Bushy has fished extensively throughout Australia as well
as in New Zealand, Vanuatu, Fiji, the Solomon Islands, Thailand,
Nauru, Christmas Island England, France and Canada. He has
represented Australia in the World fly-fishing Championships
and competed successfully in a number of other world-class
tournaments both overseas and in Australia.
STEVE STARLING
Starlo is arguably Australia's best-known and most prolific
fishing writer, and also a regular TV and video presenter.
He has fished extensively in every Australian state and territory,
as well as many other parts of the world, and has 15 books
and thousands of magazine features to his credit. For 9 years
Starlo was a co-presenter on "Rex Hunt Fishing Adventures",
before joining forces with his mate Bushy to produce the high-rating
"Hooked On Adventure" TV series. Starlo has embraced
the ABT Tournament scene with characteristic enthusiasm, and
is currently the highest prize-money earner on the BREAM circuit
and a three-time qualifier for the BREAM Grand Final, having
made the 'cut' for the hard-fought final round of five anglers
on two occasions so far.
"Millerods have totally changed the way I fish, and
have definitely made me a better, more efficient angler over
the years. Much more importantly, they are a sheer joy to
own and use. I count them amongst my most valued possessions.
If I had to pick a favourite, it would probably be my two-piece,
7'6" Bream Buster Ultra Finesse. This magic wand can
hook fish you only imagined were there, then handle them on
the finest of lines and lightest of leaders... I regard it
as my 'secret weapon' in tournaments!"
TOURNAMENT SNAPSHOT: Two ABT BREAM qualifying round
wins (Shoalhaven and
Docklands), numerous top five placings, three-time Grand Final
qualifier, twice finishing in the final five. Second placing
in 2004 BREAM Open in Sydney. Best one-day bag in a BREAM
Round; 4.22kg. Biggest fish in a BREAM Round; 1.32kg. Best
AFC BREAM Summer Series results; 1st on Gold Coast, 3rd on
Yarra/Docklands.
SPONSORS: Millerods, Shimano, Blue Fox Squidgies,
Yamaha, Minn Kota, Lowrance, Columbia Sportswear and Webster
Boats.
ANDREW HOWARD
CHRIS METCALFE
It's not surprising that Millerods Tournament Team member
Chris Metcalfe is rated by many top anglers as their most
feared competitor. His long term consistency and 'never-say-die'
attitude ensure this ice-cool competitor is always in the
hunt for top placing at ABT tournaments.
A builder by trade and family man who resides on the Gold
Coast, Chris immediately sniffed tournament success when in
his first ABT BREAM season he placed top ten in three of the
four qualifying rounds as a non-boater. This gave him a 2001
Grand Final berth, and he finished fourth overall in the toughest
comp of the year.
From there Chris never looked back. The next season he made
a clean sweep of the Queensland qualifying rounds taking 1st
place at both Gold Coast and Caloundra, making him Qld Angler
of the year, and another two top ten finishes in both NSW
rounds made him one of the ABT's most consistent anglers in
2002.
There was only one way to go from there, and in 2003 Chris
once again took out the Gold Coast Qualifier and a top ten
at Bundaberg ensured he not only made the Grand Final field
for the third year in a row, but also won him back-to-back
Qld Angler of the Year titles! At the Grand Final he came
from behind for an exciting win, taking out the National title
in the highest quality field ever assembled.
Three Big Bream tournament awards prove he catches quality
as well as quantity, and he rates his Bream Buster rods as
follows;
"My introduction to Millerods started some 4 years ago
when my 94 year old grandmother Nellie Metcalfe decided that
a Bream Buster was a good reward for a few odd jobs around
the house. How she knew this I'll never know!
"As the case with most addictions, one is just not enough,
you must have more, and quite a few followed! On the eve of
the 2003 Bream Grand Final I received my new 7' Bream Buster
'Finesse', but I was a little hesitant using this rod as I
didn't know its full potential and so on the first day of
competition I stuck to my old faithful with little success.
On day 2, I realised I was in trouble so I pulled out my new
weapon.
"The 7' Bream Buster gave me that extra casting length
that I needed on the spooky fish and heaps of down low power
for the BIG BREAM. It's without a doubt this amazing rod helped
me win the Grand Final, thanks Millerods!"
Sponsors: Millerods, Daiwa, Lowrance, Pure Fishing,
Minnkota, Forster Beach Caravan Park, Bright Eyes Sunglasses
Runaway Bay.
MIKE METCALFE
Mike is a keen angler who fishes every weekend. He lives
in Brisbane and his local haunts range from the Tweed River
in Northern NSW, Nerang River on the Gold Coast, Moreton Bay
and up to the Pumictone Passage in the Sunshine Coast. He
spends the wintertime chasing his favorite fish, the humble
bream and the summer months doing battle with the mighty mangrove
jacks that take over these estuaries during the warmer months.
