Team Tracker win Venom BARRA Australian

Team Tracker, which consists of Biloela’s Kris Lassig and Calliope’s Anthony Pelling weighed six barramundi over three days to win the Venom Rods BARRA Australian Open on Gladstone’s Lake Awoonga.

Taking the $5,000 winner’s purse and the perpetual trophy, this was their third year fishing the Open, with their levels of

Kris had just popped out of the weed that clued the boys into the pattern that yielded all of their catches.

Anthony and Kris used both baitcast and spin tackle to put barra in the boat and points on the board.

Anthony showed his baitcast rig, which consisted of a Lews reel on a Dobyns Champion 744 rod. He spooled it with 30lb Sufix 832 braid and a Sunline

Fastach clips.

Although successful at the Open, this year isn’t the year that they’ll have a crack at the full BARRA Series.

“It’s definitely on the cards in the future, but it won’t happen this year,” Kris concluded.

Local guides and content creators are on a bit of success varying as wildly as the moods of the barra they chase.

“Our first Open was the one that was split between Monduran and Awoonga. We came to see what it was about and caught a few fish,” Kris said.

The second year was a fizzer, with no barra being converted into points after biting. It was a donut for Team Tracker. But it was third time lucky for the duo – their 6/15 bag for 60.22kg, nearly 14kg clear of the rest of the field.

“It’s a surreal feeling, but a good one, I’m still shaking,” said Kris after the presentation.

The pair started the event fishing barra sitting around sunken trees, but a move to the weedy margins of Futter Creek and a barramundi eating a soft plastic bait that a hiding to nothing when it comes to tournament fishing. If they win, everyone expects it and if they lose they risk their guiding credibility. So, a second place for Corey Gooch and Dean Silvester (Team Gladstone Fly and Sportfishing) was probably right in the sweet spot.

FC100, 60lb fluorocarbon leader. The lure was a Shads Lures Hollowshads 7” in ayu that he rigged on a Barambah 7/0, 3/8oz jighead and a Decoy YS81 #2 stinger hook.

Kris preferred a spin rod to pop the bait out of the weed and trigger the bites.

Their 4/15, 46.47kg was accumulated on the first and second day, finishing with a blank scorecard on day 3.

Corey says that this is typical for Awoonga this year.

“The fish seem to be always changing on this lake this year. You find

He used a Dobyns Champion XP705 paired with a Daiwa Caldia and spooled with the same Sufix line and FC100 leader. His Shads bait was a 6” Hollowshad in silver flash. He added an extra Mustad swivel between the stinger hook and the eyelet. Both anglers used the Mustad

9 Blacklisted

10 Samurai

Allwood 2/15 16.00kg