I.B.D

[Steve B]

Not this year son! ..... Big Willy will sought you lot out on his own
Anyway ..... Lockyer cant play in a wheel chair! ..... so you're gone

Lucky Sonny bill doesnt play for NSW....QLD wouldnt have to beat NSW up. They would do it to each other!!

Inglis will do the job of lockyer. Anastas nose will be a great target.......again!!

[NAGG]

It was quite funny really. They ASK you to CONSIDER doing country service. There is a list of places, most of which are way way way out west or just plain bad!! Gin Gin was on the list, It had been advertised twice and no one wanted to go there!!!

I figured 1/2 from major city (Bundaberg) good for wife and shopping, 40 min to bargarra beach (good swimming for the kids), 90min to Hervey bay, 1770, Agnes waters, 2hrs in the water to Awoonga and 20 min to a little puddle up the road with big barra!!!! And a paramedic mate in bundy has a big offshore boat and thousands of secret marks offshore Bundaberg, so the freezer always has a respectable supply of trout, reds, sweetlip etc

Work wise its busy enough, but not to busy, cost of living is pretty good (just bought a 3 bed brick house with everything and the BEST view over the cane fields and farms for $270K) Earn twice the coin than in the city and the small town safety and freindliness is awesome.

I was only asked to stay for a year!!! 2 years later, I dont think I will be leaving in a hurry.. Ironically there is a cue up to get in here now!! Most are fishermen too!! Or they just want to get out of the city where they get there arses worked into the ground.

Steve

cheers steve

Good on ya! ... It just sounds too good! ... Were you a barraholic before you arrived ?
Mate .... not enough of a plastic industry in Gin Gin .... Bundy has some (incl Polycraft!)
Brissy will do though ...... that cuts my trip by 12 hours!

[NAGG]

Lucky Sonny bill doesnt play for NSW....QLD wouldnt have to beat NSW up. They would do it to each other!!

Inglis will do the job of lockyer. Anastas nose will be a great target.......again!!

Anasta ??? ..... a case of harder to get out of the side than into it

[Steve B]

Chris, Oh yeah, total barraholic.

We used to drive 6 hours to awonga for 3 night trips every month thru the peak season. Used to troll up heaps of big fish (2004-2007). Never fished monduran until I moved here! The fishing was too good (at the time) to pass at Awoonga.

your right about Anasta, we have carl webb, how the hell he is still in the QLD team I dont know. plays about 20min a game, does 3 tackles 2 hitups and throws 5 bad passes.....and they keep picking him because he had one good game about 7 years ago.

They love their polys around these parts!!! I must admit I am getting a soft spot for them..how scary!

[NAGG]

Chris, Oh yeah, total barraholic.

We used to drive 6 hours to awonga for 3 night trips every month thru the peak season. Used to troll up heaps of big fish (2004-2007). Never fished monduran until I moved here! The fishing was too good (at the time) to pass at Awoonga.

your right about Anasta, we have carl webb, how the hell he is still in the QLD team I dont know. plays about 20min a game, does 3 tackles 2 hitups and throws 5 bad passes.....and they keep picking him because he had one good game about 7 years ago.

They love their polys around these parts!!! I must admit I am getting a soft spot for them..how scary!

Ahhhh 6 hours! ... If only My mate Whitey was trying to work out what we needed to do to get to Monduran for 3 days ( yeh right , sure split the fuel @ $700 .... but I still get slugged with car & trailer services ...... That just shows you how addictive it is!
Awoonga was tough for you (last trip) ????

Nagg

PS .... I see the Swans just beat Brisbane

PPS .... Polys? ..... Wait!!!! ( when we catch up .... I'll fill you in)

[Steve B]

Ahhhh 6 hours! ... If only My mate Whitey was trying to work out what we needed to do to get to Monduran for 3 days ( yeh right , sure split the fuel @ $700 .... but I still get slugged with car & trailer services ...... That just shows you how addictive it is!
Awoonga was tough for you (last trip) ????

Nagg

PS .... I see the Swans just beat Brisbane

PPS .... Polys? ..... Wait!!!! ( when we catch up .... I'll fill you in)

Yeah, it was only an overnighter. found the 'zone' about 1hour before I had to leave for other commitments. Got a few good hits (couldnt stay hooked) using a rattlin rapala which was the same size as the gar we saw. i was rolling them over the dead undergrowth near edges. Had one fish hit three times in same retrieve!!!!! Friend had a couple of hits on slickies. nothing landed unfortunately.

I really want to fish awoonga more with plastics and other new methods etc this year. I have been slack in last few years with 'my old favorite methods' and its time to get up with the program before ABT.

cheers steve

[BR65]

Hey Steve, I know you fished a bit of ABT last year, would you recommend it???, Im kickin round the idea of trying it at Mondy this year, but dont have any first hand experience in tourny/comp fishing.
brian

[NAGG]

Yeah, it was only an overnighter. found the 'zone' about 1hour before I had to leave for other commitments. Got a few good hits (couldnt stay hooked) using a rattlin rapala which was the same size as the gar we saw. i was rolling them over the dead undergrowth near edges. Had one fish hit three times in same retrieve!!!!! Friend had a couple of hits on slickies. nothing landed unfortunately.