Mike loves his bream fishing and is a keen competitor on
the ABT Tournament scene. In fact, Mike won the inaugural
2001 ABT National BREAM Grand Final in his very first year
on the circuit!
Mike keeps himself at the forefront of product development
for his competitive bream fishing, whether it is rods, boats
or tackle.
"My time on the water is extremely valuable to me whether
I'm fishing for enjoyment, or in a competition. Because of
that I'm only interested in owning or using the very best
when it comes to my equipment."
"I realized very early on that the best fishing rods
money can buy are Millerods. My favorite is the Bream Buster,
which I used to win the BREAM Grand Final in 2001, and quite
simply I would not use anything else!"
Jason Wilhelm: Years fishing 25 and counting.
Favourite technique. Fishing for wild and stocked Barramundi using plastics, Fly and top water.
'Being involved in the development of the "camoufish" range was an extremely rewarding experience for me. Barra acted on all the feedback and explained certain characteristics of rods which I'd never even thought of before.
These rods have improved my fishing out of sight, and are an absolute pleasure to use. It also has given me the best rods on the market, something which I feel is very important when you are targeting big powerful fish like barramundi.'
'Its hard to pick a favourite rod in the range because they are equally impressive in their chosen application, but the latest addition, the Camoufish Blademaster XXH is the one I pick up first, probably because its most suited to my favourite way of targeting Barra.
It is 7 feet long which gives incredible control and direction especially when using plastics.
Its spiral wrap configuration allows for less weight, zero rod twist and incredible action. The tip is soft but powerful, and I have landed barra over 60lbs on it.
The beauty of the Camoufish Barra range is that there is a rod for every application, from twitching hardbodies, slurping topwaters, casting heavy lures or working plastics.
I quickly fell in love with spiral wraps when I got my first high roller, Now my whole quiver of rods are spiral wraps!'
'I feel extremely privileged to be associated with such a great product, and a great bunch of blokes'
Tim 'The Bream' Morgan is undoubtedly ABT's BREAM and BASS
series most well known competitor. His affable nature and
angling talent has made Tim a popular angler amongst his peers
and a regular on the presentation dais.
Perhaps Tim's most impressive accomplishment has been his
ability to succeed in both bream and bass tournaments, something
that is not only unmatched in the history of ABT, but also
unlikely to be bettered.
Tim currently holds the BREAM record of winning five qualifying
rounds - Jumpinpin 2000, Sanctuary Cove 2001, Caloundra 2001,
Forster 2003, and Gold Coast 2004. He has a further nine top
ten finishes and has qualified for every Grand Final - finishing
as Runner-Up in both 2001 and 2002. He won Qld Angler of the
Year in 2001, and was Runner-Up in 2002. He is a two-time
winner of the Sportsfish.com NSW Angler of the Year award
2002 and 2003 and was Runner-Up NSW Angler of the Year in
2001. He finished second overall in the inaugural AFC Bream
Summer television series, with a win at Brisbane River, Round
1 and second place on the Nerang River.
On the BASS circuit, Tim's record is so consistent that he
rarely finishes out of the money and has in fact finished
top five an incredible 14 times, and top ten a further 4 times!
This includes qualifying wins at Bondooma (2000) and Glenbawn
(2003). He has twice taken out big bass honours and appeared
in every BASS Grand Final as well as being runner-up BASS
Angler of the year in 1999, 2000 and 2001.
Tim recently proved his natural fishing ability is not limited
to just bream and bass, by finishing Champion Runner-Up Angler
in his very first Barra Classic on the Daly River, NT 2004.
Employed as manager of BLA's Minn Kota and Humminbird products,
Tim is well known for his friendly and helpful attitude on
and off the water and at tackle and boat shows. When combined
with his amazing tournament history it's not too hard to see
why he is held in such high esteem!
Tim's undoubted favourite when it comes to bream fishing
are his Bream Buster Finesse rods of which he says, "My
7' Millerods Bream Buster Finesse is the only rod I need to
fish for bream in any location or situation, be it throwing
un-weighted soft plastics along a creek bank at high tide,
hard-bodies in the leases or fishing deep water with 1/8th
oz jig heads. My Bream Buster allows me to consistently do
long accurate casts and has the power to pull BIG bream away
from the tightest of cover. In my mind no other rod on the
market is in the same league."
But he finds it a little more difficult to nominate just
one Millerods favourite for bass fishing!
"Due to the diverse fishing styles and lure weights
used in bass fishing tournaments, you need to have a real
selection of rods to maximise your chances on the water. Millerods
make fantastic rods for all the necessary tactics whether
it is casting big spinnerbaits, crankbaits, reaction lures
or tweaking soft plastics in 20 metres of water.
