
Episode #231
EP230 – 2026 Daiwa Bream Series: Atomic Gladstone Round
The Lure Fishing Project heads north for the 2026 Daiwa Bream Series Atomic Gladstone Round, held on September 19–20. Gladstone proved to be one of the most unique stops on the calendar. Small neap tides, huge tidal variation, mangroves, bridge pylons, rock walls, shallow reefs and deep drop-offs all played a part — and almost every angler interviewed talked about just how much fun the fishery was. In this episode we speak with the top three anglers from both the non-boater and boater divisions and break down exactly how they caught their fish. NON-BOATERS 3rd – Allan Lavell Allan relied heavily on plastics, particularly Hurricane Sprats, while also finding fish on deep-running Chubbies. After pre-fishing with Jon Fitzgibbon, Allan was paired with Jamie McKeown on day one and Brett Crowe on day two. He talks through fishing rock walls, drop-offs and mangrove edges, keeping jig heads light and adjusting to the aggressive pikey bream. 2nd – Michael Maas Michael was paired with Marc Saric on Saturday and Wade Walker on Sunday. He found an unusual pattern slow-rolling Z-Man Grubs around bridge pylons before changing completely on day two and catching numbers of pikey bream on heavy Cranka Crabs worked slowly down a steep rocky bank. 1st – Mitch Vane Mitch travelled across from Western Australia and adapted quickly to a completely different fishery. Fishing with David Yuill on day one and James Graham on day two, Mitch used Gulp presentations around bridges before sight-casting prawn-style lures to bream pushing onto mangrove edges. A big day-one bag gave him the advantage he needed before bridge pylons became critical on Sunday. BOATERS 3rd – Jamie McKeown Jamie mixed deep-running Chubbies, topwater and crab presentations while exploring the huge Gladstone system. Fishing with Allan Lavell on Saturday and Gordon Pullin on Sunday, Jamie’s approach was heavily influenced by tide height, reef timing and constantly moving until he found active fish. A strong day-two bag pushed him onto the podium. 2nd – Steve Morgan Steve draws on years of Gladstone experience and explains the importance of bridge fishing, shallow reef patterns and understanding exactly how tide, wind and water level change the behaviour of Gladstone bream. The difference between being on a location at the right tide height — or just a little too early or late — proved critical throughout the event. 1st – Peter Cashman Peter went through the entire Friday pre-fish without catching a bream, but rather than abandon the area, he backed his plan. Deep Z-Man plastics, forward-facing sonar and a willingness to stick with what he believed in ultimately produced the tournament win. And make sure you stay to the end — there’s a great post-event story from Peter that’s well worth hearing. Gladstone might not produce the biggest bream bags in Australia, but this episode shows why it remains one of the most interesting and entertaining tournament fisheries on the calendar. Thanks for listening to The Lure Fishing Project. For extra episodes, the Big Bream series, member-only content and more, join The Lure Fishing Project Collective: https://lurefishingproject.supercast.com






