EP226 – Bream Masters SA Round 1 | Paul Cook & Ben Gibbs – Port River

Bream Masters South Australia kicks off its 2026 season on the Port River — and it proved to be a seriously tough day on the water. Paul Cook came out on top with three bream for 1.72 kg, continuing an impressive run at the venue. In his last five tournaments on the Port River, Paul has now produced four podium finishes — along with one memorable donut! Paul breaks down how he prepared for the round, what he learned from his pre-fish, and why the extreme summer heat had him focused on making the early part of the session count. After a frustrating first two hours, Paul eventually unlocked the fish with an OSP Dunk fished around rock and structure. He explains why he has been experimenting with heavier straight-through fluorocarbon, how he fishes the Dunk around nasty structure, and the Miller Rods and Shimano setup he uses to do it. We also catch up with third-place finisher Ben Gibbs, who went into the event without a pre-fish and relied on a familiar Port River milk run. Ben landed two quality 37 cm bream early before the bite virtually disappeared, forcing him to grind out the rest of a very difficult session. Ben talks through his Gulp Crabbie and Pro Lure Grub approach, fishing vertical structure and rock walls, using forward-facing sonar, and why sometimes staying put and methodically working productive structure is better than constantly chasing new water. In this episode: • Paul Cook’s winning 1.72 kg bag • Ben Gibbs’ third-place 1.35 kg result • Fishing the Port River in tough summer conditions • OSP Dunk hardbody tactics • Six-pound straight-through fluorocarbon around structure • Pro Lure Grubs and Gulp Crabbies • Rock walls, oysters and vertical structure • Forward-facing sonar • Adjusting when the bream simply won’t commit • Why persistence and experience matter on tough tournament days • The Bream Masters SA series and its pathways to the Hobie Australian Championship A great insight into grinding out a result when the fishing doesn’t go to plan. 🎣 Join the Lure Fishing Project Collective for extra episodes, the Big Bream Series and more: https://lurefishingproject.supercast.com