"I love all my Miller bass rods but a couple do stand
out. The Bass Buster - Ian's lightweight spinning rod that
I used to win the Glenbawn event in 2003 - is easily the best
bass spin rod I have ever seen for soft plastic fishing, and
the Blademasters are beautifully balanced, sensitive rods
that make casting a wide variety of spinnerbaits a real pleasure!
"As a tournament fisherman I want to use the best gear
available that's why I choose to use Millerods."
Chris Wright - or 'Slick' as his fishing mates and peers
know him, is one of the ABT's most popular and successful
BREAM anglers. His accomplishments are second to none, and
read like a wish list of your average competitor!
In his short ABT career he has three first place finishes
to his name in qualifying rounds - Shoalhaven River 2001,
Victoria Harbour 2003, Glenelg River 2004, as well as six
more top ten finishes in BREAM events, and two Grand Final
appearances. Also, he is the inaugural AFC Bream Pro Champion,
with two series wins at Hawkesbury River and Victoria Harbour.
Becoming somewhat of a big fish specialist when it counts
most, Chris has taken out the Big Bream prize in both Mega
Bream events at the Manning River in 2003 and Forster in 2004,
and the Clyde 2003 qualifyer. His big bream at Forster - an
amazing oyster rack bluenose of 1.99kg - is now the largest
BREAM ever weighed at an ABT event. Such captures and his
consistency in qualifying rounds took him to the top of the
all-time ABT money winners in May 2004.
An abalone diver who lives on the NSW South Coast, Chris
is also an ex-pro surfer who continues to catch as many waves
as he does fish, and his fishing interests extend much further
than just bream. Among them is bass fishing, and in 2001 he
acheived the Brogo Bass Champion Angler and Champion Team
member at that location.
Chris credits much of his tournament success to his favourite
Millerod - the Bream Buster 6'9" 'Classic' - which he
has used exclusively as his rod of choice for his entire ABT
career. Fishing is a big part of Slick's life, and he reckons
he couldn't imagine being without the sensitivity and power
offered by the Millerods Bream Buster.
If ever there was a competitor to watch, it is surely Chris
'Slick' Wright, a popular angler who is destined to become
one of the best in BREAM history.
Sponsors: Millerods, Shimano, Mitchell Davis Marine,
Blue Fox Squidgies, Fireline.
TRAVIS DAVIES
Travis Davies has a strong background in the tackle trade,
which over the years allowed him access to a lot of rod brands
but knew he had found his preferred tackle when he starting
selling Millerods!
Travis assisted Ian with the design of the popular Jack Extracter
and is often out on the water putting this very rod through
its paces on his local mangrove jack population in the Coomera
and Nerang rivers on the Gold Coast.
Travis Davies is one of the most consistent BREAM tournament
anglers on the circuit and is fast becoming a regular in the
top 10. He has qualified for the ABT National BREAM Grand
Final in both years he has fished the ABT, and rates his 7th
place in the 2003 National BREAM grand final as a tournament
career highlight.
His favorite bream rods are the Bream Buster Finesse rods.
"These rods make finessing bream a pleasure, and have the
power to control the big one once hooked!" he says.
Sponsors: Millerods, Bassmaster Jigheads and Plastics, Kaenon Sunglasses
DAVE WELFARE
Dave has been fishing since he was old enough to hold a handline,
and lucky enough to have a couple of great holiday houses
in the family - the early years at Patonga NSW, and later
at Fisherman's Paradise (on the backwaters of Lake Conjola
NSW) really caused the fishing bug to bite….. Hard!
It was at Lake Conjola that Dave really discovered his passion
for lure fishing, and from around the age of 14 it was (and
still is) his preferred method of catching fish. Moving to
the Blue Mountains around the same time opened up a whole
new world of freshwater species to focus on, from Bass in
the Nepean to the thumping Trout Lake Lyall is renowned for,
cementing Dave's passion for all things lure and fly.
2003 saw Dave hit the national B.R.E.A.M. scene and he hasn't
looked back.
"I just wish I'd have heard about it earlier. The camaraderie,
skills development, technique sharing and pressure to perform
certainly makes you reassess everything you thought you knew
about lure fishing".
In that first year Dave fished three B.R.E.A.M. rounds (the
national Bream tournament series) and managed a 10th at the
Docklands round and a 4th at Forster in the (then) biggest
field ever, in fact Dave's boat was the only one to come in
with a 'full bag' for both him and his non-boater.
In the inaugural National Sportsfishing Tournament and Expo
(ran on Sydney Harbour) Dave managed second place from a strong
local field.
So far in 2004, Dave has finished top ten twice; 10th at
the Hawkesbury round and an impressive second at the hard-fought
Glenelg River, which qualified him for the Grand Final to
be held in October.
