Compiling a 4/6, 2.70kg limit to secure the win at the third stop of the five event tour, Munro showed he was one to watch for the future, with the Berkley wunderkind soundly relegating Quantum bass pro Matt Anderson (4/6, 2.25kg) to second place, for the second year in a row.
While the event failed to produce a reliable bite pattern for the majority of the field, it was a comparatively consistent pattern that Munro cracked during the Friday prefish that delivered him his richest payday to date on the BASS Pro tour
"Like most I found little to get excited about during the prefish. There was however one small stretch near Boyne Rocks that produced a couple of undersize fish, so it was here that I decided to spend the tournament," explained Munro.
With his spot locked in and his eyes firmly on the sounder for scattered fish Munro plied the depths, working a Berkley Big Eye Blade down the underwater slope, from 10 into 20 feet of water, with a slow and methodical lift and drop and retrieve.
"There weren't many fish and the ones that came through on the sounder were always tight to the bottom, so I made sure I kept the blade equally tight to the bottom," explained Munro.
The approach was just what the fish wanted, with Munro landing twenty fishing in session one, no fish in session two, and another ten fish in session three. While the bite was far from red-hot, its consistency and predictability was enough to keep him focused on a possible top ten finish.
"The talk at the briefing was about how hard the fishing was and that few people were catching fish, so I thought if I stay on the fish I found and pick up a few I could do ok," explained Munro.
His decision and result speak for themselves with Munro's game plan paying off to the tune of $2500, and a berth into the Quantum BASS Pro Grand Final. While his choice of location and game plan played crucial roles in the victory likewise did his selection of tackle, with Munro's arsenal comprised of a 6'8", 3-5kg, Berkley Drop Shot Tournament Pro rod, Pflueger Supreme 2000 XTS reel, 3lb Berkley Fireline, and 8lb Berkley Vanish leader.
His money bait was a 34mm Berkley Big Eye Blade in bunyip colour with Munro attributing much of success and favour with the fish to its in built sonic rattle.
"Most blades don't have rattles only vibration as the lure is worked through the water, with the Big Eye there's an added resonance due to the rattles and I think this made a difference and made the lure more appealing to the fish, "explained Munro.
With a string of bass fishing's biggest scalps to his name who's to disagree. Fishing only his second event as a boater at Boondooma Munro is now primed and ready to head south for the final qualify round of the year at Glenbawn and a chance to get to know the venue for the season ending Grand Final.
"The last round will be a great opportunity to pick up some knowledge for the GF. The pressure is off to quality for the final so all I really have to do is focus on getting to know the dam and getting ready for the Grand Final," explained Munro.
Making it two-for-two at Boondooma was event runner-up Matt Anderson, with the 27 year old Moree basser adding another podium finish to his CV. Fishing for a spinnerbait bite in the shallows Anderson focused on the Boyne River arm of the dam, keying in on a particular timber laden shallow location to catch his fish.
"There was a lot of people up the Boyne so I was looking for somewhere that no one else was fishing, and this one particular little shallow back water was just that," explained Anderson.
Heavily laden with standing and fallen timber the back water featured a series of shallow bays interspersed by a deeper feeder channel.
"It was the super shallow bays (4 feet) with the heaviest amount of timber that held the fish," explained Anderson.
Using a ½ oz tandem blade Bassman Spinnerbait in olive green, Anderson threw tight to the edge, retrieving the lure super slow so the blades were just ticking over and the lure was bumping its way through the timber.
"The water was dirty and the fish were relatively inactive so it was important to work the slow and keep it in their face as long as you could," explained Anderson.
While the approach delivered Anderson his limit in both the second and third session, it was a quiet opening session on Saturday morning when he caught no fish that ultimately cost him victory.
"It took a while to pin down the exact location and technique on the first day. It wasn't until the Saturday afternoon that I worked out the pattern, and once I did I had my limit in the well in about twenty minutes," explained Anderson.
The tackle he used to notch up his top two finish included a Millerod Blade Master Medium rod, Quantum Tour Edition TE100HPT reel, 8lb braid and 14lb fluorocarbon leader.
Post event Anderson was somewhat disheartened with missing out again on a victory at Boondooma.
"After finishing second in 2009 I set myself the goal of catching a full limit this year and hopefully making up for last year's missed opportunity. In reality though I can't be too down on myself, I'm in the final and I'm on track to finishing in the top ten of the AOY. And ultimately that's what I really want to achieve this year," concluded the Quantum bass pro.
Another angler repeating his fine performance from last year was champion non-boater Ashley Sims. Compiling a 1/6, 1.27kg bag for the tournament, the Fish n' Bits tackle store staff member from Toowoomba once again showed his prominence in the non-boater field, adding another tournament win to his growing list of bass fishing achievements.
Fishing with Danny Robinson on day one Sims kick started his title defence in grand style, picking up his lone bass for the tournament early in the session on a 2 ½" pumpkin seed coloured Atomic Ripperz Paddle Tail near Pelican Point.
