2024 ABT Tournament Angler Guide

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TASMANIAN TEAMS OPEN

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BREAM QUEENSLAND OPEN

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2024 calendar of events

Tournament Angler Guide 13 Fishing BASS Pro Series Qualifier Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Round 4 Round 5 Round 6

Grand Final Rapala Australian Open

Daiwa BREAM Series

BREAM QUEENSLAND OPEN

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TASMANIAN TEAMS OPEN

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Qualifier Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Round 4 Round 5 Round 6 Round 7 Round 8 Round 9

Grand Final Duo Tassie Teams Open Daiwa Australian Open Samaki Queensland Open

Zerek BARRA Series Event Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Round 4 Round 5 Round 6 Round 7

Venom Australian Open

2024 Bass Electric Tour Event Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Round 4 Round 5

Teams Round

Date 31 Jan/1 Feb 3/4 February 13/14 April 16/17 April 26/27 August 29/30 August

State VIC VIC NSW NSW QLD QLD

1-3 October NSW 29/29 September NSW

Lake St Clair Glenbawn Dam

Date 6/7 February 10/11 February 12/13 March 16/17 March 20/21 April 4/5 May 15/16 June 20/21 July 23/24 July

State VIC VIC TAS TAS WA NSW WA NSW NSW

Location Gippsland Lakes (Metung) Mallcaoota St Helens Derwent River (Bellrieve) Emu Point (Albany) Hawkesbury River (Pittwater) Blackwood River Richmond River (Ballina) Tweed River (Fingal Head)

Event Boat Round 1 Boat Round 2 Boat Round 3 Kayak Round 1 Kayak Round 2 Kayak Round 3

Kayak Grand Final Boat Grand Final

2024 Vic Bream Classics Event Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Round 4 Round 5 Grand Final

Event Social Round Round 1 Round 2 Round 4 Round 5 Round 6 Round 7 Round 7 Round 8

Location Lake Blue Rock Glenmaggie Dam Clarence River Richmond River Somerset Dam Wivenhoe Dam

29 Nov - 1 Dec 8 March 30 April - 2 May 1/2 June

NSW TAS NSW QLD

Lake Macquarie (Wangi Wangi) Huon River (Franklin) Sydney Harbour; Drummoyne Gold Coast / Moreton Bay

Date 13/14 September 13-14 October 15 October 11 November 12 November 14 November 16/17 November

State QLD QLD QLD QLD QLD QLD QLD

Location Monduran Dam 2N Lake Tinaroo 2N Lake Tinaroo O/N Teemburra Dam Kinchant Dam Peter Faust Dam O/N Peter Faust Dam 2N

16-18 September QLD

Awoonga Dam

www.basselectric.au Date 24 February 16 March 20 April 25 May 22 June

26 October

State QLD QLD NSW QLD QLD

QLD

Location Maroon Dam Hinze Dam Richmond River (Coraki) Wyaralong Dam Moogerah Dam

Bjelke Petersen Dam

Facebook: WA Bream Classics

2024 West Australian Bream Classics

Queensland Teams Series

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Date 23/24 March 9 June 13 October 10/11 February 18/19 May 15 October

Location Blackwood River Mandurah Swan River (Perth) Kalgan River (Albany) Blackwood River TBA

2/3 November 7/8 December

Swan River (Perth) Blackwood River

Date 23/24 March 4/5 May 15/16 June 17/18 August 12/13 October 23/24 November

Location Metungwww.vicbreamclassics.com.au Nelson Hopkins Mallacoota Marlo Nelson

Date 10 February 23 March 21 April 19 May 15 June 6 July 18 August 15 September 12 October

www.vicbreamclassics.com.au

State QLD NSW QLD QLD QLD NSW QLD QLD NSW

Facebook: Queensland Teams Series

Location Brisbane River (Colmslie Park) Tweed River (Fingal Head) Paradise Point Brisbane River (Colmslie Park) Jacobs Well Tweed River (Fingal Head) Jacobs Well Scarborough Tweed River (Fingal Head)

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Tournament Angler Guide

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Tournament Fishing Evolves Again in 2024 ABT

Steve Morgan s.morgan@fishingmonthly.com.au

At ABT, we try to evolve events to suit conditions - from how well the respective barra lakes are fishing through to formats that both keep anglers happy and progress the sport. It’s a fine line that we’ve learned to walk, through the GFC, COVID and over a handful of other promoters telling us that they were going to be the end of us.

2024 sees more evolution in what we do - some new and some recycled from past successes.

BREAM is back to Tasmania in 2024. The cadence of Tasmanian ABT legs to every second year has been a real success and has motivated the largest Tassie fields we’ve ever had. Keep an eye out for the Huon River trial event. This is a no entry fee test to see if we can use it as a future Tasmanian venue. Fish as a team with your mate and we’ll run it with the ABT app.

And we’ll scare up some prizes for y’all.

The BREAM and BASS Pro Grand Finals will adopt an 6 TAG 2024

identical 3-day format with all anglers fishing the first two days of competition. We’ll award the champion non-boater after the second day and then cut the field to at most the top half of the field for the final day.

This will feature boater-only plus observers.

We expect that we will be able to generate some excellent on-water coverage for our biggest payout events of the year.

Speaking of Grand Final payouts, we’re giving away bigger boats this year. There’s a pair of Alloycraft 498s already

on order that will be fitted with 90HP Mercury outboards and all of the fruit.

The BASS Electric series is going to live with the BlueFin team, who have already taken it under their wing and are looking to give it the time and attention it deserves. There’s only so much that we can do with the resources we have and letting this event leave home allows us to try and accelerate the improvement of our banner events a little quicker.

BARRA events will be capped at 50 boats in 2024. We had up to 46 in 2023 and we’re

at about the limit of what we can put on the lakes and still have an enjoyable experience.

Nobody really likes the 2 hour process to get all of the boats in and out of Peter Faust dam, but we’re willing to endure it for the quality of tournament fishing on offer.

We are also adding a Monduran Dam BARRA Series event to run hand-in-hand with the BARRA Australian Open. We’re due to cater for the new breed of Brisbane Barra Experts and y’all are welcome to come and fight for the trophy.

In 2024 BARRA Events will be capped at 50 boats - finding the balance between an awesome field of anglers and the limitations of boat ramp and parking at places like Peter Faust Dam.

BARRA Team of the Year will still be your best 5 finishes. It’ll give some teams the ability of drop a poor finish or two and the competition should be tight.

Scan for the ABT website - it got a facelift in 2023!

We are still sticking with plenty of double-header style events in the days of $2.30 per litre diesel. We know that it’s a balance between time and cost, but it allows people to get two events for one travel cost. If you can only make of of a doubleheader, that’s no worries! You’re welcome at any or all of the events through the season.

