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2009 Ford Ranger BREAM Grand Final - Final Results and Story
#549 - 0--bream--2009 Ford Ranger BREAM Grand Final - Final Results and Story--2009-10-31 15:36:31
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BREAM Grand Final victory.
Held on the iconic Sydney Harbour waterways, Morgan
consistently produced over the three days of the event, accruing a tournament
limit 5/5 each session and accounting for his nearest competitor by more than a
kilo.
Fishing his first ever ABT BREAM Grand Final, Morgan used his knowledge
of the vast Sydney Harbour system to adapt and overcome the often
challenging conditions. - With tournament
days producing temperatures in the high twenties and clear conditions
making
the bream increasingly more wary, anglers struggled to produce
consistent
results over the three days of the tournament.
Following a successful pre-fish, confidence was high heading out for the start of the
tournament. Having achieved consistent finishes in the Australian Open held at
the same venue, Morgan understood the ever changing nature of Sydney Harbour
and felt equipped to deal with the challenges. Yet early on day 1, the fishing
was proving difficult and mid way through the first session winning the event
was the furthest thing on his mind.
“After bombing out in Middle
Harbour – where I thought that an
influx of dirty water would bring the bream on the bite – I reverted to spots
in the Parramatta
River where I’d landed
bream in previous Australian Opens. At midday, there were three small fish in
the livewell – mostly landed off moored boats in the Lane Cove river,” he
explained.
“So we
continued cycling through potential patterns – crankbaiting flats and points
and throwing stickbaits at boats, but it all seemed shut down”.
The final
pattern he tried involved casting crankbaits parallel to the pylons on the
brides at Putney. It got him out of jail in the last hour of fishing and a
couple of kicker fish made the limit competitive. He ended the day in 6th.
Day two,
Morgan headed straight to the bridges and put two fish in the livewell early,
completing the limit when the tide turned and the current picked up.
He fished
Atomic Hardz Deep Crank 38s in a custom colour ‘pimped’ by Dan Stead and also
the BBGill factory-colour on 4lb Yamatoyo Spinning Fluoro. It was spooled on a
Daiwa Luvias 1003 strapped to a Millerods Pro Lite built Loomis S842 blank.
Entering the
final day with an 800 gram deficit in second place, he decided to spend the
first two hours searching for kicker fish before hitting the bridges after the
turn of the tide.
Cranking the
wharves in Balls Head bay, he added a 700 gram fish and lost a couple of lures
to unstoppables, before returning to the bridges and filling his limit in quick
time, upgrading five times on his way to a 3.26kg limit and the tournament
victory.
“Plenty of
anglers fished the bridges, but I assume that most did it with vibration baits
or soft plastic presentations. I was happy to fish the structure after other
anglers, as I was only targeting bream in the top few feet of the water
column,” Morgan added.
“And each day
the fish changed – one day, they’d like the bait coming up-current and the next
they would only eat it coming with the tide – but once I worked out their
preference for the day, the limits came easily. It’s exciting fishing!”
Holding the
prized BREAM Grand Final trophy aloft for the assembled crowd, Morgan received
a rapturous applause. Having conquered the field of anglers, comprising no less
than six previous Grand Final winners, Morgan was gracious in victory and
thanked all those individuals and companies that had supported the ABT and
tournament fishing in general.
Finishing in
second place was the 2007 Grand Final victor, Ben Godfrey with 13/15, 7.64kg.
Leading after day two, Godfrey was unable to produce the fish on the final day
leaving the door open for a fast finishing Morgan. Godfrey explains, “Each day
I was getting 5-6 bites and converting them into fish. On the final day I lost
two fish that could have made the difference”.
Fishing poles
outside Walsh Bay Marina, Godfrey would target areas of shade where the bream
were holding. Using a trimmed 3” Berkley Minnow Grub in Banana Prawn or Camo
colour rigged on a 1/16th Nitro jighead with size 1 hook, Godfrey
would put in long casts to the poles. “The bream would be in the first 4 foot
of the water column. Bites would come as the lure was on the drop normally in
the first three seconds” explains Godfrey.
