EP 179: ABT, Round 1, Gippsland Lakes 3-4 February 2026

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?

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🎙 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.

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