Finally, we’ve got with the times and now have an online entry form system that you can fill out once and tick multiple events. Anglers have been asking for it, so we hope that it meets your expectations.

AT the time of writing, early entries are at record levels, so something must be right.

Enjoy the Tournament Angler Guide and we look forward to seeing y’all on tour in 2024.

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Do Your Homework: Top Anglers Share How They Get ABT Tournament Ready ABT

Ryland Sainsbury

It’s an age-old question and one we as tournament anglers have heard in some variation time and time again. “Isn’t fishing just luck?” or, “how can you be ‘good’ at fishing tournaments?”

Well, it’s a fair point. How can someone be consistently good at a past-time that, to the public, is often accredited to just plain old ‘luck’?

To put it bluntly, if luck alone was all there is to it, we wouldn’t see the same faces on stage, relieving us of our cash and collecting trophies and badges time and time again. It would also mean that the anglers you’re going to hear from in this article would have all given up tournaments years ago and just played the lottery because they must be riddled with luck!

I digress, but the point is that the anglers at the top of their game aren’t relying on superstition and luck alone to get them over the line. So, if not good fortune, what sets them apart?

PREPARATION MEETS OPPORTUNITY In preparation for this article, I found a quote that I 8 TAG 2024

believe summed it up perfectly, it read, “Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.”

That’s it. It’s the not-sosimple science of preparation and execution and the steps these anglers take off the water are arguably more important than the ones they make on the water.

How prepared are you if you lose a propeller in a tournament session? Do you make the effort to scour contour maps and Google

Earth, finding new locations?

Do you keep what seems like a tackle shop in your garage?

How often do you fish in the lead up to an event?

These are all questions you might take into consideration if you’re looking to improve yourself towards the best tournament angler you can be.

In this article we’re endeavouring to peek into the minds of some of the most successful tournament BREAM, BASS and BARRA anglers in the country, to

see how their approach to preparation for an event sets them apart from the rest of us.

Or if they even prepare at all?

TOMMY WOOD The Sunshine Coast’s Tommy Wood has had a meteoric rise to the forefront of the Australian tournament scene. Now with four ABT tournament wins in Australia, two BARRA Series Team of the Year titles and, most remarkably, a win in the co-angler division of the Bassmaster Open at Wheeler

Main: Four time BASS Angler of the year Matthew Langford uses his boat for work and play, So he makes sure to go the extra mile to prepare for any unforeseen troubles. Above: Tommy Woods ability to plan, organise and execute at a tournament are beyond question. In 2023 He became the first Australian to win a Bassmaster open as a Co-angler in Wheeler Lake, Alabama.

Lake, Alabama in the USA earlier in 2023 - making him only the second Australian ever to win a Bassmaster event behind Carl Jocumsen. That’s elite company.

Tommy has a great fishing brain and a keen eye for

“ PREPARATION BEGINS AS SOON AS THE TOUR DATES ARE ANNOUNCED FOR THE YEAR ” detail which translates into his approach to tournament preparation.

He begins preparing in his head for the events as soon as the tour dates are announced for the year.

“Straight away when the dates are announced for the year I can start thinking about where the fish will be sitting in the dam and how they will be feeding at that time of year, just based off experience and knowledge. I can also research moon phase and bite times for those specific dates,” he explained.

Unlike the BREAM and BASS events spread across the year where anglers can plan and prepare for a single event at one location at a

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abt time, the whole BARRA tour happens fast, usually with three or four events over a two-week period all in different locations.

On one hand, this gives anglers the whole year to strategise and prepare for the flurry of events. But, on the other hand, it also means there isn’t enough time between events to account for Boat, motor, trailer, or tackle failure; everything must be ready to go again.

Out of the BREAM, BASS and BARRA events ABT runs, I doubt many would argue against the fact that Barramundi are by far the most unforgiving of the three when it comes to tackle. They’ve earned their reputation worldwide as a sportfish because of their propensity to expose every weakness in your hardware that they possibly can.

As such, before the tour Tommy changes all the braided main lines on his reels. This mainline usually only lasts one or two events before being changed again to ensure 100% peace of mind. Leaders also MUST be changed after each event.

Keeping bulk supplies of heavy-duty split rings and trebles (approximately 3-4 boxes of each size, he says) also means he doesn’t have to think twice about replacing all the old hardware on every lure he’s thrown after each event.

“Rolled hook points and bent trebles will 100% cost you fish if you get lazy and don’t change them over,” said Tommy.

This process is time consuming, so he usually makes sure all this tackle preparation is completed at least two weeks prior to the events so he wastes less time doing it in the short gaps between events.

A very methodical angler, approximately three weeks out from the events, before any tackle preparation, Tommy will spend roughly three days servicing his outboard, replacing all oil, spark plugs and filters as well as checking all navigation lights and replacing the trailer bearings.

A process made slightly easier for Tommy due to the fact he works as a marine electrician, but still, something we should all consider when organising our vessels.

MATT LANGFORD All the anglers I interviewed agreed on most 10 TAG 2024

Tournament Angler Guide

Before and after - this is what Tommy’s tackle prep for the BARRA tour looks like! topics we discussed regarding event preparation: rods must be rigged and ready to go days prior, batteries must be charged, sounders updated, however one thing resonated more than anything else.

“Nothing will ruin a competition faster than Boat, motor, or trailer issues,” Matt said.

The four-time BASS Angler of the year winner also owns and operates his own charter business so it’s safe to say he’s had his fair share of inconveniences in this department. This explains why has gone to lengths most of us wouldn’t even consider, to ensure he is prepared for any nasty situation on the water.

“Being on the water three or four days a week doing charters, I’ve pretty much had every worst-case scenario thrown at me. If it can be broken, I’ve broken it,” he explained. Which is why Langford now ensures he has spares of nearly all moving parts on the boat.

This includes keeping a spare stainless-steel prop, prop nut, spanner and block of wood to change props on his outboard should he lose or damage one. A spare prop, nut and shear pin for his electric

motor, a spare pull cord for the electric motor, spare lanyards for his kill switch and a spare box of fuses. If things break you also need tools to fix them,

“ NOTHING WILL RUIN A TOURNAMENT FASTER THAN BOAT, MOTOR OR TRAILER ISSUES ”

so Matt keeps a small toolbox handy as well with all the necessary tools to fix things on the fly.

Most of us know these

are common things that can break, but how many of us can honestly say we go to the lengths to prepare ourselves for this worst-case scenario?

“When things go wrong on tournament day – and I’ve had it happen - you need to be prepared to get yourself out of trouble quickly and having these things on hand will have you back fishing quickly, while someone less organised might lose the whole day and any hope of a good result,” explained Langford.

