The Bream Fishing Project

EP216 – Hobie Week Part Three: Wallaga Lake with Jack Gammie, Ben Hanscombe and Jon Chen
Hobie Week continues with round three of the Hobie Fishing Series, held at Wallaga Lake on March 21 and 22.

After last year’s event produced one enormous winning result but proved extremely tough for most of the field, the return to Wallaga in March was expected to produce different fishing. Instead, it became another difficult tournament where finding six legal bream across the two days was a major achievement.

Only two anglers managed to weigh a full six-fish limit.

In third place, Jon Chen caught three fish for 1.36 kilograms on Saturday and backed it up with three fish for 1.76 kilograms on Sunday, giving him six fish for 3.12 kilograms.

John explains how he found bream feeding underneath schools of tailor on a flat in approximately 2.5 metres of water. He discusses using his Lowrance HDS Live to locate bait, schools of fish and feeding activity, before targeting them with Stealth blades made by Peter Cook.

John also explains how watching Tony Pettie work his blade helped him adjust his retrieve, mixing single and double hops and increasing the speed of the presentation. After filling his bag early on Saturday, he returned to the same area on Sunday before eventually finding better fish slightly deeper when the wind increased.

In second place, Ben Hanscombe weighed three fish for 2.03 kilograms on Saturday and two fish for 1.29 kilograms on Sunday, finishing with five fish for 3.32 kilograms.

Ben talks through his preparation for Wallaga, including a pre-fish session where he found fish on crankbaits, surface lures and Pro Lure Hybrid Shrimps.

During the tournament, Ben caught fish using a shallow Jackall Chubby and Hybrid Shrimps on 3-pound straight-through fluorocarbon. He explains how he worked the Hybrid Shrimp through very shallow water and around flats, small drop-offs, weed and isolated timber.

Ben also recounts several important fish battles, including chasing bream from the kayak on light line and losing a better fish after it buried him in a snag on Sunday.

Taking the win was Jack Gammie, who caught three fish for 1.45 kilograms on Saturday before producing a much stronger three-fish bag of 1.98 kilograms on Sunday. His six-fish total of 3.43 kilograms was enough to secure first place.

Jack arrived without completing a pre-fish and approached the event without major expectations. He concentrated on fishing his strengths around shallow structure, using a dirty camo Berkley Gulp Shrimp rigged weedless on a worm hook.

He explains why he changed from a weighted presentation to the lighter weedless rig, allowing him to skip the lure into timber with a more subtle entry.

Jack also caught fish using a black Pro Lure crankbait, a Samaki prawn presentation and a River2Sea Baby Vibe. On Sunday, he noticed bream holding away from the bank and suspended around bait, using side scan to identify groups of fish before targeting them with the Baby Vibe.

After catching two fish early, Jack went several hours without another bream. He continued casting and finally completed his limit at approximately 1:15 on Sunday afternoon.

The episode also covers Jack’s long four-pound leaders, FG knots, loop knots, sight-casting around timber and the importance of looking for active bait rather than simply fishing visible structure.

Andrew also briefly discusses his own fifth-place result, catching fish by grinding away with Baby Vibes around a small hump near the front of the main bay.

The final results were:

1st – Jack Gammie: 6 fish for 3.43 kg
2nd – Ben Hanscombe: 5 fish for 3.32 kg
3rd – Jon Chen: 6 fish for 3.12 kg

Three different approaches, three detailed interviews and plenty of practical information from another extremely tough Wallaga Lake tournament.

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Sometimes the best tournaments are the ones nobody sees coming.

When forecast conditions made the Swan River unfishable, Hobie made the bold decision to relocate the event to Scamander at the last minute. It meant weeks of preparation instantly became irrelevant. Competitors who had travelled from around Australia suddenly found themselves launching on a river many had never seen before, with no pre-fish, no established game plans and no local knowledge to rely on.

What followed was one of the most fascinating tournaments of the season.

In EP215, Andrew Death sits down with Joel Crosbie, Michael Alexander and tournament winner Evan Leonard to unpack exactly how the event unfolded and why adapting quickly proved far more important than having the perfect plan.

Joel Crosbie explains how he deliberately targeted the roughest, windiest banks on the river, believing other competitors would avoid them. Fishing soft plastics through timber, steep drop-offs and scattered structure, Joel trusted his strengths and pieced together another incredibly consistent tournament, finishing just 60 grams behind the podium for the second Hobie event in a row.

Tasmanian local Michael Alexander reveals how a simple pattern fishing rocky shorelines with a combination of ZipBaits Rigge 70SP hardbodies and soft plastics produced a third-place finish. After an early mechanical issue with his Hobie seat threatened to derail his tournament, Michael adapted on the fly, kept covering productive water and found the late upgrades he needed to secure a podium finish.

