We’re heading to Western Australia for Western Australian Tournament Anglers (WATA) – Kayak Round 3 of 2025, held 7 September 2025 on the Moore River (Guilderton, WA).

This round dished up some of the nastiest conditions you’d choose to fish in — heavy wind, driving rain, and a river mouth that’d been open for weeks, pushing current and foam through the system. Despite the grind, we still saw a standout winning bag and some really interesting insights into how the top anglers adjusted their approach to get bites when it counted.

In this episode, you’ll hear from:

✅ Travis Newland (3rd) – talks through tough winter fishing on the Moore, working contours and drop-offs, and how the open mouth + dirty water changed everything.
✅ Joseph Gardner (2nd) – breaks down his competition plan, the reality of slow fishing in brutal weather, and exactly how he works a pygmy mussel in current.
✅ Matt DeBoer (1st) – a massive win with 2.52kg for three fish, including a 1.19kg big BREAM. Matt explains how he kept his lure presentation natural with wind/tide fighting each other — and how that big fish came unstuck on the day.

You’ll also get the quick rundown of the Fish Activity Wheel and the key bite window for the session.

Sponsor shout-out

A big thanks to Getaway Outdoors  for supporting the WATA kayak series — and for anglers travelling over, there are kayaks available for hire so you can jump into a WA round without dragging your whole setup across the country.

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In this episode of The Bream Fishing Project, we head to East Gippsland to review the 2025 Mega Bass East Gippsland Bream Classic, brought to you by Vic Bream Classics.

This is one of Andrew’s favourite venues at Marlo, a system that can completely separate the field. Some teams grind for bites, while others put together standout bags, and this weekend delivered plenty of big fish stories.

Andrew opens with a run-through of the bite periods and tides across both days, then breaks down the key divisional awards and major highlights from the weekend, including:

• Sunline Best Bag: Team Zero Technique

• Winners: Josh Jeffrey & Connor Jackson – 5.905kg Day 2 and 11.065kg total

• Big Bream: Brad & Harry Young – 1.755kg

• Monster Movers (ZipBaits): Team Hummingbird – a huge Day 2 climb

• Junior Angler Prize: Team Berkley (Scuba Hodges)

• Mulloway Road: Team Two Odd Legends – a 1.2kg perch

From there, it’s straight into full interviews with the podium teams:

3rd Place – Team Prestige Worldwide (Steven Emerson & Damien Dwyer)

A great breakdown of their weekend, including:

• How their prefish shaped (and didn’t shape) their comp decisions

• Finding quality fish in the slips and why the area stayed more consistent

• Fishing light leader (around 3lb) and grinding out bites through the day

• Their go-to plastics approach (including SPRs) and jighead weights

• A key upgrade fish around 1.29kg, and how it ate

• Their LiveScope/sonar setup and how they used it in shallow water

2nd Place – Team Samurai Rods (Dan & Declan)

Dan and Declan return with plenty of banter and detail, covering:

• How they approached Marlo without a big lead-up prefish

• Working key areas with plastics, and how fish positioning changed from Day 1 to Day 2

• Jighead choices and adjusting presentation for flow and boat traffic

• Managing crowded water and making the most of sporadic bites

• A few classic moments (including a very memorable fish that ended up hooked in a “creative” spot)

• Shoutouts to sponsors, boat setup, and the gear that helped them stay effective all weekend

1st Place – Team Zero Technique (Josh Jeffrey & Connor Jackson)

The winners break down exactly how they did it, including:

• Their prefish approach: moving efficiently, confirming fish, and not overcomplicating it

• Why they leaned into plastics/creature baits over vibes

• Running 1/12oz jigheads even in shallow water to manage current and keep the bait in the zone

• Targeting edges early, then shifting to deeper schools using side scan / down scan

• Fishing 4–5lb leader, staying confident in their strengths, and landing nearly everything they hooked

• How they built a massive Day 2 bag (5.905kg) to secure the win

This episode is stacked with tournament lessons: decision-making in a tough system, how to adjust with current and pressure, and what it looks like when teams execute cleanly across two days.

