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Well it has to be said, one of the best ABT rounds of all time. For anyone not in the know I am talking about the Marlo, Victoria round of the Daiwa Hobie Kayak Bream Series. Before this year's event the single biggest fish and two day bag limit of any kayak tournament anywhere was caught at Marlo. It was always going to be a hard task topping that one but 60+ competitors gave it their all in perfect conditions marrying mind body and fish together.
This year's event winner Ronnie Sonter played a great waiting game, focusing on schools moving through during a receding tide rather than hitting the straps early and moving on. His two day limit was huge, not even worth trying to explain just how big here (I wouldn't do it justice). Day ones leader Rick Massie had the biggest day one bag weighed in ever and also the biggest Bream. Now I know what you're thinking, just how big can these bream be? Wide, long and heavy is one way to describe them, bear or horse is the next best thing.
After a long drive I set off on day one starting in the entrance of the back lake, scouring for some flats and drainage channels to focus my energy on. Long profiled lures like Zip Bait Orbit Sliders /Bassday Sugar Minnow around 70 mm's were worked with a long cast and a fairly responsive retrieve. When these things were hit there was no mistaking, quickly securing my bag and upgrading 7 times to a respectable 3 fish limit of 2.54kg. The noise emitting from the lures chambers, followed with profile flash rather than brightness had fish launching out of the water to grab a taste.
Day two saw much of the same but after such a frantic day one the fish were obviously more wary. Same roaming area was searched but I moved off my mark and lost it to a successful angler. Upgrading proved difficult and with only 2kg in the livewell it was time to make or break, opting for an upgrade chance towards the start line. Fellow competitors formed a similar ideal and we all poked and prodded for a deep plastic/vibe bite. Fish came slow but I upgraded twice and found myself resigned to facing a smaller bag limit.
Hobie's Steve Fields shared a pattern and a lure on day one which I quickly used to grab the first of the last ditch upgrades. Neil Carstairs also showed some genuine spirit and lobbed me an Ecogear zx 30 in a colour scheme that was working wonders for his blading. We all fished side by side for the last 2 hours with others having greater success than I was managing. With half an hour to go I hooked up big time, just how big the fish was going to be was a mystery but I knew it was a Bream. After what seemed like 5 minutes he popped into the net and weighed 1.38kg, my PB Black from Marlo and a great bag upgrade to end the tournament.
My combined 2 day limit was over 5kg and I finished in the top 20 (19th to be precise), happy considering the biggest Bream I had ever seen had been weighed in all weekend by the top 10. With all these results culminating in or around the top 10 my AOY points have shot right up. I am happy to announce that at the time of writing my points total has landed myself in AOY 2nd position overall, my previous best from past years was 15th. Next event is at the Clyde River this Sunday 14/4/13, more info online at www.hobiefishing.com.au
Big thanks to all my supporters and sponsors worldwide for helping keep my dream Grand Final dream alive.