Tournament winner Evan Leonard shares the mindset behind one of the most disciplined wins you'll hear about. While much of the field searched the river for active fish, Evan committed almost the entire tournament to fishing a handful of bridge pylons near the mouth. Carefully rotating between concrete structure, making precise casts with soft plastics and trusting his game plan, he put together a superb 5.74 kg winning limit and claimed the Anaconda Big Bream with a fish weighing 1.22 kg.

Throughout the episode you'll hear practical discussions on reading unfamiliar water, positioning kayaks in difficult wind, choosing between structure and open water, selecting jighead weights, fishing bridge pylons effectively, working soft plastics through timber, and why confidence in your own strengths often outweighs constantly changing tactics.

If you've ever arrived at a tournament—or even your local river—without knowing where to start, this episode is full of lessons that will help you make better decisions under pressure.

🏆 Official Results
🥇 Evan Leonard (TAS) — 5.74 kg
Day 1: 2.71 kg
Day 2: 3.03 kg

🥈 Isaac Harris (TAS) — 5.13 kg
Day 1: 2.20 kg
Day 2: 2.93 kg

🥉 Michael Alexander (TAS) — 4.80 kg
Day 1: 2.37 kg
Day 2: 2.43 kg

4th: Joel Crosbie (VIC) — 4.74 kg

Special Awards
Anaconda Big Bream
🐟 Evan Leonard — 1.22 kg

Monster Mover
📈 Selwyn Edson — 0.50 kg → 2.48 kg

Division Winners
Youth — Ethan Howard — 3.44 kg

Women's — Tameika Purnell — 3.08 kg

Masters — Peter Nord — 3.94 kg

In this episode

Why Hobie made the last-minute decision to relocate the tournament to Scamander

Fishing an unfamiliar river with virtually no pre-fish

Winning patterns around bridge pylons, timber and rocky banks

Soft plastic techniques for pressured black bream

Fishing bridge structure in strong wind

Jighead selection and lure presentation

How precise kayak positioning made all the difference

Adapting when your original tournament plan disappears overnight

Why trusting your strengths can outperform constantly changing tactics

The stories behind the podium finishers and their tournament strategies

Locations
Scamander River • Tasmania

Brands Mentioned
Hobie Kayak Bream Series • Hobie Kayaks • Daiwa Bait Junkie • ZipBaits • Z-Man • Hurricane Lures • Boomer Creek Vineyard

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The Hobie Kayak Bream Series headed to Little Swanport, Tasmania, producing one of the standout events of the 2026 season. Clear water, expansive weed flats and changing tides tested the field, but those who unlocked the pattern were rewarded with some exceptional black bream.

In EP214, Andrew Death is joined by Tony Pettie and Mitchell Maddison to break down two very different paths to the podium.

Mitchell shares how what started as a relaxed family holiday turned into a third-place finish, fishing alongside his son Cohen, who spent the weekend catching quality bream of his own. He explains how lightly weighted soft plastics, shallow weed beds and understanding the wind helped him build two consistent bags.

Tournament winner Tony Pettie then reveals how he put together an incredible 7.03 kg tournament total, highlighted by a massive 4.13 kg Day Two bag and the Anaconda Big Bream of 1.71 kg. From subtle lure colour changes and jighead selection to timing the tides and reading current flow, Tony's interview is packed with practical tournament knowledge that any bream angler can apply.

Whether you fish tournaments, kayak fish, or simply enjoy learning from Australia's best lure anglers, this episode is loaded with insights that will help you put more quality bream in the net.

🏆 Tournament Results
🥇 Tony Pettie (VIC) – 7.03 kg
Day 1: 2.90 kg
Day 2: 4.13 kg

🥈 Joseph Gardner (WA) – 6.55 kg
Day 1: 3.22 kg
Day 2: 3.33 kg

🥉 Mitchell Maddison (NSW) – 6.06 kg
Day 1: 3.18 kg
Day 2: 2.88 kg

Anaconda Big Bream
🐟 Tony Pettie – 1.71 kg

Monster Mover
📈 Gareth Goodhew – 0 kg → 2.35 kg

Division Winners
Youth: Ethan Howard – 4.42 kg

Women's: Ruth Beeby – 4.79 kg

Masters: David Shanahan – 5.84 kg

First Time Competitor: Selwyn Edson – 1.72 kg

In this episode
• Building tournament-winning bags on shallow Tasmanian weed flats

• How tide timing dictated the bite

• Fishing lightly weighted soft plastics over ribbon weed

• Choosing jighead weights for changing wind and current

• Lure colour changes that triggered better fish

• Landing trophy black bream on light leaders

• Fishing a major tournament alongside family

• The story behind Tony Pettie's incredible 4.13 kg Day Two bag

Locations
Little Swanport • Tasmania

Brands Mentioned
Hobie Kayak Bream Series • Hurricane Lures • Atomic • Daiwa Bait Junkie • Anaconda

Join The Lure Fishing Project Collective
Take your fishing to the next level by joining The Lure Fishing Project Collective.

