The Bream Fishing Project

Welcome to Episode 172 of The BREAM Fishing Project, our first Monthly Fishing Report of the year, with Andrew and Brett Geddes covering a huge range of fishing, gear, community updates, and milestones from around the country. This episode blends real-world fishing sessions, lure tinkering, tournament updates, and the lighter side of the sport with plenty of Boofhead Moments — plus an important conversation around mental health and the Fly Program. In this episode we cover: January tournament updates with Action Fishing Tournaments (Raby Bay QLD, Parramatta River NSW, and Port Macquarie) A major milestone as The BREAM Fishing Project turns 3 years old Growing the YouTube channel and why listener comments and engagement matter Andrew’s recent sessions on the Cooks River, focusing on bridge fishing with forward-facing sonar Lure talk and experimentation, including Cranka Crabs, mussels, Baby Vibes, Squidgies grubs and bugs Tinkering with rigging ideas for surface and shallow applications Brett’s bass fishing update, including stocked fisheries, surface bites, and local sessions Flathead and BREAM sessions under pressure from holiday boat traffic What Cheeses Me Off and a stack of classic Bullhead Moments A wrap of sponsors and supporters who helped make the Collective challenges possible The Fly Program – More Than Fishing Andrew also shares his recent experience with The Fly Program, a men’s mental health retreat wrapped in fly fishing, connection, and time in nature. A fundraiser has been launched with a goal of $2,800 to help support two participants who may not otherwise be able to attend. 👉 Fly Program Fundraiser: https://flyprogram.org.au/campaigns/the-fly-program-more-than-fishing/?updated=1 Every contribution helps — big or small. Join The BREAM Fishing Project Collective The Collective gives you access to: Early and bonus podcast content Past and current challenge replays Member-only discussions and updates Join here: breamfishingproject.supercast.com Support the show Buy Me a Coffee: buymeacoffee/andrewdeath If you enjoy the Monthly Reports, please consider subscribing, rating the show, and sharing it with a mate — it genuinely helps keep the project moving forward. Tight lines, Andrew

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. Want more than the free show? Join The Bream Fishing Project Collective for extra content, challenges, replays, and more: 👉 https://breamfishingproject.supercast.com If you enjoy the episode, a follow/subscribe and a quick rating helps more than you’d think. 🤝  

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. 💛 Support the Show ☕ Buy Me a Coffee — support The Bream Fishing Project 👉 https://buymeacoffee.com/AndrewDeath 🎣 ARK GENESIS – 15% OFF with code: BFP Australian-designed, eco-friendly lead-free jig heads & sinkers built for precision, performance & sustainability. Listeners get 15% off using code BFP at checkout. 👉 https://arkgenesis.com.au/ 🔗 Stay Connected 🌐 breamfishingproject.com 🎧 The Collective – bonus content & live sessions: breamfishingproject.supercast.com 📸 Instagram: @thebreamfishingproject 📩 Email: [email protected]