The second annual 2005 Sundowner BREAM Classic last November 12 and 13 was contested by 51 teams.

With recent rain and a northeasterly kicking up on the Saturday, conditions were testing but Tate Shaw, 11, teamed up with his father Karl, a 37 year old cabinet maker from Wauchope to head the field and win the title of Sundowner BREAM Classic Champion Anglers for 2005, taking home $1000 and more than $800 worth of fishing gear.

On day one Shaw’s Kitchens went straight to Port Macquarie’s canal system, targeting fish with surface lures in the shallows and along the many fixed structures. Tate and Karl cast their locally produced Taylor Made fizzers until the action slowed when Karl lost his favourite fizzer.

The pair decided to make the long run to more familiar waters around Wauchope, only to come up empty-handed. After losing some serious fishing time in travelling, they headed back to the canals, the winning move.

On their return they found the fizzer Karl had lost earlier and completed day one in seventh place with a 3/5 bag limit of 1.47kg, 770g behind leaders Port Macquarie Tackle Team 2.

On Sunday Karl and Tate decided to spend the entire seven hours in the canals, working every piece of structure. “The best spots seemed to be bends and corners, which had some form of submerged structure, either oyster-encrusted rocks or small weedbeds with little drop-offs,” Karl said.

Using his newly found white fizzer with a pink head, Karl steadily pulled five fish to complete their bag limit. Young Tate was far from a passenger, weighing in a fish on Day 1 which held the Big Bream title until pipped by Steven Reilly with an 830g fish.

Late in the session on Sunday, after Karl again lost his favourite lure, Tate upgraded their bag with another kicker fish, also on a Taylor Made fizzer. This 850g bream gave them the title along with the Port Macquarie Holidays Big Bream prize of $500.

The Lamotte Craft/G-Loomis team took out second place with a 9/10 bag of 3.66kg, a mere 10g in front of Port Macquarie Tackle Team 2.

On a weekend when fishing was always going to be tough, it was a bold decision by Shaw’s Kitchens to target surface fish but it paid off.

The weigh-in, Reef Science Tank display and presentation on the town green proved a huge success and drew large crowds each day.

None of this would have happened without the support of the Sundowner Breakwall Tourist Park, along with other major sponsors Port Macquarie Tackle, Mid Coast Marine and Port Macquarie Holidays, and associate sponsors Shaw’s Kitchens, Shimano, Hollis Marine, Daiwa, Nitro, Kipawa Propellers, Atomic and Gamakatsu. – David Poulton