Coby Pascoe & Jake Johnson Dominate Teemburra – Team Irukandji x Shimano Claim the Atomic Round of the 2025 Zerek BARRA Series

The Atomic-sponsored round of the 2025 Zerek BARRA Series at Teemburra Dam will go down as one of those nights where everything aligned for one team—where preparation, teamwork, lure choice, live-scope execution, and sheer confidence all intersected to produce a winning bag that left the rest of the field well behind.

And in this case, that team was Irukandji x Shimano’s powerhouse pairing: Coby Pascoe and Jake Johnson.

Fresh off what they themselves called a “mild” showing at the Venom BARRA Australian Open at Awoong last month, the pair fired back with a vengeance at Teemburra, putting on a display of consistent big-fish targeting and textbook execution. Their five-fish bag included monsters measuring 117 cm, 112 cm, 111 cm, 105 cm, along with a “tiddler” by comparison—a 95 cm that still anchored an enormous total weight. Their 5/5 for 85.6 kg was more than 10 kilograms clear of the next team, and it came on a night where many anglers reported wildly mixed results. Teemburra rewarded the prepared, and punished anyone even slightly off their game.

Pascoe and Johnson weren’t just prepared—they were clinical.

A Big-Fish Blueprint: Pre-Fish, Patterns, and the Confidence Factor

When asked how they found Teemburra leading into the event, both anglers were quick to point out that their pre-fish was strong, giving them confidence that big fish were active and patternable. Rather than spending multiple days scouting, they condensed their preparation into one big night session, enough to confirm the lake’s mood and validate their strategies.

What they found was classic Teemburra:

• Big fish willing to show themselves

• Plenty of follows

• And a definite preference for large, heavy-profile presentations

The pair make no secret of their tournament identity—they are big-fish specialists. Their past events have shown that when metre-class barramundi are the goal, they’re among the most consistently dangerous teams in the field. Speaking openly, they admitted that Teemburra fell into their wheelhouse.

“We target all these big fish,” Pascoe explained. “So we feel like we’re more in favour in these bigger-fish dams.

After their strong pre-fish session, they rolled into the event with what many tournament anglers consider the holy grail: clarity about where the fish were, how they were behaving, and what they would likely react to.

The Lure Arsenal: Big Paddles, Big Prawns, and Big Reactions

Few teams are as committed to supersized presentations as Coby and Jake, and their lure spread showcased exactly why they’ve become so effective.

Starting Point: Irukandji Sicario 9” Paddle Tails

The pair began most sessions working with their confidence big-baits:

• Irukandji Sicario 9-inch paddle tails

• Rigged on one-ounce Irukandji jigheads

• Supported by a split-ring and stinger system to secure rear hits

These lures weren’t just casting attractants—they were fish locators. The size, vibration, and water displacement allowed the anglers to identify active fish quickly and, importantly, provoke large barra into committing long enough to track on Live Scope.

They reported many follows, with big fish shadowing the lure deep into the retrieve before either striking or sliding off.

Follow-Up Lure: 8.5-Inch Megaprawn

If a fish wouldn’t eat the paddle, the boys immediately changed paddles to prawns.

Their second weapon:

• Irukandji 8.5” Megaprawn

This switch-up was often the trigger.

“Big paddles were getting a lot of follows, especially the bigger fish. If they didn’t come in on the first one, we’d switch paddles over to the prawn.”

In large-fish scenarios, having a two-stage approach can mean the difference between a refusal and a trophy fish. At Teemburra, the strategy was red-hot.

Dual-LiveScope Strategy: Two Anglers, Two 16s, One Deadly System

The team’s electronics setup was a huge part of their success—and demonstrated a level of teamwork that many anglers overlook.

Coby and Jake both run:

• Garmin 8416 displays

• Perspective mode

• Poles on both the bow and stern

This unique setup allowed them to fish like a well-drilled hunting team.

“We’re dual scopes. I’ve got one up front, Jake is down the back. It works pretty good. He can spot fish for me, I can turn around and go chase them.”

Their system is efficient because it enables:

• Simultaneous scanning in two directions

• Target tracking even when fish move behind or below the boat

• A constant flow of communication: “fish left,” “deep fish on the bottom,” “two coming in,” etc.

• Faster reaction time when a big fish appears on screen

In renowned Teemburra fashion, many of the biggest fish were found deep, forcing the team to rely heavily on 1-ounce jigheads to get their lures down fast enough.

This isn’t beginner LiveScope work. Reading perspective mode 30–40 metres away, adjusting angles, placing casts on moving arcs, and converting follows into bites is an advanced skill set. On the night, the pair looked unstoppable.