We’re off to South Australia for the BREAM Masters SA Onkaparinga Round, held 31 October 2025 — and it produced an absolute standout winning bag.

In this episode, I’m joined by the Top 3:

• Ben Gibbs (3rd) breaks down a “slow roll” bite that surprised him — starting with motor oil Slim Swims, then upgrading with blades… and losing both of his best colours to snags on the way back.

• Josh Bland (2nd) shares a fascinating read on how rain and freshwater layering can change fish behaviour in the Onkaparinga, plus how he found consistent bites up river on motor oil 2.5” Bait Junkie minnows with a 1/20oz jighead and a slow roll approach.

• Paul Cook (1st + Big BREAM) talks through a day that started with gear failures (power pole + livewell issues) and long dry spells… before landing the goods on small profile hardbodies, including a critical bite on the Daiwa Rolling Crank (Blue Suji) and a 1.28kg Big BREAM, finishing with a massive 3.05kg winning total.

If you want more structured learning and extra content, check out The Bream Fishing Project Collective:
breamfishingproject.supercast.com

Action Fishing Tournaments – Brooklyn, Hawkesbury (20 July 2025)

In this episode we head to Brooklyn on the Hawkesbury with the crew from Action Fishing Tournaments, for a memorable round held on 20 July 2025 and one that won’t be forgotten anytime soon.

We break down three very different tournament journeys — each one packed with lessons, timing windows, missed opportunities, upgrades, and one of the most remarkable fish ever landed mid-competition:

• Glenn Allen places 3rd with 39, 28.5 and 28.5 cm fish (96 cm total) after a hot early bite window around racks, poles and rock walls.
• John Sharp secures 2nd with 30.5, 33 and an impressive 46 cm PB brim for a 109.5 cm bag — taking just three bites all day and converting every single one.
• Joshua Richards takes the win with a jaw-dropping 34 / 46 / 51 — totalling 131 cm including a 51 cm yellowfin brim, hooked deep around bridge pylons and landed against all odds. A true unicorn fish.

Andrew wraps up with a personal update on training for the Fly Program, discussing a week of walking, physical reset, momentum, and encouragement for anyone wanting to start moving again — even short efforts count and confidence builds quickly.

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In this December Monthly Report, Andrew is joined once again by Brett Geddes for a full wrap-up of the month in bream fishing, tournament results, big fish stories, tackle talk, and a few trademark Boofhead moments.

This episode covers the end-of-year comps, including the Vic Bream Classics Grand Final at Gippsland Lakes, the WA Boat Grand Final, and recent events at Brooklyn. Andrew and Brett break down why the fish behaved the way they did, how the lakes system is fishing late in the year, and what stood out about the Grand Final — including a number of big fish over 1.7 kg.

There’s also plenty of discussion about giant bream, the 50 cm debate, measuring techniques, and fish movement in spawn-mode conditions. Andrew and Brett also talk through Andrew’s recent jewfish trolling efforts on the Georges River, including stories of metre-plus mulloway taken on light gear, rock-wall sessions, and how mapping, boat speed, and lure depth all play a role.

The episode also includes:

• A bass session update

• A tailor with two lures in its mouth

• EcoGear Aqua catches

• SX-40 style crankbait fish

• ARK Genesis lead-free jigheads and sinkers

• Leader treatment, light-line finesse, and tackle tweaks

• “What Cheeses Me Off?”

• Boofhead stories and gear mishaps

• Info about Andrew’s upcoming trip with The Fly Program

• Details about the Daiwa Reel Connections Day

• A look back at one full year of Monthly Reports

If you'd like to check out the ARK Genesis lead-free jigheads and sinkers, you can visit:
https://arkgenesis.com.au
Use the code BFP at checkout for a listener discount.

