The Bream Fishing Project

🎣 Mallacoota ABT 2026 Wrap-Up | Mark Healey’s 3-Peat, Non-Boater Battles & Tactical Breakdowns
In this episode of The BREAM Fishing Project, we head to one of Australia’s most iconic tournament arenas — Mallacoota, Victoria — to wrap up the Victorian leg of the ABT Road Show for 2026.

Held across February 7–8, this round delivered classic Mallacoota conditions — glassed-out mornings, spooky fish, heavy prawn activity, and a brutal 40+ knot northeaster that turned the final session into survival mode.

And at the top of it all… Mark Healey makes history with a three-peat at Mallacoota.

This is a deep-dive tournament breakdown packed with real-world tactics, lure selection, decision-making under pressure, and the subtle details that separate top-10 finishes from the rest of the field.

🏆 EVENT RESULTS SNAPSHOT
Non-Boater Division
🥇 1st – Robert Bluemink – 4.997kg
🥈 2nd – Michael Sammut – 4.601kg
🥉 3rd – Darcy Clifton – 4.524kg

Boater Division
🥇 1st – Mark Healey – 10.131kg (Three-peat winner)
🥈 2nd – Mario Vukic – 9.707kg
🥉 3rd – Jarrod Healey – 9.372kg

🌊 CONDITIONS & KEY PATTERNS

Glass-out mornings with highly visible fish on edges and flats

Spooky fish behaviour – requiring finesse presentations

Heavy prawn influence across both days

Mid-water fish holding identified via live sonar

Strong northeaster (up to 40 knots) impacting final-day strategy

Tidal timing critical for access to larger yellowfin down the front

🧠 WHAT YOU’LL LEARN IN THIS EPISODE
This episode is loaded with practical, tournament-level insights you can apply straight away:

🔹 Non-Boater Strategies

Fishing deeper water behind boaters to find untouched fish

Adjusting lure profiles when fish are present but not feeding

Using LiveScope/sonar feedback to refine presentations

Managing pressure and upgrades across two days

🔹 Boater Winning Tactics

Mark Healey’s two-zone strategy (lake system + front system)

Timing tide windows for big yellowfin BREAM bites

Using topwater, twitch baits, and prawn imitations to match conditions

Adapting to wind, current, and boat pressure

🔹 Key Lure Patterns

SPRAT plastics on light jigheads (1/16–1/12)

Hybrid prawn imitations for mid-water fish

Bent minnows for early topwater fish

Chubbies & twitch baits for structured edges

Crabs and shallow minnows as upgrade tools

🧵 GEAR & TECHNIQUE INSIGHTS

Light leaders: 3–6lb fluorocarbon for natural presentation

Ultra-light rod setups for finesse lure control

Adjusting jighead weight to match wind, depth, and current

Watching fish behaviour on sonar to guide retrieve style

The importance of slow presentations and patience in pressured systems

🎯 KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM MALLOCOOTA 2026

You didn’t need numbers — you needed quality bites

Prawn imitations were the dominant pattern across both divisions

Sight-casting and subtle presentations were critical in clear water

Mid-water fish played a bigger role than bottom-holding fish

Timing the front system correctly was the difference maker

🔗 LINKS & COMMUNITY
👉 Join The BREAM Fishing Project Collective
Early episode access, live streams, bonus content and challenges:
https://breamfishingproject.supercast.com

📸 Follow along on Instagram
@thebreamfishingproject

🌐 Website & community updates
https://breamfishingproject.com

🙌 THANK YOU
Massive thanks to all the anglers who took the time to jump on the mic after long tournament days — your willingness to share knowledge is what makes this project possible.

And to everyone who filled out the recent listener survey — your feedback is helping shape the future of the show.

🎧 Subscribe, share and leave a review if you enjoyed this episode — it helps grow the BREAM community and keeps these stories coming.

The BREAM Fishing Project
Informing, inspiring, and entertaining Australia’s BREAM anglers every week.

ABT 2026 Season Opener – Gippsland Lakes | Winning Techniques, Gear, and Tournament Breakdown

The 2026 ABT season is officially underway — and it starts with a cracker event at Gippsland Lakes.

In this episode of The Bream Fishing Project Podcast, we break down the ABT Gippsland Lakes Round (February 3–4, 2026) with full tournament results, in-depth angler interviews, bite period analysis, and the exact techniques that produced winning bags.

If you want to catch bigger BREAM in tournaments or recreationally, this episode is loaded with practical insights from anglers who were right at the top of the leaderboard.

📍 Event Overview – ABT Gippsland Lakes

Dates: February 3–4, 2026

Location: Gippsland Lakes, Victoria

Conditions: Tough bite periods, shifting wind, and subtle presentations required

Winning weight (boaters): 12.81 kg

Winning weight (non-boaters): 5.413 kg

🌊 Key Bite Windows & Conditions
We break down the fish activity wheel, tides, and major/minor bite periods, including:

Major bite windows late in both sessions

Low tide early morning, rising into strong late-session periods

Subtle bites and structure-oriented fish behaviour

Understanding this pattern was critical to unlocking the better fish during both competition days.

