The Bream Fishing Project

Episode 203 – 2026 Daiwa BREAM Australian Open | Craig Noorbergen, Steve Morgan & Jamie Mckeown 🎣

The Australian Open is one of the most prestigious events on the Australian tournament fishing calendar, and in Episode 203 of The Lure Fishing Project, we break down the action from the 2026 Daiwa BREAM Australian Open, held on Sydney Harbour from May 19–21.

This event delivered everything you could want from a major championship: huge fish, heartbreaking losses, tactical adjustments, and three anglers who each took a completely different path to the podium.

Andrew is joined by:

Jamie Mckeown – who continued his remarkable Australian Open record with another top finish. Jamie explains how a last-minute switch to stick minnows transformed his tournament, how forward-facing sonar both helped and hindered his decision-making, and why boat hulls continue to be one of Sydney Harbour's most reliable patterns.

Steve Morgan – who put together two incredibly consistent bags using a combination of Aquas, stick minnows and decades of local knowledge. Steve discusses targeting shallow fish in crystal-clear water, fishing washes and moored boats, managing ultra-light line, and converting big fish when it matters most.

🥇 Craig Noorbergen – the first-time Australian Open competitor who turned local Sydney Harbour experience into an unforgettable victory. Craig reveals how he used Cranker Crabs around rock walls, pontoons and structure, why current played such a critical role in his decision making, and how a late-session giant BREAM helped secure the biggest win of his tournament career.

In this episode you'll learn:
✅ How Jamie Mckeown used stick minnows and forward-facing sonar to unlock suspended fish around boat hulls

✅ Why Steve Morgan focused on Pittwater, Aquas and shallow cruising fish

✅ Craig Noorbergen's winning crab pattern around Sydney Harbour structure

✅ How tide flow influenced fish positioning throughout the event

✅ The role of current, boat hulls, pontoons and rock walls in producing quality fish

✅ The importance of adapting lure size and presentation during multi-day tournaments

✅ Lessons from three anglers who approached the same fishery in completely different ways

The Daiwa BREAM Australian Open continues to showcase the very best tournament anglers in the country, and this episode provides a rare opportunity to hear exactly how the top finishers approached one of Australia's most iconic BREAM events.

If you're looking to improve your tournament fishing, learn more about fishing Sydney Harbour, or simply enjoy hearing how elite anglers solve problems on the water, this is an episode you won't want to miss.

Final Results
 Craig Noorbergen – 11.350 kg

 Steve Morgan – 11.175 kg

 Jamie Mckeown – 10.955 kg

 

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EP202 | The Next Chapter: The BREAM Fishing Project Becomes The Lure Fishing Project
After 202 episodes, The BREAM Fishing Project enters a new chapter.

In this episode, Andrew and Brett discuss the evolution of the podcast into The Lure Fishing Project, what the change means for listeners, and the exciting opportunities it creates moving forward.

While BREAM fishing remains at the heart of the show, the new direction opens the door to conversations about flathead, bass, mulloway, trout, whiting and other lure-caught species from around Australia. The goal remains the same: to learn from great anglers and help listeners catch more fish and make the most of their time on the water.

In this episode:

🎣 Why the podcast is changing its name

🎣 What the changes mean for listeners

🎣 The future direction of The Lure Fishing Project

🎣 Brett's incredible day of 129 BREAM

🎣 Winter fishing tactics and lure selection

🎣 Andrew's new boat and plans to introduce more people to fishing

🎣 Harvey's upcoming Hobie competition debut

🎣 Reflections on family, fishing and the people who inspire us

🎣 Upcoming tournament action from around Australia

Thank you to everyone who has supported the podcast through the first 202 episodes. The name may be changing, but the mission remains the same: helping anglers learn faster, catch more fish and enjoy their time on the water.

Join The Lure Fishing Project
We've introduced two ways to access exclusive content and support the show.

The Lure Fishing Project Vault
The Vault is a growing library of exclusive content from The Lure Fishing Project.

We're starting by unlocking the Big BREAM Series — six in-depth interviews that helped inspire The Bream Fishing Project and ultimately led to the creation of The Lure Fishing Project.