Another small tool Langford uses in preparing for an event is his social network.

abt.org.au Using social media, he can keep his finger on the pulse of each impoundment in the lead up to an event and remain in touch with locals that might be able to give him some insight as to what the fishing has been like. This can help greatly when it comes to lure selection and planning.

MARK CROMPTON ‘Crommo’ has been around the ABT circuit for about 15 years now, making him a veteran of the BREAM series and in 2023 he finally added the title of Grand Final Champion to his extensive resume.

These days, Crommo is a family man and takes a much more relaxed approach to his preparation for an event than when he was younger, choosing instead to focus more on enjoying a relaxing weekend away with friends and family.

Tournament fishing can be as mentally draining as it can be physically, so a lot of emphasis can be put on the importance of a good head space coming into an event. By focusing more on enjoying the social aspect of fishing tournaments and enjoying it as a getaway rather than stressing out over the finer details, Crommo goes into an event with a clear mind which he believes helps him perform much better.

He instead chooses to rely more on the depth of his knowledge from tournaments past and roll with the punches on the day.

“I’ve fished every venue ABT routinely visits now, so I have a really good idea of what the fish are going to do just from my experience from years prior. So, nowadays my tournament prep is digging through the memory

Family man and 2023 BREAM Grand final Mark Crompton (pictured with wife Danielle and son Alvey) talks of the importance of a positive mental attitude in his approach to a tournament.

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abt bank to recall where they should be and what they might eat”.

Fortunate enough to fish out of the Daiwa stable, Mark Crompton has an almost warehouse-like approach to his tackle inventory.

Generally fishing once-aweek at least, it is easy for him to go through some terminal tackle. As such, Crommo has taken it upon himself to turn his garage into a miniature tackle shop.

He went into detail about his system by saying “I have pegboards setup in the shed with all my jigheads, soft plastics and lures I use the most, organised in order from smallest to largest and colours from lightest to darkest. That way whenever I get home from a day’s fishing and I’ve used something up, I can grab it straight off the shelf and re-stock the boat”.

With the advent of the app-based events, another piece of advice Crommo offers to up-and-coming boaters is to get a USB port installed on the

Tournament Tournament Angler Angler Guide Guide during the session. While they may seem like insignificant details, they all add up to make an insurmountable difference on comp day.

JAMIE McKEOWN Much like his bream counterpart Mark Crompton, the current 2023 BREAM Angler Of the Year Jamie McKeown has been around the scene long enough that he doesn’t have to overcomplicate things in his preparation - such is the luxury of experience.

Apart from the obvious, having rods rigged and tackle organised before the event, Jamie explained that he only checks the tide and the moon phase for each event once the dates have been announced, just so he can start to plan how and where he will fish. He takes a slightly more tech savvy approach to his preparation.

With the introduction of the new Humminbird Coastmaster charts, McKeown has been able to take a far more detailed look at the arena he will be fishing.

“I use the Coastmaster

Jamie McKeown took out another Angler of the Year title in 2023 by making the most of the modern technology available. console so you can keep your phone charged throughout the day. Otherwise, something as simple as a flat phone may ruin your event if you can’t log your catches into the app.

On top of that, it pays to keep an umbrella in the boat or just to make sure you have a dry spot to sit down and log catches if it happens to rain 12 TAG 2024

maps together with Google Earth to try and find spots that I can tell look good and that are more out of the way.

Places where I know other competitors won’t fish or would possibly drive right past,” McKeown explained.

“These days I’m always looking for new areas I can have to myself instead of fishing

abt.org.au abt.org.au

Deja Vu? Back-to-Back Grand final champion Braden Schuch speaks of the importance of spending time on the water in preparation for an event. the same spots everyone knows and ending up on top of people. I did it a lot this year and although I didn’t have any wins, it worked enough to get me consistent placings and win the AOY trophy”.

The advantage of the Coastmaster maps is that they show extreme detail of the bottom and all contours within a system, however they don’t show bottom structure. This is where Google Earth comes in. He uses satellite images on google earth or SIXmaps in NSW, to check the bottom structure of the areas he found in the charts.

This way he can tell if the area is sand, weed, mud, rock or reef which ultimately decides – based off his experience – if it’s worth fishing or not.

BRADEN SCHUCH Winning an ABT BASS Grand Final is one of the highest peaks you can summit as a tournament angler in Australia and for most of us, winning one alone would be a lifetime achievement. But in 2023 Braden Schuch did the unbelievable and became the first back-to-back BASS Grand Final Champion.

Braden’s approach to physical preparation is very generic in that it probably doesn’t differ too greatly from how you or I would prepare.

He has rods rigged and ready to go, tackle organised, he’s researched the arenas and his bags are packed.

The only real difference, he explains, is that he prepares for two events at a time instead of just one. Asked why he looks at them as pair rather than singles, he explained: “There’s lots of double-header events in the BASS series and usually the year can be broken down into two Victorian rounds, two NSW rounds and two Queensland rounds. Most of the impoundments are only a stone’s throw from each other and they usually follow the same patterns in one as they do in the other”.

For this reason, it makes sense to prepare for two rounds at a time rather than just taking

“ THERE IS NO SUBSTITUTE FOR TIME ON THE WATER ” it a single round at a time as most of the techniques translate.

However, Grand Final preparation looks a little different.

If there’s one event you want to leave it all out on the table, it’s the Grand Final.

You’ve already done the hard work to qualify and it’s the very last event of the year so it

makes sense to leave it all on the table, which is exactly the mindset Braden carries into Grand Finals.

“I’m usually a bit more cautious during qualifying rounds but Grand Final time I throw caution to the wind.

There’s no point trying to play it safe you just have to leave it all out on the table and hunt for big fish, so I change my mindset to take bigger risks” he explained.

The last point we touched on, which Braden hammered home, was one I heard emphasised from every single angler I interviewed.

“There is absolutely no substitute for time on the water”.

Growing up, he would spend every single weekend at Borumba dam on the Sunshine Coast where he sharpened the skills that have carried him to two Grand Final victories.

Much like a runner training for a marathon, time on the water is invaluable practice for a tournament angler as it gives us the opportunity to try new techniques and products while keeping in tune with the target species.

While Braden doesn’t get to fish socially as much as he used to, he agrees wholeheartedly that getting out and fishing as much as possible will make you a better tournament angler.

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Tournament must haves for 2024!

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We have a saying at ABT. It’s two words - “Sponsor Karma”. It describes the disproportionately large number of times an event sponsor’s angler or product leads or wins an ABT event.

It happend all the time.

If you want to partake in some Sponsor Karma yourself, simply buy ABT sponsor products! They represent the top shelf of BREAM, BASS and BARRA gear.

