I would first of all like to take this opportunity to thank the Fishing Monthly Group for running one of their fantastic ABT bream competitions in Nelson.

We are a small village and events like this are as valuable as gold to us. The blokes that competed in this competition were fantastic and many a friendship has been made. The businesses of Nelson did very well from all those attending and I think it would be impossible to estimate the full worth of these events when you consider the word of mouth factor. Thankyou must also be given to Simon Goldsmith, tournament director and to Phil Jones on the weigh-in station.

Congratulations to Rudy Holzfeind for his great win in the boaters section. In the non-boaters section, Dion Vail from Timboon was a popular winner. I hope some of the information I provided to the competitors at the information was useful.

The fishing is fantastic down this way at the moment. Bream have been plentiful. Crab is the hot bait, and I’d recommend bringing some down with you so you don’t have to waste time once you arrive. Good reports have come from those anglers fishing the mouth of the estuary on an incoming tide. If you can, bring 2 heavy sand anchors to get your boat perfectly still. If you are going to fish up the river, then 2 smaller anchors will do, Simply nose your boat into a reed bed and throw the anchors into the reeds. Tie the rope to you’re the bollards at the back of your boat and fish alongside the reed beds. Remember to set your drag correctly in case you snare a mulloway. They can hit hard and fast and I’ve heard too many tales of outfits departing the boat on a one-way ticket - funny how it's usually your favourite rod!

Last week we had some keen anglers from Shepparton camping with us at the pub. I'd heard of good snapper being caught at Green Point so pointed them in that direction. The sea was flat and they caught some nice snapper to 14lb on octopus and squid. Some creature of the deep, possibly a thresher shark, spooled them. They were less upset about the lost fish when I told them how much damage threshers can do if they end up in your boat. It really pays to do some research about the species you might encounter if you’re fishing in unfamiliar waters. I know of guys that have actually jumped into the sea when they land a thresher. It smashed all the gear onboard and almost sunk the boat. Not a great experience when you’re 3 miles out to sea. One of the guys resorted to using his thermos to quieten it down a bit!

If you want to know any more about what’s biting locally, then call me at the Nelson pub on (08) 8738 4011.

Bream anglers focussing their attention on structure during the 2005 MotorGuide Glenelg River BREAM Challenge.