When the poles
went quiet, Godfrey would travel to numerous ferry docks and moored pontoons,
where shaded areas were targeted. “I would get around 1-2 fish from each spot
before moving on. I would try to rotate spots so that if I returned there was a
chance that they had replenished”, Godfrey explains his pattern.
Godfrey’s
outfit consisted of a G. Loomis DSR 820 GLX rod teamed with a Daiwa Sol 200
reel spooled with 10lb Sunline Castaway braid and 5lb Sunline FC Rock leader.
When the bites slowed Godfrey would reduce his leader to Sunline 3lb FC Rock
and jighead to a finer gauge hook.
“I knew it
would be tough. Grinding it out each day was par for the course. Unfortunately
I couldn’t get those fish to stick on the final day and the opportunity was
lost. That’s fishing and it just wasn’t meant to be. Nevertheless I was very
happy with my performance this year and look forward to putting in another 100%
come 2010”.
Champion
non-boater was taken out by Taree local Bradley Worboys. Picking up a 40HP
Mercury outboard for his efforts, Worboys was elated at his victory and thanked
his boaters for each session. Worboys also extended thanks to those anglers and
individuals whom had helped him throughout 2009.
Fishing with
Darren “Dizzy” Borg on day 1 Worboys targeted reefs and boat hulls down river
of the Harbour Bridge. Using a 2” Berkley Gulp Shrimp
in Banana Prawn rigged on a 1/12th Nitro jighead, Worboys would cast
tight to boat hulls. After letting the lure sink to the bottom, Worboys would
then employ a slow lift. Bites would often come as the lure was lifted from the
bottom.
Fishing with
Chris “Slick” Wright on day 2 Worboys travelled to Blackwattle Bay
to target pontoons and trawlers. Downsizing the presentation to a
1/50th Nitro jighead rigged on a 2” Berkley Gulp Shrimp in Pepper Prawn
colour,
Worboys again targeted shaded areas with a sink and twitch technique.
Worboys outfit
consisted of a Daiwa Limited Edition ABT 10th Anniversary Sol rod
teamed with a 1500 Daiwa Tierra reel spooled with 4lb Berkley Fireline Crystal
and 4lb Sunline FC Rock leader.
“This result
is absolutely great. I am stoked. The Mercury motor is great and provides a
great platform to head into 2010 as a boater. I am already checking out boat
options!”
Sponsors
Mercury and Ecogear entertained and educated the Darling Harbour
crowd throughout the tournament. Drawing a crowd of interested locals and
tourists alike, the tournament provided a massive platform to promote the sport
of tournament fishing. With unprecedented exposure to the public and an energetic
Cockle Bay
as the backdrop to the heated action on the water, ABT pulled no punches in showcasing
Australia’s
best bream fisherman in their natural habitat.
2010 rapidly
approaches with new challenges and species to conquer. For those anglers
chomping at the bit, the Tournament Angler Guide (TAG) with the official ABT 2010
calendar, will be gracing letterboxes of ABT members from January 2010.If you
are interested in becoming involved in the sport of tournament fishing, check
out www.bream.com.au or contact ABT on
07 3387 0888 (B/H) for more information.
