??? Bream nuts

[brenton 637]

I've just got a question for all the bream nuts out there.There has been a bit of banter on site lately about what the bream are eating at certain times of the year and i was wondering if any of the Gurus out there have established any defined patterns of what they eat and when.For example in the early summer i was having quite i bit of success (for me anyway)catching a decent number of good size bream on S/Ps, 3" minnows seemed to do pretty well early on then as the summer progressed the worm and shrimp imitations were better and now i can't catch a decent fish to save myself and i have the feeling that the fish are eating something else(maybe fish).So my question is this?? Has anyone out there who regularly fishes for bream defined any pattern to what there eating and when or do you just head out and keep chucking many and varied patterns of lure until you crack what happening on the day cheers brenton

[Mickyj 3,204]

I can tell you Brenton the Bream eased up on my "green rubber band baitfish " flies when the weather changed.You know when it went from 40 something down to 18 the bream went quiet.

[Leethal 1]

I notice every year when it comes to winter the fish head for deeper water in the lakes but I always have a lure that seems to work then...well it does most times of the year... and it is soft and plastic!! {SMILIES_PATH}/grin.gif

[Mickyj 3,204]

I notice every year when it comes to winter the fish head for deeper water in the lakes but I always have a lure that seems to work then...well it does most times of the year... and it is soft and plastic!! {SMILIES_PATH}/grin.gif

Well you have the advantge over me Leethal .Or you did in past winters this year I have waders .So I can get out in the lake and cast my Flies further to those damn addictive fish

[David Ciaravolo 34]

Bream are opportunistic feeders so in general they will feed on what is easiest to come by. In summer when the warm water brings multitudes of baitfish to the surface, the Bream will feed on these and Soft and Hard Plastic Minnows work very well. Same when the Prawns are skipping; then Poppers work.Like Lee i've found that in winter the fish head down deep to where warm pockets of water are. Baitfish and Prawns will be most active here, though not in the numbers or at the level of activity during summer/autumn. Everything seems to be a bit slower and Ripping SoftPlastic Minnows usually stops being so effective. Instead Suspending Minnows, fished dead slow have proved deadly for me. It is also in the depths of winter/ early spring that Lipless lures work best of all. Rattles will draw in fish from the surrounding area and the action can be as fast as in Summer, however when the weather is variable or when the fish are slow and hard to tempt, SILENT VIBES Like VXs or muted Jackals tempt finicky fish. At this time i have also found small plastic grubs to be sucessful, especially if your rigging technique allow them to spend a lot of time down in hte strike zone, which is the key to winter fishing, imho.Well thats probably all wrong, but its how i see it anyway...Yak.

[Mickyj 3,204]

Bream are opportunistic feeders so in general they will feed on what is easiest to come by. In summer when the warm water brings multitudes of baitfish to the surface, the Bream will feed on these and Soft and Hard Plastic Minnows work very well. Same when the Prawns are skipping; then Poppers work.Like Lee i've found that in winter the fish head down deep to where warm pockets of water are. Baitfish and Prawns will be most active here, though not in the numbers or at the level of activity during summer/autumn. Everything seems to be a bit slower and Ripping SoftPlastic Minnows usually stops being so effective. Instead Suspending Minnows, fished dead slow have proved deadly for me. It is also in the depths of winter/ early spring that Lipless lures work best of all. Rattles will draw in fish from the surrounding area and the action can be as fast as in Summer, however when the weather is variable or when the fish are slow and hard to tempt, SILENT VIBES Like VXs or muted Jackals tempt finicky fish. At this time i have also found small plastic grubs to be sucessful, especially if your rigging technique allow them to spend a lot of time down in hte strike zone, which is the key to winter fishing, imho.Well thats probably all wrong, but its how i see it anyway...Yak.

It can not be wrong Yak if it works for you .With flies I have found that you always have to fish them slow for Bream .Most times its cast count to 10 two strips stop count to 10 repeat etc.If the water is really deep then count 20 even found myself day dreaming and been upto 30 or 40 and a bream has attacked the fly.Some really unproductive water has produced some follows from small bream with the longer count .Other fish are different mind you every fish I have caught lately have all been count 10 and strip .with the exception of a couple of ST'S they kind of catch themselves at times.Cheers

[JohnPaul 0]

Hi Guyswell I'll agree about the Bream being slow during the colder months and I think that the Adelaide bream rank as the slowest in the country {SMILIES_PATH}/shocked.gif . Around 5 weeks ago I witnessed a Bream bump a suspended crank bait for 15-20 seconds before it was finally hooked. It was the slowest response I have ever witnessed from a bream and changed a couple of presentations for me which then transpired into hookups. I had experienced this type of reaction with soft plastics but never seen it on a hard bodied lure that was left motionless. It was my mate that hooked up and I could watch the bumps in his line and rod.cheersJohn-Paul

[brenton 637]

Thanks for all your input on this thread guys,this is my first winter chasing bream and i,m learning...slowly {SMILIES_PATH}/undecided.gif So far i would have to agree that a much slower presentation is what seems to push the little buggers buttons though having the patience to fish this way is definately a challenge.At this stage i have mainly fished the S/Ps but can see the necessity to use something different.Like Yak said maybe a different presentation is required,I,m guessing he's referring to something like a Carolina rig which would give the casting distance required to get the lure out where it needs to be and keep it in the strike zone,or am i talking out my arse {SMILIES_PATH}/huh.gif cheers brenton

[Mickyj 3,204]

Just one more thing. When I stopped fishing last Friday I got to chating with two older guys who were fishing with bait.One chap told me he had been fishing the lake since it opened in 78 .And in his words we are just approaching the Bream season!!! Of course I said yeah but your fishing with bait !!! So with bait the Bream fishing is about to pick up .And us people with flies or those plastics things u guys buy will need to try harder or catch other fish .

