Thermocline top the LBT log after round two
The second round of the 2018 Lowveld Bass Trail (LBT), hosted at Nooitgedacht Dam, nearly broke the team attendance record set at Vygeboom only a month before, with 54 teams entering the second leg.
In total, 48 teams managed to weigh in five fish. This is compared to the 2017 May event at Nooitgedacht, where only 41,18 per cent of the teams found a limit and 11,76 per cent of the teams blanked.
In total 256 fish were weighed in, with a total weight of 97,372 kilograms and an average weight of 0,38 kilograms per fish.
Winning patterns
First-placed team, Venom Lures Lowveld, Frank and Ben Gottschalk, focused on rocky points in six- to nine-foot water with Bill Lewis square-bill crankbaits, drop-shot rigs and Watermelon Orange Speed craws.
Third-placed team Thermocline, Herman Geldenhuys and William Myers, found fish in the nine- to 13-foot range early in the morning and focused on structure in this depth range for the majority of time and found success with spinnerbaits and mojo-rigged senkos.
The 1,935-kilogram bass weighed in by Simon Bezuidenhout of team Double Trouble, was the biggest on the day.
On the 2018 log, team Thermocline’s consecutive top-three finishes now have them occupying the top spot with only a mere 0,365 kilograms over team Salmo Lures in second spot.
• Biggest bass: Double Trouble – 1,935 kilograms
• Second biggest bass: Danie Stassen – 1,83 kilograms.
Top 10 from Nooitgedacht Dam
1. Venom Lures
2. X Factor
3. Thermocline
4. Double Trouble
5. Nelspruit Ford
6. Bent Rods
7. Subaru Nelspruit
8. Imbongolo
9. Salmo Lures
10. Die Van’s.
