COMPETITORS found the going tough in Round 12 of the 2010/2011 Daiwa-Hobie BREAM Kayak Series with gale force winds, freezing temperatures, and heavy rain testing anglers physical and mental toughness on Sydney’s Narrabeen Lakes.
For the 24 angler team it was a battle of attrition with Hobie employee Greg Lewis once again showing his mettle to secure his 4th event win of the series. For the 35-year-old tournament angler it was a perfectly executed tournament.
Holding down 5th after day one Lewis went out and caught the biggest bag of the tournament on day two to take the win and a near insurmountable lead.
To secure the win Lewis fished the back of the lake in a small area known as Pipe Clay Point, and it was here that he keyed in a specific 1- 1.2 metre deep patch of water that held fish.
Using the wind to drift him through the zone Lewis said he stalled his drift using a Hobie Drift Shute and make long searching casts to find the fish active in the area.
“It was important to cover water but not cover it too quickly, if you did you’d miss fish”, he explained.
Lewis’ go-to lure remained the same both days, a 100mm Squidgy Wriggler in bloodworm, but the retrieve varied. Day one was an aggressive rip and pause but day two was a lot tougher with Lewis having to slow things down to a slower paced hop, pause retrieve.
“The retrieve was a lot slower on the second day but the hits were super aggressive with the fish nailing the lure on the pause”, explained Lewis.
The varied two-day approach delivering Lewis six fish on day one and twenty on day two.
With three more qualifying rounds to go in the series Lewis will be keen for another win for the season.
Event runner-up Jason Meech put in another solid performance on the Daiwa-Hobie BREAM Kayak Tour, with the 30-year-old leading after day one before getting mowed down by Lewis on day two.
Like many anglers in the top ten Meech fished Pipe Clay Point to catch his fish.
“The fish got more tentative on the second day after they’d been hit hard the day before, so you needed to be a lot more subtle in your presentation”, explained Meech.
The Hogs Breath “Boss Hog” for the event eclipsed the one kilo mark with Matt Petrie picking up the $100 prize with his day two 1.22kg fish. Weighing more than most of the three fish bags for the day it was enough to bump Petrie into 4th place and deliver him a cheque.
The next round of the series sees the Daiwa-Hobie Tour head north to Redcliffe for the Queensland State Title event on July 2-3.
Round winner Greg Lewis with a nice brace of bream.
Visit www.bream.com.au or www.hobiefishing.com.au for all the information.
