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Langford pips Johnson for Glenmaggie title

from Fishing Monthly Magazine | April 2023

from Fishing Monthly Magazine | April 2023, page 114

Johnson claims maiden BASS Pro...

Reigning BASS Pro Angler of the Year, Queensland’s Matthew Langford, is never that far from the top of the leaderboard in a 13 Fishing BASS Pro Series event. He took his first win of 2023 at the Humminbird sponsored round of the season on Victoria’s Lake Glenmaggie, relegating good mate and winner of the previous event, Mick Johnson, into second place by less than 50g over two days of fishing.

Here’s how he did it.

“Glenmaggie finished way better this year than I did last year,” said Langford, “And it’s good to see the Victorian dams become great ABT arenas.”

Matt’s technique was based on catching a limit of bass on crankbaits early on the edges and then moving in the comps. I’d catch a small limit in close out early and then move out to look for bigger bass,” Matt explained.

He used the twin Garmin LiveScope setup, with an LVS 34 transducer in Perspective mode on his Mick Johnson pole and a transducer in forward mode out to the unpressured fish floating

“The edge fish are only available for a short time in the mornings and they’re pretty heavily pressured on his trolling motor.

“I would see either single or pairs of fish on Perspective mode and then head towards them with my electric,” said Matt, “I could tell immediately if the fish were interested or not. They were either on the second day in the windy conditions, but good mate Mitchell Cone came to the rescue – swapping boats and giving Langford the chance for the win.

Ultimately he ended spooked or they would spin on the bait and dance around it.”

“Once they reacted positively there was a fair chance that they would bite.”

These bass were sitting only 5ft down in 30ft or more of water, so they escaped the pressure of other competitors.

Langford flattened his trolling motor batteries

Victoria’s Nick opted to do something a little different to his boaters each day, targeting suspending fish and getting the kickers he needed for the win. up less than 50g ahead of Johnson.

He used a cut down single tail grub on a Millerods Control Freak Jig Freak custom rod loaded with braid and leader. It was rigged on a 1/4oz Bassman jighead.

JOHNSON LEADS

AOY WITH SECOND PLACING

Although separated by only grams, second placed Mick Johnson and

Langford’s techniques couldn’t have been more different.

The current BASS Pro Angler of the Year leader threw crankbaits from start to finish, targeting any sort of shallow structure that he could find in the lake, but mainly laydown logs.

“My main bait was a Rapala Shadow Rap Jack Deep in Haymaker colour and I’d make sure it was always near structure or bumping across it,” he said.

Johnson fished the Jack Deep on a 13 Fishing OMEN and a 2500 sized reel spooled with 8lb Sufix 131 braid and an 8lb Sufix leader.

“I did keep an eye on the scoreboards throughout the day. When I went to help Matt when his batteries failed I asked him if he’d caught any good ones. He said that he hadn’t,” Mick continued.

Big Bass Prize

It only took a few casts for John Noble to bag the event’s X-Braid Big Bass. Measuring 44cm to the fork and converting to 1.653kg on the table, it was the same size as a fish caught by Mitchell Cone, although Noble won the $500 and Samaki pack by countback.

It ate a Little Max 1/4ox blade with assist hooks that he cast to suspended fish around a tree sitting at about 30 feet.

There goes believing anything a competitor says on the water ever again!

BROWN WINS FROM BACK OF BOAT

Victorian Nick Brown has definitely done the miles when it comes to travelling and fishing ABT events as a non-boater. He has now won his first non-baiter title in his home state after all of that effort.

Spending the pre-fish with his good mate Matthew made sure that I counted my bait either shallow or deeper than his. It’s important to fish different fish than your boater is fishing,” he said.

Brown used a Noike Kaishin 7g chatterbait in white and brown with a stinger hook but no trailer plastic. He fished it on a Millerods Vibe Freak rod and a spinning reel spooled with Sufix 832 braid in 10lb with a 10lb leader.

“I caught some of my limit fish on the edges on crankbaits, but those chatterbait fish were the kickers that I needed to win

Nick has done the miles, fishing ABT BASS Pro events up and down the East Coast. He takes home his first win as a Non Boater at Glenmaggie.

Langford, the pair devised a strategy for catching Glenmaggie’s suspended bass. He got to fish this way in the trees with his first day boater, Graham Ford.

“I kept an eye on what Graham was doing and this event,” said Brown.

Nick’s son, Nate, draws Nick and Matthew a map before each event, showing the best spots for that event. We bet he was stoked with the result of this event’s cartography.