Its not everyday a couple of fisho’s can wake up knowing there’s a chance that in a few hours they could be $10,000 better off but this weekend saw that very scenario for the sixteen teams that qualified for the 2010 Berkley Evinrude Team Series Grand Final.

For some of the teams the weekend of the 31^st July was not only the culmination of four hard fought rounds but also the time to hopefully reap the rewards from some of the most intense research and pre-fishing seen in a bream tournament for some time. The odds were almost too good to be true – a one in sixteen chance to take home the $10,000 First Prize. The venue – Sydney Harbour, the most prestigious and prolific of bream fisheries. And the glamour – coming home to the BETS Event Arena, Cockle Bay in Darling Harbour in front of thousands of spectators. Not surprisingly many anglers looked a little nervy as the boats were launched and the lockers unpacked. The pressure was well and truly on and the weekend was going to be a cracker!

And perhaps unsurprisingly the field headed of into the gloom on Day One. A feature of the 2010 BETS tournaments has been a damp start and today was to be no different. Persistent drizzle and a classic Sydney winter fog set the back drop for the departure of the predominantly Evinrude powered fleet of sixteen boats and as the boats pushed and punched through each others wake the first question to be answered was how would the rain during the pre-fish ban week affect anglers strategies. Reports suggested a lot of hard work had been put in by many teams just prior to the ban and this recent rain could put everyone back to square one.

One team that had spent a considerable amount time preparing for the Grand Final was Team Tackleworld – Mark’s Point.  Anglers Mark Healey and Adrian Neoh were one of the more consistent teams throughout the rounds and having fished the Harbour together in an August tournament last year had some good ideas about how to approach the Grand Final.

The pair made the sensible decision not to target spots they were fairly confident would hold fish on the practice day, instead opting to seek out some new locations ensuring they had enough options to cover the two day competition. Hitting new spots out in the Harbour and focusing on any  vertical structure they found the fishing was patchy with no real concentrations of fish. Using Berkley 2in Hawgs on a 1/16^th jighead the pair found by letting the lure drop down the face of the structure, subtle almost imperceptible takes could be converted to fish in the net by letting the rod load up and slowly winding into the fish. After four hours of moving from spot to spot the team had their bag of five fish and made the decision to head up into the Parramatta River in search of the big dirty water bruisers know to haunt the area.

Meanwhile Team Shimano Evinrude’s  Alan Loftus and Ross Cannizzaro had started Day 1 fishing boats and points in the 10-40ft depth range from Neutral Bay to Manly and back to Double Bay.  Throwing Squidgies Pro Range Lobby’s and 100mm Wrigglers on 6’8” Shimano Tournament TCurve rods and Stella and Stradic 1000 outfits, the boys struggled to find fish in the clear water and by 10am had only one in the well. With similar thinking to Team Tackleworld Mark’s Point the decision was made to move to the Parramatta River albeit for different reasons.

Continuing to throw the trusted Lobby’s and Wrigglers and also throwing the Stiffy Devilfish Vibe in the Copperhead colour, Alan & Ross hit every spot they knew from the Harbour Bridge to Ryde Bridge in an effort to put a bag together.

Fortunately the fish started to come with the boys pulling fish from the cockle beds, boat moorings and from the flats in the Parra. Alan later admitted that “although they couldn’t get a predominant pattern going we are proud of the fact that we worked hard hitting every spot we knew and spots we had’nt fished in years to put a good bag together”. The bigger fish came on the Stiffy Devilfish, but as Alan said “the key was to never give up, keep moving and keep casting”.

Close by on the Parramatta River Team Tackleworld – Marks Point had struck a decisive blow. Casting a Cranka Vibe in GAU pattern deep under wharf pylons, Mark Healey used a slow almost horizontal draw to connect with a thumping fish that took line deep under the wharf.

Clearly a good fish Mark was concerned the 3lb leader and 2lb Fireline was not going to take the abuse but after some skillful guidance Mark was able to get the fish into clearer water.

