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Lowrance HDS Storm Home to Victory at Metung

The weekend of the 21st and 22nd of March saw 52 teams make the trip to million dollar Metung for the Club Marine East Gippsland Bream Classic. Conditions were absolutely picture perfect for the event and some were saying that the conditions may have been just too perfect to get the bream to bite eagerly. For Team Lowrance HDS's Paul Malov and Alex Franchuk their fine form from 2014 was going to continue and set a benchmark for the rest of the teams to try and emulate for the remainder of the year.

On Saturday morning anglers awoke to clear skies no wind just the perfect conditions for a full throttle start from Shaving Point. Teams blasted off in all directions but with a healthy majority heading toward the three rivers the Tambo, Mitchell and Nicholson. For Team Lowrance HDS is wasn't any one location that was the plan but to find the necessary structure they were looking for to tempt the large bream needed to secure victory. Once Paul and Alex were in a likely looking spot they used a combination of Millerods Bream Buster Brawler 2-5kg rods matched with Daiwa Steez 2508 and Daiwa Sol 2500 sized reels filled with 10lb braid and 8 to 14lb leaders. "We fishing heavy structure both days. We found the fish sitting deep in amongst snags and pylons. Casting deep into the structure, we let the plastics sink deep down and found most of the bites came close to the bottom. Given this fact, it was crucial to fish with relatively heavy rods, heavy leaders and totally locked drags. Once we got a bite, we'd strike quickly and wind as fast as we could, to try and turn the fish towards the boat and keep them coming - if we gave them a second or two, they'd find their way back into their timber homes" Paul said. As they approached the weigh in on day one there were a number of other teams that had found some quality fish on Day 1 and with 5/5 bream for 4.3kg they found themselves sitting in 6th position and with 5 quality teams above them they would have to produce an amazing second day to take victory.

Day 2 had anglers spirits running high with clear conditions but with a little more breeze than Saturday hopefully meaning more bream eager to eat a lure. For Team Lowrance HDS it was back to find some more of those deep water bream they found holding to structure the day earlier. Using a variety of lures including Zman 2.5" grubs, Damiki 2.5" Monster Miki, Cranka Crabs and Tiemco Stick Minnows. The boys knew that to get the quality fish out of the tight structure was going to take some quality angling and the necessary leaders and so they decided to up the strength of their leaders to 14lb which proved to be a tournament winning move. "Even with 14lb leaders, we managed to get busted off by numerous fish each day, but we had still caught enough quality fish and upgraded several times to put together 2 quality bags" Paul Said. A quality bag on day 2 was an understatement as Paul and Alex came in on day 2 with a cracking 5 bream weighing a thumping 5.16kg bag which handed them the Maria Lures Best Bag and the Club Marine East Gippsland Bream Classic victory. Narrowing winning the JML Anglers Alliance Big Bream with a 1.27kg cracking bream from Team Lowrance HDS who weighed in a 1.26kg beast was Team Colac Tackle Major Craft's Steve Parker and Dan Mackrell. With a victory under their belt and a 3rd place in Rnd 1 Paul and Alex from Team Lowrance HDS are already charging ahead in the Club Marine Team of the Year and break all records and win their 4th Team of the Year crown.

With only one Rnd of the 2015 Atomic Bream Classic Series remaining at Mallacoota for the Engel East Gippsland Bream Classic its your last chance to grab a mate and get amongst the fun and action of fishing a Vic Bream Classic. For more information visit www.vicbreamclassics.com.au or call Tournament Director Bill Hartshorne 0409 823 070.