A new Big BREAM Series episode will be released every two weeks, with additional bonus content, extended interviews and exclusive releases added over time.

The Lure Fishing Project Collective
The Collective is where anglers come together to learn, improve and share their fishing experiences.

As a Collective member, you'll receive everything included in The Vault, plus:

🎣 Live Zoom sessions

🎣 Access to the Collective Discord community

🎣 Collaborative lure and technique challenges

🎣 Challenge wrap-ups and member discussions

🎣 Direct interaction with Andrew and other members

🎣 Access to Collective replays and member content

🎣 Opportunities to learn from anglers around Australia

For less than the cost of a single lure each month, you'll gain access to a growing community of passionate anglers committed to learning, sharing and improving together.

Join here:

lurefishingproject.supercast.com

Follow us:

Instagram: @lurefishingproject

Facebook: The Lure Fishing Project

The Hawkesbury River delivered another outstanding round of the 2026 Daiwa BREAM Series, and in this episode of The BREAM Fishing Project, Andrew Death reviews all the action from the Bait Junkie Hawkesbury River Round held on May 16–17.

With six detailed interviews covering both the non-boater and boater divisions, this episode provides a complete breakdown of how the event unfolded, the techniques that produced results, and the lessons learned from one of Australia's most iconic BREAM tournament waterways.

The non-boater division produced a remarkable story, with first-time ABT competitor Sam Di Mauro taking victory in his very first event. Having followed tournament fishing for years through podcasts and media coverage, Sam finally took the plunge and entered an ABT event on his home water. His account of the experience, from meeting anglers he had listened to for years through to landing a tournament-winning bag, is one of the highlights of the episode.

You'll also hear from Rodney O'Sullivan, who backed up last year's Hawkesbury success with another podium finish, and Jesse Rotin, whose consistency continues to make him one of the most dangerous non-boaters in the country.

In the boater division, Captain Risky returned to winning form with an impressive two-day total of 9.545kg, ahead of Judd Kirkland and Steve Morgan. Their interviews provide valuable insights into pattern development, adapting to changing conditions, and extracting quality fish from the Hawkesbury system.

Across the six interviews you'll hear discussions covering:

Wash fishing with Cranker Crabs

Fishing Hybrid Shrimp presentations around rocky shorelines

Pontoon and marina tactics using soft plastics

Monster Rolling Cranks and crankbait strategies

Working river rock walls and current lines

Vibe fishing techniques for quality BREAM

Tidal influences and bite period timing

Rod, reel, braid and leader selections

Pre-fish strategies and tournament preparation

The realities of fishing from the back deck as a non-boater

Lessons learned from experienced ABT competitors

Rodney O'Sullivan details how he built both of his bags fishing wash zones with Cranker Crabs and Hybrid Shrimp presentations, while Jesse Rotin dives deep into his approach using Bait Junkie Risky Critters, 295 Flicks, Monster Rolling Cranks and finesse presentations around pontoons and rock structure.

First-time competitor Sam Di Mauro shares his tournament journey, including landing a 1.25kg fish early on day one and learning firsthand how different anglers approach the Hawkesbury system. His story is proof that newcomers can be competitive when preparation meets opportunity.

Whether you're preparing for your own Hawkesbury trip, looking to improve your tournament fishing, or simply enjoy hearing Australia's best BREAM anglers break down their techniques, this episode is packed with practical information and tournament insights.

2026 Daiwa BREAM Series Hawkesbury River Results
Boater Division
🥇 Kristoffer Hickson – 9.545kg
🥈 Judd Kirkland – 8.740kg
🥉 Steve Morgan – 7.705kg

Non-Boater Division
🥇 Sam Di Mauro – 4.590kg
🥈 Jesse Rotin – 4.485kg
🥉 Rodney O'Sullivan – 4.450kg

In this episode of The Bream Fishing Project, we head to the mighty Hawkesbury River for Round 2 of the New South Wales Tournament Series, brought to you by Atomic and sponsored by Force Lures.

