Episode 134: 2025 DAIWA BREAM Australian Open, Sydney Harbour, 6 - 8 May, 2025 Part 1

2025 Daiwa BREAM Australian Open – Day 1 & 2 Deep Dive (feat. Tim Vickers & Steve Morgan)

In this first part of our two-episode special, The Bream Fishing Project takes you into the heart of the 2025 Daiwa BREAM Australian Open — one of Australia’s premier lure-only bream tournaments, fished across Sydney Harbour and launching from Drummoyne Sailing Club.

Host Andrew Death sets the tone with a sharp overview of the tournament structure, timing, and bite windows, before shifting gears into two of the most insightful, technical, and honest interviews you’ll hear all season.

🎣 Tim Vickers – From Bust-Offs to the Podium

We follow Tim Vickers’ incredible run across the first two days of competition. After a tough Day 1 plagued by dropped fish and difficult conditions, Tim rebounds on Day 2 with a huge 3.945 kg bag, rocketing up the leaderboard into third.

He walks us through:

• Fishing tight timber structure with 3lb straight-through and a 7’8” Daiwa Infeet rod

• How he managed fish that should have bricked him, using finesse gear, long rod angles, and clever boat control

• The bite patterns in Watsons Bay, Clifton Gardens, Shark Island, and Double Bay

• How lure colour, sink rate, and slack line presentation with the Pro Lure Hybrid Shrimp were absolutely critical

• Mental game under pressure, leaderboard strategy, and the decisions that shaped his comeback

Tim also gives a brilliant look at his setup, mindset, and a few missteps — including pushing a hot spot too hard on Day 2 that came back to bite him on Day 3.

🐟 Steve Morgan – Precision Tactics & Big Bream in Crunch Time

Next, Steve Morgan jumps on for a full tournament recap, and it’s classic Steve — analytical, honest, and deeply tactical.

Steve dives into:

• His stick minnow-only strategy and why it dominated under calm, sunny, finesse conditions

• How he fished shallow moored boats with forward-facing sonar, presenting stick minnows with slack-line precision

• The specific Daiwa gear, lure modifications, and hook upgrades that turned lookers into biters

• Why he targeted eastern harbour over Parramatta River and how fish condition and location made a 150g per fish difference

• His Day 3 heroics, including landing a 38cm kicker in the final minutes to leapfrog into second place overall, justedging out Mario.

Steve also breaks down his tournament planning, mindset, tackle selection, and how he