Ep 163: ABT Grand Final 2025 – Winner’s Interview: Mark “Crommo” Crompton (Full Report)

Welcome back to The Bream Fishing Project—this is Part 2 of our ABT Grand Final 2025 wrap, the winner’s report with Mark “Crommo” Crompton. Across three days split between Marlo – Bemm River – Marlo, Crommo delivered a full 15-fish limit for 13.795 kg (as stated in the interview), with day bags called out in the chat including: Day 1 (Marlo): 5 for 4.430 kg Day 2 (Bemm River): 5 for 4.010 kg Day 3 (Marlo): 5 for 5.355 kg Inside this hour you’ll hear (all straight from the interview): Mindset & game plan: staying calm, backing a tight zone, and choosing bag first over hero hunting. Reading the system in spawn: why he targeted transition water and used schools of salmon/EPs as a clue, not a distraction. Slow-motion presentations: letting prawn imitations soak for minutes until the ‘tick’. Lures & weights mentioned: Smash Baits/Roz prawn shapes and Hurricane Sprat 75 fork tail, commonly on 1/40–1/20–1/12 heads, swapping by depth, wind and salmon pressure; colours called out included “beer bottle/duro” (Smash Bait) and Machete/Cleaver (Hurricane). Terminal choices: BKK hooks on Daiwa Covert or Bait Junkie jig heads. Leaders & main line: ~3 rod lengths of 3-lb J-Thread Finesse to a 12-carrier PE (diameter-first thinking). Electronics & boat control: dual-view ActiveTarget (forward + perspective), Power-Poles for shallow anchoring when spot-lock wasn’t viable. Rods & reels he loves: the ultra-light old 7’3” “Geck” sticks, and Daiwa Exist/Tatula 2500 shallow spools. Product talk: first impressions of ShyneAway line mattifier—how he applies it and the simple “didn’t hurt me” verdict. A moment that matters: celebrating with his wife Dani and Alvy (“There’s my daddy—he just won a boat!”). The prize pack (as described): Ally Craft Bass Pro Series 530 with Mercury 150 Pro XS Racing, full Garmin kit with Force electric and LiveScope, Green Marine lithiums, on a Redco trailer—quoted at ~$95k total. Big thanks in the ep to: Steve Morgan & Nicole at ABT, and to sponsors/support mentioned by Mark: Daiwa, Lowrance, Power-Pole, Rise Above Plumbing. If you enjoyed this, please follow/subscribe and leave a rating—it really helps. — Join The Collective (early access + live sessions & extras): breamfishingproject.supercast.com Instagram: @thebreamfishingproject Host: Andrew Death (2019 Hobie Kayak Fishing World Champion) Bullet Highlights (for quick skim in apps) Winner’s mindset: calm, bag-first strategy Where/why: transition zones during spawn Lures: Smash Baits/ prawn shapes & Hurricane Sprat 75 FT Weights: 1/40–1/20–1/12 depending on wind/depth/salmon Leader: ~3 rod lengths of 3-lb J-Thread Finesse Live imaging: forward + perspective; how he avoided spooking Boat control: Power-Poles > spot-lock on skinny flats Gear chat: BKK hooks, Daiwa Exist/Tatula, the featherweight 7’3” “Geck” Product: ShineAway line mattifier—how he applies it Family moment + prize pack (~$95k)