Once the fish was netted Mark admitted to being “left shaking for a few minutes!” The fat and healthy fish was later to weigh in at 1.51kg and reflecting afterwards Mark commented “to get that fish any day is fantastic but on a tournament day is just unreal. Knowing we now had an excellent bag, tactically it allowed us to save some spots for Day 2 rather than pursue upgrades and really opened up our options”.

As the boats filtered in to Cockle Bay for the weigh-in it was clear it had been a day of mixed emotions. Teams had generally found the fishing fairly tough and the sixteen teams whilst fascinated at being the centre of attention in a crowded Cockle Bay appeared to be either quietly confident or disappointed at their efforts for the day.

Presenting their catch to the weigh master on top of the Reef Science tank each team explained their day and on tallying the Day One totals, the well prepared Team Tackleworld-Marks Point led the field with 3.71kg. A whisker behind was Team Shimano Evinrude with 3.63kg and Team Marineware whose member Dan Frost was competing in between shifts at the Marineware stand in the Sydney Boat Show hall positioned themselves well for Day Two with 3.22kg.

Despite the mixed bags there was still everything to play for on Day Two, teams knowing that a couple of those big Parra River bream could easily turn the table.

Day Two started clear and a crisp six degrees and it was interesting to see whether teams would stick to the same game plan or re-assess the day’s fishing.  Team Tackleworld-Mark’s Point chose to repeat their Day One plan and hit the Harbour early, targeting spots that had produced on the day before.

Team Shimano Evinrude had lost confidence in their Harbour spots with the clearer water not helping their cause and consequently the team headed up to the Ryde Bridge to begin their assault.

One team that had performed very well through the round stages was Team Gamakatsu/Samurai Reaction Rods and it was a surprise to see Codie and Shaun Stewart sitting around mid table after Day One. Similar to other teams the boys start Day 2 by fishing the Harbour first. Targeting the Shell Cove area the team ran into similar difficulty and was unable to see fish on the sounder let alone make contact with one on the rod. By 8am it was felt no longer viable to stay in the area and a move was made to the Gladesville Bridge and the adjacent bays. After snaring two fish in the first three casts the change of plan was confirmed and the rest of the day say Codie and Shaun target bays, boats and points on the western side of the river to Putney. Using Samurai Reaction 101 rods and 6lb leaders, Atomic Metalz vibration baits in Hey U pattern were cast around and structure that looked like it would hold fish. The pair were able to accumulate a solid bag throughout the day and were able to upgrade several times despite losing several good fish.

Leading team Tackleworld-Marks Point were able to secure a bag in the first three hours and repeated their move to the Parramatta River in search of quality upgrades. Fishing similar techniques to Day One Mark and Adrian used G Loomis rods in TSR 826-2 and DSR 820S to work their Cranka vibes around various structure and although the huge Day One type fish was not to be, several fish in the 30cm+ range ensure another solid bag that would take some challenging.

At 2pm on Sunday as the crowd gathered around the Reef Science tank now stacked with product prizes from the likes of Lowrance, Engel, Minn Kota and Jarvis Walker the sixteen boats returned to the BETS Grand Final pontoon for the final time. The crowd having recently been treated to a handsome product giveaway thanks to the event sponsors watched enthralled as the first bags were presented in the event arena and the weights displayed.

The leading team at the time was honored with the “Hot Seat” only to be sent on their way when their weight was exceeded. All too quickly it was left to just one team to weigh-in, Team Tackleworld Mark’s Point. Joining them on top of the Reef Science was leading team Gamakatsu/Samurai Reaction Rods with Codie and Shaun Stewart having done a supreme job in moving up the table.

Needing just 1.99kg to take the title and the $10,000 First Prize it was left to weigh master Scott Towner to reveal the weight to the two teams, the twenty eight other anglers and the thousands of on-lookers.

As the scales settled at 3.69kg the 2010 Berkley Evinrude Team Series had come to its conclusion and the crowd roared its approval. Team Tackleworld Mark’s Point had taken the title by a clear 1.7kg from second placed team Gamakatsu/Samurai Reaction Rods. Team Shimano Evinrude were rewarded for their “never say die” attitude and held Third Place.

