Episode 156: The Monthly Report, October, 2025

Welcome to the Bream Fishing Project — October Monthly Report With Brett Geddes back on the mic, we cover a huge month: national comp calendar, honest session breakdowns (the good, the bad, and the donuts), tackle and tech that moved the needle, and bigger-picture news that matters to kayak lure anglers. Around the Grounds (October comps) Hobie — Burrill Lake (Thu 2 Oct, AOY points only, mid-week round) Hobie — BurleyPro Fish Tech, St Georges Basin (4–5 Oct) — Andrew will be there NSW Tournament Series — Grand Final, Botany Bay (25–26 Oct) ABT — Vic Open, Gippsland Lakes (11–12 Oct) ABT — Grand Final, Bemm & Marlo (14–16 Oct) Action Fishing Tournaments — Grand Final, Camden Haven (25–26 Oct) Vic Bream Classics — Round 5, Warrnambool (18–19 Oct) WATA — Boat Rd 3, Swan River (Perth, 5 Oct) ECBS — Grand Final, Sydney Harbour (19 Oct) Segments What Cheeses Me Off — New segment tease — “I think I did a dumb thing” Sessions, Tactics & Lessons Waller Lake — Stunning, but savage: 55 donuts Day 1 (of 75); Jason Marshall ~3.5 kg. Andrew scratched two late Day 2 near the launch — lesson: don’t overrun the obvious. Grubs Month (Collective focus) Georges River — ActiveTarget on boat-holes/mooring blocks; Squidgy Wrigglers on 1/16 oz & lighter in 2–3 m; watched fish rise to the drift. Standout fish 36 fork, 32, 30, plus a salmon called on sonar. Tunks Park — All-day grubs, great FFS interactions… and the missed photo that cost places. St Georges Basin prefish — Salmon schools “called” on FFS (cast-to-distance trick worked for Stewie Dunn). Only one legal bream for Andrew. Stewie tangles with a very big mulloway on 5 lb/light gauge — compelling FFS footage shows scale vs bream. Brett’s update — Windy spring, bream moody; perch to the rescue. From ~1400 to 1700 EPs, often 30–40/session on blades (Sprat/Tomahawk 85 style). Squid mission ongoing. Big Bite & Big Picture Yellowfin tuna (stickbaits) — Electric surface rushes, chaotic ramps; single stinger hook setups; airborne follows and missed bites provide insane visuals. South Australia fish kill — Coastal oxygen event; tough for communities and tourism. Nature will rebound, but it’ll take time. Community shout-outs Andrew “Andy” Kettle — Land-based, night-only EP specialist; surface walkers/high-stick retrieve; “EP ninja” dedication. Leon — Strong Hobie Day 1; three kayak rules: mussel, mussel, no flatties aboard. Gear we mentioned Jabbers travel rods (6-piece) & Upper Cut trebles (12/14/16; strong, sticky; 100-pack jars). BurleyPro HDS Pro visor (better screen & battery headroom); Connector Protectors (stop wet-plug corrosion). Braid 0.4 PE white (rated 8 lb; higher measured break); considering bite-marker dots for strike watching (inspired by Joseph Gardner using multi-colour jigging braid). Shyne Away leader treatment — Degloss + decontaminate to reduce visibility (most effective to up to 10–12 lb leaders). Lovig Bay Boots — Warm/dry, easy winter wear; trying full size run at St Georges Basin. Hobie news — Ownership update discussion; 180 drive aftermarket ceramic roller solution mentioned (alternative when out of warranty). K-spike kayak power pole (Greg Rook; with Tony “Batman” Petty); lightweight 6/8/10 ft; drift chute attachment idea is clever. Regional outlook (VIC/NSW) Early spring bream remain fickle (Aug–Oct lull). Expect ramp-up as temps lift; dusky flathead to become a major play. Daylight savings adds post-work windows. Timestamps / Chapters (Adjust once your final audio export sets exact times.) 00:00 Intro — why this month matters 02:10 Around the Grounds — October comp calendar 08:45 Segment: What Cheeses Me Off (the 10 mm spanner) 12:20 New segment tease: “I think I did a dumb thing” 16:00 Wallaga Lake wrap — donuts, context, and late salvage 20:05 Georges River — grubs + ActiveTarget (fish rising to the drift) 25:10 Tunks Park — the missed photo lesson 28:30 St Georges Basin prefish — calling salmon on FFS; Stewie’s big mulloway on 5 lb 34:40 Brett’s perch run — 1,700 EPs, blade patterns, squid pains 40:25 Yellowfin stickbait bite — why it’s so wild 45:15 South Australia fish kill — what’s happening and why it matters 50:00 Community — Andrew “EP ninja” Kettle; Leon’s kayak rules 53:10 Gear — Jabbers trebles & rods 56:20 BurleyPro visor + connector protectors 59:15 Braid & bite-markers; Joseph Gardner note 1:02:20 Shyne Away leader matte 1:05:10 Lovig Bay Boots — try-ons at Basin 1:08:40 Hobie ownership chat; 180 ceramic fix; name change note 1:14:30 K-Spike kayak power pole preview 1:18:00 October fishing outlook 1:21:30 Interview workload & what’s coming 1:24:30 Hosting change to Podbean & dynamic ads 1:28:45 Outro & subscribe CTA