From underdogs to a divisional win

None of us had fished Mallacoota before. None of us had properly chased dusky flathead either. We turned up to our first Flatty Classic as a Taco Tackle crew with more enthusiasm than form, and got a fair bit of good-natured scepticism from the other teams and the organisers for it.

That is a decent way to start a weekend, as it turns out.

We launched Friday morning quietly optimistic, which lasted right up until 8:30am when the first dusky came over the side at 66cm on a 6th Sense Provoke. Suddenly the weekend had a shape to it.

Friday afternoon Jake put the fish of the trip on the mat — 76cm on a Party Minnow. That one set the tone for everything that followed.

Saturday is the full day and it is where the comp is won or lost. Our division put us in with Rowdy Floyds — who went on to win the whole thing — and Flatties Need Love Too. Not the easiest draw.

I managed two 61s in the morning and Jake added a 59. Between us the bag kept building, and when it was totted up we had taken out our division.

Sunday is a half day and it went quickly. Dan added a 57 to round the bag out, and that was the comp.

Eleventh overall, and a division win, for a crew who had never done any of this before. For a bunch of blokes who had never fished Mallacoota or properly chased duskies, we were stoked.

Nothing exotic. Tackle House Contact Node 130 in chartreuse, 6th Sense Provoke 106DD and the 3" Party Minnow, Irukandji Sicario 5" and Megaprawn 4", a Nomad Dozer 5" and an NLBN 5" K-Tail.

Rods were around seven foot in the 6–12lb range, 2500 reels, 12–16lb braid and Seaguar Ace fluorocarbon leader. Standard estuary kit.