I really want to fish awoonga more with plastics and other new methods etc this year. I have been slack in last few years with 'my old favorite methods' and its time to get up with the program before ABT.

cheers steve

rattlin Rapala ...... Not familiar with that one
Sorry to hear the result at Awoonga ....... You'll just have to stand in the corner & do it all over again
Yeh .... The comfortable pair of shoes syndrome ( very hard to change a successful formula) ...... We all do it!

cheers

Chris

PS ..... I checked the Rapala out ..... looks like a cross between a stiffy boney bream & a Jackall Vibe

[NAGG]

Hey Steve, I know you fished a bit of ABT last year, would you recommend it???, Im kickin round the idea of trying it at Mondy this year, but dont have any first hand experience in tourny/comp fishing.
brian

Gee Brian .... With your record , I would have bet that an entry form would have your name printed on it already
I reckon it would be a blast ...... hence my interest in joining the tour

Nagg

[Steve B]

Yeah Brian, I highly reccomend having a go. This was my first barra year and I only did awoonga and Monduran. This year I have planned better and will be doing the lot. I fished the ABT bass scene for many years before moving up here, and enjoyed it greatly.

It can be very tiring, frustrating and a busy schedule...but I love it. As I said in a previous post, It is a great chance to pit yourself against some of the the best barra fisherman in Aust. Its a great social tour, and you learn more than you could ever imagine from everyone. There doesn't seem to be much 'secret squirrel' stuff going on. Bit like on here, most people are happy to help and share info.

Give it a go. Even if you just do one round to get a feel for whether you like it or not. I think you will. Your form of late would probably see you win by a country mile at monduran!!

Steve

Chris, She aint all barra slaying gravy in these comps. The fishing is generally quite tough due to boat numbers, weather and general competition pressure to land fish!! I dont think you actually breath when your trying to land a fish knowing how important every fish is (any dropped fish in a tournament HURT WAY more than social fishing!!!)

I was going to sell the boat and quit fishing after the 14 hour night comp at awoonga with NO fish and NO sleep!!!

[BR65]

Gee Brian .... With your record , I would have bet that an entry form would have your name printed on it already
I reckon it would be a blast ...... hence my interest in joining the tour

Nagg

I figure a slow start in a dam I know a little about mite be the way to go Chris, maybe fish the mondy round this year and go from there, only comp Ive ever fished was a tiapia cull in North Pine Dam years ago, so would probably buckle under the pressure anyway, allways hard to produce when youve gotta, just like talking up a spot and then takeing someone there, you just know it will be shut down.
Kudos to the boys who can move dam to dam and produce the goods

[BR65]

Yeah Brian, I highly reccomend having a go. This was my first barra year and I only did awoonga and Monduran. This year I have planned better and will be doing the lot. I fished the ABT bass scene for many years before moving up here, and enjoyed it greatly.

It can be very tiring, frustrating and a busy schedule...but I love it. As I said in a previous post, It is a great chance to pit yourself against some of the the best barra fisherman in Aust. Its a great social tour, and you learn more than you could ever imagine from everyone. There doesn't seem to be much 'secret squirrel' stuff going on. Bit like on here, most people are happy to help and share info.

Give it a go. Even if you just do one round to get a feel for whether you like it or not. I think you will. Your form of late would probably see you win by a country mile at monduran!!

Steve

sorry mate, must of been posting same time as you.
last time I was up at Awoonga I stayed at the motel next to some ABT boys and they were pretty up front with the latest info on hot spots/techniques etc (didnt help me mind you, you can lead a horse to water but blah blah blah)
How do you go fishing new impoundments, I know a pre fish can be done, but it must be a daunting feeling turning up to a Faust or Teemburra for the first time???

[Steve B]

Exactly Brian, It can be very difficult when you dont prefish. As the Awoonga tournament went on we started landing more fish and I think I came 12th in the 2 arvo comp. I reckon if we had a pre fish day we could have done much better from the start. Breaking old habits and being prepared to try and array of styles helps too.

Prefishing is an art form in itself!! I haven't really worked out what works best in prefishing? depends on how much you have fished the dam prior, and sometimes that can also be a bad thing. Local dam...extra pressure to do well. As you said, you know th spots you have done well in before then go back in the comp and zip.

You will be right, you plan sound good to 'test the waters' doing monduran

cheers steve

[the_matrix]

How do you go fishing new impoundments, I know a pre fish can be done, but it must be a daunting feeling turning up to a Faust or Teemburra for the first time???

Try AFC then!
One 5hr pre-fish then camera's roll!!!! (unless you can fish it every day until the event.)
5 hrs to catch fish.............no pressure there.
Its about adapting to the conditions and using your knowlege.
Or, conversely if you dont have a job, pre-fish the hell outta the joint so its almost impossible to lose.
Pre-fishing is the TOTAL key to winning tourno's, quite simply.
Confidence comes from pre-fishing.
Cheers
Jas

[NAGG]

I figure a slow start in a dam I know a little about mite be the way to go Chris, maybe fish the mondy round this year and go from there, only comp Ive ever fished was a tiapia cull in North Pine Dam years ago, so would probably buckle under the pressure anyway, allways hard to produce when youve gotta, just like talking up a spot and then takeing someone there, you just know it will be shut down.
Kudos to the boys who can move dam to dam and produce the goods

Hey Brian ..... I hope you make it !
Personally .... I just love fishing different destinations .. & I do have a bit of a competitive streak ( fished ANSA ... in the old days)
Seeing that I love barra fishing ........ I just want to spend time ( 2 weeks) with likeminded people ( fish hard) ..... & go away with a little more knowledge than I started with ...... No huge expectations at this stage ,,,, But you never know!!!!

Chris