Born to Battle 2026 Winners

THE JUDGING PANEL

With hundreds of elite fishing images submitted, judging wasn’t easy.

Desolve Ambassadors Lennon Bright and John Cahill, alongside the Desolve crew, worked through multiple rounds of scoring to narrow down all the wicked entries, and the judges all came to agreement... The winners had been picked. 

SENDING IT CATEGORY WINNER

Jason Lawrie-Ross

“Life Is About Choices - Sometimes You Don’t Have Long To Make Them.”

Absolute carnage, chaos, and full-send madness captured in a single frame; or as our Head Product Designer, Alex Broad, put it.. “Now that is fully f***ing sending it”.

Photo Description

“Having grown up with fishing, boating and anything to do with water this is life for me and my family. That day was a fishing comp held on the South Coast of Durban South Africa. Two day comp with only a few boat venturing out the 1st day. When launching into the surf you only have seconds to make decisions, in this case I called the wave break wrong and powered straight into the set. With year of surf launching experience I now had to handle thing as they came.

I believe in trusting your equipment and knowing what you and your craft are capable of. Through the 1st wave and into the ZONE. Having to circle back and re time the surf set break, keeping your cool is the name of the game. Reaching the back line with body full of adrenaline and a pail faced wife we headed out for the day. To top things off we won both 2nd places for the men and woman’s king mackerel division.

As your moto reads, 'Take To The Water'.

Enjoy the pics, this is as real as it gets...”

Runner-Up

Michele Pedron

BIG CATCH CATEGORY WINNER

Mez Fletcher

“The absolute ecstasy that came of landing this 30kg bluefin on the spear solo!”

Photo Description

“Severely undergunned (as I was to find), I slipped in with my 1200 wettie roller, half spooled reel and a 15m float line clipped off to a tiny float. 

Swimming as hard as I can towards where I think the fish are heading, I attempt to calm my heart rate, a difficult combination of things to do. I pop my head up to hear Matt yelling, ‘THEY’RE COMING TOWARDS YOU’, and I get ready for them to appear out of the abyss.

I wasn’t overly convinced that it was a perfect shot, but also at this point, I thought I’d shot a 15kg fish. It dove straight down, peeling line off my reel. Matt threw me my second gun, and juggling the gun and fish I managed land another spear.

A lot of tussling later, getting tangled in reel line and being nearly drowned by a diving tuna, I managed to get the fish back in my hands and bear hug it.

Wrapped up in two reel guns worth of line and a float line, Matt drove over to me and gaffed the fish out of my arms. It was only once we got in the boat that we realized the magnitude of it. 

A genuine 30kg school bluefin, effectively solo, on a reel gun. I was absolutely elated, horrified at how much danger I’d put myself in, but incredibly happy to have landed the fish of a lifetime out of my home port.”

Judges Comments

"One word, Emotion! There is nothing more powerful in photography than emotion in my opinion, this image exemplifies that, you can feel the energy in this shot!"

Lennon Bright
Desolve Ambassador / Photographer

"I just loved the vibe of the shot, It just oozes froth and genuine love of the chase”

John Cahill
Desolve Ambassador

Photographer Bio

“I began fishing when I was 5 years old, with a nice brace of King George whiting off Balnarring beach. I was hooked, and it became a reliable and enjoyable way to spend quality time with my dad. 

Fishing for me is the whole experience, from ocean to plate. Catching a fish, brain-spiking, bleeding it, icing it, harvesting the most I can from it and producing a dish that does the fish ultimate justice.

Like many, I’m a victim of ‘tuna fever’, and this local school fish season I’ve put my time into spearing them."

Runner-Up

Nigel Ah-Cann

“First trip out with the new Desolve Swordfish hoodie and hat providing the goods ⚔️”

PRO CATEGORY WINNER

Keaun Beacom

“Discipline Reaps Reward”

Photo Description

“I personally have put a lot of time in on this River, and days like this do not happen often. Will has had a tough go at this location and has been trying to get a solid fish out of here for the last 4 years. 

After nagging Will to return with me, he finally gave in, and we timed it just right after watching flows and weather pattern, we chose the window and clicked send. After parking the ute, booting up and hitting the water, I came tight on a solid brown within the first 10 minutes, I knew it was on.

Will was up next and sure enough he found this cracker brown, with a lush backdrop and a showcase of NZ's pristine clear water, the photo came together. As always, this brown lived to see another day, or maybe another stonefly! At the days end we pinned 5 Solid browns, Nothing under 5lb.”

Judges Comments

"This shot stands out for its photography fundamentals, the light and editing makes the subject pop, the depth of field draws the eye to the trout, its tack sharp where it should be and the composition is spot on. Most importantly of all it tells a story of an epic moment and makes you feel like you are there.” 

Lennon Bright
Desolve Ambassador / Photographer

Photographer Bio

“Before I picked up a fly rod, you would catch me with a camera in hand shooting various subjects, well rounded and open eyes to a variety of interests. Once fly fishing came into my life, everything made sense. This is what I want to shoot for the rest of my life, that’s me! To catch a fish, set up a camera and composition, and capture a self-portrait using a self-timer and shutter burst is no easy feat. A lot of the photos of myself were taken by myself, and every chance I’ve had to capture a friend and fish in front of my lens are moments and stories I will never forget. Life is constantly moving, as are trout; every scene is different, and every day on the water brings new joys and struggles.After cumulated grief and trauma, with the loss of my father at age 4 and my brother Cooper Beacom to suicide when I was 17, I have found peace and been able to process grief and trauma through fly fishing and photography. There will always be more trout and more content to come. For now, enjoy, and as always, Tight Lines, Keep Em Wet, Rip Lips, etc... In Memory of and Fish on for: Jeremy Brooks, Leo Carillo, Cooper Beacom”

Runner-Up

Pete Tadros

“Connected for life… A touching and personal moment between two warriors after a 3hr stand up battle. 300+kg GBT.”

Photo Description

"That was just a day to remember… Fishing with my mate Jamie Triay and his crew in the Canary Islands when they put me onto what I thought was a submarine. Nah mate…just a 300kg+ GBFT. That fish threw me around like a ragdoll for the most epic 3 hour battle. Took a moment to connect with the epic beast and pay my respects for the incredible experience. A sneaky beer or 7 was required for hydration purposes. Special thanks: Jamie Triay (Tuna Paradise) and Nik @ Slack Tide Lures."

Photographer Bio

"I’m a local lad here in Newcastle, NSW. Pretty fortunate to be able to share all sorts of fishing here whether it’s a quick run up the river chasing Flathead and Mulloway or a trip outside hunting Marlin. I also make my own soft plastics for fun. Good mates and great experiences with those in the fishing community is where it’s at for me."

THE BATTLE IS WON

From offshore game fishing chaos to backcountry trout missions, from surf launches to spearfishing triumphs, this competition proved one thing:

The Desolve community lives for the battle.

Huge congratulations to every winner and finalist. The quality of submissions was elite.

A massive thank you to our ambassadors for co-judging, and to our prize partners for helping us build some of the wildest gear bundles we’ve ever given away.

This year set the bar.

Bent rods. Heavy drag. Cold mornings. Salt-stung faces. Trophy fish. Raw emotion.

We’ll see you next year.

Round two is coming. 👀