Rigged on a 3/8th oz Nitro jighead, Sims tempted the bass with a text book bass retrieve, sinking the lure to the bottom before working it back to the boat with a twitch n' roll retrieve. Pausing and twitching the lure as the bass bit, hit and missed the lure repeatedly.
"I reckon he hit the lure eight times before he finally ate the plastic," explained Sims.
Pulling the scales down to 1.27kg, the fish was enough to relegate Howard Althaus to second place with his 2/2, 1.15kg bag, and enough to once again deliver Sims the Quantum Big Bass Prize.
With $500 and a Quantum Tour Edition TE100HPT reel for his efforts Sims is all tackle and cashed up for the final round of the series in August and a chance to retain his Champion Non-boater AOY title from 2009.
Fellow Fish n Bits staff member and multiple AOY champion Carl Jocumsen leads the battle for the boater crown, with the country's number one ranked basser sitting atop of the list with 288 points.
With a 2nd, 6th, and 7th to his name for the year Jocumsen is on track for another Angler of the Year title. Will it be his or will someone stand in his way? The G.Loomis Lake Glenbawn BASS Pro, 21/22nd August is where it will be decided.
For entry and event information visit www.australianbass.com.au or phone ABT (07) 3387 0888.
| BASS Pro: MotorGuide Lake Boondooma BASS Pro Boater Results | |||||||||||
| Place | Angler | State | F1 | W1 | F2 | W2 | F3 | W3 | TF | TW | Payout $ |
| 1 | Callum MUNRO | Qld | 2 | 1.02 | 2 | 1.68 | 4 | 2.7 | $2,500 | ||
| 2 | Matthew ANDERSON | NSW | 2 | 1.14 | 2 | 1.21 | 4 | 2.35 | $1250 + $675 1st Pro | ||
| 3 | Dean SILVESTER | QLD | 1 | 0.75 | 1 | 0.7 | 2 | 1.45 | $950 | ||
| 4 | Bill SCHLOSS | Qld | 1 | 0.73 | 1 | 0.51 | 2 | 1.24 | $850 + $405 2nd Pro | ||
| 5 | Simon BARKHUIZEN | QLD | 2 | 1.14 | 2 | 1.14 | $650 | ||||
| 6 | Carl JOCUMSEN | QLD | 1 | 1.09 | 1 | 1.09 | $650 | ||||
| 7 | Matthew MOTT | QLD | 2 | 1.04 | 2 | 1.04 | $575 | ||||
| 8 | Mike CONNOLLY | QLD | 1 | 0.79 | 1 | 0.79 | $575 | ||||
| 9 | Matt JOHNSON | Qld | 1 | 0.72 | 1 | 0.72 | $425 | ||||
| 9 | Tim MORGAN | QLD | 1 | 0.72 | 1 | 0.72 | $425 | ||||
| 11 | Paul COOPER | QLD | 1 | 0.67 | 1 | 0.67 | $375 | ||||
| 12 | Garry HARDMAN | NSW | 1 | 0.64 | 1 | 0.64 | $275 | ||||
| 13 | Wayne BLUNDELL | QLD | 1 | 0.63 | 1 | 0.63 | |||||
| 14 | Michael HENARE | Qld | 1 | 0.58 | 1 | 0.58 | |||||
| 15 | Peter DERKSEN | Qld | 1 | 0.57 | 1 | 0.57 | |||||
| 16 | Christian SERNE | QLD | 1 | 0.55 | 1 | 0.55 | |||||
| 17 | Stuart FRANCE | Qld | 1 | 0.54 | 1 | 0.54 | |||||
| 18 | Steven OTTO | QLD | 1 | 0.53 | 1 | 0.53 | |||||
| 19 | Peter ROBINSON | QLD | 1 | 0.49 | 1 | 0.49 | |||||
| 20 | Wayne BEAZLEY | NSW | |||||||||
| 20 | Brad CLARK | QLD | |||||||||
| 20 | Steve ELDRED | QLD | |||||||||
| 20 | David GREEN | QLD | |||||||||
| 20 | Kylie CORNISH | NSW | |||||||||
| 20 | Stephen KANOWSKI | QLD | |||||||||
| 20 | Aaron MOGG | Qld | |||||||||
| 20 | Toby WILSON | NSW | |||||||||
| 20 | Jody VERNON | NSW | |||||||||
| 20 | Adrian MELCHIOR | NSW | |||||||||
| 20 | Mick CLARKE | QLD | |||||||||
| 20 | Gavin STICKLEN | QLD | |||||||||
| 20 | Peter LEGGETT | Qld | |||||||||
| 20 | Mark LENNOX | NSW | |||||||||
