TEAM Abu Garcia/Evinrude Australia has taken out the 2015 BETS Grand Final and the $20,000 First Prize. For Ross Cannizzaro and Alan Loftus it is the second time the pair has secured the title in the events five year history.
Over four rounds the BETS bream tournament event attracted more than 120 individual teams, each pursuing one of twenty valuable spots in the BETS Grand Final. This year held on Lake Macquarie, the event was subject to unstable weather patterns that saw gales mar the pre fish period and persistent wind and rain affect the competition days.
With no real pre fish time Ross and Alan had to work out the bite pattern on the day and respond accordingly. Using the new Abu Garcia Salty Stage rods paired with the latest technology Abu Garcia Revo reels the pair fished Berkley Gulp! Craw lures in Camo colour on Berkley jig heads via the ever durable FireLine fused braid line.
Transport for the week was the Abu Garcia wrapped Phoenix 921 with the sensational 300HP Evinrude ETEC G2 providing the propulsion.
Weighing a creditable 3.65kg on Day One saw the pair sitting in second place overnight, just 130g off the leader. Similar conditions on Day Two saw a similar tactical approach and a 1.45kg bream in the opening minutes of the day set a substantial foundation for the team to build on. Presenting 4.15kg as the last team to weigh-in, the 3.28kg needed to take the win was easily eclipsed and the $20,000 First Prize secured. With Reel Action TV’s Michael Guest representing Evinrude, the giant $20,000 cheque was held aloft to resounding applause from the assembled crowd of anglers and spectators.
Sitting in first place overnight Team Lowrance’s Mark Healey and Gavin Joyce were looking to consolidate a solid Day One bag of 3.78kg and were well set to capitalise when a mishap late in the day saw a 750g bream make its escape to the water. Weighing four fish for 3.07kg the loss of a fish was ultimately inconsequential, the team securing Second Place and the $6000 prize.
A consistent weekend for father and son team Reel Action, Chris and Trevor Harris, saw the pair secure one of their best results to date. Weighing over three kilos each day the team finished the event with 6.69kg in total collecting Third Place and $4000.
The Powerpole Team of the Year award given to the team with the highest points score throughout the series went to Team Windybanks, Simon McAlpin and David Dobson. With places of 7th, 3rd, 2nd and 1st the pair accumulated 391 points out of a maximum 400, the highest consolidation in BETS history. The team received a PowerPole Sportsman courtesy of PowerPole Australia.