If you enjoy these episodes and want to support the show, you can buy Andrew and Brett a coffee at:
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This week on The Bream Fishing Project we’re headed to the Gold Coast for TT Round 6 of the Hobie Kayak Fishing Series 16, held on the 9–10 August 2025. Normally this round is all sunshine and flat water… this year, the anglers got absolutely belted by wind and swell. Arena zones were cut, Sunday was shortened by an hour, and anyone heading wide had to really earn it.

Even with the tough weather, the 47-angler field still turned on quality fish and a genuine shootout between the reef specialists and the canal and bridge guys.

I kick things off with a look at the tides and bite periods for both days, including:

• Saturday fish activity score of 97, with a major bite mid-morning and a high tide around 7:49 am

• Sunday still at 94 on the activity wheel, with another strong late-morning major bite and low tide just after lines-out

From there we run through the division results:

• Overall 1st: Simon Morley – 6/6 for 4.01 kg (1.80 kg + 2.21 kg) fishing the reef off Wavebreak Island

• 2nd: Andrew Krushka (TAS) – 6/6 for 3.40 kg (1.44 kg + 1.96 kg) out of the Nerang bridges and canals

• 3rd: Stephen Maas – 6/6 for 3.33 kg, just 10 grams ahead of 4th place

• Big Bream: Andrew Kraka with a 0.78 kg lump

• Monster Mover: Brack Guru with 1.72 kg on day two after a day-one donut

• Youth: Riley Whelan – 6 fish for 2.26 kg

• Masters: Greg Cooper (WA)

• First-Timers: Travis “Leg” with 6 fish for 2.02 kg

We also keep score in the unofficial “Batman & Robin” Hurricane Lures rivalry. With Tony Pettie sitting this one out, Simon’s win on the reef firmly cements him as Batman for now.

Then it’s into the angler interviews:

• 3rd – Stephen Maas:
  Stephen has barely sat in a kayak over the last two years, but turns up and finds a pattern the old-fashioned way – no sounder, just reading water, wind and structure.
  On day one he pedals up the Nerang River, abandons a dead bridge bite, then finds a sandy canal loaded with legal bream on unweighted Aquas and light plastics and crabs. He sneaks in behind pontoons in a foot of water, fishing 3–4 lb leaders, ripping fish out before they can bury him on the poles.
  On day two he commits to a massive 12 km pedal to Lake Intrepid behind the casino, gets his bag in three casts, then enjoys one of those magic sessions where almost every cast gets eaten. A phone call from his wife turns into back-to-back 37-fork upgrades as he leans on Hurricane crabs and Gulp Crabbies on light jigheads.

• 2nd – Andrew Krushka (Tasmania):
  Andrew flies up from Tassie, hires a Hobie Compass from Sunstate and has his “pre-fish” cut short when the wind pours waves over the bow and soaks him. With almost no practice, he leans on past knowledge, old Morgo highlights and this podcast to build a plan around bridges and pontoons.
  Day one, he fills a small bag on crabs and Aqua prawn plastics before slowly upgrading on Gold Coast pontoons. Day two starts brutally with no fish until mid-morning, when a key bridge bite turns on. An olive crank crab hopped across the bottom produces his Big Bream contender (just under a kilo), then a clever tweak – adding split shot to his unweighted Aqua rig – lets him punch under wind-blown pontoons for a crucial late upgrade.
  He runs Samurai Premium custom rods (built by BK Custom Rods) matched with Daiwa TD Black reels and 5 lb leader, and takes home 2nd place, Big Bream cash, prize packs and an invite to the Australian Championship.

• 1st – Simon Morley:
  Simon finally converts years of near-misses on the Gold Coast into a dominant win, finishing over 600 g clear of the field.
  After a wild pre-fish on the Wavebreak reef where he dodges standing waves and still finds a 37-fork model on a crab, he commits to the reef both days despite zone cuts and a nasty forecast.
  Day one, he rides out rising wind and tide on the 5–8 m reef, rotating between weighted Hurricane crabs and a Hurricane Sprat on a 1/6 oz jighead to post 1.80 kg. Day two, with glued-on weights, 7 lb X-link leader and super-sensitive St Croix Avid Panfish rods, he works a fresh line of untouched fish, putting three bream over 34 fork in the well for a 2.21 kg limit and the win. Along the way he dodges stonefish, deals with tarwine bycatch, and shows exactly how to manage boat position, line angle and safety in heavy wind and current.

