EP217: Brendan Pieschel Claims His First Hobie Victory at a Tough Forster Round

Forster has a reputation as one of Australia's premier bream fisheries, but this year's Hobie Kayak Bream Series round proved that even the best waterways can throw competitors a curveball. Despite favourable tides and fish activity predictions, 65 anglers were confronted with one of the toughest Forster tournaments in recent memory. Big fish were almost impossible to find, the bite windows never really materialised, and even the eventual winner admitted he never felt comfortable until the final bags were weighed. In this episode, Andrew sits down with the three anglers who managed to solve the puzzle. 🏆 Brendan Pieschel joins the show after securing his long-awaited first Hobie victory. With no pre-fish after family commitments, Brendan relied on experience, instinct and a flexible game plan to edge out the field with a two-day total of 3.38 kg. He explains how Bent Minnows, shallow crankbaits and a willingness to fish deep into the oyster rails eventually delivered the breakthrough win he'd been chasing. 🥈 Greg Crebert reveals one of the more unusual stories you'll hear in tournament fishing, catching every fish for the weekend on a completely clear, unpainted crankbait fitted with nothing more than blue eyes. Greg talks through his Wallace Lake strategy, why weed edges outperformed expectations, and how a strong second day launched him from 17th place into second overall. 🥉 Ryan Honeybrook rounds out the podium after producing the standout bag of Day One. Fishing heavy oyster country with crab presentations, Ryan discusses extracting fish from brutal structure, the one fish that got away, and why adapting to Forster's changing oyster systems has become one of the biggest challenges facing tournament anglers. Throughout the conversations you'll hear plenty of detailed tournament discussion, including: • Why Forster fished so differently from previous years. • The impact of low high tides and bright moon phases. • Surface lures versus crankbaits, plastics and crab presentations. • Fishing ribbon weed, oyster rails and modern rack systems. • Leader choices, tackle setups and lure selection. • How small decisions over two difficult days separated the podium from the rest of the field. Andrew also reflects on spending the following week at Forster trying to unlock the fishery himself, sharing why one of his favourite waterways left him scratching his head despite several extra days on the water. Official Results 🥇 Brendan Pieschel — 6 fish — 3.38 kg 🥈 Greg Crebert — 6 fish — 3.28 kg 🥉 Ryan Honeybrook — 6 fish — 3.25 kg Congratulations also to: • Bradley Hart – Anaconda Big Bream (0.90 kg) • James Kilpatrick Jr – Youth Division Winner • Simon McGuire – Masters Division Winner • Leanne Cowan – Women's Division Winner A total of 279 bream weighing 116.74 kg were presented across the weekend, averaging 420 grams per fish, highlighting just how difficult this Forster event proved to be. If you enjoy detailed tournament breakdowns, honest conversations with Australia's best lure anglers and practical insights you can apply to your own fishing, make sure you follow The Lure Fishing Project and never miss an episode. For bonus episodes, extended interviews, The Big Bream Series, live Zoom sessions, Discord access and our growing community of passionate lure anglers, join The Lure Fishing Project Collective at: https://lurefishingproject.supercast.com Thanks for listening, and we'll catch you on the next episode.