Barra / ABT Virgin No More!!!

[OverNover]

Yep, I'm off the donut!!!! WOOHOOOOO. Competed in the weekends ABT round at Mondy with a couple of Mates fishing as Team Platypus Lines and TT Lures. Have to say I was a bit in awe floating around the start line on the Friday, looking at all the Skeeters and all the big names I've spent the last few years avidly watching on the AFC series.

Friday was very quiet and all of us ended the day still on nuts, Nick who I was fishing with had one hookup which smashed him 6 feet off a point then proceded to run straight at us and under the boat, don't think it would have mattered if his reel was 12:1, he wasn't keeping up with that express train, it casually dropped the Hollowbelly on the otherside of the boat and left us wondering.

Our fellow boat Stu & Pete had multiple hook ups and multiple tackle failure, don't think I should mention any brands but Pete was none too impressed, pretty sure you would have heard him regardless of where you were!!!! Needless to say, reels were stripped back at camp and repooled with proven braid. Many beers were drunk, however my sleep was regularly interupted by the chainsaw sleeping next to me, feral cats paying us a visit and this sick & twisted Willy Wagtail that had no comprehension of when is the best time to chirp and whistle, words were exchanged, rocks were thrown, all to no avail!!!

Saturday - Nick and I decide to hit Bird Bay 1st up as that's where Nick had got his good hit and the amount of bait we had seen was promising. As we pulled in we saw Mike Connolly already fishing so thought we must be half a chance. We headed in behind the timber to a bank that Pete had pulled a 99cm off two weeks prior on his 2nd cast. Water temp was up on day 1 and the whole place just looked fishier. 25 minutes in, on a slow roll and my Storm Pro Paddletail just stops!!!! Then a metre long Barra launches out of the water 20 feet in front of us, it is at that point I stop breathing, dump the rod tip in the drink as this beast screams off towards the bank under major drag pressure, my decision to go with the 4 - 8kg Medium / Heavy spin rod was looking like the wrong one as the rod loaded up to the extreme, should I have gone the 6 - 10??? The fish took to the air twice more with massive head shakes, completely out of the water, then ran straight at us, under the boat, I dumped the rod up to the reel and she stripped another 20m of 20lb off the screaming Soron 40 heading for the only standing tree within 100m!! I managed to turn her about 2m short of that, she surfaced on the other side of the boat, with me just saying "please don't jump, don't jump", after what felt like an eternity I slowly managed to work her back to my side of the boat where she went deep, another couple of minutes later and I eased her up and with a brilliant net shot by Nick, she was done. High fives and chest bumps all round!!! I then fell to the seat and took my 1st breath, heart beating out of my chest, I'd done it!!!!! Through the whole thing Nick was encouraging me and giving direction, couldn't have done it without him. We have named the bank "half hour bank". Pete managed to boat a 101 fishing the gap in the Island just out of the basin.

I also have to thank a few guys for their help and advice. Peter Jung, Nick Willett, Trevor (Awoonga), Chris (Nagg), Matt Fraser, Nath (Breamnut), it was great to finally meet those of you that I hadn't, you're a top bunch of blokes and thanx for all your help, sorry if I was a pain in the arse. Last but definetely not least, my good Mate Stu who I've been fishing with for many years now and is my regular Flattie Classic partner, It's kind of a hollow victory for me to get off the donut knowing you have not, but hey, there's always next time!!!! Your turn Mate!

Cheers, Jamie.

[matt fraser]

Great report Jamie, top pics, great way to get your first. Those flatties won't cut it anymore!

love the enthusiasm and I sense that your Impoundment Barra Disease has hit a new level.

Cheers,

Matt

[Big_Ren]

Fantastic Jamie and congratulations on pricking the bubble. They are special and sometimes heart stopping moments when a fish rampages underneath the boat and out on the opposite side to where you are fighting her.

Great report, and welcome to the IBD ward.

Cheers
Paul

[Peter4]

Congrats again Jamie....first barra, a metrey and during an ABT event. It cannot get much better than that...

Regs

Pete & Kyle

[robersl]

Great work Jamie well done in the comp on your first fish, you were just lucky nagg was not sleeping in a tent beside you then you would know what a chainsaw sounds like i hear trev goes to bed with ear muffs on when he shares with chris

shane

[Frank OO]

Hi Jamie,
Firstly, let me congratulate you on a great fish caught when everything was going slow.

I had a loud chuckle whilst reading your post. It might have been because we were neighbours but it really was funny. I got up in the middle of the night to relieve my inner tensions and experienced the snoring in your tent first hand. I also heard similar sounds from all of the other tents and vans all the way to the amenities block.

That bloody Willie Wagtail was going to die but I couldn’t find that little ball of black and white feathers in the dark. I think he must have been confused because the full moon got me up at 3:00am thinking it was dawn.

I don’t think you could have picked a more pristine spot for that magnificent tent. It was a pity when everyone else moved in around you on Friday morning.

Well done to all your team for having a go. I will be very tempted next year.

Frank OO

[baggersace]

Well done overnover on your first comp. Next year you need to do the whole southern series, the experience is well worth it.

You'll also have a chance to stumble across a ceratate, front nav lights, 10,000 lures, a recessed cup holder and many more donations left by us, mainly Trevor and Matts fault there.

We found your cat from friday morning, it was in our place on Saturday morning, you can have it back at anytime.

[OverNover]

Ha Ha Ha, Yeah, nice Baggersace, running the comps is expensive enough without throwing Certate's away Nagg, hopefully Trev will be able to find it with a bit of prospecting!! Reckon Matt might be asked to bring his own boat next year too.

As for the Ferals, I assumed it was the bandicoots we'd seen earlier that night, came out and it was a bloody mongrel cat!! There was another one under the boat, when I went to piss it off, it gone down into the pouncing position, it was an angry lookin mother with no tail and was dead set twice the size of a domestic cat, I left it to it!!!!

Thanx to Matt, Peter, Kyle, Shaun, and Frank too, great to meet youse, and Frank, maybe next time we'll both have to come up with a plan to knock off that bloody Wag Tail!!!!!!

[BR65]

Well done mate, the first is special!

[NAGG]

Good onya Jamie for having a go ....... along with Pete & Kyle you guys show that it is worth giving it a go ......... plus you had success in a tough arena .

I hope others take the plunge and give a round or two a go next year

A big congrats on your new PB

Chris

[Steve B]

Yep, well done Jamie and a cool story to go with you trip!!!

I dare say you will be having a go next year now!!

Hope you do, and will catch up sometime!

Cheers Steve

[rc@hinze]

Well done Jamie for having a go in the comp and breaking the donunt. - RC

[OverNover]

Cheers Steve & Richard,

Steve - That is an absolute horse of a fish on your avatar, must have been bloody interesting around the sticks!!!! What did she go?

Richard - Me & Stu are keen to give Hinze a run over Xmas, how's it been fishing?

[rc@hinze]

I havent had my boat in there for some 2 months instead I have been fishing some local creeks. I fished off the bank at Hinze about 4 weeks ago and got 6 in a couple of hours but all small. A mate who fishes it hard has had mixed success. Most of the fish have been under 30cm but you can get quite a few of them. I Never do well up there in strong northerlies. PM me when you are heading up there. -Richard

[OverNover]

Cheers Richard, will do. Keen to give the Western Arm a crack as I've never fished it, usually just put in at the water tower and get around as far as the waterfall then cross over and come back the opposite bank.