MUSWELLBROOK angler Peter Phelps is preparing for the trip of a lifetime.
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This week he flies out of the country to team up with the first Australian to qualify for the Bassmaster Elites, Carl Jocumsen, for a number of events in the United States.
And, to say Phelps is looking forward to the trip is an understatement.
“First off, I will experience one of the massive Elites events as a marshal on a boat for two days,” he said.
“Afterwards, I’ll travel with Carl to compete in an opens competition as a co-angler.
“We will then fish our way back to Dallas before returning to Australia.”
Phelps, who has lived in the Hunter Valley most of his life, always had a passion for the outdoors.
He started competitive bass fishing in 2006 – and his infatuation with the sport grew from there.
“I won a grand final in my first year competing, which boasted a ‘trip to the United States to compete in a tournament’,” he said.
“At the time, I did not gauge the significance of the victory as being so new to the sport.
“Unfortunately, the organisers and sponsors of that event fell through and I never made it on my trip.
“Now, a decade on, I get a chance.
“I have fished many grand finals over the years in different formats, across different waterways and different states, all with ‘trips to the USA’ up for grabs.
“The closest I’ve come again is fifth.
“I have always dreamt of getting my trip and I could’ve just easily paid to go myself but I wanted to earn it.”
Ironically, that opportunity arose close to “home”.
“When the ABT (Australian Bass Tournaments) announced its grand final was to be held at Glenbawn Dam in October 2015, I knew 12 months out I was in with a chance of winning,” Phelps said.
“Having fished the lake so much, and in October the bass would be relating to my strengths in fishing, I was pumped up for it.
“As the ABT grand final unfolded, it was a true fairytale finish for me.
“Twice over the weekend I left it down to the last 15 minutes of fishing.
“On the Saturday morning session, I had a really small bag of bass, weighing about 1.2kg in my ‘live’ well.
“With time running out, I quickly changed location and upgraded to a 2.5kg bag, which kept me within striking distance of first place.
“Then, on the final Sunday morning session, it was literally the last cast that I caught the fish to fill my bag before screaming back to the ramp with only a minute remaining.
“The ‘live’ weigh-in was intense as it came down to only 30 grams that I won by.
“Anyone who is interested in fishing should look into tournaments.
“It’s a great way to meet like-minded people – your knowledge and skills will jump leaps and bounds.
“To keep up-to-date on how the trip is going, I will post regular content on Instagram (peterphelps42) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/peterphelpsfishing).”