We wrap up with a quick reminder about The Bream Fishing Project Collective – the subscription community where we dive deeper into challenges, lures, techniques and on-water problem-solving through live streams, group chats and bonus episodes. If you’re time-poor but want to make your hours on the water count, it’s there to help you fast-track your bream fishing.

Hit follow, leave a rating, and share this episode with a mate who loves Hobie bream comps on the Goldy.

In this episode of The Bream Fishing Project, we head to one of Andrew’s favourite waterways — Forster — for the NSW Tournament Series, held July 12–13, 2025. This round had it all: clear weather, light winds, and a bite period that lined up perfectly with the fish catches.

Andrew breaks down the tides and bite periods for both days, then dives straight into detailed angler interviews from the top of the leaderboard. You’ll hear how each team approached the racks, what lures worked, and how subtle changes in technique made all the difference.

🎣 Top 3 Teams

🥇 1st Place – Team Stratosphere: David Masters
David backed up his Lake Mac win with another impressive result, going back-to-back with 7.46kg over two days. He fished solo and dominated the rock wall using small crabs on light braid-to-leader setups.

🥈 2nd Place – Team Tackle Addiction / Dizzy Scent: Rick King & Ryan Honeybrook.
The pair christened their new Triton 165 bass boat in style, finishing with 6.08kg and landing the only kilo fish of the comp. Their key baits were Aqua and Gulp Crabby soft plastics, fished precisely through the racks.

🥉 3rd Place – Team Skeeter: Hayden Wadsworth & Chris Smith
A consistent performance across both days with 5.71kg, working grubs and crankbaits through the racks. The duo capitalised on calmer conditions after recent floods, fine-tuning their approach with Bait Junkie 2.5” grubs in “Mud Blood”.

🌊 Bite Period Highlights

• Saturday: Minor 7:08–8:38 AM | Major 11:46 AM–2:16 PM

• Sunday: Minor 7:45–9:15 AM | Major 12:38–3:08 PM
  Fish activity aligned perfectly with these windows — worth noting for anyone fishing Foster in similar conditions.

🧠 Techniques & Tactics

• Grubs & Crabbies dominated across both days

• Rack edges and outer poles produced quality fish

• Key leaders: 8–12lb fluorocarbon

• Common thread: patience, precision, and timing around bite periods

🙌 Thanks & Shoutouts

Big thanks to Grant Oliver and the NSW Tournament Series crew for running another great event.
And congratulations to Collective members who made podiums across recent comps — including Rick King in this one!

🔗 Connect & Support

• Join The Bream Fishing Project Collective for live sessions, deep-dive challenges, and bonus content: breamfishingproject.supercast.com

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EP164 — November Monthly Report w/ Brett Geddes: 

In this month’s report, Andrew is joined again by Brett Geddes to break down November across the bream fishing scene. They talk tournaments, upcoming finals, squid sessions, flathead on blades, old lures making a return, and what’s been happening around the traps. This one has plenty of laughs, stories and good info if you like your bream fishing news, reports and tackle chat.

Episode Highlights
✅ Squid mission success
✅ Flathead talk
✅ Old-school lures making a comeback
✅ Tournament scene updates
✅ What’s been happening on the water
✅ A few tangents and the usual laughs

Mentioned in the show:

• Tournaments and events

• Squid gear

• Flathead lures

• General conditions and reports

If you enjoy the Monthly Report, hit like, subscribe, and drop a comment with what you’ve been catching or what you want covered next month.