| 2009 Ford Ranger BREAM Grand Final Boater Results | |||||||||||
| Place | Angler | State | F1 | W1 | F2 | W2 | F3 | W3 | TF | TW | Payout |
| 1 | Steve MORGAN | QLD | 5 | 2.56 | 5 | 2.94 | 5 | 3.26 | 15 | 8.76 | $10,000 & 50hp Mercury Outboard ($8,699) |
| 2 | Ben GODFREY | Qld | 5 | 2.86 | 5 | 3.5 | 3 | 1.28 | 13 | 7.64 | Lowrance HDS-5M Sounder |
| 3 | Scott TOWNER | NSW | 5 | 2.56 | 4 | 1.9 | 5 | 3 | 14 | 7.46 | Millerod Bream Buster |
| 4 | Chris WRIGHT | NSW | 5 | 2.14 | 5 | 2.72 | 5 | 2.36 | 15 | 7.22 | Lowrance HDS-5X Sounder |
| 5 | Darren BORG | QLD | 5 | 3.22 | 2 | 1.18 | 4 | 2.3 | 11 | 6.7 | Engel 67lt esky |
| 6 | Kristoffer HICKSON | NSW | 5 | 2.36 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 1.04 | 12 | 6.4 | |
| 7 | Scott LEAR | NSW | 5 | 2.8 | 5 | 2.4 | 3 | 1.14 | 13 | 6.34 | |
| 8 | Scott BUTLER | QLD | 5 | 2.5 | 3 | 2.12 | 2 | 0.94 | 10 | 5.56 | |
| 9 | Stephen DUFF | Vic | 5 | 3.76 | 4 | 1.52 | 9 | 5.28 | |||
| 10 | Tristan TAYLOR | Qld | 3 | 1.32 | 4 | 2.46 | 3 | 1.2 | 10 | 4.98 | |
| 11 | Russell BABEKUHL | NSW | 4 | 1.78 | 3 | 1.56 | 3 | 1.46 | 10 | 4.8 | |
| 12 | David WELFARE | NSW | 2 | 0.7 | 5 | 3.12 | 2 | 0.96 | 9 | 4.78 | |
| 13 | Chris RUSSELL | NSW | 4 | 2.08 | 4 | 2.52 | 8 | 4.6 | |||
| 14 | Martin RICHARDSON | NSW | 5 | 2.14 | 4 | 2.12 | 1 | 0.34 | 10 | 4.6 | |
| 15 | Warren CARTER | Vic | 4 | 2.42 | 3 | 1.76 | 1 | 0.36 | 8 | 4.54 | |
| 16 | Adam WARD | NSW | 4 | 2.82 | 1 | 0.4 | 2 | 1.12 | 7 | 4.34 | |
| 17 | Tim MORGAN | QLD | 1 | 0.32 | 5 | 3.04 | 2 | 0.88 | 8 | 4.24 | |
| 18 | Wayne REED | NSW | 5 | 2.38 | 3 | 1.12 | 1 | 0.54 | 9 | 4.04 | |
| 19 | Chris CLEAVER | NSW | 5 | 2.14 | 2 | 0.82 | 1 | 0.38 | 8 | 3.34 | |
| 20 | Graham FRANKLIN | NSW | 3 | 1.7 | 3 | 1.28 | 6 | 2.98 | |||
| 21 | Richard POTTER | NSW | 5 | 2.36 | 1 | 0.58 | 6 | 2.94 | |||
| 22 | Gavin DUNNE | QLD | 3 | 1.16 | 3 | 1.7 | 6 | 2.86 | |||
| 23 | Jesse ROTIN | VIC | 1 | 0.68 | 5 | 2.02 | 6 | 2.7 | |||
| 24 | Darryl SCHRODER | WA | 3 | 1.74 | 2 | 0.88 | 5 | 2.62 | |||
| 25 | Matthew FINNEY | NSW | 2 | 1.16 | 2 | 1.46 | 4 | 2.62 | |||
| 26 | Spiro SPYROPOULOS | VIC | 2 | 0.86 | 4 | 1.74 | 6 | 2.6 | |||
| 27 | Michael HORN | QLD | 4 | 1.58 | 2 | 0.9 | 6 | 2.48 | |||
| 28 | Adam SCZEPANIAK | NSW | 5 | 2.3 | 5 | 2.3 | |||||
| 29 | William LEE | QLD | 4 | 1.9 | 1 | 0.4 | 5 | 2.3 | |||