Run on 26 April 2026, this Hawkesbury round produced a technical and challenging bite, with anglers dealing with low fish activity, timid bites, heavy current flow and tough conditions around the deep rock walls of the river system.

The episode opens with a breakdown of the bite periods and tidal movements, before diving deep into interviews with the top three teams from the event.

First up, Mitch and Mat Simonis from Team Off The Scales break down their third-place finish with 5 fish for 4.06kg. The boys explain how they targeted deep rocky bottom with crabs and blades, how current speed completely changed the effectiveness of their presentation between pre-fish and comp day, and how a late kicker fish helped secure another podium finish. The interview also covers drifting techniques, fishing deep structure, lure control in heavy current and the importance of staying in the strike zone around the Hawkesbury’s brutal reef systems.

Next, Tim Vickers from Team Cronulla Slipways talk through their second-place finish with 4.15kg. Tim details how they chased the outgoing tide upriver using heavy cranker crabs on deep rock walls before adapting late in the session with washes, flats and forward-facing sonar. The interview covers using Mega Live and forward-facing sonar around structure, tracking fish schools on the flats, fishing Box Head washes, leader selection, and how a critical late-session upgrade secured second place in an incredibly tight field.

Finally, event winners Scott Wilson and Col Wilson from Team Surge break down their impressive winning bag of 5.03kg. Fresh off travelling back from Tasmania, the father-and-son team committed to fishing crabs on deep Hawkesbury rock walls despite having no pre-fish. Scott explains how rotating crab sizes, colours and scents — while constantly moving to fresh walls — helped them consistently upgrade throughout the day. They also discuss fishing extremely heavy tackle around reef structure, dealing with ultra-timid bites, fishing around boat pressure, and how they converted key bites into kilo-class fish.

This episode is packed with information for anglers wanting to improve their understanding of:

Hawkesbury River BREAM fishing

Deep water crab techniques

Fishing rock walls and reef structure

Current-based fishing strategies

Team tournament tactics

Wash fishing and flats fishing

Leader and tackle selection

Forward-facing sonar applications in tournament fishing

A huge thank you to all the anglers for making time to record these interviews at short notice.

Sponsors & Links
Check out Force Lures:
https://forcelures.com.au

Join The Bream Fishing Project Collective for extra content, live streams, challenges and member-only discussions:
https://breamfishingproject.supercast.com

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In this episode of The Bream Fishing Project we head across the country to Western Australia for the final boat round of the 2025 WA BREAM Series, held on the iconic Swan River in the heart of Perth.

This one-day shootout produced some quality fish and plenty of tactical decisions as teams battled changing wind, subtle bite windows, structure fishing and ultra-finicky Swan River bream.

The episode features interviews with:

Travis Newland & Josh Phillips (1st Place)

Aiden & Herbert Miller (2nd Place)

Callum Dow & Oliver Frank from Outback Bream Baits (4th Place)

We dive deep into:

fishing bridge pylons and retaining walls

mussel presentations

crankbait techniques

line control in wind and current

how subtle angles and lure placement changed the bite

pre-fish struggles and tournament adjustments

Swan River structure fishing strategies

and the importance of timing bite windows on tough systems

There’s also plenty of discussion around:

the Outback Bream Baits Muss

the new Shine Away leader treatment product

crankbait retrieves

tournament decision making

and how WA anglers are targeting big pre-spawn bream in urban systems.

Aiden and Herbert Miller also share the story of their first major event fishing together as a father-and-son team, while Travis and Josh break down the adjustments that helped them turn a brutal pre-fish into a tournament-winning performance.

As always, we also run through the bite periods, tides and key tournament conditions from the day.

A massive thank you to everyone supporting the show and The Bream Fishing Project Collective.

Join The Bream Fishing Project Collective here:
https://breamfishingproject.supercast.com/

Follow The Bream Fishing Project on Instagram:
@thebreamfishingproject

Sponsors & Supporters Mentioned:

Outback Bream Baits

Tackle West

Shine Away

Tackle Addiction

Force Lures

Pro Lure

Shimano

Daiwa

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