Join The Collective (early access, bonus shows, live streams):
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Welcome back to The Bream Fishing Project—this is Part 2 of our ABT Grand Final 2025 wrap, the winner’s report with Mark “Crommo” Crompton.

Across three days split between Marlo – Bemm River – Marlo, Crommo delivered a full 15-fish limit for 13.795 kg (as stated in the interview), with day bags called out in the chat including:

• Day 1 (Marlo): 5 for 4.430 kg

• Day 2 (Bemm River): 5 for 4.010 kg

• Day 3 (Marlo): 5 for 5.355 kg

Inside this hour you’ll hear (all straight from the interview):

• Mindset & game plan: staying calm, backing a tight zone, and choosing bag first over hero hunting.

• Reading the system in spawn: why he targeted transition water and used schools of salmon/EPs as a clue, not a distraction.

• Slow-motion presentations: letting prawn imitations soak for minutes until the ‘tick’.

• Lures & weights mentioned: Smash Baits/Roz prawn shapes and Hurricane Sprat 75 fork tail, commonly on 1/40–1/20–1/12 heads, swapping by depth, wind and salmon pressure; colours called out included “beer bottle/duro” (Smash Bait) and Machete/Cleaver (Hurricane).

• Terminal choices: BKK hooks on Daiwa Covert or Bait Junkie jig heads.

• Leaders & main line: ~3 rod lengths of 3-lb J-Thread Finesse to a 12-carrier PE (diameter-first thinking).

• Electronics & boat control: dual-view ActiveTarget (forward + perspective), Power-Poles for shallow anchoring when spot-lock wasn’t viable.

• Rods & reels he loves: the ultra-light old 7’3” “Geck” sticks, and Daiwa Exist/Tatula 2500 shallow spools.

• Product talk: first impressions of ShyneAway line mattifier—how he applies it and the simple “didn’t hurt me” verdict.

• A moment that matters: celebrating with his wife Dani and Alvy (“There’s my daddy—he just won a boat!”).

• The prize pack (as described): Ally Craft Bass Pro Series 530 with Mercury 150 Pro XS Racing, full Garmin kit with Force electric and LiveScope, Green Marine lithiums, on a Redco trailer—quoted at ~$95k total.

Big thanks in the ep to: Steve Morgan & Nicole at ABT, and to sponsors/support mentioned by Mark: Daiwa, Lowrance, Power-Pole, Rise Above Plumbing.

If you enjoyed this, please follow/subscribe and leave a rating—it really helps.

—
Join The Collective (early access + live sessions & extras): breamfishingproject.supercast.com
Instagram: @thebreamfishingproject
Host: Andrew Death (2019 Hobie Kayak Fishing World Champion)

Bullet Highlights (for quick skim in apps)

• Winner’s mindset: calm, bag-first strategy

• Where/why: transition zones during spawn

• Lures: Smash Baits/ prawn shapes & Hurricane Sprat 75 FT

• Weights: 1/40–1/20–1/12 depending on wind/depth/salmon

• Leader: ~3 rod lengths of 3-lb J-Thread Finesse

• Live imaging: forward + perspective; how he avoided spooking

• Boat control: Power-Poles > spot-lock on skinny flats

• Gear chat: BKK hooks, Daiwa Exist/Tatula, the featherweight 7’3” “Geck”

• Product: ShineAway line mattifier—how he applies it

• Family moment + prize pack (~$95k)

 

🎣 ABT 2025 Grand Final – Marlo & Bemm River | Non-Boater & Boater Podiums

In this episode of The Bream Fishing Project Podcast, host Andrew Death kicks things off with a quick look back at the standout ABT winners from throughout the 2025 season, before diving into the action from the Daiwa BREAM Series Grand Final, held across Marlo and Bemm River in Victoria from October 14–16.

Anglers faced shifting tides, strong winds, and testing conditions — but the country’s best still found ways to make it happen.
This episode features the top three non-boaters and the third-placed boater, followed by ABT’s Steve Morgan, who finished second overall. Each guest shares their lures, retrieves, and tactical decisions that defined their Grand Final results.

