EP 180: ABT, Round 2, Mallacoota 7-8 Feb, 2026

🎣 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
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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.