| 20 | Kerry SYMES | QLD | |||||||||
| 20 | Darryl LANGTON | QLD | |||||||||
| 20 | Glyn BARKHUIZEN | QLD | |||||||||
| 20 | Greg PARKES | NSW | |||||||||
| 20 | Shaun PARKINSON | Qld | |||||||||
| 20 | Spiro ZANTIOTIS | QLD | |||||||||
| 20 | David REYNOLDS | Qld | |||||||||
| 20 | William SCHLOSS | QLD | |||||||||
| 20 | Paul FOOTE | QLD | |||||||||
| 20 | Stephen ALMOND | NSW | |||||||||
| 20 | Trevor FOOTE | QLD | |||||||||
| 20 | Mark MANGOLD | NSW | |||||||||
| 20 | Allan PRICE | NSW | |||||||||
| 20 | John BRIDER | Qld | |||||||||
| 20 | Peter MORGAN | QLD | |||||||||
| 20 | Danny ROBINSON | NSW | |||||||||
| 20 | Paul GILLESPIE | NSW | |||||||||
| 20 | David WILLIAMSON | NSW | |||||||||
| 20 | Paul PIPER | NSW | |||||||||
| 20 | Matt FRASER | QLD | |||||||||
| 20 | Mark REINBOTT | QLD | |||||||||
| 20 | Glenn WHITE | Qld | |||||||||
| 20 | Daniel CLANCY | NSW | |||||||||
| 20 | Brad SMITH | QLD | |||||||||
| 20 | Jake SCHWERIN | QLD | |||||||||
| BASS Pro: MotorGuide Lake Boondooma BASS Pro Non-Boater Results | |||||||||||
| Place | Angler | State | F1 | W1 | F2 | W2 | F3 | W3 | TF | TW | Payout |
| 1 | Ashley SIMS | Qld | 1 | 1.27 | 1 | 1.27 | Quantum Tour Edition TE 100 HPT reel, Millerods Camoufish Bass Buster XF LongCast rod, Prize Pack + $500 Quantum Big Bass | ||||
| 2 | Howard ALTHAUS | Qld | 2 | 1.15 | 2 | 1.15 | Quantum Tour Edition TE 100 HPT reel, Blue Acres XC665BA rod, Prize Pack | ||||
| 3 | Matthew MCDONALD | QLD | 2 | 0.83 | 2 | 0.83 | Shimano Stradic reel, Prize Pack | ||||
| 4 | Daniel QUARMBY | NSW | 1 | 0.58 | 1 | 0.58 | Spotters sunglasses, Prize Pack | ||||
| 5 | Paul TAYLOR | QLD | 1 | 0.5 | 1 | 0.5 | Ugly Fish sunglasses pack, Prize Pack | ||||
| 6 | Jason LOWE | Qld | |||||||||
| 6 | Ian WRATTEN | NSW | |||||||||
| 6 | Hilton SMITH | NSW | |||||||||
| 6 | Greg MUNRO | QLD | |||||||||
| 6 | Glen CASEY | NSW | |||||||||
| 6 | Gary MCCABE | QLD | |||||||||
| 6 | Dylan MOTT | QLD | |||||||||
| 6 | Aaron BURGESS | NSW | |||||||||
| 6 | Deborah KOWALCZYK | NSW | |||||||||
| 6 | Jayson DEFORREST-HADDLETON | NSW | |||||||||
| 6 | David MCDONALD | QLD | |||||||||
| 6 | Daniel MOLLOY | Qld | |||||||||
| 6 | Brett KLEINSCHMIDT | Qld | |||||||||
| 6 | Brendan DEURLOO | QLD | |||||||||
| 6 | Brendan WEIL | QLD | |||||||||
| 6 | Arthur ALLEN | Qld | |||||||||
| 6 | Denise GRAHAM | NSW | |||||||||
| 6 | Matt HAWKLESS | Qld | |||||||||
| 6 | Warwick LYNDON | QLD | |||||||||
| 6 | Tom REYNOLDS | Qld | |||||||||
| 6 | Thomas STONEHAM | QLD | |||||||||
| 6 | Stephen MCLEAN | NSW | |||||||||
| 6 | Stephen CLENTON | QLD | |||||||||
| 6 | Shane ANDERSON | QLD | |||||||||
| 6 | Rob HINTON | Qld | |||||||||
| 6 | James REID | QLD | |||||||||
| 6 | Mike DELISSER | QLD | |||||||||
| 6 | Jay WELCH | NSW | |||||||||
| 6 | Kris GEORGE | QLD | |||||||||
| 6 | Ken BRIDER | QLD | |||||||||
| 6 | Karen FONTAINE | NSW | |||||||||
| 6 | John SCHWERIN | QLD | |||||||||
| 6 | John PICTON | NSW | |||||||||
| 6 | John KOCH | QLD | |||||||||
| 6 | John CIANCIO | QLD | |||||||||
| 6 | Wayne VARKEVISSER | QLD | |||||||||
| 6 | Paul BERRY | NSW | |||||||||
| 10 | 7.22 | 11 | 6.16 | 15 | 9.39 | 36 | 22.77 | ||||
| 0.6325 | |||||||||||
