In this episode of The Bream Fishing Project, Andrew breaks down the Atomic Tournament Series Round 1, held at Lake Macquarie on March 14–15.

This was a standout event where numbers of BREAM were high, but consistently upgrading to better-quality fish proved to be the key to success. Across the two days, over 300 fish were weighed, with a noticeable drop in average size on day two, making decision-making and execution critical.

The episode begins with a full breakdown of bite periods, tides, and tournament stats before diving into interviews with the top three teams.

A dominant performance built around one key lure — the Samaki Reddick (40LC).

Fishing shallow flats and edges in 1–3 metres, they focused on slow rolling their lures, keeping them close to the bottom and pausing when needed to trigger bites. Early in the session they identified a freshwater/saltwater line, which held fish and allowed them to quickly build a strong bag.

They filled a bag quickly both days (including a 20-minute bag on day two) and spent the rest of the time upgrading, finishing with over 9kg and taking out Big Bream as well.

A highly consistent approach built around 30mm vibes (matte black, no eyes).

Fishing around 2–2.5 metres off weed edges, they worked vibes along the bottom with a hopping retrieve, with most bites coming on the drop. They secured a bag early and upgraded steadily throughout the day.

Later in the session, they switched to topwater (Force Lures Ziggy), raising fish off structure and landing key upgrades.

A methodical approach starting on the flats before moving deeper to upgrade.

They mixed hard bodies (chubby-style cranks) and plastics, working from shallow water out to 10–15 feet, upgrading fish gradually throughout the day.

A small but critical adjustment — switching from 6lb to 4lb leader — made a noticeable difference in bites.

This is a must-listen episode for anyone looking to improve their tournament BREAM fishing or understand how to break down a system like Lake Macquarie under pressure.