| 30 | Steve STEER | TAS | 4 | 2.08 | 4 | 2.08 | |||||
| 31 | Shaun CLANCY | VIC | 4 | 1.9 | 4 | 1.9 | |||||
| 32 | Brad HODGES | VIC | 3 | 1.88 | 3 | 1.88 | |||||
| 33 | Jay PERHAM | QLD | 2 | 1.1 | 2 | 0.76 | 4 | 1.86 | |||
| 34 | Andrew AXON | ACT | 1 | 0.46 | 3 | 1.32 | 4 | 1.78 | |||
| 35 | Matt FRASER | QLD | 1 | 0.64 | 2 | 1.14 | 3 | 1.78 | |||
| 36 | Nigel WEBSTER | QLD | 2 | 1.16 | 1 | 0.6 | 3 | 1.76 | |||
| 37 | Ben SCULLIN | Vic | 1 | 0.92 | 2 | 0.82 | 3 | 1.74 | |||
| 38 | Tom DEER | SA | 4 | 1.66 | 4 | 1.66 | |||||
| 39 | Dean TRUMAN | SA | 3 | 1.6 | 3 | 1.6 | |||||
| 40 | Murray JEFFERY | WA | 3 | 1.48 | 3 | 1.48 | |||||
| 41 | David MCKENZIE | Qld | 3 | 1.38 | 3 | 1.38 | |||||
| 42 | Craig SIMMONS | QLD | 1 | 0.5 | 2 | 0.8 | 3 | 1.3 | |||
| 43 | Steve ELDRED | QLD | 3 | 1.28 | 3 | 1.28 | |||||
| 44 | Anthony THORPE | NSW | 2 | 1.26 | 2 | 1.26 | |||||
| 45 | Steve GILL | NSW | 2 | 1.18 | 2 | 1.18 | |||||
| 46 | Wayne FRIEBE | Vic | 1 | 1.16 | 1 | 1.16 | |||||
| 47 | Peter DEGROOT | WA | 1 | 0.42 | 1 | 0.62 | 2 | 1.04 | |||
| 48 | Peter MACOR | NSW | 1 | 0.84 | 1 | 0.84 | |||||
| 49 | Michael STARKEY | NSW | 1 | 0.4 | 1 | 0.4 | |||||
| 50 | Stephen TRACEY | Qld | 1 | 0.35 | 1 | 0.35 | |||||
| 51 | David O'REILLY | WA | |||||||||
| 51 | Shaun CHAPMAN | NSW | |||||||||
| 2009 Ford Ranger BREAM Grand Final Non-Boater Results | |||||||||||
| Place | Angler | State | F1 | W1 | F2 | W2 | F3 | W3 | TF | TW | Payout |
| 1 | Bradley WORBOYS | NSW | 5 | 3.22 | 5 | 2.72 | 10 | 5.94 | |||
| 2 | Matthew SMITH | SA | 5 | 2.8 | 5 | 3.12 | 10 | 5.92 | |||
| 3 | Tom MCLEAN | NSW | 5 | 2.3 | 5 | 3.04 | 10 | 5.34 | |||
| 4 | Daniel BRAY | NSW | 5 | 2.56 | 4 | 2.52 | 9 | 5.08 | |||
| 5 | Michael MILBURN | NSW | 5 | 3.76 | 2 | 1.14 | 7 | 4.9 | |||
| 6 | Brodie CUMINS | WA | 3 | 1.7 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 4.7 | |||
| 7 | Gene WARD | Qld | 3 | 1.16 | 5 | 3.5 | 8 | 4.66 | |||
| 8 | Mike SUTCLIFFE | 5 | 2.14 | 4 | 2.46 | 9 | 4.6 | ||||
| 9 | Grayson FONG | Qld | 5 | 2.86 | 3 | 1.7 | 8 | 4.56 | |||
| 10 | Geoffrey BORG | NSW | 4 | 2.08 | 5 | 2.02 | 9 | 4.1 | |||
| 11 | Nabeel ISSA | Qld | 4 | 2.08 | 4 | 1.9 | 8 | 3.98 | |||
| 12 | Gary BROWN | NSW | 4 | 2.42 | 3 | 1.38 | 7 | 3.8 | |||
| 13 | Dale MULLINS | QLD | 4 | 1.58 | 3 | 2.12 | 7 | 3.7 | |||
