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Newcastle Herald

National

Simon McCarthy

At Glenbawn, it's all about that bass

Peter Lorimer Graham Ford Fish Australia

When a bass hits a lure puckering across the surface on a good weekend at Glenbawn, you know about it.

They are an aggressive, active fish that attack a bait in a dramatic show for their relative size. It's what keeps the fishers coming back - some of whom, including Teams Fishing Australia tournament director Steve Galvin, travelled from as far as Victoria to drop a line in the Hunter dam last weekend.

"They're an aggressive fish when they're on the chew," Mr Galvin says. "They fight hard."

Glenbawn comes alive as the weather heats up at the tail end of winter, he said; the fish are active and on the bite as the surface warms up and the bass make their way from the cooler, deeper water. But relentless rain over recent weeks, coupled with cooler temperatures, meant last weekend's Lowrance Native Classic challenged even the best of the 22 boats that turned out to contest the title and a share of more than $20,000 in cash prizes.

Graham Ford reels in a bass during the 2022 Glenbawn Bass Pro tournament. Pictures by Peter Lorimer

Tournament director Steve Galvin waits for competitors to return.

Graham Ford and Al McNamara get to work.

Nicholas Moore heads to the weigh in in the inaugural Team Fishing Australia Lowrance Native Classic. Picture by Peter Lorimer

Locals Graham Ford and Al McNamara took out the inaugural Teams Fishing Australia Lowrance Native Classic at Lake Glenbawn. Picture by Peter Lorimer

Action from the 2022 Glenbawn Bass Pro tournament on October 15 and 16. Picture by Peter Lorimer

Locals Graham Ford and Al McNamara at the weigh-in. Picture by Peter Lorimer

Tournament director Steve Galvin waits for competitors to return in the inaugural Team Fishing Australia Lowrance Native Classic at Lake Glenbawn on October 15 and 16. Picture by Peter Lorimer.

The conditions were fine and sunny at the weekend, but with the season around four to six weeks behind owing to the weather, Mr Galvin said the fish were harder to come by.

"You're fishing long hours, and you have to be able to keep that concentration," he said, "Especially when it's a tough bite; we joke that it sorts the big boys out. A social angler will go out and fish and when it's tough they might pull the pin, but on a tournament day - on Saturday, it was from 6.30am to 4pm - and it is lure casting only.

"It's hard work, especially when the fishing is tough, to keep targeting those bites. It was three long days on the water. Normally, this time of year, you would catch quite a few fish, but some teams didn't get a fish over the three days."

Upper Hunter anglers Graham Ford and Al McNamara, who have been fishing in competitions together for around five years years, took the challenge in their stride at the weekend, weighing in at 13.61 kilograms to win top honours. Mr Ford said the lure of cat-and-mouse competition with his quarry was what kept him coming back.

"You're trying to outsmart the fish," he said, "We're not there to compete with the other anglers, we're there to beat the fish."

The close mates, who teamed up for the first time in 2017, and who have claimed angling success around the country, won $10,000 of the total prize pool of $21,000 and more than $9000 in draws and other prizes.

Mr Ford said their strategy was about a process of elimination on the water - if one lure wasn't performing, it would go back in the tackle box; if one spot on the water was quiet, they would try another.

"It's the competition," Mr Galvin said of what compels the best anglers to the water. "A lot of our people are good sportspeople and footballers and cricketers and they love fishing. The big prize money attracts the best anglers, so you're competing against the best. We have a lot of fun - it's a great atmosphere and you catch up and put your work stresses aside - but you're fishing in an ultimate test of the best anglers in Australia."

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