Most of the anglers were amazed at the power in such a light rod that was 2-pieces . It ’ s a real brute of a stick that allows you to manhandle fish to the boat quickly . It also allows you to dictate to the fish in amongst the snags and sticks . One memory that is clear to me was Pricey tying on a 12 ” long plastic swimbait and literally punching it out there with ease . That plastic , fully rigged , would have to be around 4oz ( 110g ) and that ’ s well in the rod ’ s casting range . I used this rod all tour and would safely say
any way to gain extra strikes and hook ups ?
TD : The Fish Trap had the trebles upsized by one size , but I still used the Mustad 4x Saltism trebles as they are a sensational hook pattern . The 7 ” Flat Shad had the weedless worm hook removed and a custom made Hutchies jighead placed in it with a size 1 Mustad Saltism stinger attached . In 7 foot of water and under we used a 1 / 2oz jighead . When the water was deeper than that we used 3 / 4oz jighead . I didn ’ t need to boil the plastic , trim the tail or make oversized tail discs on the Flat Shad so it was relatively minor changes just to give me a little more confidence .
WF : What would you do differently next year ? this rod is a rod that needs to be in your stable .
WF : What were your two most successful lures throughout the Tour ?
TD : That ’ s easy – the 110mm Zerek Fish Trap in colour FAB and the white ( colour 20 ) 7 ” Zerek Flat Shad rigged on a jighead . These two lures caught all of my fish . I did hook one barra on a Slick Rig but lost it out wide and went straight back to my confidence bait . This doesn ’ t mean these are the only lures you should have , but after the Tour I have ultimate confidence in these lures and will happily use them whenever I am targeting barra in any environment .
WF : Did you need to modify these lures in
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TD : I think the main thing I would do at next year ’ s event would be to have a more open mind . Be prepared to say “ This aint working !” and try something different a little more quickly . The sessions are long but it ’ s amazing how quickly time evaporates when you ’ re struggling for fish . Make positive moves and keep reassessing until you find a solid pattern to refine .
WF : Do you have any final words of advice for someone contemplating doing this event ?
TD : For someone who is starting to fish for impoundment barra , the ABT Zerek BARRA Tour is the place to learn from the best in the business . All the competitors are approachable and giving with information and are happy to help out new competitors . Simply put there are few places where you can find that much knowledge in such a condensed area . The ABT Zerek BARRA Tour is a very good way to fast track your impoundment barra fishing .
WF : Thanks for your time Troy .