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Coast to Coast with the most
  |  First Published: June 2015



Lake Macquarie turned on the numbers for the TT Lures Round of the 2015 BETS series with forty eight of the seventy two teams getting the full five bag. The bag weights might have been a little down but this event had a great atmosphere with smiling anglers clearly having had a fun day and the many spectators enjoying the weigh-in and indeed the hospitality of the Wangi Lions Club.

You know when an event becomes an event when spectators set the chairs up at 11am, happy to wait a few hours in order to get the best view.  But who had the biggest smiles? You know something is about to happen when both anglers come to the stage to weigh-in and with the bag looking convincing. Even before the fish hit the scales it was obvious the was a story to be told.

Team Coast to Coast Boating of Mitch Martin and Kevin Tommerup are a team of quiet achievers, popping up with some good results that last year saw them make the BETS Grand Final at the first attempt. Lake Macquarie was another time to shine for the pair, capitalising on some solid pre-fishing in the weeks prior. Having located good fish their plan was looking to come unstuck midway through the morning when a lack of wind saw fairly glassy conditions and the targeted surface bite was nowhere to be seen. Just as concern was setting in so did the mild southerly and a move to the wind blown rocky edges saw instant results.

Using bent minnow surface style lures Mitch hooked into a 1.26kg thumper almost the moment the wind came up and the fishing continued at great pace with the pair landing over thirty legal fish. Picking the cream of the crop the team were able to weigh 4.43kg and take first place and a handy $4000 BETS cash payout.

The leading bag was good enough to put a decent gap between 1st and 2nd place with Sydney Harbour specialist Mike Colotorous and teammate Paul Mazaroli of Nitro Marine/Elite Tournament Tackle falling some 800g behind. Not overly familiar with the Lake the pair used tried and trusted Harbour techniques, fishing boat hulls and structure with a hardbody and plastic approach. The techniques translated well to the quite different waterway, the pair securing a solid bag of 3.66kg held up by a kilo sized fish. The bag earns the pair Second Place, $3000 and an Engel Spectator Pack for their effort.

As always there’s the Austackle Big Bream Award for the event and this rounds deserving winner was the 1.26kg model Mitch Martin presented as part of the winning bag. It was in fact the slightly larger of a pair of kilo plus fish – the luxury of choice! The fish earns Mitch a $250 Austackle Lure Pack and the team the right to lead the away at the next round.

And as a special bonus teams placed 11 to 20 received a special TT Lures Pack courtesy of Tackle Tactics. More smiles all round!

Lake Macquarie is one of our favourite venues, not least because of the local support it attracts. Huge thanks to Chris and Jennie at the Wangi Point Holiday Park for hosting the event and of course the Wangi Lions Club for providing the lunchtime sausage sizzle. The day always kicks off with Ray from Coffee Mondo doing the honours and finishes with a crowd of local spectators keen to join the fun. – The BETS Team.

PosTeamsFishWeightBBPayout
1Coast To Coast Boating54.431.26$4000
2Nitro Marine/Elite Tournament Tackle53.661.08$3000
3Team Windybanks53.620.92$1500
4Stonka Chaser53.611.20$1500
5Berkley53.331.03Prize pack
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