From The Outside!

I didn’t make the ABT Bream Grand Final. I’m not even a member of the Berkley Pro Team. So what in the Gulp Shrimp am I doing writing here you are asking?
Well it’s like this. I’ve just finished my first season as an ABT non-boater. I say finished as I didn’t make the Grand Final (have I mentioned that already?) but I gave it a go over five events. Perhaps my expectations where a little high given, between you and me, I had probably caught two bream before my first comp on the Hawkesbury.

So in to the fray I leapt, armed with a rod here, a reel there and bag of various bits and pieces. Fifth cast in to the first misty morning on the Hawkesbury and my opening effort was a 1.1kg beauty. This is too easy I thought I could even smell the podium. Needless to say that was just the bream world messing with my head and the rest of the weekend was much less productive albeit a lot of fun.

It was from that first comp and the frequent practice sessions afterwards that I knew something wasn’t quite right but I couldn’t quite place it. It wasn’t until I fished with Berkley Pro Staff member Andrew Homann at the Tweed that I worked out what it was. Seeing Andy’s beautiful Berkley and Pfluger gear laid out and organised I realised that to really give myself a chance the “bitsa” assortment of tackle I was using really wasn’t going to cut it. I needed a system with some kind of continuity running through. I was already a good friend of the Gulp so it seemed sensible to build up from there.

Finances were tight so I started off gently. Instead of the random selection of jigheads I was carrying, I focused on a selection of Matt Fraser designed Nitro Finesse Jigheads. With a range of sizes and the sink rates cleverly placed on the back of the pack, I could start to visualise where my lure was in the water column.
Lines and leaders were next, Fireline or Stren Microfuse in 3lb and 4lb and Vanish Fluorocarbon Leader combination seemed to be the way to go and before I knew it parts of the puzzle seemed to fall into place. The Gulp/Nitro/Vanish pattern seemed to work beautifully and things just started to feel right.

The major turning point however was by sheer good fortune I was able to secure three Berkley Pro Tactic rods, a 7ft 2-4kg, a 6’10” 1-3kg and a 6’9” 2-4kg
Each rod has a purpose be it Gulps or hardbody lures but truth be known they are each good at everything. Admittedly it took a little while to get used to these rods coming from a collection of odds and sods…bit like trading in the Dato for a Porsche…. but now I love’ em and doubt I could be tempted by anything else.

Add to this the Tournament C&R Net, the Berkley scales, braid scissors etc and six months on the system is almost complete with just the reels to go. Abu Cardinal 802’s seem to deliver the goods at a great price and the new Abu Soron looks a corker so I’ll be keeping my eyes open for one (or three!) of those.

And the results? Well, one top ten, a few top fifteens and a few dismal failures. But here’s the thing. I can now be sure the dismal failures are down to me. I start each morning not having to worry about my gear and knowing my only battle is with the breambo’s.
So why post all this here? Well when it comes to the advice account I am well and truly overdrawn. Through reading Pro Blog articles from the likes of Nigel Webster and fishing with the occasional Pro staffer I’ve taken the advice and reaped the benefits. This is my opportunity to give a little back.

If like me you’ve felt there was something missing in your tournament fishing, spend the next few months taking time to reflect, focus and most importantly get organised for the next season. Match those rods and reels, standardise those leaders and jigheads and have all those little accessories to hand. It really will make life on the water much easier and you’ll be able to spend more time chasing the bream, not your tail.

Sounds too hard? Then take it gently; Berkley has it all for you. Inch by inch its a cinch as granny used to say! Before you know it, you too might find yourself grabbed by the Berkley’s!

Good fishing.

Gatesy

PS, Chris Gates has no affiliation or sponsorship agreement with Purefishing. Chris wrote this piece of his own accord.

We blogged it because it typifies what a thinking angler should be going through to improve an angling outcome. It also tells us our efforts to provide a range of quality products is working.

Chris’ sentiments are expressed from the heart and we have asked him to continue to let us know of his highs and lows on his tournament journey. We will keep you posted.

Thanks Chris.

Dinger.