A Hot Bite Window – Cast for Cast Action

One of the standout moments from the interview was the description of a wild 30-minute session where both anglers were overwhelmed by constant follows and strikes.

“There was probably a half-hour period where it was cast for cast. We’re both getting followed, and we’re both going, ‘He’s on, he’s on.’ It was pretty busy.”

For many barra anglers, those moments are rare—the kind that stay with you for years.

It’s also where their teamwork shone again:

• Both anglers working simultaneously

• Both interpreting fish behaviour in real time

• Both adjusting lure depth and retrieve based on the fish’s response

In a night tournament where windows can be painfully short, they capitalised on their opportunity.

Their Heavy-Duty Rigging System: Built for Metre-Plus Violence

One of the most interesting parts of their setup was the rigging system. Not only were they using large plastics on large jigheads—they were reinforcing every connection with tournament-grade hardware.

Their rigging included:

• Irukandji jigheads

• Split-ring connections

• Heavy stinger hooks

• Robust inline alignment to maintain a natural profile

• All tied with 80-lb fluorocarbon leader

• Backed by 50-lb Shimano Kairiki braid

These aren’t fish where you get away with compromise. At Teemburra, a metre-plus fish can freight-train a poorly built rig. The boys opted for a “go big, go heavy, no apologies” approach.

“They’re not real fussy on it,” Pascoe said. “Just go big.”

When you’re fishing deep with big presentations and burning retrieves across the LiveScope screen, durability is everything. Their system produced zero failures, even when fighting powerful fish on long leaders.

Rod & Reel Selection – Power, Leverage, and Control

The hardware matched the mission.

Both anglers used:

• Shimano T-Curve Extra Heavy rods

• 50-lb braid

• 80-lb fluoro leaders

Reels included:

• Calcutta 300 (Pascoe)

• Shimano Tranx 300 (Johnson)

These rods offer the perfect mix for Teemburra’s metre fish:

• A forgiving parabolic action to soak up shock

• Enough backbone to turn running fish

• Casting power to launch heavy lures long distances

In deep-water LiveScope fishing, control matters, and both anglers knew exactly how much pressure their gear could take.

Fish Count & Approach: Quality Over Quantity

Despite their enormous bag, the pair actually caught very few fish.

In total: Nine fish for the night. And this includes the small fish caught early.

This is where their strategy diverged from the field. Many teams chased constant action, working banks and points for active rats. But once Coby and Jake secured a solid bag of 90s before sundown, they completely changed gears.

“Once we had our bag, we weren’t casting at night.”

That decision paid off.

Rather than churning through mid-size fish, they focused solely on big-fish targets, conserving energy, reducing risk, and focusing on fish over the metre mark.

This kind of discipline is what separates elite big-fish teams from the pack.

Why Their Strategy Worked at Teemburra

There are several reasons why Team Irukandji x Shimano’s game plan was perfectly suited to the Atomic Teemburra round:

1. Teemburra Rewards Big Plastics

Large barra here are known to hunt deep and respond to big paddles and prawns. Their lure selection matched the lake’s behavioural profile.

2. Dual-LiveScope Provided 360-Degree Awareness

When one angler alone scans, they miss fish.
When two anglers scan, rotating and adjusting, the boat becomes a mobile fish-locating system.

3. They Understood Big Fish Behaviour

Rather than getting sucked into chasing schools of rats or mid-sizers, they stuck to their big-fish convictions.

4. Their Rigging Prevented Failures

On a night when many teams reported missed hits, bent hooks, and lure failures, their reinforced system held firm.

5. They Executed During the Hot Window

When their 30-minute bite window opened, they made every cast count.

 

Shoutouts & Sponsorship Support

As always, a win like this comes with a strong backing network. The team thanked:

• Shimano – rods, reels, braid

• Irukandji – lures, jigheads, terminal

• Transducer Poles Australia – live-scope pole systems

• Garmin – electronics and sonar

They emphasised how crucial this support was in dialling in their presentation, tuning their electronics, and ensuring their gear was tournament-ready.

The Atomic round of the 2025 Zerek BARRA Series will be remembered as a night where two anglers put together a masterclass in big-fish fishing.

Their win wasn’t luck.
It wasn’t a random hot bite.
It was the product of:

• smart pre-fishing

• big lure confidence

• elite scope execution

• a rigging system built for battles

• disciplined angling

• and unwavering teamwork

Coby Pascoe and Jake Johnson showed exactly what it takes to win at the highest level of tournament barramundi fishing.

Teemburra Dam is known as a lake that rewards the brave and punishes the unprepared—and Team Irukandji x Shimano walked away with a dominating performance that will be talked about for years.