Bush 'n Beach Fishing Magazine Location reports & tips for fishing, boating, camping, kayaking, 4WDing in Queensland and Northern NSW
Yes Lake Boondooma is on fire, with some of the tournament anglers catching 40-50 bass of sensational quality in a morning session. Carl Jocumsen also performed very well in the recent Bassmaster Elite tournament on Lake Guntersville in the US and captivated the entire bass fishing community with his natural skills.
Thousands of Aussies stayed up all night to tune in to the Bassmaster live stream and support the first-ever Australian angler to make it to this level of competition. With a solid sixth place against the best 113 bass anglers in the world, Carl proved he can stand the pressure of these big-time events. He will be one to watch carefully over coming years.
Berkley Boondooma Brawl – March 21-22
Over the past couple of years one angler has been able to stay at the top of the leader board and dominate the Queensland tournaments, and again Steve Kanowski took home the top prize in the Atomic B.A.S.S. Australia Nation Pro division at Boondooma.
Fishing in the mouth of the Stuart arm around the timbered areas with his favourite DR-coloured Smak 5/8oz spinnerbait, Steve went from strength to strength, weighing in two pending Australian bass length world records in the process. Steve’s gear consisted of a Pflueger Supreme 7’, 3-5kg rod matched with a Pflueger Supreme 2035 spin reel to muscle out a number of the hardest-hitting bass in the business.
The bass were fighting so hard that some anglers upgraded to 20lb leaders to try to stop them getting back to their haunts. Young-gun Dane Radosevic worked hard to stay ahead of the majority of the field and cement his second place on the leader board. Dane, like many other anglers, completed his campaign in the Stuart arm of Lake Boondooma while casting spinnerbaits.
He said his point of difference was aiming at the spindly treetops lining the creek. The technique he employed involved counting the spinnerbait down to five before commencing his retrieve. Dane was stoked to catch six out of six fish as the terrain he was fishing led to a few nerve-rattling moments. The fish toyed with Dane, at times bricking him by hitting like freight trains and then snagging up, but all in all he was able to recoup and land the fish he needed to stay at the top end of the leader board.
Congratulations on a solid performance Dane; we look forward to watching you progress throughout the year.
Craig Simmons is a seasoned angler who is no stranger to tournament fishing, and during the Berkley Boondooma Brawl his experience was evident. Simmo was leading the comp after the first session with a massive bag of 2.94kg.
He managed six out of six fish for the tournament, securing him third place overall. His setup consisted of a Gary Loomis Edge 604 baitcaster, Daiwa Type-R reel, Toray Super Strong 18lb braid, 15lb I-Hard fluorocarbon leader and OSP Spinnerbaits in S05, S06 and S23 colours.
Simmo mostly targeted the timbered areas of the Stuart arm, though he also ventured into the Boyne arm.
Simmo said: “It was a great weekend and good to see our product go well; and it’s always nice to see your best mate win!”
In the Co-Angler division, John Noble is reigning supreme in the tournaments and AOY standings and again his cool, calm nature helped him stay at the top of the leader board. John’s lure of choice over the weekend was a Smak 5/8oz spinnerbait in colour 02. John said, “I threw this lure for most of the weekend on baitcast tackle with 10lb braid and 16lb leader.”
“I was extremely lucky to land every fish that I hooked over the weekend, which went a long way to helping me get my six out of six bag and over the line,” he said. “I used Barrabass rods over the weekend.
“They are extremely sensitive and a pleasure to use.” Patrick Conduit took out second in the Co-Angler division and third went to Codey Guise. Both anglers also used Smak spinnerbaits to catch the majority of their solid bags.
