Show Notes
Just 395 grams separated first and third at the 2026 ABT Australian Open Bass tournament at Lake St Clair in New South Wales. Three anglers, three different approaches, and one remarkable final fish that helped decide the championship. In this episode of The Lure Fishing Project, Andrew Death catches up with the top three finishers to uncover how they approached the tournament, the techniques that produced their fish, and the decisions that ultimately determined the results. From incredibly slow i-Waver presentations around shallow timber to jerkbaits worked through weed beds, this episode offers a fascinating look at competitive Australian bass fishing. And for Andrew, it was enough to spark a renewed interest in heading to Lake St Clair to chase a few bass himself! The Official Results 🥇 1st – Matthew Langford: 8.865 kg 🥈 2nd – Mitchell Cone: 8.490 kg 🥉 3rd – Braden Schuch: 8.470 kg Just 375 grams separated first and second, with only 20 grams between second and third. The tournament was contested over three sessions across two days, with anglers weighing three bass per session. Third Place – Braden Schuch Braden finished with 8.470 kg, relying heavily on a slow-sinking i-Waver to target bass holding around isolated timber, weed and shallow structure. His approach combined patience, precision and forward-facing sonar to identify fish and trigger bites. We discuss:
The transition from power fishing to extremely slow presentations.
Fishing i-Wavers around submerged timber in just three or four feet of water.
How small, sharp lure movements triggered following bass.
Using forward-facing sonar to observe fish behaviour.
Modifying hooks, leader strength and lure sink rates.
The frustration of losing fish in a tournament decided by such small margins.
How boat traffic influenced his choice of fishing locations.
Braden also shares some fascinating observations from pre-fishing, including bass actively feeding on dragonflies. Second Place – Mitchell Cone Mitchell finished just 375 grams behind the winner, catching every fish he weighed on jerkbaits. Despite initially locating fish around shallow weed and structure, increasing fishing pressure forced him to rethink his approach. One of his most important decisions came during the second session, when he moved away from the crowded creek arm and into the main basin, upgrading his entire bag in the final 45 minutes. We cover:
Why the Jackall 61 Squirrel was his preferred jerkbait.
Adjusting jerkbait retrieves to fish different depths.
Targeting weed pockets, rocky edges and shallow structure.
The importance of nearby deeper water.
How fishing pressure affected his decisions.
Chasing windblown banks and slightly discoloured water.
Why changing locations rather than techniques proved so effective.
Mitchell also reflects on representing Australia at the World Black Bass Championships in Arkansas and the lessons Australian anglers can take from fishing overseas. First Place – Matthew Langford Matthew claimed his first Australian Open victory with 8.865 kg, collecting $6,250 in prize money. His tournament revolved around identifying productive weed beds, understanding how bass positioned themselves within that weed, and making the most of changing conditions. Using a Rapala XR6 jerkbait, Matthew targeted shallow weed edges, openings and windblown points, concentrating on fish around the one-kilogram mark. But his final session presented a completely different challenge. As the wind dropped away and the water became increasingly clear, Matthew adapted his approach, picking up a black chatterbait for an important upgrade before returning to his jerkbait. Then, with approximately 15 minutes remaining, he made one final move. Matthew watched a bass emerge from the weed, follow his lure and eventually eat it just metres from the boat. That fish provided an upgrade of approximately 400 grams — a remarkable moment in a tournament he ultimately won by jus
More from The Bream Fishing Project
Six podium anglers. Two days of competition. One extraordinary 10-gram finish. The 2026 Daiwa BREAM Series headed to the Manning River at Taree, NSW, for the Lowrance-sponsored final qualifying round on 17–18 October. After last year's event was cancelled following flooding, the Manning River returned in spectacular condition, with remarkably clear water, plenty of bream and some fascinating fishing. In this episode of The Lure Fishing Project, Andrew Death catches up with the top three anglers from both the boater and non-boater divisions to discover exactly how they caught their fish. And what a finish! Adam Kennedy snatched victory from Steve Morgan by just 10 grams, thanks to a crucial upgrade on his very last cast. But there's much more to this tournament than the final scoreboard. Across six interviews, we explore how changing tides, water clarity, lure presentation, fishing pressure and decisions made throughout the weekend influenced the results. NON-BOATERS 🥉 3rd – Michael 'Mikey' Vukic | 2.620 kg Mikey had a difficult Saturday fishing alongside Steve Morgan, watching bream respond to slowly retrieved vibes in deep water while struggling to convert bites on soft plastics. Sunday brought a completely different approach. Fishing with Alan Lister, Mikey went back to techniques he felt confident using, working Daiwa Bait Junkie Grubs across flats and gravelly areas. A quality 31 cm fork-length bream caught as the tide pushed across a shallow gravel area helped lift him from 13th overnight onto the podium. Mikey also discusses learning to fish Ecogear Aqua prawns, controlling his retrieve and why sticking with familiar techniques made such a difference. 🥈 2nd – Stephen Cyster | 2.840 kg Stephen had never fished the Manning River before and chose not to pre-fish, preferring to approach the tournament without preconceived expectations. On Saturday, fishing with Brian Everingham, he found success crawling Cranka Crabs slowly along the edges as the tide changed. Sunday was much tougher. Fishing with Brady White, he struggled through the morning before moving onto a flat and catching fish on a slowly retrieved Atomic Fat 37 Deep crankbait. His third and final legal fish came with only a handful of casts remaining, securing second place. Stephen shares some particularly interesting observations about tentative bites, lure movement, fishing light line and maintaining confidence when the fish aren't cooperating. 