Whilst obviously delighted with the win Mark and Adrian were clearly taking it all in some time later. As the shadows fell across Cockle Bay Mark reflected “It’s been a fantastic series and we’ve loved it. To come away with the $10,000 and $200 from BluEye Eyewear after the preparation we put in has been great reward.” And just to add a little cream the Day One 1.51kg Big Bream Mark managed to coax out of the pylons earned the team a pair of Canon Digital Cameras courtesy of Big Bream sponsor Bing Lee.

Showing little disappointment with their $5000 and $200 BluEye Eyewear voucher second place Codie Stewart of Team Gamakatsu/Samurai Reaction Rods noted “to come from eighth to second place on the last day was just amazing…we’re wrapped!” and Harbour pro’s Alan Loftus and Ross Cannizarro were rewarded for their third place with $1000 and an HDS 8 and HDS 5 courtesy of major sponsor Lowrance.

With prizes throughout the field from the likes of Lowrance, Engel, Minn Kota and Jarvis Marine even the anglers disappointed with their position could not be happier with their prizes and the congratulations and celebration continued for some time after the weigh-in.

So as fast as those first 70 boats disappeared into the mist on the morning of Round One, the 2010 Berkley Evinrude Team Series is now part of history.  Congratulations should be made to all sixteen teams for qualifying from some very tough fishing fields and to the top placed anglers, enjoy your success, enjoy your prizes and we’ll see you next time.

Thankyou’s

As the anglers and crowd made there way back to the pontoon it became apparent just how big a contribution the event sponsors had made. Lowrance HDS sounders, Engel Coolbox’s, Minn Kota and Jarvis Walker electric motors could be seen floating through the crowd and loaded onto boats, with the ‘comedy’ $10,000 cheque occasionally floating to the surface! It was a phenomenal sight and we take this opportunity to thank our generous event sponsors Pure Fishing, Evinrude, BIA, Lowrance, Engel, Bing Lee, Minn Kota, BluEye Eyewear, Rock Energy Drinks, Jarvis Marine, Skeeter Boats, Windsor Bait & Tackle, Gabes Bait & Tackle and Otto’s Bait &Tackle. Almost $110,000 of cash and product prizes was given away throughout the Series and our sponsors contribution helped make the Series such a great success.

We would also like to thank the one hundred or so teams that fished at some point of the Series and of course the sixteen Grand Final qualifying teams who took the quite different format of the Final in there stride and made the Final weekend such a success. We genuinely appreciate your support and hope you can join us next year for a bigger and even richer Berkley Evinrude Team Series.

See you all soon.

The BETS Team

Click here to see the full results and prize table.

Enjoy Mango’s interview with the winners and remember to check out the Gallery pics!

Mark Healey and Adrian Neoh of Team Tackleworld – Marks Point held both their nerve and their lead to take out the 2010 Berkley Evinrude Team Series Grand Final. Securing a 3.69kg bag on Day 2, the pair’s accumulated total of 7.40kg was 1.7kg ahead of second placed Team Gamakatsu/Samurai Reaction Rods.

Congratulations to Mark and Adrian – full story to follow.

Click here for full results.

The week before the fourth and final round of the Berkley Evinrude Team Series it’s fair to say there was a little apprehension surrounding the event. For many teams it would be a make or break round and reports of some great fishing and quality fish were encouraging but set against a background of rain and a forty knot southerly, things were looking distinctly ropey.

To the relief of both anglers and organizers as the week progressed the reports of good fishing remained but the threat of appalling weather dissipated and on the day cool and slightly breezy conditions saw 56 teams gently motor down Sussex Inlet and out on to St Georges Basin. The chance of a big bag was clearly there, but could the teams that really needed one return with smiles on their dials?

As teams spread out across the Basin Team Marineware of Dan Frost and Mick Torak pulled up with 500m of the final channel markers and took the boat inshore as far as the could go. Hoping to take advantage of the breeze and overcast conditions Dan and Mick cast shallow suspending hard bodies into weed flats. Fishing in only a couple of feet of water a few quick rips following Dan’s first cast saw a 30cm+  bream tear off across the flats only to find itself in the live well after a short but hard tussle.