As a member you'll get access to:

• Extended podcast episodes
• The complete Big Bream Series
• Monthly fishing challenges
• Live Zoom sessions
• Our members-only Discord community
• Exclusive content you won't hear anywhere else

If you simply want more audio content, The Vault gives you access to the extended episode library without the community features.

Join today: https://lurefishingproject.supercast.com

If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a rating or review and share it with another lure angler. It really helps us grow the Australian lure fishing community.

Round 4 of the Atomic Tournament Series headed to the Georges River and Botany Bay, with plenty of rain, a tricky tide and some exceptional tournament fishing.

Host Andrew Death sits down with the top three teams to break down exactly how they approached the day, the decisions they made on the water and the techniques that produced the winning bags.

Although all three teams finished on the podium, each found success in a completely different way. From lightly weighted plastics around moored boats, to targeting sticks in Woolooware Bay, to fishing oyster-covered structure and pontoons, this episode is packed with practical tournament knowledge that any bream angler can apply.

There is also plenty of discussion around modern electronics, including Lowrance ActiveTarget, lure selection, jighead weights, leader choice, tournament decision-making and how changing conditions affected the bite throughout the day.

Round sponsor Samaki also gets a mention, with a story about Harvey catching quality bream while chasing mulloway on a Samaki soft plastic.

Round 4 Results
🥇 1st – Rise Above Plumbing
Glenn Ross & Shaun Eagan
5 Fish – 4.44 kg
Big Bream – 1.35 kg

🥈 2nd – Hooked Up / DDH Plumbing
Daniel Holden & Steven Cefai
5 Fish – 4.32 kg

🥉 3rd – Team Shimano
Jason Mayberry & Mick Duck
5 Fish – 4.12 kg

In this episode
• Breaking down three completely different winning tournament strategies
• Fishing moored boats with lightly weighted plastics
• Targeting fish around sticks, pontoons and oyster-covered structure
• How Lowrance ActiveTarget helped locate and catch fish
• Choosing the right jighead weights for changing conditions
• Leader selection and fighting big fish on light line
• Tournament decision-making under pressure
• Lure selection that produced podium finishes

Locations Covered

Botany Bay

Georges River

Woolooware Bay

Oyster Bay

Kogarah Bay

Sylvania Waters

Featured Brands
Atomic Tournament Series • Samaki • Shimano • Daiwa • Lowrance • Bait Junkie • Rapala 

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• Discord community
• Behind-the-scenes content and much more.

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We'll catch you on the water.

Luke Rogan has done it again.

In this episode of The Lure Fishing Project, we head to Queensland for one of Australia's premier bream tournaments – the 2026 Samaki BREAM Queensland Open. Across two days of competition, anglers tackled Moreton Bay before heading south to the Gold Coast, with changing conditions, different bite windows and plenty of strategic decisions separating the leaders.

Joining me on the podcast are the three anglers who stood on the podium:

🥉 Chris Greensill – A brilliant comeback after a difficult start to Day 2, including a fascinating discussion on using ActiveTarget, reading fish behaviour and making late tournament decisions that ultimately secured third place.

🥈 Jamie McKeown – One of Australia's most consistent tournament anglers explains his evolving approach to boat hulls, stick minnows, hybrid shrimp, crankbaits and why slowing down with Live Sonar has changed the way he fishes.

🥇 Luke Rogan – Back-to-back Queensland Open champion. Luke shares how he approached the event with minimal pre-fishing, adjusted to heavy fishing pressure around Redcliffe and overcame equipment issues to claim another major title.

Along the way we also discuss:

Live Sonar and how it's changing tournament strategy

Boat hull and pontoon cranking

Stick minnows vs hybrid shrimp

Crankbait colour selection and why chrome continues to dominate

Tournament decision making under pressure

Reading tides, current and fish positioning

The mental side of tournament fishing

Plus... a little State of Origin banter that nearly derailed the evening!

If you're serious about tournament bream fishing, there's plenty to learn from three anglers who approached the same event in very different ways.

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