Here’s your 2024 shopping list!

Bait Junkie Jigheads MSRP $10.99 Rapala CrushCity Creeper MSRP $11.95

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Duo Ryuki MDF 50mm MSRP $23.99 Rapala CrushCity Imposter MSRP $11.95

Bassday Surface Popper 75mm MSRP $22.95

Zipbaits Khamsin Jr Dr 40mm MSRP $29.50 Daiwa Bait Junkie Prawn MSRP $11.99

Ecogearaqua Bream Prawn MSRP $15.99/pk

TT Switchprawn+ 37mm MSRP $15.95 Fishcraft Dr Prawn MSRP from $17.95

Maui Jim Mamalu Bay MSRP $356

Daiwa Bait Junkie 2.95” Flick MSRP $11.99

Shimano Environet MSRP from $69.99

Rapala Shadow Rap Fat Jack MSRP $22.95

Outback Breamer Baits Muss MSRP from $26.50 Barambah DETON8OR 58mm MSRP $24.95

Daiwa 23 Infeed Ex MSRP from $549 14 TAG 2024

XBraid Olltolos Shangrilla Braid MSRP $49.95

Cranka Minnow 59mm Deep MSRP $20.95

Samaki Zing Xtreme V3 MSRP from $249.95

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Ecogear ZX40 MSRP $21.99

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Samaki Redic MF50 MSRP from $17.95

Shimano Environet MSRP from $69.99 Zipbaits Khamsin Jr Dr 50mm MSRP $29.50

Rapala Shad Rap Elite 55mm MSRP $26.95 Duo Ryuki MDF 70mm MSRP $23.99 Duo Realis Shinmushi MSRP $23.99

Bassman Spinnerbaits Mumbler Jaw Knocker 5/8oz MSRP $20.99

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Barambah DETON8OR 68mm MSRP $24.95

Sunline X Plasma Asegai PEx8 MSRP $49 16 TAG 2024

Zman 2.5” Slim Swim MSRP $13.95/pk with TT Demonz Jighead MSRP $12.95/pk

Bassman TW MSRP $16.95

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Kong KVD Electronics Mount MSRP $750

Garmin GPSMAP 8412xsv MSRP $4999

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Atomic Realbaitz from MSRP $20.50 Zerek Affinity 160 MSRP $TBA

TT Quake 95mm MSRP $19.95

VMC 8527 Fish - Fighter 6x Strong Trebles from MSRP $8.95/pk

Shimano Environet MSRP from $69.99

Atomic Hardz Slim Twitcher Deep from MSRP $27.50

Fishcraft Dr Shad MSRP from $13.95

Samaki Redic DS80 MSRP from $25.99

Venom Target Rod MSRP from $489.99

Zman 6” Herculez MSRP $17.95

Molix 130 Glide Bait MSRP $39.95 Molix Shad 140 MSRP $16.95

Maui Jim - Amberjack MSRP $356 Molix Trago 65 MSRP $19.95

Rapala X-Rap Peto 14 MSRP $35.95

Rapala CrushCity Heavy Hitter MSRP $35.95

Zerek Fish Trap MSRP $22.95 Zerek Live Mullet MSRP $17.99

Bone Espybarra 176F MSRP $TBA 18 TAG 2024

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TAG 2024

19

abt

Tournament Angler Guide

abt.org.au

The Barramundi Experience: A Canadian’s Dream Fishing Trip ABT

Jeff Gustafson

I can still remember the first bite I got from a barramundi very well. It was a couple of hours into my first session on Kinchant Dam in November 2022. The bite almost ripped the rod out of my hand and in the moonlight, I can still see the fish jumping five feet in the air. I had never hooked a fish like that before.

Carl Jocumsen and I had made the trek across the Pacific Ocean, Carl from the USA and I, from Canada and we were there to compete in a few 2022 BARRA Tour events.

While we knew each other in passing from fishing against each other in the U.S. for several years, Carl and I really hit it off in 2019 while competing on the Bassmaster Elite Series.

We have become best friends and work together as much as we can on the Elite Series. We trust each other and it has worked out well. We have learned a lot from each other over the past few years.

In July of 2022, Carl invited me to come and join him for the BARRA Tour events and I jumped at the opportunity.

20 TAG 2024

I’m always up for an adventure and some fishing competition.

November in central Canada is also a great time for me to travel because winter is setting in, our lakes are freezing over and there isn’t a lot of fishing going on.

Carl and I had a great time visiting Australia, fishing the events and I especially enjoyed meeting all of the anglers.

There are some real characters who fish the BARRA Tour and it’s a great group overall.

After having such a good time in 2022, I was committed

to coming back again this past year. It’s a bit of a project to get from Canada to Australia but after that, Steve and Nicholle from ABT really made everything pretty easy. I owe them a good time over in Canada some day!

I had the good fortune of winning the Bassmaster Classic back in March. It is the biggest event in bass fishing over in North America, so that gave me a little bit of freedom to come back again.

The group of Aussies who

came over for the Classic to support Carl were a really fun part of the celebration after the tournament and I told Steve then that I was back in for 2023 if we could make it work.

Carl was unable to make it in 2023 so I invited my friend Bryan Gustafson. He owns one of the top fishing stores in Canada and is a long-time fishing buddy, so we jumped on a flight and showed up to fish. While our results in 2023 were not as good as Carl and I did the year before, we had an

Main: We have excellent fishing over in Canada but we have nothing in freshwater that fights like barra do! Above: Carl and I had a great time visiting Australia.

amazing trip and so much fun.

The ten days of fishing went by so fast.

When I look back at the fishing in 2023, it was a little bit different than what we experienced in 2022. Carl and I caught nearly all over our fish on swimbaits, casting around grass lines. This year, it just felt a lot harder to catch those fish on all three dams. We could see a lot of them on Humminbird 360 and Mega Live but they just seemed much harder to catch.

While we were competing, it quickly became apparent that most of the anglers that were scoring the best results were catching suspended barra over the basins, especially at Kinchant and Faust. We have seen the explosion of live sonar go off over here in North America over the past few years and the same thing has happened in Australia.

It will be interesting to see what happens in the coming years, if these fish that are out in open water that were never really targeted by anglers in the past, start to smarten up and get harder to catch or if they move back into cover where they can hide.

We mixed up our techniques, casting swimbaits

Tournament Angler Guide

abt.org.au around grasslines and points some, while also trying to catch some of the suspended basin fish. At Faust especially, it seemed like if you weren’t targeting those basin fish, you were not going to be competitive.

We spent most of our time at Faust doing that and what we learned is that we still have a lot to learn to keep up with the Aussie anglers. It was very impressive how many fish the top teams were catching.