Not to be left out Mick repeated the pattern a couple of minutes later, this time seeing a 33cm specimen being brought aboard. Delighted at such a great start the team continued peppering the area with casts but the rising sun was to be the enemy and by the time the water was fully illuminated by the morning light the bite had gone and team chose to move on.

Heading to the islands at the northern end of the Basin the target was deeper water fish and finding a good drift in ten to fifteen feet of water Mick’s desire to “go with blades” was met. After half an hour or so of collecting a range of species including some thumper whiting, Dan was alerted to a change in fortunes by the sound of Mick’s drag screaming and indeed Mick screaming. Hoping it wasn’t a snapper the fish took three or four powerful lunges and tested Mick’s 4lb leader to the max. The fish finally tired and moments after getting a first look at the fish Dan aced the net shot to see a monster bream come aboard. Too excited at the capture the team didn’t reach for the ruler as its size clearly showed this was one fish that would not be upgraded any time soon. It wouldn’t be until later at the weigh-in that the true value of the fish would be known.

Mick was on fire with the blades securing three more quality fish for the bag leaving Dan wanting to pursue upgrades, no easy task when your smallest fish is 29cm! Fishing off a point in eighteen feet of water it took ten minutes for Dan to get a quality hit and after going through the motions for a couple of minutes, the desired upgrade appeared. That fish of 33cm set up a bag of true quality and the team returned to the weigh-in confident they had achieved their goal of a top twenty place.

As it was the 4.075kg bag helped them achieve their goal by a mere nineteen places with Team Marineware taking out the final round of the Berkley Evinrude Team Series in convincing fashion and the $2500 cash prize and $200 BlueEye Eyewear voucher great reward for their time, research and hard work prior to the tournament. The team used a variety of Daiwa and Loomis rods and reels and fished predominantly blades and hard bodies on 3 and 4lb leaders throughout the day. Dan made special mention of the Berkley Fireline the team was using saying “after trying many many lines Fireline gives the absolute reliability you need when chasing good fish”.

And that monster fish?  Bringing the scales down at 1.40kg the fish dwarfed the others in the live well and set up a great win.

The value of that big fish became apparent when Team Shimano/Evinrude of Alan Loftus and Ross Cannizzaro weighed in their bag of quality fish. Although the team did not present a similar monster their bag consisted of five excellent fish and was going to be challenging bag regardless.

Also fishing the northern end of the Basin Alan and Ross fished the wind blown shores in water four to eight feet deep. Making long searching casts with the wind the Shimano sponsored team fished Squidgy Lobby’s in Grenade colour on 1/28^th internal weight jigheads and let the plastic flutter down and sit on top of the weed. A gentle shake was all that was required to attract attention and often the longer the plastic was left sitting after a shake the more confident the take was. Where the team found patches of sand in the weed, an accurate cast would often produce interest in the lure.

Alan and Ross fished the same 4lb leader based rig throughout the day using long 7’3” rods for extra distance and accumulated fish on a regular basis. Often returning fish in the low 30cm back to the water Alan reflected “we had great fish but just could get that one decent fish over a kilo to bring us home”.

Falling just short of the leaders Team Shimano/Evinrude weighed in a 3.935kg bag to take second place and a cash prize of $2000 and a $200 BlueEye Eyewear voucher reward for a superb effort.

A whisker behind in third place – team tournament regulars Team B.B.B.F of John Timbrell and Nick Lototzky. After being consistent throughout the BETS tournament John and Nick finished on a high with their best result of the Series. The team not only managed to anchor their bag with that all important kilo fish but also kept up the quality of their remaining fish to weigh in 3.850kg’s. Securing not only the $1800 cash third prize, Team B.B.B.F claimed 98 points towards their claim for a BETS Grand Final Spot.

If taking the first place reward wasn’t already enough the claiming of the Bing Lee Big Bream award was the icing on the cake for Team Marineware. That 1.4kg fish that secured their win had little chance of been beaten and the value of that fish rose by another $400 with Dan and Mick leaving St Georges Basin with a Canon digital camera courtesy of major sponsor Bing Lee.