🏆 Non-Boater Division

🥇 Samuel Rako – Four fish for 3.34 kg while fishing with Ian Nielsen and Scott Sauna.
Samuel explains how listening to past podcast episodes helped him prepare, and how crank crabs, plastics, and Clone Prawns produced when the bite was tough.

🥈 Lance Marsh – Five fish for 3.20 kg using Z-Man Prawns, brown Chubbies, and Hybrid Shrimps.
He breaks down the lure tweaks and patient retrieves that delivered late-day upgrades.

🥉 Chris Hokin – Four fish for 3.155 kg, including a key 1.25 kg bream on a Gulp Baby Prawn at Marlo, then switching to the Daiwa Hybrid Shrimp with Steve Morgan at Bemm River to finish his limit.

🚤 Boater Division

🥉 Mario Vukic – 12.37 kg across three days using bloodworm Wrigglers, VX35/40 blades, and Z-Man Grubs.
Mario shares how he worked the sand-edge drifts, downsized to 2 lb fluoro, and relied on proven soft plastics for consistency.

🥈 Steve Morgan – 12.775 kg total, combining Garmin Perspective Mode and Humminbird Mega Live 2 to find scattered fish and tempt them with the Daiwa Hybrid Shrimp.
Steve talks through live-sonar strategy and pays tribute to Nicole Smith and the ABT team behind the scenes.

🎧 Episode Highlights

• ABT 2025 Grand Final – Marlo & Bemm River recap

• Podium interviews: Samuel Rako, Lance Marsh, Chris Hokin, Mario Vukic & Steve Morgan

• Lures: Daiwa Hybrid Shrimp, Z-Man Prawns & Grubs, VX Blades, Bloodworm Wriggler

• Live-sonar tactics & tide-driven bite patterns

• Behind-the-scenes ABT insights from Steve Morgan

🎙️ Hosted by: Andrew Death
📍 Event: ABT BREAM Series 2025 Grand Final – Marlo & Bemm River
📆 Recorded: October 2025

👉 Join The Bream Fishing Project Collective for bonus content, live-stream replays & monthly challenges:
breamfishingproject.supercast.com

📢 Next episode: Don’t miss the winner’s interview with Mark “Crommo” Crompton, coming up next on The Bream Fishing Project Podcast.

🎣 ABT Victorian Open – Gippsland Lakes (Oct 11–12 2025) | Winner: Dan Kent (13.419 kg) Episode Summary

A huge Victorian Open at Gippsland Lakes with monster bags and wall-to-wall action. Andrew recaps event stats (tides, bite periods, weather) and then dives straight into angler interviews: winner Dan Kent (13.419 kg for 9 fish), 2nd Mitchell Blomquist (13.020 kg for 10 fish), and 4th Peter Breukel (12.008 kg for 10 fish). Hear how they located fish, the lures that did damage, how live imaging and sight-casting came together, and why rock, weed edges, and timing made all the difference.

Andrew also shares a quick note about new sponsors and encourages listeners to support the brands that support the show — and to check out The Collective for upcoming challenges.

🗓️ Event Overview

• Event: ABT Victorian Open

• Venue: Gippsland Lakes

• Dates: Saturday 11 & Sunday 12 October 2025

• Saturday: Fish Activity Wheel 46 | Minor Bite 7:57 – 9:27 a.m. | Low 5:21 a.m. (0.55 m) | High 12:13 p.m. (1.11 m)

• Sunday: Fish Activity Wheel 33 | Minor Bite 8:52 – 10:22 a.m. | Low 4:40 a.m. (0.63 m) | High 1:07 p.m. (1.09 m)

🎣 Interview 1 – Peter Breukel (4th Place, 12.008 kg total)

• Bags: Day 1 – 7.005 kg | Day 2 – 5.003 kg | 10 fish total.

• Approach: Started in the Mitchell River, then moved to reef + weed-edge zones packed with fish on perspective mode.

