In this episode of The BREAM Fishing Project, we recap Round 2 of the Vic BREAM Classics — the 2025 Atomic East Gippsland BREAM Classic, held at Mallacoota Inlet on 13–14 September 2025 (rescheduled earlier in the year due to weather).

This one delivers three different stories, three different approaches, and three strong results, with a full breakdown of key prizes, bite windows, tides, and detailed angler interviews from the teams that finished on the podium.

Sunline Best Bag: Team Bream Burglars (Liam Allen & Marlon Thompson) — 5 fish / 4.885kg

Eco Gear Big BREAM: Team Fanatics (Phil Hulsman & Ben Thompson) — 1.165kg

Zip Baits Monster Movers: Team EGM Revisited (Paul & Justin Conn) — 4.025kg and moved up 24 places to finish 19th

Junior Angler Prize: Team On The Drop (Beau May) — finished 38th

Miller Rogue: Team MAD (Mark Cribbes & Dean Gamble) — flathead 81.5cm

Saturday

Fish activity wheel: 28

Minor bite: 8:10–9:10

Low: 5:56am / 0.4

High: 12:05pm / 1.19

Sunday

Fish activity wheel: 13

Minor bite: 9:00–10:30

Low: 6:50am / 0.44

High: 1:19pm / 1.4

Braddley Young & Harry Young — 8.100kg total

Day 1: 4.010kg

Day 2: 4.090kg

Key takeaways:

Built an early bag fast fishing up-river and working through schools

Used Eagle Eye sonar to identify fish and help target better quality fish

Key lures included Double Clutch hardbodies, plus Bent Minnow when things slowed

Notable observation: increased activity under wattle flowers on the surface

Line: 4lb FC Rock

Late-day adjustments + strategic moves to lock in upgrades

Steven Emerson & Damien Dwyer — 8.215kg total

Day 1: 4.150kg (included 1.015kg kicker)

Day 2: 4.065kg

Key takeaways:

Started on fish located on the sounder during prefish (marked but not pressured)

Strong early bag using a Z-Man grub (slow worked along the bottom in ~12ft)

Heavy by-catch (tailor/salmon) and managing efficiency through the day

Used Active Target in scout mode to find fish and guide casts

Key adjustment on Sunday: dropped to 2lb when it glassed off, improving bite rate

Core pattern: motor oil grubs + subtle bites, steady upgrades, and relocating away from the pack

Liam Allen & Marlon Thompson — 9.215kg total

Day 1: 4.885kg (included 1.155kg big BREAM)

Day 2: 4.330kg

Key takeaways:

Locked into Top Lake due to conditions and fish numbers

Core lure: Hurricane Sprat on 1/20, fished slow, allowing long sink time into the zone

Major pattern: fish were often deeper than expected (2–3m off the edge), with many bites coming after the lure sat on the bottom

Bite style: many fish were “already on” when lifting the lure rather than clear taps

Leaders: 4lb fluorocarbon

Huge weekend haul including trophies, prize packs, and additional awards (Sunline biggest bag, rods, and more)

A fascinating event recap — especially when you compare it to the Hobie competition fished the same weekend just a couple of hours up the coast, where results were completely different.

Thanks for listening, and I’ll talk to you next week on The BREAM Fishing Project.