Sport
6 October, 2026
Barra Bash a bash
UNDESIRABLE weather could not stop the 365 keen fishermen from participating in the 2026 Tableland Hardware Barra Bash recently.
The return of the Barra Bash was highly anticipated by local anglers who hit the waters at Tinaroo for the event after a two-year hiatus.
In total, 49 barramundi were caught, with 30 exceeding the 1 metre mark, as well as 52 sooty grunter. Meanwhile, an astonishing 270kg of pest fish were caught, including 384 catfish and 26 tilapia.
This year’s Champion Angler titles went to Seth McCann (Non-LiveScope) and Joey Selvey (Livescope).
McCann topped the leaderboard with six fish totalling a length of 3.12m. He also claimed the Largest Barra (Adult) award with a 110cm beauty.
The new Livescope division (which allows the use of sonar technology to see fish, structure, and bait underwater as it happens) was a hit with competitors this year, with was young Joey Selvey claiming honours with a haul of nine fish totalling 8.88m in length.
Another major drawcard for the event was its $10,000 lucky entry prize, which was won by Stacey Bucknell.
Event organiser and Tablelands Fish Stocking Society secretary Doug Luscombe said it was a fantastic turnout which received very positive feedback from attendees.
“The weather was pretty ordinary for most of the fishing, but cleared up on Sunday to make a fantastic day for the kids’ activities, casting competitions, redclaw races, food trucks and vendors stalls.”
See results below.
RESULTS
Non-livescope winners:
Champion Angler – Seth McCann
Largest Barra (Male) – Seth McCann (110cm)
Largest Barra (Female) – Thippaporn Kaewsk (86cm)
Largest Barra (Junior Male) – Uriah Richardson (104cm)
Largest Barra (Junior Female) – No winner
Mystery Length Barra – Brett McLaren (74cm)
Largest Sooty Grunter (Adult) – Morgan Moore (49cm)
Largest Sooty Grunter (Junior) – Jamie Moss (50cm)
Most Pest Fish – David Hoffan (205 catfish)
Encouragement Award – Morgan Crowley (48cm sooty grunter)
Livescope winners:
Champion Angler – Joey Selvey
Largest Barra (Adult) – Oscar Masterman (120cm)
Largest Barra (Junior) – Cody Ryan (96cm)
Colouring-in competition winners:
0-5yrs – Carter
6-8yrs – Izzy
9-12yrs – Chelsea
Other winners:
Guess Shazza’s Weight (3.7kgs, 65cm) – Dale Slater (3.65kgs, 65cm)
$10,000 Lucky Entry Winner – Stacey Bucknell