🥇 1st – Maksym Nestertsov | 2.990 kg Originally from Ukraine, Maksym brings a fascinating international fishing background to Australian bream tournaments, having represented his country in competitive freshwater fishing. He explains how his experience chasing European trout and predatory species translates to Australian bream fishing. Fishing with Daniel Richardson on Saturday, Maksym discovered the importance of gravelly flats, tidal movement and crankbait selection. After watching Daniel enjoy significantly more success on a Daiwa Rolling Crank, Maksym visited the tackle shop and purchased the same lure for Sunday. Fishing with David Yuill, that decision paid off. Maksym found consistent fish on shallow gravel areas, gradually upgraded his bag and landed his biggest bream just minutes before returning to the weigh-in. He also discusses the differences between braid and monofilament in exceptionally clear water and why he believes fishing as a non-boater offers an incredible opportunity to learn. BOATERS 🥉 3rd – Chris Smith | 5.685 kg Local knowledge proved valuable for Chris Smith, who made an outstanding start to the tournament. After drawing boat number one, Chris headed straight to a highway bridge and found himself fishing it virtually alone while much of the field concentrated on another bridge. Using a deep-running Spike 44 and Cranka Crabs, he quickly established a quality bag, including a 35 cm fork-length bream. He then headed into the Lansdowne River, where Ecogear Aqua Prawns produced an incredibl
Bremer Bay in Western Australia has delivered some extraordinary bream fishing, with an average fish weight of 778 grams across the Hobie Qualifier. Big bags, aggressive fish and a nail-biting finish made this one a tournament to remember. In this episode of The Lure Fishing Project, Andrew Death catches up with the top three finishers to break down exactly how they caught their fish, the lures that worked and the decisions that made the difference. 🥇 Paul Burton — 1st Place | 5.735 kg Paul arrived having never fished Bremer Bay before. After a challenging start, he discovered quality bream holding around windblown banks and rocky bombies. Using Sprats and S36 Pro hardbodies, he adapted to the changing conditions and produced a three-kilo bag on the final day to take the win. 🥈 Ben Oakes — 2nd Place | 5.645 kg Ben used Baby Vibes to establish his bags before targeting bigger fish along shallow, hard-bottomed areas. He explains how smaller hooks improved his hookup rate, why the fish were holding around changes in depth and how Slim Swims helped him find those important upgrades. 🥉 Alex Griesdorf — 3rd Place | 5.600 kg Alex targeted quality bream around the timber upriver using grubs, Sprats and Streaks. He also found an incredible shallow-water Chubby bite, catching a bag in just a few casts. Alex claimed Big Bream honours with a 1.18 kg fish. In this episode:
In this episode of The Lure Fishing Project, we head back to the Action Fishing Tournaments round from 1 February 2026 and speak with the top three anglers from the event. Third-placed Joshua Richards worked rocky edges with a two-inch Slim Swim before switching to crabs — and once he made the change, the bites came thick and fast. One of the big lessons from Joshua’s session was just how shallow the fish were sitting on the high tide, including multiple bream coming from the top of individual rocks. Pasted text Pasted text Second-placed James Scott started with a Sprat 75 on a light hidden-weight presentation before changing to a Pro Lure Hybrid Shrimp as the bite changed. He also found an important difference in where the better fish were positioned — smaller fish tight to the mangroves, with the bigger bream sitting further off the edge. Pasted text Pasted text Then we talk to winner James Tran, who put together a 115 cm bag topped by a 41.5 cm bream. James takes us through fishing mussel-style lures around bridge pylons, jetties and heavy structure, losing fish and lures early, changing tackle to cope with the structure, and using line movement on the drop to recognise bites. Pasted text Pasted text There are some excellent practical lessons in this one around: • Fishing rocky edges on high water• Matching lure weight to shallow water• Crabs, prawns, plastics and mussel-style lures• Reading line movement on the drop• Finding better-quality fish away from the obvious edge• Fishing heavy structure with heavier leader and locked drag• Changing presentations when a bite starts to fade• Why sometimes the best tournament decision is simply fishing away from the crowd Final podium:🥇 James Tran — 115 cm🥈 James Scott — 112.5 cm🥉 Joshua Richards — 106.5 cm Pasted text Pasted text Pasted text A quick note: these interviews were originally recorded when the show was still called The Bream Fishing Project, so you’ll hear the old name during the interviews. We’ve since become The Lure Fishing Project. 🎣 Join The Lure Fishing Project:https://lurefishingproject.supercast.com Members get access to bonus content, the Vault and, for Collective members, our Discord community, Zoom sessions, challenges and more. If you enjoy the episode, follow the show and share it with another lure angler.
The Lure Fishing Project’s first dedicated Australian bass episode. Steve Morgan joins Andrew after winning back-to-back ABT Bass qualifiers at Somerset and Wivenhoe. We look at more than 20 years of tournament bass fishing, the evolution of techniques and electronics, and the live-sonar and strolling approach behind Steve’s recent success.
Spring is warming up, the fish are starting to move, and this month there’s plenty to unpack. Brett Geddes joins Andrew for another Lure Fishing Project Monthly Report, looking at what’s been happening on the water and what they’ve learned from it. Nev Hayes kicks things off with an extraordinary estuary perch session, landing fish of 50, 54, 57 and 58cm in the one outing. Brett has had a pretty memorable month himself, including a cracking 51.5cm bass, while continuing to pile up some remarkable perch and bream numbers. Andrew has also been spending more time back in the Hobie, getting ready for the Grand Final at Woy Woy and experimenting with ActiveTarget. That leads to jewfish, snapper and some interesting lessons about how fish react to lures on forward-facing sonar. There’s also plenty more in this episode: