What is you’re name, your age and where are you from?
Dennis Mageropoulos, I’m 31 and live in Moorebank Sydney.
How long have you been fishing?
I started fishing when I was 5-6 years old with my father, we always fished with bait and mainly targeted estuary species because it was easy for us to travel to Sydney Harbour from our house. I now only fish with Lures and been doing this for roughly 9 years.
How often do you go fishing?
I’m a travelling sales rep in the Fishing industry, so I am lucky to fish pretty much every week during my travels and fish along the whole eastern seaboard.
What is your favourite species and why?
Without a doubt Bream, They are not an easy fish to catch on lure and I am always learning something new about the species and catching them. It is so satisfying when you change it up and land great fish, I’m always trying to mix things up but also at the same time” keep it simple stupid” sometimes that’s the only way to fish, That’s the beauty fishing for Bream they get you thinking.
How big was this fish?
This fish was 41cm to the fork and come in at 1.74kg I have never seen a Bream that thick through the shoulders.
Where was it caught?
The mighty St Georges Basin, my favourite system.
What tackle were you using?
Rod: Duffrods Sneaky STIX 6’11 1-3kg
Reel: Shimano Stradic CI4 2500
Main Line: Diawa J Braid 6lb
Leader: 4lb Sunline FC Rock
What lure did you catch it on?
The lure that done the damage was a Gladiator Smash Bait in colour 12 matched with a Nitro 1/32 jig head size 2.
What was the technique?
Cast as long as possible from the boat, we were fishing a weedy area in 3m of water and with the wind at our backs it helped me cast an ultra-light jig head of 1/32. In a previous pre fish the fish were pretty much grabbing the lure on the drop, going this light enabled the lure to sink very naturally instead of plummeting into the weed therefore giving the fish more opportunity smashing the bait on the drop before giving the lure any action, I had to be very patient giving the lure time to sink and also watching the line making sure nothing grabbed the lure which this happened most of the time, once I was at the top of the weeds I was quite aggressive with my action giving three quick whips and then pause winding the slack line. This fish was caught on my very first cast in the comp and pretty much as soon as the plastic hit the water it grabbed it on the drop!!!
What was the weather doing?
Blowing 20-25 knots S-SW all day, very overcast conditions not much sun at all. We loved it because we knew it was a flats bite.
What are you tips for anyone looking to chase this species?
Be as patient as possible, I would also recommend to concentrate on different types of lures and techniques at a time, what I mean by this is try plastics first learn to catch fish on that then move onto Hard Bodied Lures then Blades/Vibes and so on, not in that order but try to master each lure/technique. Pay attention to the Weather what is the wind doing the week before and on the day, always use your eyes pay attention to the area you want to fish, look for structure, bait, Birds, use your instincts ask yourself do you think a fish would be holding there? Buy the best gear you can afford, and honestly a great pair of Glass Polarized sunglasses like Mako Eyewear as I believe your eyes are the most important tool in lure fishing. Lastly YouTube!!!! I learnt so much give it a go!!!
