What is you’re name, your age and where are you from?

Darryl Head, I’m 48 and from Basin View N.S.W.

How long have you been fishing?

I started fishing when I was about 5 years old, I was lucky enough to have a dad who was a mad keen fisherman.

How often do you go fishing?

I go fishing as often as I can but since I stopped being a fishing guide, I don’t get out as much as I would like.

What is your favourite species and why?

I think this question is hard to answer. Each fish species offers unique traits, but I would probably lean towards Bream. The bigger they are the harder they are to catch and they can be frustrating to catch on lures! I think that’s the challenge and when you land that big bream, there is a lot of satisfaction in knowing that it was hopefully your skills that fooled a big old bream. But getting the fish to take the lure is only part of the journey, the next thing is trying to land one on light gear. Not only does this test your skill, but the thoughts going through your head about your leader knot and loop knot and if they are tied properly gets the adrenalin pumping!

How big was this fish?

This Black Bream was not that long, only 42cm to the fork but was a nice weight of 1.74kg.

Where was it caught?

I caught this fish during the Hobie Kayak Australian Championships at Marlo in Victoria.

For those who don’t know where this is it’s the mouth of the Snowy River. I would rate this as one of the best fisheries in Australia, although the bream I caught was big enough for me to win the Aussie title, this location holds much bigger fish!

What tackle were you using?

Ok here is the secret to catching the big fish, I was using a Miller rod 7’6 paired with a Stella 1000. I know what your thinking wow that’s a lot of money, but a sensitive rod and a reel with a superior drag can make all the difference when it comes to landing a big fish. Braid was 8lb OH Dragon braid with a 4lb leader I would like to tell you what leader it was, but its covered in Japanese writing so if you want it, go to Tackle World in Nowra and tell them you want the leader I used.

What lure did you catch it on?

I caught the fish on a Jackal Squirrel in brown Suji Shrimp color.

What was the technique?

Being a deep diving lure that suspends and that I was fishing a very shallow bank, I wound the lure down fast till it hit the bottom then dead sticked it(or paused it) for about 10-15 sec. After that a small twitch and that fish was all over it, lucky for me this fish swam straight to the middle of the river away from the timber I had cast next to. I had picked it for a flathead at first because it ran deep and straight but when I finally managed to get it to the surface I panicked, as it was not the flathead I thought it was, but a big bream! It was pretty handy that on my last cast on day one of the biggest comp of the year I managed to snag this guy.

What was the weather doing?

It was a couple of years back know, and I can’t recall.

What are you tips for anyone looking to chase this species?

I would like to claim credit for this technique, but the truth is Bushy is the master of bream fishing and I believe his quote is when you think your fishing slow cut it in half again. The key to getting those big bream is slower is better and dead sticking is the best, they like to have a long look at the lure before they commit.