As usual thanks to all our generous sponsors who made this round possible and particular mention goes to the Sussex Inlet Marine Centre for their support and assistance with this round.

And with that the Rounds of the Berkley Evinrude Team Series have come to an end. Taking the best three results, the top sixteen placed teams have gained an offer to take part in the BETS Grand Final on Sydney Harbour and a chance to take out the $10,000 First Prize. The top ten percent of entries from each round have also gained a place in the ABT Classic Grand Final.

Congratulations to all our prize winners and qualifiers and we wish you the very best. To the one hundred teams that have played at part in the BETS Series at one time or another we thank you for your support and look forward to seeing you next year for an even bigger tournament!

Final Positions Posted!!

With all rounds now complete we’ve tallied the best three results for each team to see just who has achieved one of the sixteen highly coveted places in the 2010 Berkley Evinrude Team Series Grand Final!!

Click on Final Positions Table under Rounds above!

Dan Frost and Mick Torak of Team Marineware take out the fourth and final round of the Berkley Evinrude Team Series and secure their spot in the Grand Final! With a bag of 4.075kg and the Bing Lee Big Bream at 1.4kg, Marineware was one of 35 teams that brought home a ‘bag of five’ in a great days fishing. Click on Round Four results for the full list.

Full Wrap to come.

Just seven days away from Round Four and St Georges Basin is really firing! Several anglers fishing this weekend said the fishing was “an absolute blast!” with fish consistently between 30 and 40cm and double and treble hookups happening regularly! All methods were working so if your hesitating putting an entry in why wait…the chance of a great days fishing is really on and you might just be able to walk away with a handy cash bonus while your at it. Click on Round Four above and get that entry form in!!

Lake Macquarie is one of those bream fisheries that can make you cry with tears of joy or, well, just plain cry. So vast is the range of structure on the waterway the challenge can simply be deciding where to fish let alone how to fish. There are some legendary big bream to be caught and the right spot can see a bag filled quickly. Be it deep jigging over the numerous cockle beds or slow rolling over the flats rewards are there and as the sun rose over horizon and the first boats arrived for registration it was clear from the rigging of rods that many anglers were covering all bases.

And for the first time in the 2010 Series the briefing was held in the sunshine, much more pleasant that the damp and mistyconditions of the previous rounds.

With the Lake Macquarie being such a large body of water it doesn’t lend itself to “spot-hopping” a tactic that can be worthwhile on smaller fisheries.  A plan that would see more time spent with lures in the water and less time travelling on the water should pay dividends. One team that spent time setting their plan was Windsor Bait and Tackle 2, Ben Turbott and Rod Hardiman.

After putting the hours in earlier in the week the team set out with a plan of attack albeit with one small proviso. The idea would be to fish the north end of the lake after confirming the south end was not to their liking and after spending an hour finding the southern waters a little to stale for their liking the boys made the run north confident their plan was the way to go.

Ben and Rod chose to target the numerous boat hulls in the bays dotted around the northern lake suburbs, a tactic not often first on the list for Lake Macquarie. Initially fishing a combination of blades and Berkley Gulp soft plastics in particular the 2 inch shrimp in Banana Prawn pattern the idea was to see which type of lure would produce the best result. They quickly found the Gulp shrimp was the way to go and methodically fished each hull targeting not only the keel part of the boat but also the anchoring blocks and mooring ropes. Noticing the water had cooled somewhat since their pre fishing sortie the team fished slightly heavier than planned, using 1/12^th and 1/16^th jigheads to get to the fish holding closer to the bottom.  The boys later noted that “where fish were schooled up the takes were much more aggressive than the more subtle takes of individual fish”.

Whilst the fish came regularly it was the arrival of 1.28kg specimen that anchored the teams’ bag and after already being well placed in previous rounds Windsor Bait and Tackle notched up their first BETS round win with a superb 3.89kg bag to take the $3000 first prize, a $200 BluEye Eyewear voucher and the valuable 100 points towards a spot in the BETS Grand Final.