One of the first things that I learned last year is that if you have any weak points in your tackle or equipment, these fish will expose them.

Carl and I blew up split rings, straightened out treble hooks and broke lines last year, especially during the first few sessions we spent on the water.

There were some real heartbreakers.

Returning this year, we had a little better idea of the tackle that we needed to be using, both to get bites and land the fish that we hooked.

A huge thank you to Samaki, Wilson and Rapala for sharing some tackle with Bryan and I so we had the best stuff to

I brought Bryan Gustafson as my plus one in 2023 and another Canadian BARRA addict was born! use. We didn’t lose many fish because of equipment failure this year so that was good. We did however, manage to lose plenty to the crazy jumping and fighting that most barramundi put an angler through.

The greatest part of fishing for barra that I’ve experienced is the bite. It’s almost always a smash and the fish is instantly going the other way or exploding out of the water. If you survive the first few seconds of chaos, then you have a battle on your hands, every time.

We have excellent fishing over in Canada but we have nothing in freshwater that fights like barra do. Our biggest, meanest fish, the

musky, would get pulled backwards by a barramundi.

They are truly impressive.

It is fun watching how these fish interact with your baits on live sonar and the technology is certainly allowing anglers to catch more of these legendary fish but there is something about reeling in a swimbait in the dark, under the moonlight and unexpectedly getting smoked. The bite and fight are going to lure me back again, no doubt.

Looking back on my couple of trips over to Australia, I feel very lucky that I’ve been able to experience everything that I have. I have made some lifelong friends, seen parts of

the world that I never dreamed I would and I’ve learned a lot about fishing. The Aussie anglers may be more advanced with the use of electronics than North American anglers so it’s been interesting to see how everybody uses everything and I’ve picked up some great lure, knot and tackle tricks and modifications from these trips.

The long flight across the Pacific is rough but I have thoroughly enjoyed every aspect of the trip once I’ve gotten to Australia. The food, especially the fresh fruit and coffee are top-notch.

The group of anglers

abt that fish the Barra Tour is special. I’ve enjoyed all of the camaraderie, visits on the water and appreciated everybody sharing tips with us to try and help us catch an extra fish or two. Also, I’ve enjoyed the Great Northern’s and Bundy Rums while I’ve been over there, especially after the all-nighter!

I’m not sure if I’ll be able to make it every year but I have had the time of my life these past couple of years and you will definitely see me over there again chasing the magnificent barramundi. Tight lines everybody.

One of the first things that I learned is that if you have any weak points in your tackle or equipment, these fish will expose them.

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TAG 2024

21

abt

Tournament Angler Guide

abt.org.au

Better Nets for Better Fish Care at ABT Events For 25 years, ABT has created and modified a set of rules that aims to level the playing field, but also to prioritise fish care.

We are a 100% catch-andrelease organisation and it’s in everyone’s best interest to use equipment and strategies that get as close as possible to 100% post-release survival.

Minimum-sized livewells, the use of lures-only and avoiding the warmest water of the year in BASS events are a few of the examples of measures we have taken to help reach this goal.

You may notice that it’s been years since we’ve published an image of a bass or barra swinging from its jaw. It’s bestpractice and we like to back up our rhetoric with action.

As we collective, we want to keep improving these outcomes.

The first time we put rules in about nets was in 2005 when we started the BARRA Tour.

There was some science done in the Northern Territory showing the the old-style knotted nets were demonstrably worse for fish survival than a fine mesh net like an Environet.

As a result, knotted nets have always been disallowed in BARRA events.

Early in the ABT BREAM 22 TAG 2024

days, we worked with Dr Ben Diggles, examining which livewells were actually the best

for fish. A side discussion to these measurements was about fin splitting in fish.

Ben said that one of the causes of post-release mortality of fish was when their fins were

Main: There’s a range of sizes available in modern landing nets used by ABT anglers.

The gold standard for fish health is the (blue) Environet. For BREAM and BASS, aa maximum mesh of 15mm will be allowed after 2024. Above: These fish all swam away, but check out the fin splitting from this 25mm mesh sized net. We can do better.

split down to the base. It can provide a point of infection that can reduce the medium-term survival of the fish. They might swim away OK on the day, but not be as good in a week or a month’s time.

There’s a few ways fish can split fins. One is to interact with the fishing line during the fight. Another is interaction with other fish in the livewell.

There’s not much we can do about these, although the latter isn’t a problem in App events.

The third way is when getting netted at the end of a fight. We can do something about this.

When we initially wrote the BARRA Rules, silicone/ rubber nets weren’t on the scene. Anglers like them because they can quite easily swipe them through the water and potentially net a fish earlier.

The trouble is that when you get an early net shot on a fish, it’ll usually do most of its fighting in the boat and when a fish bounces around in a rubber net with a large mesh, it inevitably does itself fin and scale damage.

Of course, the gold standard in fish care nets is the Environet.

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TAG 2024

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abt Dave Irvine, his legacy has endured under Shimano’s umbrella. It’s been copied by other brands, but if the outcome is better fish care, then it’s probably a better outcome for the fish stocks.

When it comes down to it, it’s a balance between mesh size and usability. Some tournament anglers want to get an early net shot at any cost and they’re usually equipped with the rubber mesh nets.

In 2025, ABT will be introducing maximum mesh sizes for BREAM/BASS (15mm) and BARRA (30mm) nets.

Your current nets are all OK for this season, but this is a one year warning that the nets will have to be compliant at the start of the 2025 season. We will check them in the morning check-out process.

HOW DO YOU MEASURE MESH SIZE? This is the obvious question that anglers will ask. What is a 15mm or 30mm mesh size net?

The way that you measure mesh size is by stretching a mesh to its longest reach. Then you measure the length from point to point. You don’t measure the net in the resting position.

Your next comment may well be that this means that your current rubber net is not going to be allowed in 2025.

This is correct. Larger mesh rubber nets are, in our opinion, the biggest controllable factor in

Tournament Angler Guide

The bouncy, rubber silicon nets are actually no good for fin splitting. Even this finer meshed net with a 25mm mesh size splits fins, as can be seen here. This is why we are aiming for a 15mm maximum mesh size for BREAMA and BASS landing nets from 2025 onwards. fin splitting, so we don’t want them used in ABT events from 2025 onwards.

If you’re on a budget, it is possible to buy a replacement mesh for your current frame for a fraction of the cost of a new net.

BUT MY LURE GETS TANGLED! It is true that if you choose a mesh style landing net and not an Environet, it may be harder for you to get the lure out if the mesh after you’ve

abt.org.au

We don’t want fish to look like this at the weigh-in.

Changing net size is the first step in the process. landed the fish.

Steve Morgan is pretty blunt on this point.

