Country Fishing Classics Grand Final Results 2016

A TOTAL of 138 entrants converged upon Yallakool Park at beautiful Bjelke-Petersen Dam (Lake Barambah) for its second year of hosting the Austackle-Bluefin Country Fishing Classics grand final.

It was a weekend of camping and fishing to remember, with all entrants in with a chance of taking home a booty of prizes to the value of $65,000.

Sunshine all weekend made for fantastic camping and fishing conditions. Early morning fog provided a great excuse for some to enjoy a leisurely start to the day, perhaps with a sleep in and second cup of coffee, while others got out early to catch the bite and take stunning scenic shots in the mist. Park managers Corey and Niki (and crew) had the campgrounds looking fantastic and kept everyone’s bellies full with their delicious kiosk tucker.

The local Country Women’s Association had tasty treats and crafts on sale and ran a special Mother’s Day raffle – a lovely treat for the mums who came along. A local ice cream van was on hand with cold and hot treats that were welcome after a day in the sun.

Austackle donated 12 fishing rods towards a raffle that raised $1500 for the Bjelke-Peterson Dam Fish Management Committee. Thank you to everyone who contributed so generously.

On the fishing front, Saturday proved to be a tough one. The absence of the cooler weather normally present at this time of year may be one reason for the lack of schooled fish, however anglers didn’t take too long to find their targets, with better captures recorded on day two.

Casting and retrieving soft plastics in 5-7m of water fooled many bass, as did trolling. Lures such as the Austackle Wobbler accounted for good numbers of golden perch, which are always partial to a lure.

Fresh baits took their fair share of big fish too, and we must thank sponsor Blinks Bait for supplying quality baits during the competition.

Congratulations to the major prize winners who took away a mass of gear from sponsors Austackle, Bluefin Boats, Evinrude, Lowrance, Tonic Eyewear, Railblaza and more. Dustin Pedler, in his first year in the Senior division, scored the major prize of a Bluefin and Evinrude boat package valued at over $30,000. Congratulations to the entire Pedler family, who will no doubt benefit from the win, though it might be a mission for father Jason to get a turn in the driver’s seat! Tim Steenhuis took home the Lowrance HDS-7 Gen3 package. Troy Herbert and Jim Neilson were the lucky winners of the Tonic Eyewear lenses.

A special thankyou to Matthew Langford for donating the Tonic prize back into the draw for others to benefit. ‘Lucky’ Lucy Stead won the Bluefin Catfish and Austackle Junior prize – the perfect score for a fishing family comprising four young children. Thanks again to all who attended, the volunteers who gave up their time to make it happen and of course our sponsors.

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