EOI for Dedicated Lake Mac series 2014

[Bream_Hunter]

Hi people,

A few people here may be aware of the small mini bucks tourney that I run on the Central Coast. This years final round on Lake Mac is coming up soon and I just thought I would ask local (CC/Hunter) and non local anglers what their thoughts were on seeing a 4-6 round dedicated event series on the Lake next year.

For some reason, aside from the BETS and my CCMB, Lake Mac has been neglected by the tournament scene both in the ABT/GTS/Hobie Kayak series and myself and quite a few locals/non locals want to see this outstanding venue get a bit more coverage on the angler calendar.

I should mention that this series would be primarily aimed at the more "Professional" tournament scene but will also be making it appealing to the casual rec fisherman.

The sponsors will be made up of local business, and nationwide/international brands should they choose to back it.

With regards to the last, there is no pressing need for such sponsors but having them will provide a bit more prestige and the payouts and prizes would be slightly better. In my (limited) experience if people want to enter a round then they do so for the social aspect of it and the fiscal incentive is a secondary consideration. Obviously you have your hardcore anglers like Borg/Hickson/Taylor et al who just fish these events for the prize money, the AOY points and to make a living/cover overheads off the ABT/GTS calendar but this series will cater to both sides of the coin.

The series will have 2 divisions, Team boater and Kayak, 1/2 of the 4/6 rounds will be super series with 100% payback to the winners and there will be a final that will see the top 10 from each division battle it out for a fairly worthy payout and the title of Lake Mac Champions.

Obviously I am not aiming for this series to overshadow or even pretend to be a BETS/GTS/ABT and as such the prize money will reflect this. Having said that there will be a guaranteed minimum payout of 1000 dollars for 1st place per round in the Team boater, extending to 8th place payouts and a guaranteed 600 dollars extended to 5th place for the kayak division. Those figures are subject to change pending on sponsor support but the minimum payout for first in both divisions is a definite.

One thing will remain constant though and that is the appeal of a dedicated Lake Mac series throughout the entire year.

Like the other tourneys that include Lake Mac on the calender there will be utilisation of council assets and local business eg; Caravan Parks, Discount accommodation at pubs/hotels etc so it will be a lot like the BETS/ABT but not the BETS/ABT/GTS.

The local tourism boards (Lake Macquarie/Central Coast) have expressed interest to be affiliated so there will be advertising via social media, print and radio platforms which can be a boon for companies who affiliate themselves with this series.

4 seasons, 4 challenging times of the year to extract some mega beasts from the massive and versatile space that is Lake Macquarie and 4 or 6 chances to get yourself, and a mate (if in boater division), a shot at becoming Lake Macquarie Champion/s.

Sounds like something I'd want to be a part of, for the fun of it if not the title.

If you like the sound of this series actually becoming a reality then by all means let me know either here or via PM.

If you are a company who would like to be affiliated or be a round sponsor then send me your details and I will forward you the EOI and Proposal document. The doc will provide the outline of the series, the ranking and points structure, the prize money and distribution tables and most importantly what the series can offer you as an affiliate or backer.

I am hoping to have this series wrapped up, support committed and set to go for 2014 by the end of November 2013.

I for one hope to see something like this kick off and become an established fixture on the angler calender as Lake Mac deserves more rounds and more opportunity!

Cheers

[grichards]

Sounds good mate. Even I would have a go as you need the amateurs to get the prizemoney up there. You would get a fair interest with the locals too. I will say this though, skins events hold more appeal in a 2 day comp if you intend to have 2 day comps. Cheers Gav.

[Bream_Hunter]

Originally Posted by grichards

Sounds good mate. Even I would have a go as you need the amateurs to get the prizemoney up there. You would get a fair interest with the locals too. I will say this though, skins events hold more appeal in a 2 day comp if you intend to have 2 day comps. Cheers Gav.

Thanks for your input Gav.

The idea of the 1 or 2 super series rounds as a skins format is on the table. It is appealing to me as well mate but it will come down to sponsor support to achieve this and is yet to be determined.

It's one thing to have a minimum payout, when that figure doubles over a 2 day event is when things get difficult. I don;t want to get too far ahead of myself yet anyway haha

Cheers

[smokindrags]

Sound like a good idea BH

I think saying the area has been neglected is a little unfair.
Every area needs its turn.Then when there is heaps of comps on a waterway people Whinge it is being hammered week after week month after month.
Who is to say the mentioned event organizers havnt got it on there
Calendar for 2014 as it wasn't in ther 2013 calendar.