“If it takes you an extra 20 or 30 seconds to untangle your lure from the net but it’s better for the fish, than that’s a sacrifice any ABT angler should be willing to make,” he says.

“As a collective, the more proactive we can be on fish care issues, the longer we will have the social licence to keep enjoying the sport that we all love,” he continued.

If you’re a devout ‘swiper’, you’ll still be able to do it - just with a finer mesh net. - ABT

Bouncy silicon nets and green barra are a fin splitting combination.

You measure a mesh from end-to-end of its widest point when you extend it. At over 40mm, this silicon net will be no good for ABT BARRA events in 2025 and onwards.

24 TAG 2024

We can’t control fin splitting in livewell, or with the line during the fight, but we can reduce mesh sizes to minimise impact of fin splitting on our catch and release fishing.

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TAG 2024

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Tournament Angler Guide

abt.org.au

Best Practice Fish Handing for ABT Events ABT

Steve Morgan s.morgan@fishingmonthly.com.au

You’ll notice a bit of a theme throughout this year’s Tournament Angler Guide ABT is all about being the best when it comes to survival of released fish. We need to take the lead on doing things the right way if we want to be proactive in ensuring that we can keep fishing tournaments well into the future.

One of the things that we can do as anglers is to always use best practice when it comes to handling fish that you catch in events. And that means for keepers as well as discarded fish.

We want them all to have the maximum chance of survival when they’re released. After all, they may help us win an event next time we are on that arena.

Generally, ABT anglers come from a background of catch-and-release fishing, so a lot of this may be old news to some of you, but from what we sometimes see both on and off the water, it’s definitely time for a refresher course.

So let’s take a look at some of the general elements

This is the way you should hold bass for all pics - in tournaments and socially - if you’re wanting to use best practice.

Keeping the fish out if the water for a minimum amount of time is fish handling 101.

The biggest dilemma that comes with a livewell event for bream is how to manage the fish for upgrading.

Many anglers use cull tags to sort out the sizes of the fish in the well. I’m not all that comfortable with that. In the whole process, cull tags

Bream are naturally designed to handle while supporting the belly. of best-practice fish care and specific-to-species what we should be doing.

BREAM Whether you’re fishing in an app event or in a livewell event, there’s a lot that you can do to ensure that the fish you’re processing has the best chance of living after you’ve caught it.

Basics like making sure that the fish isn’t being dropped onto a hot deck and having the appropriate tools to allow you to remove the hook quickly are standard practice for most of us.

28 TAG 2024

stick out to me as the worst optics in a catch and release event. Especially when anglers are using massive, penetrating cull tags that look like they’re more at home on a snapper than a bream.

Largemouth bass anglers have nearly all reverted to non-penetrating cull tags in events stateside to minimise effects of the fish. Bream have a much smaller and different shaped mouth than bass, so neither of these methods is really suitable.

Maybe there’s an opportunity for an

entrepreneurial angler to invent a solution for this? All I know is that the cull tags as we have them now have a limited shelf life in tournament fishing and are on our radar to eliminate in the near future.

BASS Australian bass have their own unique set of challenges when it comes to livewell events. All of the river events are app-based to get around possession limits, so it’s in the lakes where anglers need to brush up on their fish care.

One of the potential issues for keeping Australian bass in the livewell is the issue of barotrauma. Fish from 20 feet and deeper will often suffer from an overinflated swim bladder when placed in a livewell after capture. This places unnecessary pressure on internal organs and can be alleviated by learning how to ‘vent’ a bass.

Venting a bass involves puncturing its swim bladder with a hypodermic needle and equalising the internal pressure. It means the bass in your livewell will swim around like it’s been caught in the shallows and not flap around on the surface.

Anglers usually vent a bass by inserting the needle level with the pectoral fin and level with around four spines back on the dorsal fin. You’ll hear the air rushing out when you’ve hit the right area.

A tip here is to not squeeze out all of the air. The fish

still needs some in there to balance itself in the water, When you stop hearing it exit (or when the bubbles stop if you’re holding in underwater), remove the needle.

If you take out too much air, the fish will sink like a stone to the bottom.

The other obvious area we can improve is to always support the weight of the fish by the belly when taking fish pics.

In fact, you’ll notice that we haven’t published a pic of a swinging bass for many years.

ABT photographers will always ask you to pick up one fish and hold it the right way. There’s no suitable way to photograph two fish per angler.

As an angler, you can extend this behaviour through your own practices and social media content. It’s frustrating for us to take a pic the right way and then see you walk to the riverbank and then take your own photos with a couple of swinging bass.

This may be cool for other tournaments, but we don’t like it at ABT. We expect you to be leaders in the field when it comes to demonstrable fish care when at ABT events OR fishing socially.

BARRAMUNDI Teams are getting better at processing their barramundi in the BARRA events. They’re often a large fish and after a long fight it’s important to minimise the time that the animal spends out of the water.

We have developed a process for this that you’re welcome to duplicate.

The first part is a proper Environet. With the necessity to bring the fish into the net

(rather than swiping at it when it’s too green), you know that fish isn’t going to kick its way through the net and break it.

The angler who nets the fish holds the fish in the water in the confines of the net while the other angler gets all of the gear ready. This includes getting the measuring board out, getting the phone in camera mode and ready to take the pictures, getting the keytag icon in place that’s required in the photo and the pliers ready to extract the hooks.

When all of this is done, you bring the fish into the boat.

Drop it in the cockpit if you’re worried about it escaping over the side, or do it on the deck if you want. Just make sure that the surface isn’t hot. The heat damages the fish slime.

One angler whips out the hooks while the other gets ready to take the pics. When the hook is out, slide the fish onto the wet board and take the measurement shot.

Straight after that, pick up the fish and do the quick glory shot. When those two pics are on the phone, you can release the fish.

The whole process should have the fish out of the water for less than 60 seconds.

After the fish is released, then you can enter the data into the App, retie that leader and get right back into it.

What we don’t want to see is anglers preparing gear or uploading data while the fish is still on the deck. We all agree that the fish is too good to catch just once, so a little bit of attention to this process will ensure that post-release survival is sky-high.

If Canadians can do it, anybody can. Processing fish quickly maximises post release survival.

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abt

Tournament Angler Guide

abt.org.au

Sponsor Karma is a thing at ABT and so are Sponsor Bonuses!

ABT anglers are fantastic supporters of our sponsors and when given the choice, they usually support the companies that support their tournament fishing.

You don’t need to look much further than ABT’s longest running Sponsor Bonus Program - the Mercury Bonus and Mercury Cup - to see how anglers and sponsors can work together to create an outcome that makes everyone happy.

