Carl Jocumsen & Jeff “Gussy” Gustafson Claim the Humminbird All-Night Round at Peter Faust Dam

The all-night Humminbird round of the 2024 Zerek BARRA Series on Peter Faust Dam will be remembered for a long time—especially by the winning team of Carl Jocumsen and Jeff “Gussy” Gustafson, who delivered one of the most prolific tournament sessions ever recorded on the ABT BARRA Tour. Fishing under Team Humminbird, the pair combined Australian know-how, North American tournament pedigree, and cutting-edge electronics to produce a night of near-flawless barra fishing.

For Jocumsen, it marked his first ABT win since his early BASS Pro days, while for Gustafson—now three years into annual pilgrimages from Canada—it was his long-awaited breakthrough victory on Australian barramundi. And fittingly, the Humminbird event was conquered using Humminbird technology still under wraps for public release.

From the moment they arrived at Peter Faust Dam, the pair sensed they were on something special. Their practice sessions leading up to the event were exceptional, but the tournament night exceeded even their own expectations.

By the mid-point of the session, Carl turned to Gussy and said, “You better enjoy every minute of this because it’s unrealistic.” They had 25 barra recorded on their catch card, with at least another 5–10 landed but unrecorded. The average size? Consistent 90 cm to 108 cm fish, all night long.

Every serious barra angler knows that Faust can produce big numbers—but this was different. The duo were not just catching volume; they were landing nearly every single fish they hooked, a critical element that ultimately secured the victory.

Forward-Facing Sonar Changes Everything

While the Australian BARRA Tour has long been dominated by anglers using 360-degree imaging and traditional scanning techniques, Jocumsen and Gustafson brought something else to the table: years of Bassmaster Elite Series experience using forward-facing sonar.

Both anglers have spent the past five seasons competing against the best forward-facing sonar fishermen in the world. When they arrived in Australia, their first question for locals was whether forward-facing sonar was effective on barra. Early answers suggested it was difficult—barra roam, change direction, and hold unpredictably. But the new Humminbird technology they were testing unlocked behaviour they believed was previously inaccessible.

During the earlier rounds at Teemburra and Kinchant, forward-facing sonar produced several key fish, including metre-plus models that confirmed to the pair that the approach could not only work—but win. By the time they reached Faust, everything clicked.

Their electronics suite included:

• Humminbird Apex 13 with experimental forward-facing capabilities

• Humminbird 360 Imaging on a split-screen view

• LakeMaster mapping, used to track key contours, channels, and depth transitions

• Minn Kota Ultrex with fine-control steering, essential for precise bait positioning

The resulting workflow was simple: move, scan, locate fish, cast exactly onto individual barra, and repeat—hundreds of times. 

Finding Barra from 5 to 30 Feet

While many teams focused on traditional point fishing or waiting for schooling fish, Jocumsen and Gustafson spent the entire night hunting individual barra spread along depth changes from 5 to 30 feet.

Forward-facing sonar allowed them to target fish that weren’t being pressured—barra sitting wide, suspended, or holding in subtle channels invisible to the naked eye. These fish were often inactive and unwilling to move far, meaning accuracy was everything.

Most casts required the lure to be dropped right on the barra’s nose. Some fish needed 10 or more presentations before reacting.

As Carl put it:
“When you see how accurate you have to be to get them to react, you realise how lucky you are to catch one at random.”

The Winning Lure: Zerek Live Mullet

Both anglers experimented with multiple presentation styles during the Tour—jig-head minnows, paddle tails, and subtle plastics—but Faust required something that combined realism with toughness. Their answer was the Zerek Live Mullet, a lure recommended by other touring anglers and perfectly suited to the subtle, accurate presentations demanded by forward-facing sonar fishing.

Why it worked:

• It swims naturally at ultra-slow speeds

• It carries heavy hooks and added trebles without compromising action

• The body construction is tough enough to survive 40+ fish per lure

• Its subtle natural profile matched the mood of the wide-water barra

The pair modified their Live Mullets with larger trebles and an additional top treble to increase hookup rates. In contrast to previous years—where both anglers lost half the barra they hooked—they lost almost none during this event.

Tackle That Lands Fish

Landing big Faust barra at night requires refined gear—not just heavy gear. Team Humminbird emphasised that rods, leaders, and drag systems were as important as electronics.

Carl’s Setup

• New Millerods model launching December '24

• Designed from barra-tour feedback

• Softer tip allows barra to inhale the lure deeper

• Forgiving taper reduces jumps and thrown hooks

• 50 lb PowerPro braid

• 80 lb Sunline FC leader (FG knot to loop knot)

Gussy’s Setup

• G-Loomis 965 eight-foot swimbait rod

• Lighter, softer, and built for big trebled plastics

• 40 lb PowerPro

• 70 lb Schneider mono leader (“never been chewed off”)

Both anglers stressed that modern forward-facing barra fishing exposes weaknesses in equipment more than any other style. This Tour, however, they had tuned their systems so effectively that they lost only a single fish each across more than 30 hookups. 

Teamwork & Efficiency

Another key to their success was how efficiently they fished as a team. They rotated between the bow and stern, each managing their own forward-facing unit—an arrangement now considered essential for top-tier teams events.

Meanwhile, leader knots were retied frequently: between snag recoveries, after every big fish, or simply when the short leaders became too short for accurate casting.

By staggering re-tying with time on the bow, they maintained constant pressure on active fish throughout the night.

A Win for Skill & Innovation

The victory at Faust wasn’t just luck or technology—it was skill, experience, and mastery of a rapidly evolving barra-fishing landscape.

Forward-facing sonar isn’t unbeatable, and conditions must suit, but when the stars align, few techniques allow anglers to:

• Locate unpressured fish

• Read behaviour in real time

• Deliver a lure with surgical precision

• Trigger strikes from passive fish

On this still, perfect night at Faust, Jocumsen and Gustafson executed the method to its absolute peak.

As Steve Morgan summed it up:
“The two Humminbird guys got it done in the Humminbird event using the secret Humminbird gear.” 

The Final Word

Carl and Gussy’s Humminbird round victory will stand as one of the great all-night performances in the history of the Zerek BARRA Series. Their blend of international tournament experience, cooperation, refined tackle, and advanced electronics demonstrated what is now possible in modern barra fishing—and what the future may look like for the ABT BARRA Tour.

And, according to the pair, the best part is yet to come: Humminbird Australia captured the entire session through onboard screen recording. Anglers can expect some of the clearest underwater barra-behaviour footage ever released.

For now, though, Carl Jocumsen and Jeff Gustafson stand as the deserving champions of the Humminbird Faust Marathon—after delivering a night of fishing that most anglers will only ever dream about.