🥇 Top Performances – Non Boater Division
🥇 Simon Krause – 1st Place (5.413 kg)

Slim Swims rigged weedless on light jigheads

River fish holding 1.5–1.8m off banks

Slow bottom hops and subtle rod shakes

Last-minute upgrade on a Jackall Chubby sealed the win

🥈 David Morris – 2nd Place (5.318 kg)

Hardbody spike bite on shallow flats

Hurricane Sprat upgrade fish

Ultra-fine copolymer leader for extra bites

🥉 Allan Morrison – 3rd Place (5.187 kg)

Heavy mussel patterns on jetties

Slow bottom presentation with long pauses

Over-1kg average fish across his bag

🥇 Top Performances – Boater Division
🥇 Steven Pryke – 1st Place (12.81 kg)

Bloodworm grubs and dock fishing

High water-column fish holding around pontoons

Final-hour upgrade fish each day secured the win

Strong hook-sets on heavier gear to control big fish

🥈 Mark Healey – 2nd Place (12.152 kg)

Cranka Crabs all tournament

Fishing deep structure and jetty bases

Slow presentations — bites coming off the bottom

Precision casting within inches of structure

🥉 Mario Vukic – 3rd Place (11.404 kg)

Soft plastics (Wave Minnow, Bloodworm)

Livescope + structure fishing in Mitchell River

Tide-driven fish movement and schooling behaviour

🎣 Key Techniques Covered in This Episode
✔️ Fishing slim plastics weedless from the back of the boat
✔️ Using Cranka Crabs on structure for big BREAM
✔️ When to fish light leaders vs heavy leaders
✔️ How to adjust when fish are sitting high vs on the bottom
✔️ The importance of last-hour upgrades in tournaments
✔️ Using side imaging and Livescope to locate fish
✔️ Managing pressure, nerves, and decision-making across two days

🧰 Lures & Gear Mentioned

Jackall Chubby Crankbaits

Daiwa Spikes & Wise Minnow

Hurricane Sprat

Zman Slim Swim soft plastics

Bloodworm grubs

Cranka Crabs

Atomic jigheads (weedless setups)

Shimano Vanford 

Daiwa reels and Infeet rods

🧠 Big Takeaways from Gippsland Lakes 2026

Structure was key — jetties, docks, river edges

Light lines = more bites, but heavier gear = better control in structure

Fish often required slow, patient presentations

The last hour of each day was critical for upgrades

Anglers who adapted quickly to conditions finished at the top

🔥 Want More Like This?
If you want to improve your BREAM fishing and learn directly from Australia’s top tournament anglers…

👉 Join The Bream Fishing Project Collective

🎣 Early access to podcast episodes
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🎣 Exclusive tutorials, challenges & bonus content

Join here:
👉 https://breamfishingproject.supercast.com

🎙 About The Podcast
The Bream Fishing Project Podcast is your weekly deep dive into Australian BREAM tournament fishing, featuring:

Elite anglers

Winning techniques

Tackle breakdowns

Tournament reports

And everything you need to catch more and bigger BREAM

Hosted by Andrew Death, 2019 Hobie Kayak Fishing World Champion.

⭐ Enjoying the show?
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✔️ Follow the podcast
✔️ Leave a rating/review
✔️ Share it with a mate who loves BREAM fishing

It helps the show grow and allows us to keep bringing you more content like this.

🎧 Next Episode:
We head to Mallacoota for the next ABT round — don’t miss it.

In this episode of The Bream Fishing Project, we head to South Australia to review the BREAM Masters South Australia (BMSA) Tackle Tactics Championship Round 2025, held on the Port River on November 2nd, 2025.

This was a strong finish to the season with good numbers of legal BREAM weighed in, and it also rounded out a standout year for Paul Cook, who capped things off with a huge result across the season.

Results – Top 5

1st: Paul Cook – 2.17kg

2nd: Josh Bland – 2.09kg

3rd: Ben Harrison – 2.01kg

=4th: Craig Richards – 1.81kg

=4th: Ryan Ottens – 1.81kg

What you’ll hear in this episode
Ben Harrison (3rd – 2.01kg) breaks down a strong pre-fish session, how the day changed with tide movement, and how he mixed Crabbies, Hurricane Skimps and a late hardbody upgrade run — with lightning, rain, and a couple of painful late mistakes.

Josh Bland (2nd – 2.09kg) talks through a no pre-fish approach, fishing a central Port River structure zone, and his lure rotation including the Spike 53 medium running, Bait Junkie Prawn 2.35” (Clear Gold) on a 1/30 jighead, and a bite window on mussel-style lures around pylons — plus his thoughts on the wider impacts of the toxic algal bloom in SA.

