ABT Trout Classic Event - March

[Beevor]

*This is also posted in Freshwater Reports

The ABT affilliated Trout Classic was a great event.

Conditions were quite tough, and Andy and I were finding it hard to get a decent drift in our Quintrex Hornet hire boat. WE persisted with plastics first up - but with no taps in the first hour or so we decided to move on. We wasted some time trying to find a sheltered spot out of the wind (and swell!!) which saw us turn around and come all the way back to where we initially started!!

We found a semi-sheltered spot and dragged out the long wands - we persisted with some loch-style fly fishing for the next couple of hours with zero result which proved costly. Tangles became quite frustrating too!!

We decided to get back on the SP's and finally found a method and plastic that worked for us. As we were free drifting (quite fast!), I found that a quick wind and a couple of fast rips through the water column produced a couple of taps which resulted in aggressive hook up's and unfortunate losses As soon as this happened, Andy jumped on board with the same technique and plastic which resulted in our first fish shorlty after 11am - just when a donut was looking certain! Phew!

Andy ended up catching the next couple of fish also, while I dropped another - STRUGGLING!! We drifted towards some trees as Andy yells for his net-boy again "Yep - got another one!" I'm thinking Jeezarz!! I reached down to grab the next with my lure still in the water and tap, tap - I'm on too!! Double hook up - Yeeeeeooooow!! We were finally starting to make our bag look respectable.

I managed another fish shortly before "weigh in" at 2pm hich finished our tally at 6 fish. Two of these fish were between 51-53cm

This is the first comp to be afflilliated by ABT and the event worked well. The comp required us to photograph the fish on a brag mat with out team tag, with a digital camera then release the fish to recovery- and hand in our media cards at "weigh in". We also had to fill in a sheet on what time, where, and what you caught the fish on. We caught all our fish on Reaction Flirt Worms - in 2 different colours = Dirty Sanchez and Watermelon/Red.

Big congrats go out to Neil and Nicole Grose who organised the event, My Team mate Yapper(Andy) and to Active Angler for their great support. It was also a fantastic opportunity to meet and see some real pros in action, catch up with some great Tassie blokes and get on the piss afterwards with some loooooose action and singalongs!!

Well done to the guys that smacked all the Trout too!!

[Beevor]

For those interested, here's the results:

1st Team Happy Hookers 19 fish 754cms

2nd Team Berkley 17 fish 658cms

3rd Team G Loomis 13 fish 631cms

4th Team Breamiton 12 fish 508cms

5th Team Highland Gold 12 fish 497cms

6th Team Sportfishtasmania.com 11 fish 484cms

7th Team Seaport Marine 11 fish 479cms

8th Team Stormplanet 6 fish 264cms

9th Team Triton Vic 6 fish 264cms

10th Team Active Angler 6 fish 258cms

11th Team Fishing Monthly 4 fish 178cms

12th Team Trout Trackers 3 fish 119cms

13th Team Ecogear 2 fish 98cms

14th Team Tamar Marine 2 fish 81cms

15th Team Gulp 1 fish 55cms

16th Team Lamotte Craft 1 fish 50cms

17th Team ABT 1 fish 49cms

18th Team RHG 1 fish 29cms

19th Team Trouters

19th Team Blueys Bait n Tackle

128 fish caught and released for a total length of 5,456cms
Avg length 43cms _________________

The names to go with the teams:

1. Team Sportsfish Tasmania - Patrick Sullivan, Nik Byrne
2. Team G Loomis - Steve Steer, Leigh McKenzie
3. Team StormPlanet.com - Mark Hay, Warwick Medwin
4. David Poulton, Simon Goldsmith
5. Team Fishing Monthly Magazine -Steve Morgan, Peter Morgan
6. Team Happy Hookers - Steve Bond, Andrew Kruska
7. Team Bream it On! - Nigel Harris, Andrew Cox
8. Team Highland Gold - Terry Howe, Plinio Taurian
9. Team Trouters - Stuart Thorn, Chris Kilby
10. Team Tamar Marine - John Dennis, Paul Delphin
11. Team Ecogear - Wayne Friebe, Wil Horan
12. Team Trout Trackers - Terry Horan, Patrick Horan
13. Team Berkley - Mark Mangold, Scott Towner
14. Team Seaport Marine - Grant Garwood, Dean Garwood
15. Team Gulp - Graham Franklin, Daniel Bray
16. Team RHG - Robert Gott, Craig Templar
17. Team ActiveAngler.net - Brendan Turriff, Andrew Howell
18. Team Blueys Bait and Tackle - Steve Wheeler, Scott McDonald
19. Team Triton Victoria/Blueys Bait & Tackle - Andrew McCarthy, Mick Pressnell
20. Team Lamotte Craft - Alain Daurian, John Herzog

[Beevor]

There was also a random prize up for grabs:

7 days aboard the Eclipse Charter Boat out of Weipa!! Valued at $3500

Alain Daurian - was the lucky winner who should have the time of his life!!