The Bream Fishing Project

Episode 30: Vic Bream Classics, Mallacoota VIC, 6-7 May 2023

in this episode we have gone back to May 2023 to cover the Atomic East Gippsland Bream Classic. This episode starts with a 3 way interview between myself Bobby Sproule and Justin Dingwell.

Episode 29: ABT Gladstone, 22-23 July, 2023.

In this episode we head north to Gladstone in QLD. For the first time this year we throw Pikey Bream back into the mix. This is also an arena where there is much more run in the tide than the rest of the circuit. This is another huge show, with 5 x angler interviews.  First up in second place in the non-boater division I spoke with Col Wilson. This was an interesting interview starting with a pairing of Stephen and Colin Wilson who did not know each other before this event. Colin gave a detailed account of how he caught his bream which would help any angler heading up to this area. Then we moved on to the rock-star of the Non-boater division Taka Kawasaki who flew in from Sydney and went straight from the airport to the waterway and jumped on Wally Fahey's boat. Taka was paired with Liam Robinson on day one and Allan Murray on day two.  Taka shares his first Pikey Bream capture which involved a bit of luck and some good observation skills!  In third place in the boater division I was Stephen Wilson. This was another interesting conversation that starts with Stephen explaining how fishing in July changed things for this competition. In the past the Gladstone round has typically been held in September and the change in dates this year definitely affected the fishing. Stephen also spoke about how the big tides affect how the bream behave. In second place was the defending champion Tom Deer who has been very successful in this arena. You will need to listen to this interview to hear Tom's strategy around chasing big fish verses chasing numbers of fish. Tom shared a small modification he sometimes makes to his Atomic Crank 38 lures which is worth hearing about. Then in first place, is the in-form angler Chri Lonne. Chris has just taken out the QLD open in his last event and then backed it up in Gladstone. On the Friday prefish Chris found a new location which helped him take out this competition. 

Episode 28: Hobie Daiwa Bream Series Gold Coast QLD 15-16 July, 2023

In this episode we head back to the Gold Coast for what is one of my favourite rounds for the year. I had a blast at the competition and I really enjoyed recording this episode. First up we have repeat guest Joel Crosbie in third place. Joel is having an awesome season this year and is a very good chance of taking out AOY for 2023. In talking with Joel in this episode and also over on the Australian Lure Fishing Podcast I have been amazed at just how competitive Joel is. I think you will really enjoy hearing about how Joel caught his fish. In second place is another repeat guest Guy Struthers. Guy has been at the pointy end of the field for a number of years. Guy is a QLD local and first up he shares some thoughts on how the wind and weather affects the fishing conditions up on the GC. If you are interested in fishing canals and pontoons, Guy is a master at this and he gave some great insights about how he catches bream in these areas. Finally, in first place is Gareth Goodhew. This was Gareth's first Hobie Tournament win and although he came home in first place it wasn't all smooth sailing and big numers of fish. Tune in to hear how his two days came together. Gareth also told me about his first at a Hobie competition. This is a good interview  to listen to if you are considering entering for the first time.   