MERCURY BONUS In an environment where sometimes Mercury outboards make up 70% of an ABT field, national marketshare is around half that. The reason? Apart from quality product that suits boaters’ needs, its the fact that owning a Mercury can pay you more cash.

At every BREAM, BASS and BARRA qualifying event in 2024, Mercury offers an extra $400 into the boater payouts. $250 for the highest Mercury owner, $125 for second and $75 for the third highest placed Mercury owner.

In addition, BREAM anglers compete for the Mercury Cup. It’s an extra $1,500 to the boater 32 TAG 2024

who performs the best across the BREAM Qualifiers and Open events.

How do you become involved? Own a Mercury and

let the ABT staff know that the sigh-in at the briefing.

RAPALA BONUS Boaters aren’t the only anglers who get rewarded. For example,

let’s take a look at the Rapala Bonus program for non-boaters in BASS events. In your first BASS registration of the year (this can be the first or the last

event of the season) you will be given a Rapala or 13 Fishing branded fishing shirt. Wear this (or any other season’s Rapala shirt) at the weigh-in each

The Mercury Bonus has been rewarding anglers at BREAM and BASS rounds for a few years - in 2024 this program will include BARRA rounds too!

The MUSS have lure for 2024 BREAM www.barambahlures.com

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TAG 2024

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abt day and you qualify.

Payouts are the same as the Mercury Bonus - $250 for 1st, $125 for 2nd and $75 for 3rd at

Tournament Angler Guide At an app event (eg. the Victorian rounds) non boaters will need to submit a glory photo of a fish that measures 36cm or more

away across the season, we’ll keep a running total going over on the ABT website under the BREAM tab.

VENOM TARGET DOLLARS The team at Wilson Fishing shook up the BARRA Tour anglers in 2023 with the last minute introduction of their Venom Target Dollars. This program is named after the locally built Venom rods - in particular the Target range made specifically for live sonar.

Anglers just needed to wear the supplied Venom cap while catching a 101cm or bigger barramundi during any of the BARRA Tour events. At the Wilson sponsored Kinchant Dam event, this was doubled to $1,000!

Overall, $15,500 worth of Wilsons gear of the angler’s choice was awarded to anglers over the four events.

“It was an amazing promotion and we will definitely

do it again this year,” said Kord Luckus, Wilsons boss.

TRY SOME MAUI JIMS For the last few years, Maui Jim has been the exclusive ABT sunglasses sponsor. Every season, more and more ABT anglers are switching to the brand that supports their sport.

They love the lenses, the frames and the fact that they’ll make sunnies to prescription.

At select events in 2024, there will be a range of Maui Jim glasses available to loan for the duration of the event.

“It’s rare to be able to try glasses out on the water before you buy, so this is a unique program,” said ABT Tournament Director, Nicholle Smith.

Anglers will be able to sign out a pair at the briefing and return them at the end, all cleaned and ready for the next user. Those Maui cleaning kits that are supplied to anglers at

abt.org.au

briefings will come in use here.

Maui Jim Sunglasses will are also presenting the Big BREAM and Big BASS prizes at the season qualifying rounds this year. If you catch the big fish at these events you’ll score yourself $500 cash plus a pair of Maui Jims. You won’t have to wait to get your hand on the product this year - we will have your pair of sunglasses ready for you to collect at the conclusion of the event. You’ll be able to put them to use straight away!

Of course, the best reason to support ABT sponsors is to take advantage of the Sponsor Karma that comes your way when you do thee right thing. It’s a thing! - ABT

We’ll be seeing plenty more non-boaters wearing Rapala / 13 Fishing Shirts at BASS rounds in 2024! each BASS Pro qualifying event.

XBRAID TROPHY BREAM BONUS Non-boaters at Daiwa BREAM series qualifying events will also have something to look

forward to with the launch of the XBraid Trophy Bream bonus in 2024. This bonus is all about rewarding 1kg (or bigger) bream caught from the back of the boat.

The mechanics are simple.

34 TAG 2024

to to fork. At a weigh in event you’ll have to nominate a fish that you feel is at least 1kg (or heavier), the same as you do for big bream, to have it registered for the bonus.

The bonus consists of an XBraid Pack put together by the team at Bluefish Imports and will include a selection of braid and leader.

Non boaters will be able to claim this once during the season. Watch this space to see how many packs we can give

The Venom hats supplied by the team at Wilson Fishing suited all the angler and resulted in over $15,000 in Wilson Product awarded for 1m + barra caught across the Zerek BARRA Tour.

QUALITY FUJI COMPONENTS VENOM ULTRA-HIGH CARBON BLANKS DESIGNED TO DOMINATE LIVE TECHNOLOGY

WWW.WILSONFISHING.COM

abt

Tournament Angler Guide

abt.org.au

2023’s Top BREAM, BASS and BARRA Anglers ABT’s Grand Final prizes are pretty special - everyone wants to win a boat package!

But arguably, the Angler of the Year (AOY ) titles are the most cherished amongst the tournament anglers’ ranks.

Being AOY (or Team of the Year - TOY in BARRA) is an award that’s hard won across an entire season.

You have to be the most consistent among your peers and be versatility across a range of venues and usually techniques, as well. Add in a little luck and that’s the ingredients for a top AOY finish.

There’s a whole article in this Tournament Angler Guide about how these guys prepare and execute their plans for a season, so you can get an insight into their thought processes there, but for now, let’s recognise the best of the best for 2023!

THE BASS MASTER It’s no secret that Matthew Langford has dominated the local BASS Pro events in 2023.

With the season culminating in his 4th consecutive Boater

Jamie McKeown

1

AOY win, there’s now not much that this Queensland angler hasn’t achieved.

Apart from a Grand Final win. That’s eluded him to date, but with results as consistent as he’s delivered across the years, we all know that his time will eventually come for the lucrative prize.

Langford was pusted the whole way through the season by his good mate, Mick Johnson. Indeed, at the last Qualifier of the year, Johnson was still a mathematical chance of taking the title, but Langford emphatically slammed the door on the final fishing day.

At the back of the boat, Adam Mears progressed from being Rookie of the Year in 2022 to Non-Boater AOY in 2023. This was a much closer race, with five anglers right in the mix until the last day of fishing.

Mears ensured he took the trophy by winning his final event of the year (and likely as a non-boater). He’s taking the step up to running his own moat in 2024 and we reckon he’ll do it well.

BASS ELECTRIC SWEEP Gold Coast BASS Electric angler, Chesley Lennon, managed the double and won

both thee BASS Electric Grand Final AND the AOY titles in one year. It the electric events, it helps that the Grand Final result is counted in the AOY calculations, but regardless, it’s been a stellar year for the quiet African expatriate.

His countess hours of practice paid off in the ultimate event of the year, where he averages 2kg per fish in a stunning win.