| 14 | Paul MCCULLOUGH | WA | 5 | 2.36 | 3 | 1.28 | 8 | 3.64 | |||
| 15 | Kendall SOO | Qld | 1 | 0.68 | 5 | 2.94 | 6 | 3.62 | |||
| 16 | Vicki WINTER | NSW | 3 | 1.32 | 4 | 2.12 | 7 | 3.44 | |||
| 17 | Grant MANUSU | NSW | 5 | 2.5 | 2 | 0.9 | 7 | 3.4 | |||
| 18 | Tom SLATER | QLD | 5 | 2.14 | 2 | 1.18 | 7 | 3.32 | |||
| 19 | Chris ELLIOT | WA | 3 | 1.74 | 3 | 1.56 | 6 | 3.3 | |||
| 20 | Jordan FUSSELL | NSW | 5 | 2.36 | 2 | 0.82 | 7 | 3.18 | |||
| 21 | Troy VANKAMPEN | NSW | 5 | 2.38 | 2 | 0.76 | 7 | 3.14 | |||
| 22 | Tancredi RUBINICH | WA | 2 | 0.7 | 5 | 2.4 | 7 | 3.1 | |||
| 23 | Joel CORRIE | VIC | 4 | 2.82 | 4 | 2.82 | |||||
| 24 | Jim XYGA | VIC | 4 | 1.78 | 2 | 0.88 | 6 | 2.66 | |||
| 25 | Shaun EGAN | NSW | 5 | 2.56 | 5 | 2.56 | |||||
| 26 | Jonathan THOMPSON | NSW | 2 | 1.16 | 3 | 1.32 | 5 | 2.48 | |||
| 27 | Mark LAWSON | QLD | 2 | 1.16 | 2 | 1.26 | 4 | 2.42 | |||
| 28 | Brett BEATY | SA | 4 | 1.9 | 1 | 0.4 | 5 | 2.3 | |||
| 29 | Troy WHYTE | QLD | 2 | 1.1 | 3 | 1.12 | 5 | 2.22 | |||
| 30 | Jordan TRUSTY | VIC | 1 | 0.64 | 4 | 1.52 | 5 | 2.16 | |||
| 31 | Tony MOORE | QLD | 5 | 2.14 | 5 | 2.14 | |||||
| 32 | Rodney THORPE | NSW | 3 | 1.28 | 2 | 0.8 | 5 | 2.08 | |||
| 33 | Darryl BAIRD | Vic | 3 | 1.6 | 1 | 0.35 | 4 | 1.95 | |||
| 34 | Peter MUDDLE | NSW | 1 | 0.46 | 2 | 1.46 | 3 | 1.92 | |||
| 35 | Chris LONNE | QLD | 4 | 1.9 | 4 | 1.9 | |||||
| 36 | Vaughn LEWIS | NSW | 3 | 1.88 | 3 | 1.88 | |||||
| 37 | Gary CHUCK | SA | 3 | 1.76 | 3 | 1.76 | |||||
| 38 | Philip NIX | NSW | 4 | 1.74 | 4 | 1.74 | |||||
| 39 | Simon MCALPIN | NSW | 2 | 0.86 | 1 | 0.84 | 3 | 1.7 | |||
| 40 | Perrie THOMAS | NSW | 4 | 1.66 | 4 | 1.66 | |||||
| 41 | John-Paul CRONIN | SA | 1 | 0.42 | 1 | 1.16 | 2 | 1.58 | |||
| 42 | Shane HOLLANDS | NSW | 1 | 0.92 | 1 | 0.58 | 2 | 1.5 | |||
| 43 | Zig DOMAGALA | VIC | 3 | 1.48 | 3 | 1.48 | |||||
| 44 | Scott ANGEL | NSW | 2 | 1.18 | 2 | 1.18 | |||||
| 45 | Chris HILL | WA | 2 | 0.82 | 2 | 0.82 | |||||
| 47 | Mark LENNOX | NSW | 1 | 0.4 | 1 | 0.4 | 2 | 0.8 | |||
| 48 | Chris MAAS | Qld | 1 | 0.62 | 1 | 0.62 | |||||
| 49 | Szarn TINK | WA | 1 | 0.6 | 1 | 0.6 | |||||
| 50 | Trent FAHEY | NSW | 1 | 0.5 | 1 | 0.5 | |||||
| 51 | Nathan MCINNES | NSW | 1 | 0.32 | 1 | 0.32 | |||||
| 52 | Peter KELLEHER | NSW | |||||||||