Episode 27: ABT , Blackwood River 17-18 June,2023

In this episode we leave the kayaks behind as we travel back to Western Australia and cover the ABT round on the Blackwood river. I think this is one of the more interesting venues on the bream fishing circuit. I find it interesting that several anglers have spoken about getting "wooded." This venue also can produce huge numbers of fish as you will hear in this episode. We have 5 x angler interviews  starting with second in the non-boater division. Blair Paisley-Kerr shares how day one started slowly but with his boater Matt McCarthy they made the decision to change location. Listen in to see what changes Blair made to help him catch enough fish to finish in 1st place overnight and in second place after day two. I then had a very interesting discussion with Aden Miller who is usually a shore based angler. Aden fished for bream from a boat for the first time in this competition, but it did not start smoothly. Aden spoke about what he and his boater, Paul Burton did on day 1 to overcome some motoer issues. This was also Aden's first ABT competition and to win his division is a great story. In 4th place in the boater division was repeat guest Matt McCarthy. Matt's and Blair fished together on day 1 and now you get to hear the other side of that story. Matt tried a couple of unusual lures that produced results. You will need to listen to see what he used and what caught fish! We then move in to second place and talk with Alex Greisdorf. This is one of Alex's favourite systems and used his prefish to rule out some areas. Using his knowledge of the system Alex was able to fill his bags quickly and was then able to upgrade throughout the day. Alex also shared some insights around bream spawning and how water temperature can affect the fishing. FInally, for the second time in two Blackwood River rounds, I spoke with the winner Joseph Gardiner. Last time I spoke with Joseph we talked about a new lure which was proving to be very successful. This time he spills the beans..... but not before Alex did in his interview. I also spoke briefly about his mother Jenny who fished this event. This is another great story.  I look forward to the next round in WA,which I believe is the Swan River Round in the kayaks.    

Episode 26: 2023 Samaki Bream Queensland Open, June 24-25

In this episode we take a deep dive into the Queensland Open. Leading up to this event there was some talk around whether Steve Morgan could take the the two Bream opens and the Bass open. By his own admission, Steve said he typically didn't place highly up there in QLD. I did have a brief conversation with Steve about why out of state anglers sometimes perform really well. This small part of Steve's interview was brilliant and definitely worth listening to before we got into the nitty gritty of his competition. I then spoke with second place Cain Waller who also had a great story to tell. One of my favourite parts of the interview was when Cain spoke about having motor issues, getting towed back and then running like an athlete to put his key tag back on the board. Finally in first place was Chris Lonne, who also had a great story. Chris caught a whole bunch of fish off one location. I have not heard a story quite like this before. For anyone heading to the Hobie round this weekend on the Gold Coast,  this is a must listen!

Episode 25: Hobie Kayak Bream Series, Georges River River, June 17-18 , 2023

In this episode we are off to the mighty Georges River in Sydney. This for me was a very interesting event. In the weeks leading up to the event, the river was fishing very very well. There was lots of large Bream and lots of Mulloway up to the 1m mark. When competition day arrived the river started to shut down a little.  First up we have repeat guest Tony Pettie who fished very well and regained the Batman title fro Simon. For anyone who fished this competiton and struggled this is a great interview. Tony fished basic patterns with good effect. He also won the Atomic Big Bream with a 1.4 kg beast. Tony is one of a few anglers who is making a charge on the AOY points table. In second place we have Jason Marshall who is relatively new to the Hobie Series and is also a repeat guest on The Bream Fishing Project. Jason is showing the way for anyone who would like to come and have a go at a kayak fishing event. Jason has won two Yakhunters bream rounds and has had one Ppodium finish and a top ten in Hobie rounds. Jason had a very interesting story which showed a lot of dedication and tenacity. Jason put all of his eggs in one basket and it paid real dividends. Tune in to hear his story. First place went to the one and only Russell Babekuhl. Russell has had an amazing run in his last 5 events and this is no exception. However, it wasn't Russell's easiest win. He didn't catch lots of fish and he also fished in a way tha is a little different from his usual strategy. I was surprised by a couple of things Russell spoke about.... but you will need to listen in to hear all about it!  

Episode 24: Hobie Kayak Bream Series St Georges Basin, 20-21 March, 2021

In this episode we are winding the clock back to 2021, to March. In this event we fished in some of the worst weather that I have fished in during a competition. For anyone fishing the St Georges Basin round of the Hobie Kayak Bream Series later this year, this episode is for you. First up we hear from Bradley Hart. This was Bradley's first time on this waterway and he shared how he moved around and found fish. Bradley used a few different lures and techniques to fill his bag. In second place we have Pine, who spoke initially about having some average results in prior competitions. Pine decided to commit to fishing the round, head down for a prefish to try and work a few things out. As you will hear this decision to commit to the competition and prefish, really paid off! Then in first place I spoke with Sean Hill. Sean had been fishing very well for a couple of years and it was no surprise that that he was able a win. Sean was in third place over night and on the Sunday we had a shortened competition day. I found it interesting when Sean spoke about what he was thinking on the Sunday morning. The weather was closing in and he had to make a decision about fishing where he fished on Saturday or heading for more protected waters. Listen in to hear what he decided. I also want to make mention of Simon Morley who finished in 4th place. Simon had the same weight as Bradley, but finished in 4th on a count back. I hope to be speaking with Simon in the coming weeks! 

