Carl Jocumsen claimed his first BASS Pro win for 2008 with a sensational 6/6 5.98kg limit over three sessions and in doing so claimed the coveted BASS Pro Angler of the Year title for 2008.

In a tightly contested event Jocumsen secured a narrow victory over David Green, who also bagged a full limit and returned with 6/6 bass for 5.92kg for the event. With only 70g separating the top two anglers the battle came down to who could find the elusive larger fish amongst the expansive Lake Glenbawn and deal with some typically horrendous Gelnbawn weather.

Adding to the pressure at the sharp end of the tournament was the Bass Pro Angler of the Year title being up for grabs. With five anglers all within striking distance it was a matter of who could hold their nerve in the heat of battle and find the fish to claim the victory. History will show Jocumsen, previous winner of the BASS Pro AOY in 2006, used all his experience and knowledge to secure the tournament victory and with it the BASS Pro AOY title.

At the presentation an elated Jocumsen revealed that the pressure of both the tournament victory and AOY had made for some uncomfortable moments. But with the experience of a seasoned pro, the 23 year old tackle retail employee drew on his pre-fish knowledge to find and target the larger bass necessary to gain victory.

“After I had caught my limit in the final session I just felt a huge sense of relief,” revealed Jocumsen.

The expectation obviously weighed heavily on Jocumsen, but his ability to overcome the quality field and a cold, blustery Lake Glenbawn was testament to his positive attitude. The crowd gathered for the final presentation was unanimous in its praise for the tournament victor and new BASS Pro Angler of the Year.

Identifying that the larger fish were on the edges was one of the keys to Jocumsens victory, a key many anglers at the top of the field found throughout the tournament. The schooled fish were present in large numbers and attracted a lot of the anglers’ attention, but Jocumsen noted that these schooled bass failed to produce consistently large fish – the fish needed for vicotry. Anglers were left with the dilemma: target the deeper schooling fish or target the weedy edges.

Targeting the edges, where Jocumsen had found success in the pre-fish, a dead slow rolling retrieve interspersed with erratic twitches proved the trigger to securing bites. Using the new Atomic Guzzler Paddle Tail in smoke and yellow core colour rigged on a 1/4oz Nitro jighead, Jocumsen would try to keep the lure in the weed and timber as long as possible. This meant Jocumsen was consistently in peril of losing any fish that took his lure to heavy timber and weed, but it was a chance Carl had to take to get the better fish.

With cloudy overcast conditions being prevalent during the tournament, Jocumsen identified moments of sunshine hitting the water as the trigger for bites. Fishing weed and timber edges half way up the lake, Jocumsen formulated and executed his tournament game plan to perfection filling his bag each session with robust Glenbawn bass.

Jocumsen’s tackle consisted of a 7’2” Millerod Camo Bass Buster and 100 Shimano Fireblood spooled with 6lb Berkley Fireline and 8lb Unitika leader. This outfit may seem light when you consider the territory Jocumsen was fishing, but with the fish not smashing everything they saw, Jocumsen reasoned that a little more finesse was needed to extract fish – a theory that again proved right.

A relived Jocumsen told the gathered crowd at the final presentation “To regain the Bass Pro Angler of the Year title against the quality of guys competing here is just an amazing feeling. It is something I will always remember”.

Runner-up boater David Green narrowly missed out on securing the tournament victory.

The 42-year-old area sales manager for BP Reliance targeted the weedy edges near the mouth of the area known as The Boot, an historically productive area many anglers fish.

Using long casts to the edges, Green would let the lure sink to the required depth before twitching it back over the weedy vegetation. Using the same presentation as Jocumsen, an Atomic Guzzler Paddle tail in smoke and yellow core colour teamed with a 1/4oz Nitro jighead, Green found the fish deep in the weedbeds. This proved an annoying problem, but one Green would have to deal with if he wanted a chance at victory.

With up to 80-90% of casts having weed on the retrieve Green effectively targeted the edges and found quality fish.

“I had to let the lure almost tickle the weed tops to get the fish to bit,” said Green. And this presentation worked a treat with Green delivering full bags each session to the weigh station.

Green also noted that when the sun broke through the cloud cover it would trigger the bites. Like many of the anglers facing the cold, windy conditions perhaps the bass were happy to warm up in the brief sunny interludes?

Green’s tackle consisted of a 6’8” Daiwa Battler Kingbolt teamed with a Daiwa 2000 Certate spooled with 4lb Fireline and 8ld Unitika leader.

With Green now focused on the BASS Pro Grand Final at Lake St Clair perhaps we will see the return of this popular angler to the ranks of AFC in the not too distant future?

Champion non-boater Daniel Quarmby, 6/6 4.7kg, was a worthy winner of the category being the only non-boater to secure their limit every session. Teamed with past Grand Final winner Craig Simmons throughout Saturday, and current Grand Final champion and AFC angler Kerry Symes on Sunday, Quarmby, a 24-year-old horticulturist, fished deep to secure his limit each session.

Fishing past The Boot, Quarmby caught his fish using a combination of presentations including slow rolling Slider Grubs in smoke and yellow core rigged on 5g TT jigheads and, lifting and twitching 70mm green coloured Nils Master ice jigs.

“Slow was the go,” said Quarmby as he accepted his raft of prizes at the presentation – a theme echoed by many of the anglers at Glenbawn.

The Daiwa Big Bass was a tight tussle with Mick Elsley securing the title on the last session on Sunday. Caught using a Slider Grub in smoke and yellow core colour rigged on a 1/4oz Nitro jighead, the slow roll and twitch presentation proved the undoing of the1.39kg bass. The Yellow Buoy Bay area was the area targeted with the bite coming on the edge.

At the end of the Glenbawn round the quest for AOY and Grand Final positions is now complete. The breakdown of points gained throughout the year has been posted on the web (www.australianbass.com.au) and invitations for boaters and non-boaters will be sent out shortly.

To those anglers lucky enough to have secured their position, we look forward to seeing the best of the best battle it out at Lake St Clair for the right not only to claim Grand Final glory but with it the opportunity to capture a spot on the Australian Fishing Championships and a Skeeter Trip of a Lifetime to the USA. Sweetening the deal is a further $5000 prize for boaters courtesy of River City Marine.

And in a first the champion non-boater will also secure an ABT funded trip to the USA and the opportunity to fish with American professional bass angler Gary Boyd.

The journey has been long with many turns, but as we reach the pinnacle the opportunity to take the crown is as open as ever. Those who excel will reap the rewards and to the victor go the spoils. ABT wishes every angler the best of luck in their quest for victory.

Boater Results

Non-Boater Results

BASS Pro Boater AOY

BASS Pro Non-Boater AOY

Big Bass:- Mick Elsley caught the Daiwa Big Bass in the third session to secure $500 cheque.

Carl s3:- Fish like this bass propelled Carl Jocumsen to victory at Glenbawn.

Green:- Glenbawn was its unpredictable best, yet David Green rugged up against the cold to claim second place.

King Carl:- An excited Carl Jocumsen returns to the key tag board confident his session three bag will carry him to victory.