Another team that has featured well in previous rounds is Team Rusty Nails of Shayne Gillett and Kyle Prosper. Both local to the Lake Macquarie area the team utilized some local knowledge and began by targeting a deeper water bite around the Wangi Point area. Fishing Ecogear ZX blades the two anglers picked a number points and headlands throughout the system and slowly accumulated a quality bag of fish.  Shayne noted “we fished water between four and seven metres deep. Outside of that range the bite fell away”. Like Windsor Bait and Tackle they were able to anchor their bag with a quality fish and in this case it was a cracking 1.47kg specimen caught by Kyle that brought a round of applause when weigh master Scott Towner held the fish to the crowd of onlookers that had been drawn to the weigh-in.

Upgrading four times during the day saw Team Rusty Nails getting agonizing close to the leaders and secure second place and the $2000 cash prize and a $200 BluEye Eyewear voucher with their 3.845kg bag, a result topped off with a further 99 points to their BETS Grand Final campaign and that superb fish landing them the Big Bream award for the round.

In what was to be a day where consistency and big fish were to be a feature of the results, another team with success in previous rounds grabbed the $1800 third place prize.

Team Parramatta River Rats of Peter Jarvis and Wayne Robinson capitalized on their 4^th place in Round Two by securing 3^rd with a 3.635kg bag. Yet again this bag was secured with one particular solid fish, this time a 1.42kg thumper. This fish was the teams first of the day caught on a Berkley 3 inch Pearl Watermelon minnow fished slowly over one of the many pockets of cockle beds in the Chain Valley Bay arm of the lake and set them up perfectly for a great bag. The result saw the team well positioned for a Grand Final spot and looking forward to Round 4.

Not often do you see the top three placed teams present the top three bream for the Big Bream award but as mentioned it was Shayne Gillett and Kyle Prosper of Team Rusty Nails with a 1.47kg fish the overcame the challenge from the other teams earning the Bing Lee Big Bream Award for Round 4 and a Canon Digital Camera for their effort, some consolation for missing out on the overall top spot by a few grams.

So the completion of Round 3 see’s another allocation of valuable points towards the Berkley Evinrude Team Series Grand Final on Sydney Harbour and another great prize payout courtesy of our generous sponsors, Pure Fishing Australia, BRP Australia as Evinrude E Tec, Engel Fridge and Freezers, Rock Energy Drinks,  Bing Lee, BluEye Eyewear, Lowrance Sounders, Minn Kota, Jarvis Marine Skeeter Boats, Windsor Bait and Tackle,  Otto’s Tackle World,  ABT and Fishing Monthly Magazine. Thank you all for your attendance and support.

Onwards we go with Round Four on St Georges Basin on 23^rd May now rapidly approaching and a final chance for teams to gain points and secure that Grand Final spot. Remember the top sixteen places qualify based on a team’s best three rounds. Whilst the Points Table looks tight there is still plenty of room for movement so get your entries in and start planning that assault on the Basin…a chance to take away that $10,000 Grand Final First Prize is not far away!

See you all there and in the meantime check out all the pictures from the rounds by clicking on Gallery at the top of the page.

Interview with winners click below

www.youtube.com/watch?v=C0CI6tJX-EY

With a few hefty downpours of rain in preceding days there was a bit of air of un-certainty on the morning of Round Two on Sydney Harbour. Nobody seemed to know quite how the days fishing would pan out. Those that had fished the Harbour that week had seen mixed results and reports came back that many of the prime fishing spots had water “the colour of Milo” and there was floating debris everywhere. A quick sortie into the Harbour by the organizers confirmed the reports…the water was pretty grim but there were patches of clearer water around and the main body of water wasn’t too bad with the rivers being worst affected. We too were intrigued as to where the fish would come from but with another 70 boat field on the water surely we’d see some fish.

As often happens on Sydney Harbour the worst of conditions see’s the best of fishing and as the boats started to return to the weigh-in at Bayview Park it became clear that this day was no exception with over two thirds of the field bringing in a full five fish bag. That often seen “did you get your bag” look by teams was replaced with a more worried “is my bag good enough” look!