Episode 23: WATA Kayak Bream Classic , Blackwood River, May 6-7, 2023

Episode 22: ABT, Daiwa Bream Series Lake Macquarie 3-4 June 2023

In this episode we cover the recent round of the ABT Daiwa Bream Series held at Lake Macquarie on the 3-4 June 2023. We have 5 angler interviews for this episode and each has an interesting story. Starting with second place in the non - boater division Daniel Reynolds.  Daniel is a local to Lake Mac and usually fishes land based. Dan has only fished a handfull of events in this interview you will hear how he was able to finish in second place. In first place for the non - boater division I had a quick chat with Lance Marsh. I have to admit, this was one of my favourite interviews. You will hear how Lance was able to win this event with just 5/6 fish. If you have listened to my interviews for a while you will know that I like to hear about the father and son teams. In this interview you will hear about a relationship with a difference. We then move back to the boater division and talk with former Australian Open champion  and previous Bream Fishing Project guest Jamie McKeown. Jamie talked though all the things he had to do to end up in third place. Jamie was fishing within casting distance of the winner Mark Healey and he spoke about all the decisions he made over the 2 days of competition. Jamie also spoke about all of the extra things a competiton angler needs to contend with while fishing in a very specific location on Lake Macquarie. In second place was an old fried of mine from the Southern Bream Series days, Jason Mayberry. Jason fished differently to Mark and Jamie and used 2lb to catch some of his fish. Jason spoke about how one of his bigger fish had him in "knots"  during the fight. Tune in to get hear about a slightly different approach. Then for the second competition in a row, I spoke with the winner Mark Healey. There wer a couple of parallels between this competition and the last competition on the Hawkesbury River. Fishing along side Jamie, Mark concentrated his efforts in one location to grind out a win. Over the years Mark has proven himself to be a champion angler and this interview and the last interview from the Hawkesbury River round some true insights about Marks approach. I would also like to say thanks to Berley Pro who have come on board as a new sponsor. Next week I am hoping to announce full details of their promotion. Thanks also to James from Hunter Watersports for continued support. Thanks also to Adam at fishin.com.au for his continued support.     

Episode 21 Hobie Kayak Bream Series Woy Woy , May 20-21 , 2023

This was the biggest kayak bream round ever held in Australia! You will hear from our first female guest Marlee Percy and her fiancee Peter Cook. This was Marlee's first kayak fishing event and what an event it was for her. Marlee finished 1st in the womans and 27th overall. I am looking forward to seeing how the womens division develops ove the next year or so. Then we have repeat guest Steve Pryke back to the show with another impressive performance. Steve finished in third place and also took out big bream for the competition. Steve now has an impressive record at Woy Woy and you will get to hear how he targetted and caught his fish. Then you will hear from Guy Sruthers who travelled from Queensland to fish this event. Tune in to hear how Guy caught his fish. Guy is a professional fishing rod builder and he talks about some of the rods he used at this event. Then we move on to our winner and repeat guest Glenn Allen. This has been along time coming! Glenn is one of the most talented anglers I know, but he has not been able to take a win in a Hobie Round. I think in talking to Glenn there was as much relief as there was happiness in taking the win. Congratulations to my good mate Glenn. Thanks to Adam at fishin.com.au for his continued support! Thanks also to our new sponsor Hunter Watersports for coming on board. Tune in to hear all about it!