[Shack]

That's unreal mate !! !!! Great idea , Hope everything goes to plan because me and a lot of others will be waiting for that first round in 2014 Cheers shack

[Fez fish]

Top idea BH,I fully support this comp 100 percent can't wait.



Cheers Shane

[Bream_Hunter]

Thanks guys.

I'm giving this one a fair bit of time, and would really like to see it get off the ground.

Someone mentioned the place being hammered. That has been a genuine concern from a few people, myself included. Being my home grounds I know how shutdown the lake can get after a big round, and this is a very relevant factor in deciding how many rounds to have.

I don;t know why I am trying to give myself a nightmare headache with this series but I'd like to see it happen regardless.

If anyone can offer any advice I would appreciate it, it's one thing to run a mini bucks for 4 rounds a year and deal with 30-40 blokes, upping the stakes to a possible 150+ per round for possibly 6 rounds is slightly daunting hahaha.

[breambucket]

I recon 6 events at the same place is too much and a little boring, part of the reason why I like comp fishing is the traveling pub feeds and the anticipation of going away for a weekend plus making mate from both up and down the coast
Maybe a couple more arenas would be a good idea and I would do it for sure

[Bream_Hunter]

Mate I have tried having 3 venues with the mini bucks, over the past 3 years we have had 11 events on Lake Mac, Tuggerah Lakes system and Bris Waters.

So far Lake Mac and Bris waters have had the most numbers, for some reason a lot of people turn their nose up at the Tuggerah Lakes system, for what reason is beyond me as the bream in that system are as good as anywhere else.

So far the schedule would be 5 rounds bi-monthly and a Final. This series is more oriented at the local anglers, people will still come from out of the region regardless.

[jamiej]

I'd be interested, but as with other I wouldn't commit till I saw the dates and the qualifying conditions.
I live north of the lake and have never heard of your comps until you posted a few bits about the latest one when it was coming up. Have you been runnin them in conjunction with a club or independently?

As others have said, I don't think the lake is neglected with comps. Think the ABT just gave it a rest this year, will have wait and see where they go next year. When you consider they only run 2 in each state each year, there are a lot of good waterways within NSW and people want to fish other places or they get bored and would give it away if it was the same all the time.

If you get a good core group of anglers supporting your comps maybe then you could try a different waterway. See how strong the support base is then.

[ledge n]

Sounds good to me, but agree 6 is to many, considering I will be travelling to the ABT affiliated teams events and at least 3 ABT singles events. That's a lot of comps and coin.

Have you got an idea re entry fee?

may I suggest holding it at Warners bay? Great street appeal for onlookers, plus Shops, servos, ramp, plenty of beach for the boats and relatively protected from winds.

Ledge n

[Bream_Hunter]

RE; The mini bucks, I have been running it independently for 3 years now. I have kep it low key so it was more local oriented. It has a good following and is hosted on all 3 major systems on the CC.

All details are being worked out at present, I will upload a link to the event when I have a final draft of the series.

It's looking at being a 4 event qualifier and a final. There may also be a skins event over a weekend as one of the rounds. These details are in planning and should be ready for public scrutiny by the end of September.

Warners Bay is on the list of places to host the event.

Cheers for the input fellas.

[CLAY]

hey mate, a little birdy told me about this during the week . mate sounds good to me, i got a few mates that i fish with that would also be keen as well depending on date and locations etc

[Bream_Hunter]

Yeah mate, was good to meet you and your buddy out there the other week.

Just a small bump up regarding this event series.

I have hit a huge problem, I'm suffering from Artists block and can;t get out of this design hole I am in. I have 3 concept designs for the Series logo and poster scheme but cannot for the life of me progress past where I am at.

Anyone got some wicked Photoshop skills that they can offer me, I will reimburse you in some way or another.

Just as a footnote, this series proposal has been received well by several major suppliers and brands and may just go ahead if all things go to plan.

Cheers in advance.

Mick

[nathanl]

Good idea for local comps but Lake Mac neglected? Are you serious? I've fished ABT as a non boater for the last 3 years and this year was the first time it didn't have one in those years. Considering NSW get 2 or 3 events in Abt, its gets better representation than a lot of other NSW waterways.