Dave is very active on most of the internet chat boards within
Australia that relate to fishing and is considered to be a
well rounded competition angler, not merely focused on one
aspect of sportsfishing or one species. He lists his personal
goals as finishing top 5 at the 2004 B.R.E.A.M. Grand Final,
expand on his limited fishing journalism and finding a happy
balance between all his loves.
A recent addition to the Millerods Tournament Team, Dave
became converted after trying a mate's Bream Buster. "The
Bream Buster really made all my other rods feel second rate",
he said. Now he has a range with him all the time, and is
particularly taken by the Bream Buster 7'6" Ultra Finesse.
"In a recent comp 90% of my fishing was done with your Ultra
Finesse over shallow water and it worked like a dream. Dude,
I've never cast a 1/32 that far before!"
Dave adds that none of his achievements would be possible
without the support of his beautiful wife Megan, daughter
Talia and his employer Gemfruitz P/L for allowing him the
time needed to fish!
Sponsors: Polycraft Boating, The Freetime Group, Millerods,
Berkley Fishing Tackle, Maui Jim Sunglasses, and BreamMaster.com
CARL JOCUMSEN
He may be the youngster of the Millerods Tournament Team,
but 19 year-old Carl Jocumsen has already achieved more than
many tournament anglers will realize in a lifetime.
Bass fishing is Carl's passion and he is very good at it.
Living in south-east Queensland and handy to some of Australia's
best bass lakes, Carl gets on the water at every opportunity,
and working in tackle sales at Mullet Gut Marine in Toowoomba
gives him every chance to immerse himself in the best fishing
gear around.
Carl is adept at all the modern techniques so necessary to
stay on the cutting edge of bass fishing, but he is really
in his element when fishing spinnerbaits. He has become a
respected specialist in this form of bass fishing, and reckons
there's nothing quite like a hot bite when the big fish are
smashing spinnerbaits!
In fact he used this prowess to win his first major competition,
the 2003 Somerset ABT BASS round, where he became the youngest
angler ever to win a BASS Pro qualifying event. His six fish
limit for 10.84kg were all caught on spinnerbaits so he obviously
knows what he's talking about when it comes to this type of
fishing.
"I love my Millerods Blademaster LongCast for spinnerbaiting",
he says. "It easily casts my favourite ½ to 5/8oz
lure weights all day, and has plenty of power to fish the
heavy drag settings I employ. And the new Blademaster LongCast
Light is just a dream for casting lighter spinnerbaits and
the latest lures like Jackals", he adds.
In only a few short seasons of competition bass fishing,
Carl has put together an impressive list of finishes and rarely
is out of the top ten, where he has placed over ten times
- eight of them in the top five. These include finishing 2nd,
3rd and 5th in the last three BASS Grand Finals, and he was
also runner-up in the 2003 Angler of the Year rankings.
All this proves that Carl is no one-method wonder, with his
consistent results being recorded over a wide range of bass
lakes and employing the full array of bass techniques.
When it comes to tackle, Carl knows what he likes, and he
has already had input into some of the Millerod bass rod designs,
such as the Bass Buster, which has developed into a new model.
"The Bass Buster LongCast is a truly versatile bass rod,"
he says. "I can fish almost any light lure with it including
small spinnerbaits and reaction baits, in a wide variety of
situations, and it's ability to cast further than any other
bass spin rod I've used is a real advantage to me".
With so much bass fishing behind him, yet so much ahead,
Carl is sure to feature in the BASS leader boards for years
to come, and is certainly a young gun to watch!
Sponsors: Millerods, Mullet Gut Marine, Mako Sunglasses,
Stessl Boats, Mariner Outboards, Minn Kota, Humminbird, Bassman
Spinnerbaits, Pro Angler, BP Reliance Petroleum.
KERRIN & CY TAYLOR
Favourite target species - Impoundment barramundi
Favourite rods -
CY - Millerods Camoufish BARRA Hi-Roller Long Cast KERRIN - Millerods Camoufish BARRA Hi-Roller Long Cast We love them!
'The Millerods Camoufish BARRA Hi-Roller rods are perfect for long casts and covering ground over shallow weed beds, drop-offs and flats. They are awesome for clear water, when the barramundi are flighty and you need extra distance in your casts to trick them into eating. The Hi-Roller rules'
'The Millerods Camoufish BARRA Boof stick is another amazing impoundment BARRA rod. Surface fishing is very exciting with barramundi and the Boof stick is a great rod for this technique. You can use a walk the dog retrieve or use sharp, slow rod movements for surface fizzer fishing. The Boof stick is great for all surface fishing, whatever your retrieve style is'
#1 Favourite technique - Soft plastic fishing, using Squidgy Slick rigs Suited rod - Millerods Camoufish BARRA Hi-Roller
#2 Favourite technique - Surface fishing Suited rod - Millerods Camoufish BARRA Boof-Stick
Tournament goal - To compete in every future ABT BARRA event, have fun and to go well in all events.
