Help catching bream for a newbie

[lfcfan123 0]

I'm new to fishing (as in just started this week). I thought I'd try catching some bream at West Lakes to get started but haven't had any luck these past 3 days. 

 

I've tried everything I can think of; baiting with bread and pilchard chunks, soft plastic lure, running sinker and no sinker,  different methods of retrieving the lure, cast close to the bank and far away, however I can't seem to get any fish to bite. 

 

I can see the bream in the water but the big ones just stare at my bait or lure for a while then swim away while the little ones crowd it and take nibbles out of the bait or follow the lure around. 

 

I'm using a combo rod and reel I bought from BCF (I'm on a tight budget). It's a 6'6 4-8kg spinning rod with a 3000 reel;Pryml commando. The tackle I've been using is the ready-made Bream tackle box again from BCF and I've been using a zman grubs 2.5" Amber soft plastics (the curly tailed ones). 

 

Any help or tips will help, or do I have to keep trying till some bites?

[Mickyj 3,204]

Ok while I’m layed up I can answer some of your questions 

1 if you see bream they see you  2 soft plastics if it’s high tide cast the direction the tide comes in or if it’s low tide cast the other direction . That’s what I was told when I went from hardbodies to plastics .

3 bait I haven’t used it in years but perhaps burley up with something 

4 on your soft plastics try some scent 

5 I assuming when you use the plastic you cast let it sink two twitches and repeat I used to do that ,

hope that helps 

[daninozz 26]

Don't worry mate your not the only one to struggle when it comes to fishing for bream especially in West Lakes.

I have been using plastics and bait for bream, this biggest issue with fishing in West Lakes the residents over feed the bream, they grow up with being fed pretty much every day. I am yet to hook a bream in west lakes on a plastic as I refuse to use weightless jig heads.

I got told that if you use bread roll it up into a ball put it on your hook, dunk the bread in the water so you get some weight on the hook, then you can cast out alot further bream would love that.

The bream are hard to get because they are smart and incredibly finicky, they spook so easy its ridiculous.

The best advice I got from fishing for bream in west lakes would be don't use a sinker if they feel any weight on the line they will drop it. for bait I'd suggest  unweighted bread, pillie or prawn on 4lb - 6lb max fluorocarbon line.

But don't let the lake get you down I had been fishing for ages until I gave up as I was getting no where went to have a flick with some salmon trout in the port, they will take anything they aren't very fussy at all.

I was fishing off the breakwall in outer harbor in my yak for whiting, decided to take out another rod give it a flick along the rockwall, and I hooked my first 28cm bream on plastics, for me I was so amazed as I wasn't even thinking bream would be along the wall, thats what I love about fishing its so unpredictable.

But I would suggest heading to Torrens Island or in the Port get out of the lake it can be frustrating that's for sure.

Most importantly Goodluck and persistance is key

Tight lines

here is the bream I hooked in outer harbor off the break wall.

 

 

 

 

[mrfish 327]

what ime of the day are you fishing. Better chance at dawn or dusk. Used to get heaps just fishing unweighted baits, pichards, prawn or carp chunks. 

you may struggle to cast unweighted with a 3000 size reel if you have heavy line. i use no more than 6 lb line for bream. A 2-4 kg rod would be better suited but if thats all you got then that is fine.

Should be coming up to salmon trout season in the lake so you should get onto a few fish on lures when they are about

 

[yellow door 1 1,821]

If you can - fish everything unweighted with alot of slack in your line. Any resistance on spooky fish will make them drop the bait. If you have to use  sinkers - make sure its the bare minimum to get you bait out there and that its a running sinker. 

The first time a fish should feel any resistance is when you set the hook as you see your slack line tighten

Live 10c to 20c sized crabs are my number one bait for bigger bream - live marine worms would be the best all rounder for all sized bream.

Second string baits are Live garden worms (especially after rain out the front of a drain mouth), freshly shucked local mussel, yabbies and peeled prawn tails.

Then you get into the lower tier baits like frozen or dead stuff.

But if you get super frustrated and arent catching - go buy some live local sand worm - very few species can resist. Scooping live shrimp and prawns are also dynamite baits. The closer to live, the better the bait, in my experience

Even though buying worms is expensive - after a few dud sessions - you begin to think - what is my time worth? If throwing $10 at bait, turns you into a bream catching machine - its $10 well spent.

Just in case I havent been clear - get the best bait you possibly can - in some places thats bread - in some places thats live minnows - but in all places - live sand worm will put a few on the hook