Paul Cook (1st – 2.17kg) rounds out the show, reflecting on a rough pre-fish a month out, how conditions improved in the weeks leading in, and the “less is more” mindset that helped him lock in a tight gameplan — focusing on edges, small profiles, and maximising time fishing rather than travelling. He also covers the season wrap-up, prize packs, and what it means to take the championship and season achievements.

The Collective (community + challenges)
If you’re looking to connect with more anglers and get involved in challenges, Zoom sessions, and community chat, check out The Bream Fishing Project Collective (now running on Discord):
breamfishingproject.supercast.com

Big thanks to the volunteers behind BREAM Masters South Australia for putting in the work to run the series, and to the sponsors supporting the season.

I’ve put together a short listener survey to help guide the direction of the podcast — I’d really appreciate your input:

https://forms.gle/QHoU9w6o4HZALKTAA

 

 

Action Fishing Tournaments – Tunks Park (31 Aug 2025) | James Tran wins + Big BREAM (46.5cm), Trent Rogers 2nd, Claudio Araujo 3rd

In this episode of The BREAM Fishing Project, Andrew breaks down the Action Fishing Tournaments round held Sunday 31st August 2025 at Tunks Park (Middle Harbour) — a tough day on the water where half the field didn’t land a fish, but a few anglers cracked the code.

We cover the bite periods + tide info, then jump into the angler interviews with Claudio Arjo (3rd), Trent Rogers (2nd), and James Tran (1st + Big BREAM) — including the stories behind their key fish, the lures they used, and the moments that nearly cost them the result.

Bite periods + tides (as mentioned in the episode)

Fish Activity Wheel: 11

Major bite: 4:01am – 6:31am

Minor bite: 9:25am – 10:55am

Low tide: 6:49am (0.56m)

High tide: 1:46pm (1.32m)

Results (Top 3)
🥇 1st – James Tran: 113.5cm (46.5cm Big BREAM, plus 35cm & 32cm)

Takes home $650 for 1st + $100 Big BREAM

Lands a PB 46.5cm BREAM and wins by 20cm+

🥈 2nd – Trent Rogers: 92cm

Gets his bag fast (first fish around 7:33am), mostly on blades around boats

Takes home $400

🥉 3rd – Claudio Arjo: 91cm (29.5, 29, 32.5)

Finds a bite window early and puts fish together when most struggled

Takes home $250

Lures, gear & patterns discussed (from the interviews)

Deep boat/mooring bite with blades (including Eco Gear VX-35 in 439)

Claudio’s run of fish around 10–12m on a small blade, plus testing a baby vibe (but too slow to sink in that depth)

James mixing muss/crab style lures, Cranka Crab, and Berkley Gulp Crabby, plus the full “comp day chaos” story (bungs, bust-offs, getting snagged on a rope, and climbing onto a boat to free his line)

Shout-outs mentioned

Dane Tamagotchi / Zeus Tackle (Camden)

Adam – fishing.com.au

Steve – Tackle Addiction

Craig + team for running AFT, plus the wider tournament community

Find James Tran
James’ YouTube channel: JG Kayak Fishing

Join “The BREAM Fishing Project Collective”
Early access, extra content, and the community challenges:
https://breamfishingproject.supercast.com

Follow the podcast
Instagram: @thebreamfishingproject

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a rating/review on your favourite podcast platform — it helps more anglers find the show.

Welcome to the Monthly Report episode of The BREAM Fishing Project, hosted by Andrew Death, with regular contributor Brett Geddes, and special guest Steve Morgan.

In this episode, Andrew and Brett are joined by Steve Morgan to cover a wide range of topics around tournament fishing, fishing education, and how anglers develop their skills over time. Steve reflects on his long involvement in fishing media and tournaments, including his approach to teaching anglers and the importance of sharing knowledge within the sport.

The conversation explores how people learn to fish, the influence of magazines and media on modern lure fishing in Australia, and how those learning pathways have changed. Steve also shares insights from fishing and competing across different systems and conditions around the country.

A key part of the episode focuses on tournament fishing, including a detailed discussion of the ABT 2026 season, with commentary on venues, timing, and how different fisheries tend to fish throughout the year. The discussion also touches on decision-making during competition days, fishing pressure, and adapting when conditions or plans change.

Steve also outlines his upcoming Live Sonar course, explaining what it aims to teach, who it’s designed for, and how anglers can better interpret what they’re seeing on their screens when using modern sonar technology.

As always, the episode includes the regular Monthly Report segments:

Full Boof-Head, highlighting moments and behaviour that don’t help the fishing community

What Cheeses Me Off, with reflections on online negativity, community discussion, and broader issues affecting anglers

Other topics covered throughout the episode include:

Learning through experience and observation

Differences in fish behaviour across systems

Shallow versus deep water approaches

How sound, lure presentation, and pressure affect fish

Tournament mindset and adapting throughout a session

The episode wraps up with broader reflections on the fishing community and the importance of constructive conversation and shared learning.