At the weigh-in table the fish were soon coming thick and fast and appeared to be in fine condition obviously thriving after the weeks’ heavy rain. It was when the bag of Sydney Harbour regular Graham Franklin and Mid North Coast visitor Martin Richardson of Team Atomic/Gamakatsu held the scales down at 3.97kg that the standard was set and despite a close challenge from a number three kilo plus bags, it was never bettered.

Graham and Martin fished a stretch of water from Putney to Silverwater that had fished well in previous days. Predominantly using hard bodies, Graham fished an Atomic Crank 38 in Ghost Gill Brown and Martin a deep diving Chubby on four and six pound leaders, the team plugged away, working their way through the fish to isolate the bigger specimens.

Lures were fitted with upgraded Gamakatsu Wide Gap size 12 trebles to ensure a positive hook up. Casting in to waters from half to two metres deep the pair boated over thirty legal fish and gradually upgraded over a dozen times to compile a bag where the smallest fish measured 31.5cm. Samurai Reaction 101 and 202 rods and Diawa Certate 2500 reels provided the control and leverage required for the bigger fish.

Graham admitted to being worried about the additional overnight rain but noted “The dirtier water turned out to be sitting on the top of cleaner water and once the lure dropped down a bit we hit fish”. Despite thoughts their bag may be too small to win, win it did and earned the team $3300 in cash and a $200 BluEye Eyewear Voucher and the all important 100 points towards a Grand Final position.

Pushing on from an excellent 7^th place in Round One, brothers Codie and Shaun Stewart of Team Aquatic Caravan Park Port Macquarie backed up with an excellent bag in Round Two, an 870 gram fish the pick of a 3.695kg offering.

After seeing good returns the week before the brothers returned to Shell Cove off Kirribilli House in search of a decent bag. After a lone early fish it wasn’t until 11.30am that the net was called upon again but their perseverance paid off with the team collecting ten legal fish in the final hours.

Using the old classics, Berkley 3inch Bass Minnows in Pearl Watermelon and 2 inch Berkley Hawgs in Watermelon, 1/12^th and 1/20^th jig heads and 5lb leaders were used targeting a variety of structure, depths and open water in the cove and the reward for persistence…$2200 and a $200 BluEye Eyewear voucher.

There was also a bottle of Evinrude XD100 oil courtesy of BRP Australia for their troubles by virtue of being the highest placed team running an Evinrude motor.

Another team keen to improve on their performance from Round One were Daniel Frost and Michael Torok of Team Marineware. They too were able to break the three kilo mark with a superb 1.025kg bream the foundation for a 3.42kg bag. Harbour regulars, Daniel and Michael fished the eastern shore of the Parramatta River around Five Dock and the Gladesville Bridge and after little success with soft plastics a change to blade type lures saw prompt returns.

Targeting fish sitting under boat hulls in less than 20ft of water the team pulled in over thirty legal fish to allow them to present the pick of the crop. Fishing the blades very slowly the team stuck to their plan to keep to the eastern shore and reaped the $1800 cash prize and third place.

With a number of quality fish being presented the quest for the Bing Lee Big Bream was fascinating and after sitting with Team Marinewares’ solid 1.025kg fish for some time it came to be eclipsed by a thumper fish from Team Fire and Breamstone. Tipping the scales at 1.145kg the bream presented by Warwick and Eric Cregan was not to be surpassed and a Canon digital camera courtesy of Bing Lee was the reward for a super fish.

So that’s the wrap of Round Two on Sydney Harbour. Thanks to all the teams for such an excellent showing again and congratulations to the top 10% who have earned a spot in the ABT Classic Grand Final.

Attention now turns to Lake Macquarie on the 11^th April for Round Three and another opportunity to notch up some points for the Berkley Evinrude Team Series Grand Final. As we drift into autumn the stage is set for a hot surface bite and chances are some of those meaty Lake Mac bream will make it back to the weigh-in.

All the details will be here on www.betsbream.com.au.

See you all there!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=slk4m34jP-g