THE round stages of the 2011 Berkley Evinrude Team Series recently came to an end at Lake Macquarie in NSW with the waterway highlighting just why it’s a renowned bream fishing destination.
A huge crowd surrounded the BETS Reef Science Tank as some cracking bream were presented to the weigh master. One fish gently nudged the record for the heaviest tournament caught bream and numerous others topped the one kilo mark. It was certainly a fitting way to end a series that has seen over 150 teams compete for one of the twenty invitations to the BETS Grand Final and a chance at the $20,000 First Prize. The event also saw a team that dominated the previous year’s competition fulfill its potential and dominate the 2011 round stages with an emphatic win on home soil.
Last years’ BETS Grand Final winners Mark Healey and Adrian Neoh of Team Tackleworld Marks Point/Legend Boats approached the 2011 series with the aim of being placed in the final top twenty. After five rounds it was mission accomplished with the boys having never finished lower than 14th place in a round and a Grand Final invitation almost a certainty. Rather than sit out the final round Mark and Adrian chose to see if they could finish their campaign with one last quality round. At 10am and with no fish in the live well it seemed the story would have one last cruel twist…
The boys fished the deeper areas around Vales Point and Wyee without success and mid morning the team took a moment to reassess their plans. With none of their preferred spots firing they took a gamble and visited some shallow edges that had performed in the past albeit in a quite different summer bite. Just as it seemed to be going horribly wrong Mark and Adrian secured three quality fish over 30cm in quick succession. Hopes that they had found a sustained bite faded however and an increase in wind saw another roll of the dice and a move back to the deeper water.
Fishing 3 inch Berkley Gulp minnows the pair methodically worked water between fourteen and twenty feet deep. They were by no means rushed off their feet but fish came periodically and throwing out the last sub 30cm fish at 1.30pm the team return knowing they had a solid bag of fish and their goal of a quality round was met.
It was at the weigh-in atop the BETS Reef Science Tank that the realisation of a goal more than met presented – a 4.00kg final weight securing first place of $3000 and an Engel Prize Pack. In a sensational end to the series Mark and Adrian finished at the top of the Points Table. “We’re stoked we managed to put together a convincing performance through the rounds and this win just tops it off” a delighted Mark reflected later. “It’s the result of a lot of fishing and a lot of hard work but it all starts from scratch for the Grand Final…it will be a real challenge”.
Amongst the other competitors, Team Pflueger 2 members Dean Hammond and Neil Foley were all smiles despite only having one fish in the livewell. That fish however was a cracking specimen at 46cm fish and around 1.5kg. Caught on a 35mm Berkley Big Eye Blade the fish provided a great anchor to the team’s bag of 3.87kg.
Bringing up third place was Kris Hickson and Daniel Brown of Team TT Lures/Diawa who secured the placing with a 3.74kg bag.
Craig Shiels and Ben Dart of Team Munga-licious quietly took out the Evinrude Big Bream award with a monster that pushed 50cm and weighed 1.94kg, just fifty grams short of the bream tournament record of 1.99kg. Caught on a slow rolled Jackall Chubby, the fish destroyed the treble hooks on the way to the net. Only moments later a similar sized fish was lost at the net.
Twenty teams have now earnt their invitation to the huge 2011 Berkley Evinrude Team Series Grand Final held on Sydney Harbour against the backdrop of the Sydney International Boat Show at the end of July. Make sure you check it out!
