Fishing Monthly Magazines : Dodds’ victory at Lenthall

A cool morning greeted the large field of anglers for the ABT 2008 Bass Electric Series at Lake Lenthall. Out of the 41 competitors, an impressive 22 anglers presented bass to the weigh-in station.

Despite the water clarity being very cloudy due to the large influx of water a couple of months ago, Graham Dodds from the Gold Coast managed to top the leader board. He presented his bag limit of two bass weighing 2.515kg, and also collecting the Big Bass prize for a fish weighing 1.365kg.

With the extensions to the dam wall completed, an extra 2m of water has covered a lot of virgin ground at Lenthalls. This made the selection of lure type and colour very difficult.

Graham’s tackle of choice was two combinations, one of which was a Nitro spin rod matched to a Penn Affinity spinning reel, spooled with 6lb braid and 10lb Nitlon leader. His other combination was a Nitro Baitcaster rod matched to a Team Diawa reel spooled with 10lb braid and 10lb Nitlon leader.

The lures that created all the damage were a Jackall TN50 and Ecogear suspending lures. His secret to success was to target the timber structures along the edges up the left arm of the lake. Casting his lure along the edge in about 3ft of water, he rapidly retrieved the lure back to the boat. Graham upgraded several times during the day.

In second place, Paul Phillips from the Sunshine Coast compiled a bag limit of two fish for a total weight of 2.330kg. Paul’s tackle choice was a Shimano T-Curve spin rod matched to a Stradic 1000 reel spooled 6lb braid and 8lb Nitlon leader, and a Daiwa Procyon baitcaster rod matched to a Curdo 201 reel spooled with 20lb braid and 20lb Nitlon leader. Paul’s retrieval and lure selection was the same as Graham’s, as they both shared the same boat. Paul also upgraded several times during the session.

I would like to welcome new member Marshall Rasmussen to the ABT Bass Electric Series and also to give special thanks to James, the ranger at the lake for his assistance during the event. Looking forward to seeing everyone at the next round at Lenthall. – Gary Leather