BREAMERS LESS CONSISTENT Taka Kawasaki had a massive year in any estimation.

He win the BREAMA Grand Final, but before that, he sealed the 2023 BREAM Non-Boater AOY by winning the final Qualifier of the year in Gladstone. It became a two horse race between Taka and Lance Marsh at the final event, but Taka took the title and will also follow the pathway and become a boater in 2024.

Don’t let it diminish the feat, but Jamie McKeown’s win of the Boater BREAM AOY was with one of the lower totals in modern history. In a year that every single angler had bombs,

ABT perennial trophies often acquire nicknames.

The BARRA TOY Trophy is now called ‘Liam’!

Steve Morgan

2

Mark Crompton

3

4

Wally Fahey

Blake O’Grady

2023 BREAM AOY NON BOATER

2023 BREAM AOY BOATER Rank

Angler

Points

Rank

Angler

Points

1

Jamie McKeown

470

1

Taka Kawasaki

480

3

Mark Crompton

442

3

Michael Sammut

462

417

5

396

7

376

9

369

11

Drew Griffith

358

13

Alan Lister

344

15

343

17

320

19

2 4 5 6 7 8 9

10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 36 TAG 2024

McKeown managed a top-ten average and won by one of the largest margins on the modern era, with Steve Morgan and Mark Crompton 28 points in arrears.

It’s McKeown’s second AOY accolade and quite possibly not the last if he maintains the stamina to travel.

BARRA BARBIE GOES BOOM! Tommy Wood and Samaki’s Josh Lowry seemed to have an unassailable position in the BARRA Series, yet Team Compleat Angler Cairns (Harry Bez and Ron Bruggemann) pushed them right to the final day of fishing to seal the title.

Team Samaki’s strength across all venues (3rd Awoongs, 2nd Tinaroo, 1st Faust) in multiple parts of the state ensured that they’s be hard to beat and their shills with both hard and soft baits stood them well for the trophy.

What do you get for AOY? Bugger all! A trophy, bragging rights and a place in ABT’s record books. And the winners all love it.

Steve Morgan Wally Fahey

Blake O’Grady Sam Peck

Allan Murray

Paul Langley Brett Crowe

Harry Schofield Kris Hickson Mark Healey Grant Oliver

Ahmad Mahfoud Tom Slater

Adam Richards Chris Lonne

Peter Cashman

442

2

430

4

409

6

391

8

369

10

365

12

345

14

344

16

335

18

312

20

Lance Marsh

Joel McKenzie Colin Wilson

Scott Scicluna Bill Bland (R) Gavin Atkin

Nathan Booth (R) Dallas Blatchford Peter Clark

Gordon Pullin

Brendan Parry

Jordan Armstrong John Parkinson Matt Perry

Van Ho Nguyen (R)

Ryan Vanderburg (R) Richard Hadlow Glenn Hoskin

476 452 429 421 419 408 405 390 386 380 369 365 352 324 320 311 309 291

5

A NEW LEGEND TO BEHOLD At the bow of your vessel, below the thunderous sea, is a monster in wait.

More powerful than the waves, precise enough to hold its place. It wasn’t crafted from folklore or superstitions rooted deep. It’s real. It’s here. And it’s taking control.

© 2023 Garmin Ltd. or its subsidiaries.

abt

Tournament Angler Guide

Matthew Langford

1

Mick Johnson

2

3

Mitchell Cone

4

Braden Schuch

Rank

Angler

Points

Rank

Angler

Points

1

Matthew Langford

397

1

Adam Mears

386

3

Mitchell Cone

384

3

Jake Hardie

380

378

5

367

7

358

9

349

11

341

13

338

15

335

17

319

19

2 4 5 6 7 8 9

10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17

Mick Johnson

Braden Schuch

Keeghan Painter Corey Goldie

Graham Ford Ben Hay

Dane Pryce

Mark Lennox

Collin Robinson Cameron Hall

Steve Morgan Tony Thorley Tom Deer

John Noble Ryan Allen

18

Jayson Deforrest-Haddleton

20

Bill Latimer

19

Chesley Lennon

Nicholas Brunyee

1

5

Keeghan Painter

2023 BASS AOY NON BOATER

2023 BASS AOY BOATER

392

2

383

4

368

6

359

8

358

10

348

12

341

14

336

16

333

18

311

20

2

Shawn Ezzy

Heath Kimber Mal Draper

Garry Wilton Tim Jones

Nick Brown

Tyson Eveleigh (R) Barry Reynolds Kelvin Hatton

Reece Winters Phil Hoyt

Damien Winters Troy Lowe Philip Nix

Rodney Thorpe Bridgett Currey Stephen Mears Paul Mazaroli Taj Duff

Team Samaki

2023 BASS ELECTRIC AOY

1

385 367 366 361 358 358 350 350 343 339 334 331 274 268 263 261 196 191

Team Compleat Angler Cairns

2

2023 BARRA TOY

Rank

Angler

Points

Rank

Team

Points

1

Chesley Lennon

295

1

SAMAKI (Wood/Lowry)

525

3

Casey Monagle

286

3

DOBYNS RODS (Slade/Wilcox)

489

5

T.B.C ( Lain/Williams)

484

2 4 5 6 7 8 9

10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 38 TAG 2024

abt.org.au

Shawn Ezzy

Christian Manolea Harry Hardman Beau Eveleigh

Tyson Eveleigh Marcus Hope

Clint McDermott Declan James

Michael Dauth

Glenn Wiggins

Stephen McLean Darren Love Rob Butler

Michael Goodwin Elyon Cloete

Phillip Dudgeon Mark McKay Greg Rigby

287 285 285 284 283 275 273 270 267 261 259 256 256 255 253 252 252 251

2 4 6 7 8 9

10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

COMPLEAT ANGLER CAIRNS (Bruggemann/Bez) 517

FISHING MONTHLY (Morgan/Smith) ZEREK (Robinson/Hodgson)

FISH WITH ME (Edmonds/Dow) TRACKER (Pelling/Lassig)

484 472 471 463

HOOKED_ON_EXPLORING (Calvert/Calvert) 453 VENOM (Dixon/Meredith)

445

LIKELY LADS (Newby/Lyons)

428

ATOMIC (Starkey/Martin)

SCALE RAISERS (Ryan/Williams)

WILSON FISHING (Cornelius/Mulcahy) HALCO (Carter/Ehrlich) FAMILY AFFAIR (Sohier/Sohier)

MUNDI MADNESS (Mainas/Smith) GARMIN (Mott/Mott) RENEGADE (Pisani/Hooton)

RAPALA - CRUSHCITY (Morgan/Horn)

431 423 409 407 388 382 374 362 353

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