• Lures: Sickle 85 Sprat (1/30 jighead), Spike 44, Slam deep hardbody, RBX 66, Fat 37 UV, Naughty’s vibes.

• Technique: Cast tight to the weed edge, fish on bottom, constant contact key.

• Tackle: 3–4 lb Yamatoyo Harris Fighter leader | PE 0.4 mainline.

• Notes: Dozens of 36–41 fork fish; defended productive spot once scores appeared.

• Payout: ≈ $2,000 + plaque + badge.

• Thanks: Nicole Smith & Steve Morgan (ABT), Hurricane Lures (“Naughto”), Kris Hickson, Manning River Marine, and Kath for her support.

🎣 Interview 2 – Mitchell Blomquist (2nd Place, 13.020 kg total)

• Bags: 6.565 kg + 6.455 kg = 13.020 kg (10 fish).

• Prefish: Checked Mitchell River / ILT jetties → moved to Eagle Bay (timber + rock wall, big tides holding water).

• Lure: Single SX-48 #390 (clear with green stripes) for the entire event.

• Method: Slow-rolling hardbody; “if you think you’re winding slow, wind slower.” Combined sight casting and perspective mode.

• Fish Size: Smallest ≈ 34 fork; many 37 fork fish.

• Gear: 6’9” Shimano rod | 2500 reel | PE 0.6 | Yamatoyo Harris Fighter 4 lb leader.

• Shoutouts: JML Angler’s Alliance (Tony), Shimano (event sponsor), Josh Carpenter & Starlo (event coverage), Dad (pre-fish partner), travel crew (Scott, Peter Breukel, Jamie McEwen), ABT (Steve Morgan & Nicole Smith), and Andrew’s podcast for the road trips.

🥇 Interview 3 – Dan Kent (Winner, 13.419 kg total)

• Bags: Day 1 – 6.792 kg (5) | Day 2 – 6.627 kg (4) = 9 fish @ ~1.49 kg average.

• Prefish: Hollands Landing (no fish) → Paynesville canals (back-up bag fish ≈ 32 fork).

• Day 1: Launched Paynesville → Mitchell Flats rock bar; deep-diving Chubby scratched through rocks in ~1–1.2 m; dirty water, heavy scent; steady upgrades all day.

  • Hooks: Decoy Y25 Size 10.

  • Rod/Line: Custom Miller Rod Control Freak (1–3 kg) | 9 lb Yamatoyo PE Resinate | 5 lb Yamatoyo leader.

• Day 2: Glassed-out start; moved back outside the Silt Jetties; side-scan lit up with fish in 2.2 m; switched to Hurricane Sprat 75 on 1/8 oz painted motor-oil TT jighead | 6 lb leader.

  • Landed four fish over 40 fork (43 fork ≈ 1.8 kg) in one-hour window (12–1 p.m.).

• Payout: $7,000 cash + ABT trophy (Vic Open Champion) + exclusive patch.

• Business: Runs Apollo Bay Fishing Charters (31’ Noosa Cat – snapper, flatties, gummies, school sharks, tuna). Summer spots open now via website calendar.

• Thanks: Mates Alex, Fran, Matt, Kit & Declan, ABT (Steve Morgan & Nicole Smith), family for support, and the ABT community for a great event.

💡 Key Takeaways

• Dirty water + rock: A deep chubby crashed through rock was the bite trigger.

• Weed-edge precision: Bottom contact with plastics and hardbodies was critical.

• Fish movement: Shifting from rivers to lake edges to outer lines required timing with tides and wind.

• Light leaders, heavy confidence: 3–6 lb leaders handled serious blacks.

• Seeing is believing: Perspective / Live Scope and sight-casting produced massive bags.

🔗 Links & Mentions

• Coverage: Josh Carpenter & Starlo

• ABT Team: Steve Morgan & Nicole Smith

• Dan’s Charters: apollobayfishingcharters.com.au

• Join The Collective: breamfishingproject.supercast.com