UMMINB 2H IR 01 HUMMIN 12 BI 20
RAN
EAM ANGLE BR R 2012
K
RAN
2 M
AM
N O N - B O AT
ER
17/
ER
dd 3
ater.in
onbo
_n BASS
BREA
S BAS
N O N - B O AT
BRE
HE YEAR FT
D
2012
THE YEAR OF
know-how
S ANGLE BAS RO D R K
32 12 2:
17/12/
T
he close battle of the 2012 Humminbird BREAM and BASS Pro Angler of the Year titles illustrates perfectly the current state of play for nonboaters and showed that tournament talent isn’t just limited to those with a boat.
The Cream Rises Consistency for non-boaters can be hard to achieve. The dynamics of fishing with different boaters with varying, and sometimes conflicting, fishing styles can often make it hard to consistently catch fish. Nevertheless, cream always rises to the top. Regardless of the venue or the bite pattern, there were the ever-present anglers who place event after event that show the new, and not so new, non-boaters the way to tournament success.
Let’s take a look at the top two Humminbird AOY anglers from the Daiwa BREAM Series and Smak Lures BASS Pro Series and get an insight into how they achieve their tournament success.
Well Travelled Phil Nix from New South Wales and Troy Hamilton from Victoria are models of consistency on the BREAM scene. Phil has four event wins in his 10+ years on the tour while Troy was red hot in 2012 with three top fours for the season. Two of the most consistent anglers on the BREAM scene, they attribute much of their consistency and success to being adaptable. “As a non-boater you don’t get to choose where you’re going to fish, that’s really up to the boater. So you need to be ready to fish
dd 2
ater.in
onbo
SS_n
MBA
BREA
where they want to fish and, to a certain degree, how they want to fish,” said Nix. A long-time travel partner of Atomic Bream Pro Graham Franklin, Nix has fished most tournament venues throughout the country and has learnt a host of different techniques. “Fishing different waterways has enabled me to become proficient at a range of techniques. One month I can be ripping jerkbaits for big black bream on the Derwent while a month later I can be fishing deep with plastics for yellows. This variety certainly helps you become more tournament ready,” said Nix. For Humminbird BREAM AOY runner-up Troy Hamilton it’s his love of the outdoors and passion for fishing that fuels his tournament success, rather than an underlying knowledge of varying tournament arenas and bream techniques. TOURNAMENT ANGLER GUIDE 13
53
PM