HOBIE KAYAK BREAM SERIES- Rhino-Rack Round 8: Gold Coast, Queensland (7th August)

Posted By admin on Aug 7, 2016

Atomic pro fires for Hobie win

Atomic BREAM Pro Lex Irwin claimed victory in the 8^th stop of the 2016 Hobie Kayak BREAM Series, with the 59 year old Cartographer grabbing the lead midway through the event weigh-in, then never being bettered, to secure his maiden tournament win.

Compiling a 4/4, 2.37kg limit to claim the win, Irwin fished a deep water pattern to catch his fish, targeting fish holding in 7-12 metres of water near Wave Break Island. A location that took about and hour to get there, and another hour to get back.

“I had a stretch that I drift fished. Once I got to the end of the run I’d peddle back up and do the drift again”, explained Irwin.

Irwin’s stretched featured sandstone ledges on the bottom and his presentation involved sinking his offering to the bottom then working it with a series of lifts and drops along the bottom.

Fishing a 3” Atomic Plazo Fat Grub in brown crawdad colour, and a 1/4oz Atomic Metalz in gill brown colour, Irwin found the bite happening in waves.

“You’d get a couple of fish in a drift, then nothing for a while. It was a real ebb and flow when it came to bites”, explained Irwin.

Irwin’s deep tandem lure approach paid off and he filled his limit by 9am.

“It was great to get my bag early, it’s always a great feeling when that happens”, explained Irwin.

Weighing in a 2.37kg limit Irwin claimed the win by a 180gram margin. His tournament winning tackle included a Samurai Reaction RE203 rod, Shimano Ci4 reel, and 4lb Unitika line.

Post victory Irwin was both reflective and appreciative of those that helped with his maiden tournament win.

“I lost my dad only two days before the tournament, so the day was very much about getting away and having some space and time to myself. To then win the event is truly special, and I’m very thankful for that and to Hobie for running the series and Frogleys Offshore who support my tournament fishing”, explained Irwin.

Halliday hauls to second

Event runner-up Michael Halliday punched his ticket for November’s Australian Championship with a podium (2^nd) finish on the Gold Coast.

Fishing the Runaway Bay canals for the entirety of the tournament the 39 year old Varsity Lakes kayaker fished an ultra light soft plastic approach to catch his fish.

“I rigged a Pro Lure Yabby on a homemade hidden weight jighead and fished the back of the pontoons focusing on the vertical structure (poles)”, explained Halliday.

Halliday’s first cast at each pontoon involved him skipping it across the surface past the first post to twig the interest of any bream hovering near by. He’d then sink the Yabby next to post, ready for take that was to follow.

“Most bites would come on the drop, and they’d hit it and run, so you needed to be ready for the take”, explained Halliday.

The approach paid dividends with Halliday catching 20 legal, and 20 undersize fish for the session.

“There were two tournament boats that came in and fished the same canals, but they only fished the front of the pontoons, so I made sure I focused on the backs of the pontoons that had less angling pressure”, explained Halliday.

Weighing in a 2.19kg limit Halliday held off a strong performing Guy Struthers to claim 2^nd place.

Hogs Breath Café Boss Hog Big Bream

Warren Cossell secured the Hogs Breath Café Boss Hog Big Bream, with the tournament veteran securing the $100 prize with his 860gram muscled from beneath a pontoon on a chocolate sparkle colour Berkley Crabby rigged on a 1/60^th TT jighead.

Kayak BREAM Series: R8 Gold Coast Angler Results