOOD MARINE: Gavin Dunne & Colin Singleton | 5 | 2.06 | ||
| 24 | SHIMANO: Mark Dunphy & Brett Wilson | 3 | 1.99 | ||
| 25 | ECOGEAR/ YAMATOYO: Tony Shao & Lance Sulkowski | 3 | 1.51 | ||
| 26 | RACK HACKS: Mike Connolly & Mark Lawson | 3 | 1.26 | ||
| 27 | CREW MAN: Chris Deland & Mick Walsh | 2 | 0.92 | ||
| 28 | FULLBOAR/ SPORTFISHING BOATS & FGI: Tyson Detheridge & Kevin Olsen | 2 | 0.9 | ||
| 29 | BLACK DIAMOND RODS: Trevor Stead & Luke Goodworth | 1 | 0.58 | ||
| 30 | THE MEN FROM MARZ/ THE FISHERMAN'S WAREHOUSE: Tom Weiers & Steele Lambert | 1 | 0.5 | ||
| Overall Biggest Fish | |||||
| Place | Team | Biggest Fish | Payout | ||
| 1 | SPORTSFISH.COM/ BLAKES MARINE: Chris Wright & Kaj Busch | 1.99 | $2,500 | ||
| 2 | HOWARD HOMES/ CULPRIT SWIM FIN GRUBS: Andrew Howard & David Otway | ||||
| 2 | BELLVEUE HOTEL, PORT MAQUARIE TACKLE, TUCKER WAGON ROAD HOUSE: Murray Allport & Wayne Burley | ||||
| 2 | ECOGEAR/ TACKLE TACTICS: Jay Morgan & Dan Stead | ||||
| 2 | ECOGEAR/ YAMATOYO: Tony Shao & Lance Sulkowski | ||||
| 2 | MAKO: John Schofield & Kevin Gleed | ||||
| 2 | JOINT EFFORT: Ross Lamotte & Chris Martin | ||||
| 2 | RACK HACKS: Mike Connolly & Mark Lawson | ||||
| 2 | FULLBOAR/ SPORTFISHING BOATS & FGI: Tyson Detheridge & Kevin Olsen | ||||
| 2 | MILLERODS: Travis Davies & Trent Short | ||||
| 2 | SHIMANO: Mark Dunphy & Brett Wilson | ||||
| 2 | SQUIDGY: Steve Starling & David Seaman | ||||
| 2 | OKUMA/ BREAMMASTER.COM: David Welfare & Ira Fehlberg | ||||
| 2 | NILPEST SERVICES/ PRIORITY BULIDING SERVICES: Peter Kelleher & Russell Babekuhl | ||||
| 2 | ATTACK BOATS: Trent Butler & Drew Griffith | ||||
| 2 | BLACK DIAMOND RODS: Trevor Stead & Luke Goodworth | ||||
| 2 | DAIRY FARMERS: Craig Wilson & Darby Wilson | ||||
| 2 | ATOMIC: Tim Morgan & Alistair Whitehead | ||||
| 2 | TEAM SMAK 2: Mathew Mott & Scott Lear | ||||
| 2 | STESSCO: Craig Simmons & Stephen Kanowski | ||||
| 2 | CREW MAN: Chris Deland & Mick Walsh | ||||
| 2 | ECOGEAR/ SPRINGWOOD MARINE: Gavin Dunne & Colin Singleton | ||||
| 2 | MANNING RIVER MARINE/ CROWDY BAY FISHING CHARTERS: Kristoffer Hickson & Martin Richardson | ||||
| 2 | WIGGLE FIN ACTION DISC: Mark Mangold & Scott Towner | ||||
| 2 | SHIPTON TRADING: Richard Hanley & Clayton Gusmerini | ||||
| 2 | TEAM SMAK 1: Peter Morgan & Dave Robinson | ||||
| 2 | THE MEN FROM MARZ/ THE FISHERMAN'S WAREHOUSE: Tom Weiers & Steele Lambert | ||||
| 2 | SHIMANO: Mark Mikkelson & Chad Rogers | ||||
| 2 | FOSTER BEACH CARAVAN PARK: Michael Metcalfe & Chris Metcalfe | ||||
| 2 | BARCLAY MARINE: Max Frost & Josh Batterson | ||||