Episode Details

Hobie Fishing Series Round 9 – St Georges Basin | Grant Oliver Claims First Hobie Win | The Bream Fishing Project

In this episode of The Bream Fishing Project, we head to St Georges Basin on the South Coast of New South Wales to recap Round 9 of the 2025 Hobie Fishing Series, brought to you by BerleyPro and Fish Tech Solutions.

This was a tough two-day tournament, with only three full bags recorded across the entire field, but despite the difficult conditions there were still some standout performances, including a dominant win from Grant Oliver, who put together two full bags for a total of 4.57 kg and secured his first Hobie Fishing Series victory.

Host Andrew Death, the 2019 Hobie Kayak Fishing World Champion, was also on the water for this event and sets the scene for a challenging but memorable weekend that included changing conditions, strong bite windows, a daylight savings time change, and a few big storylines — including the season-long Batman and Robin battle between Simon Morley and Tony Petty.

If you enjoy tournament recaps, kayak fishing strategy, and hearing how top anglers break down difficult BREAM events, this is an episode worth listening to.

Event Overview

Event: Hobie Fishing Series Round 9
Location: St Georges Basin, NSW
Dates: 4–5 October 2025
Sponsors: BerleyPro and Fish Tech Solutions

St Georges Basin produced a very tough round, with anglers having to adapt to changing weather and low bag numbers across the field.

Conditions and Bite Periods Saturday – 4 October

Fish Activity Wheel: 60
Major Bite Period: 8:02 AM – 10:32 AM

High Tide: 6:12 AM – 1.18 m
Low Tide: 11:51 AM – 0.44 m

Sunday – 5 October

Fish Activity Wheel: 74
Major Bite Period: 9:49 AM – 12:19 PM

High Tide: 7:49 AM – 1.29 m
Low Tide: 1:39 PM – 0.32 m

A couple of factors made the event even tougher:

• A north-westerly wind came through on Sunday
• Daylight savings changed on Saturday night, meaning anglers effectively started an hour earlier on Sunday

The result was a challenging competition where every fish counted.

Division Winners Anaconda Big BREAM

Ben Harrison – 0.99 kg

Monster Mover

Luke Rogan – 1.95 kg

After recording zero on Day 1, Luke came back strongly on Sunday to claim the Monster Mover prize.

Women’s Division

Leanne Cowen

Leanne landed three fish for 1.97 kg on Saturday, which was enough to secure the women’s division and finish 12th overall.

Masters Division

Peter Nord – 2.62 kg

Peter recorded 1.99 kg on Saturday and one fish for 630 g on Sunday.

Overall Podium Results

🥇 1st – Grant Oliver
Day 1: 3 fish – 2.27 kg
Day 2: 3 fish – 2.30 kg
Total: 4.57 kg

🥈 2nd – Adam Lalor
Day 1: 3 fish – 2.15 kg
Day 2: 3 fish – 1.35 kg
Total: 3.50 kg

🥉 3rd – Rick King
Day 1: 3 fish – 1.85 kg
Day 2: 2 fish – 1.30 kg
Total: 3.15 kg

Only three anglers recorded full bags for the entire tournament, highlighting just how tough the fishing was.

Rick King – Third Place

Rick King continued what he described as a “purple patch” season, finishing third overall with 3.15 kg.

Rick committed to fishing the islands, using shallow crankbaits and blades to grind out bites in difficult conditions.

Key lures and techniques discussed in this episode:

• Pro Lure Combat crankbaits
• Stealth blades
• Slow rolling crankbaits to avoid weed
• Fishing 1–2.2 metres around the islands

Rick finished the season 7th in Angler of the Year and walked away with:

• $550 cash
• Hobie trophy
• Sponsor prize pack

Adam Lalor – Second Place

Adam Lalor had one of the most dramatic performances of the event.

After struggling most of the morning on Day 1, Adam suddenly caught three fish in three casts to secure a bag over 2 kg.

Key techniques Adam discusses in the episode: