IT’S not often you get blown away twice in a day but last Sunday’s BETS Mako Round Three saw just that happen. Not only did the obligatory southerly come through just before the weigh-in (isn’t that a BETS regular event now?!) but in yet another case of who dares wins, the washes around Barrenjoey Head provided a bag of breambos to blow away the opposition.
On hearing there was a good swell crashing in to the headlands it was likely that the bulk of the field knew where Josh Batterson and Matt Webb of Team Skeeter Boats/bassboatshop.com.au would be – in amongst the slop and foam. Indeed, that’s where the BETS media boat found the pair at around 9am and already the bilge pump was running hard and the livewell filled with bream.
Pitching the favored Gulp Shrimp in Banana Prawn pattern into the foam washing off the rocks it was a case of both hang on and hang in – hang on to the rod as buckled under the weight of another quality fish and hang in there in the case of Matt Webb who sat out the odd moment to, let’s say, compose himself. Josh estimated the team had pulled in over fifty bream in what he felt was one of his “best breamin’ sessions ever”.
Winners are grinners – Josh Batterson of Team Skeeter Boats/bassboatshop.com.au with a cracker.
The outcome was as per the 2012 Grand Final on Sydney Harbour, a staggering bag that blew away anything the challengers would be able to match. In order to keep the fish healthy the pair chose to weigh in at 12.30, well before the other teams arrived and as exciting as it always is, it must have also been heartbreaking for the other anglers to see a weight of 5.70kg before the weigh in had really started.
Predictably it was a bag not to be beaten and brought about the team’s second BETS round win to add to their 2012 Grand Final victory, earning a nifty $4300 and an Engel Spectator Pack for a brief if busy fishing session.
It was another team with a BETS winning pedigree that offered the best challenge to the leaders. Team Gladiator Tackle of Anthony and Rodney Thorpe have a BETS round win under their belt already and are often in or around the lead pack. Confident they would produce the pair hit spots well up river in the Spencer area and worked the various rock walls and edges making the most of the water movement before the tide slackened. Confidence was converted in to solid fish very early in the day and by 8.30am the basis of a quality bag was set. Presenting a 4.29kg bag of solid river fish saw the pair collect second place, $3000 and the Mako Eyewear prize pack valued at almost $400.
Third Place was taken by a team that has strung together consistent results and will likely prove to be a threat to many of the highly rated teams. Tim Staunton and Tracy Mammen of Team Lowrance Gen2 again complied a quality bag, relocating to the moving water in the washes from the well occupied “Carpark” of the Palm Beach flats. The change saw them collect some quality fish including a 1.30kg brusier allowing the team to offer 3.93kg and collect Third Place, $2000 and $300 in Dinga.com.au Vouchers.
Big bream? With 5.7 kg there had to be one in there and indeed a 1.31kg fish was the pick of the bunch, pipping the Lowrance Gen 2 fish by ten grams. A paid entry and first cab off the rank status goes to the team as reward for the Evinrude Big Bream.
As part of our Sponsor Bonus scheme the $250 reward for the biggest bream caught on a Sebile Lure goes to Mark Pygram and Gary Ford of Team Breamtracker for their fish caught on a Sebile Splasher popper – nice fish caught on a cracking little lure.
Smile of the day came from Sally Bacon of FishouttaWater/www.sneakyfisho.com.au who won the Duffrods draw and took home a beautiful custom Duffrod presented by rod crafter Steve Duff. Remember one gets given away at every round so be sure to stick around.
BETS moves on to Sussex Inlet for TT Lures Round Four.
More info at: www.betsbream.com.au
