The MotorGuide BASS Electric Series drew to a close for 2007 with the climax of the season – the MotorGuide BASS Electric Convention. Staged on the popular big bass impoundment of Lake Wivenhoe in Queensland, the final event of the season saw 80 anglers hit the water for two days with the hopes of tangling with Wivenhoe’s legendary XOS bass.

Despite Wivenhoe failing to fire, angler’s did gain an insight into what the waterway had to offer. Kevin Jones of Nambour claimed the first of the two skins-based angling session with his one fish out of a two-bag limit for 1.74kg on Saturday.

“It was a tough day on the water”, explained a victorious Jones. “I caught two fish for the day, one was a bass and the other a dreaded catfish”, added Jones.

The lone bass for Jones came from the buoy line area in the lower reaches of the dam. With his boat holding in 35ft of water, Jones targeted fish he found suspended 20ft down.

“They were poor showings, just one or two fish holding here and there”, explained Jones. “The presentation was straight forward; allowing the lure to sink all the way to the bottom before beginning a slow rolling retrieve back through the suspended fish”, he added.

The take was textbook, with the bass nailing his offering as it rolled through the strike zone. “It went for a short and unimpressive run when I first hooked it, to be truthful I thought it was a catfish, and as a result I didn’t have the landing net ready when it came to the side of the boat”, Jones explained.

While the presentation was a standard old-school bass technique it was a new lure colour from Shimano that did the damage. A 65mm Squidgy Fish in grasshopper colour was the money bait, with Jones rigging it on a 5/8oz Nitro jighead. The remainder of his session winning tackle included a 7’ Daiwa Procaster V rod, Daiwa 2000 Sol reel, spooled with 8lb Berkley XDS Fireline and 10lb Berkley Vanish leader.

Overall day one proved tough with only nine fish gracing the scales. However, Sunday proved to be even more frustrating with an even tougher bite testing the patience and drive of the gathered field.

On day two, one angler rose to the challenge the best. Going against the grain and heading up the dam to find his fish, Wivenhoe regular Ian Galloway delivered two out of two fish for a total weight of 1.61kg to take away the second day win.

“Day one proved that the active fish down near the buoy line before the tournament had moved on, so I decided to head in an opposite direction and look for fish that were feeding”, explained Galloway.

Heading to the rock walls upriver of the start line, Galloway targeted the edges and worked the steep rocky banks with a Jackall Mask. With his boat holding in 15ft of water Galloway worked his way along the bank, a cast ahead of the boat, and slow rolled the lure as it worked its way down the descending contour.

“I’d slow roll the lure out from the edge, pause and allow it to sink to the bottom before continuing on with the retrieve”, explained Galloway. The presentation produced the goods delivering four fish for the session and the only full limit of the tournament. While a Jackall Mask was the gun lure there was no one colour that dominated. There was however a few lure loses and memorable bust-up.

“I donated four Masks to sunken timber and got drilled by a big fish, I’m not sure if it was a bass, but it was big and I could do nothing to stop it”, Ian said. Galloway’s choice of tackle included a 2-4kg Pflueger rod, Pflueger Supreme reel, spooled with 10lb Penn braid, and 15lb Nitlon leader.

Angling wasn’t the only focus at the convention with a general BASS knowledge quiz and a casting competition testing anglers’ all-round skills. The quiz masters of the event were Steve Eldred and Bob Town who both scored 13 out of 14, while Jake Schwerin knocked off defending Trevor Stead for the title of champion caster. Trevor did however claim overall honours, picking up the number one spot.

MotorGuide and Blue Fin boats combined to make the Convention the richest prized BASS Electric event ever, with three ready to go bass rigs on offer. A gold, silver and bronze coloured Blue Fin 345 Trekker fitted with a MotorGuide electric were the must have items, with Kevin Jones claiming the gold Blue Fin Trekker, Ian Galloway the silver, and an estatic Scott Anderson, the lucky draw prize winner, the bronze.

“These are the ultimate prizes for a BASS Electric tournament”, expressed a jubilant Ian Galloway. Blue Fin representatives and event participants Darryl McMahon and Mark Johnson expressed similar feelings at the Sunday afternoon presentation.

“The bass electric events are a fantastic way to get into bass fishing, and the prizes that were on offer at the event reflect the success of the event and its popularity. We’re proud to be part of series and the event and have had a great time being involved”, said Mark.

The 2008 BASS Electric Series is now in the planning stages, with dates, locations and formats to be released prior to Christmas. Stay tuned and visit www.australianbass.com.au to keep up to date. – ABT