EP235: ABT Manning River | Six Podium Anglers, Six Strategies & a 10-Gram Win

From The Lure Fishing Project · 2:20:48

Show by Andrew Death

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…

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