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 incredible session with approximately 20 fish caught during the final two hours. Unfortunately, Sunday's fishing didn't follow the same pattern, demonstrating just how quickly a successful tournament strategy can change. And there's a brilliant bonus story involving an 89 cm flathead Chris caught on the morning of his wedding! 🥈 2nd – Steve Morgan | 5.830 kg Steve Morgan continued an extraordinary season, finishing second by the narrowest of margins and securing the 2026 BREAM Boater Angler of the Year title. His pre-fish suggested a strong surface bite, with bream responding to Bent Minnows around current-affected banks and oyster racks. But competition day revealed something completely different. Using forward-facing sonar, Steve located schools of bream suspended in deeper water and discovered that an incredibly slow retrieve with a vibe was significantly more effective than aggressive lure movements. Steve explains what he could see on the sounder, how the fish reacted to different retrieves, and why even a small change in lure behaviour could switch them off. There's also some excellent advice for anglers who don't have forward-facing sonar, including how to locate and target suspended fish using conventional electronics. 🥇 1st – Adam Kennedy | 5.840 kg Adam Kennedy produced a remarkable tournament victory, catching his fish predominantly around highway bridge pylons using Cranka Crabs and small mussel-style lures. Precision was absolutely critical. Adam describes positioning his boat, casting within centimetres of the structure and using the current to carry his lure underneath the pylons. Rather than constantly moving the lure, he relied on controlled presentations, dead-sticking and occasionally opening the bail arm to allow the lure to drift further into the strike zone. After a strong Saturday, Adam returned to the bridges on Sunday and steadily built his bag. Then, with almost no time remaining, he made one final move to a different set of pylons. Two late upgrades followed, including a 50-gram improvement on his very last cast. That final fish helped deliver victory by just 10 grams. An incredible finish and a fascinating explanation of the precision, persistence and confidence required to win at this level. WHAT WE LEARNED Some of the most interesting lessons from this tournament include: Why slower presentations were so effective when bream were reluctant to commit. Dead-sticking crabs and mussels compared with slow-rolling crankbaits and vibes. How bream behaved around bridge pylons under different current conditions. Fish holding on shallow gravel flats versus suspended in deeper water. The influence of changing tides on fish positioning and feeding activity. Using forward-facing sonar to understand lure reactions. Why fishing 4 lb line sometimes produced more bites than heavier alternatives. Adapting your strategy when a successful day-one pattern stops working. How casting accuracy and lure positioning can be more important than lure selection. Why the final few casts of a tournament can change everything. Six different anglers, a huge variety of techniques and plenty of practical information for anyone looking to improve their bream fishing. 🎣 GO DEEPER WITH THE LURE FISHING PROJECT COLLECTIVE One of the most interesting things about these interviews is what happens when you start comparing them. Different anglers fishing the same river, in the same conditions, sometimes using completely different techniques — yet describing surprisingly similar fish behaviour. We're taking that analysis further inside The Lure Fishing Project Collective. By cross-referencing tournament interviews, tides, bite periods, lure presentations and the decisions anglers made throughout the competition, we're looking for patterns and lessons that might otherwise be missed. The idea is simple: go beyond what lure caught the winning fish and start understanding why, when and how different approaches worked. If you've enjoyed these interviews and want to get more out of the information Australia's best tournament anglers are sharing, come and join us. Collective members also receive access to our private Discord community, live Zoom sessions, fishing challenges, bonus content, replays and everything inside The Lure Fishing Project Vault. Join The Collective: https://lurefishingproject.supercast.com TOURNAMENT RESULTS & INFORMATION 2026 Daiwa BREAM Series – Lowrance Manning River 17–18 October 2026 | Taree, NSW Official ABT event information, weigh-ins and scoreboards: https://abt.org.au/2026-daiwa-bream-series-lowrance-manning-river-17-18-oct-event-results-info/ SUPPORT THE SHOW Steve Morgan's Live-Sonar Masterclass – My Fishing Coach If you'd like to learn more about locating fish and understanding their reactions on forward-facing sonar, Steve Morgan's course covers sonar operation, settings, fish behaviour, lure presentations and targeting techniques. https://www.myfishingcoach.com/courses/live-sonar-masterclass/ Use code LFP10 for 10% off. ARK Genesis Lead-Free Jig Heads https://arkgenesis.com.au/ Use code BFP for 15% off. Using our promotional codes may earn The Lure Fishing Project a commission, helping support the production of more fishing content. FOLLOW THE LURE FISHING PROJECT Instagram: @lurefishingproject Facebook: The Lure Fishing Project Podcast: https://andreww3.podbean.com/ A massive thank you to all six anglers for sharing their experiences and to Steve, Nicole and everyone involved with ABT for putting on another great tournament. If you enjoyed this episode, follow the show, leave a rating or review, and share it with another lure angler. Thanks for listening. Andrew Death The Lure Fishing Project