[David Ciaravolo 34]

Like Yak said maybe a different presentation is required,I,m guessing he's referring to something like a Carolina rig which would give the casting distance required to get the lure out where it needs to be and keep it in the strike zone,or am i talking out my arse {SMILIES_PATH}/huh.gif cheers brenton

Yep ur right Brenton, thats what i was referring to, a rig which allows you to keep the plastic in the zone for the majority of the retrieve not just the pause or drop. Check ya PMs.Yak.

[Jupiter 0]

In these tough times, a HB that still has alot of action on the slowest of retrieves will usually come up trumps.By action i mean more roll than wiggle {SMILIES_PATH}/wink.gif

[brenton 637]

Thanks for all your help chaps,i will be some of this stuff in the near future {SMILIES_PATH}/wink.gif cheers brenton

[croc41 0]

G'Day BrentonHave you tried a white bait pattern yet? ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ???croc

[brenton 637]

Hi Croc Yes i tried almost everything during early winter and the best results were on the brighter lures and a heavier jig also helped,which took me a fair while to figure out i,m afraid but they were still pretty slow though.Next season i don,t think i,ll bother fishing for em till about now or i could get the bug to try and figure them out a bit more,there are certainly some good tips in the above posts that might be worth exploring further cheers brenton

[David Ciaravolo 34]

Got the Yak out in the lake yesterday. IT was very windy and hard to navigate in the yak but as always well worth it. At first i found the fishing slow with my conventional rattlers not producing the goods. A switch to small Lipless blade lures and 'bang' the fish were happy to play ball. Got about 10 all up and only a couple just legal. I only had 2.5-3 hours so i was fairly happy. As always the best fish of the day got away after straightning my trebble!!! All fish were caught close to the bottom with a very subtle retrieve!

[brenton 637]

You keep talking up those vx,s Yak but you didn,t upgrade the trebles ,tsk tsk.I,d love a Kayak but the boat might sit in the driveway more than it does ATM. cheers brenton

[__matt__ 0]

Ive found that in summer i tend to get more fish on smallish worm immo's, like the gulp 3" fry (lime tiger seems to be the most productive, dont know why! ) Cut them down to the 'B' in berkley, (you'll see what I mean!) bream tend to smack em more readilly then. This winter the most consistantly reliable plastic ive been using is the new squidge stealth prawn, 50mm, in the wasabi colour. This has worked head and shoulders above most other plastics ive been using, fished with a 1/14 head. I fish every day, and tend to go through a packet of them every 4 or so days. That said, im yet to get any bream on the stealth's in the pink, again why i do not know. BREAM ARE WEIRD!!hope this helps

[brenton 637]

I,ve used them as well with some success but have only tried the resin heads,there great except the replacement heads have a heavier hook than the ones that come with the pack and they tend to flip the prawn upside down on the drop,I must give the heavier jig heads a go though. chees brenton

[David Ciaravolo 34]

You keep talking up those vx,s Yak but you didn,t upgrade the trebles ,tsk tsk. cheers brenton

hehe, Actually i did change my trebbles but , while i upped the size of my hook, I opted for a FINE WIRE hook, as i find they have better penetration and will bend free from snaggs. My strike must have been average and the hook didnt go all the way in; hooked up on the tip of the trebble, a few powerful surges from a decent bream and, the trebble was straight! Damn!

[brenton 637]

I stand corrected. cheers brenton

[Leethal 1]

hehe, Actually i did change my trebbles but , while i upped the size of my hook, I opted for a FINE WIRE hook, as i find they have better penetration and will bend free from snaggs. My strike must have been average and the hook didnt go all the way in; hooked up on the tip of the trebble, a few powerful surges from a decent bream and, the trebble was straight! Damn!

While that is a good idea that the treble will bend free from snags, you were fishing in west lakes on a yak, firstly I dont think I have been snagged in the lakes in open water for...I cant remember how long and secondly if you got snagged on a chain next to a pontoon your on a yak the chances of gettting that lure back of is like 95% :icon_lol:So in my opinion I would use the standard owner trebles and take that small risk of losing a lure wouldnt you?? Anyway do you notice a hook up rate different between the fine wire and standard?? As in bream are more likely to hit a lure with the fine wire hooks?? CheersLee

[David Ciaravolo 34]

While that is a good idea that the treble will bend free from snags, you were fishing in west lakes on a yak, firstly I dont think I have been snagged in the lakes in open water for...I cant remember how long and secondly if you got snagged on a chain next to a pontoon your on a yak the chances of gettting that lure back of is like 95% :icon_lol:So in my opinion I would use the standard owner trebles and take that small risk of losing a lure wouldnt you?? Anyway do you notice a hook up rate different between the fine wire and standard?? As in bream are more likely to hit a lure with the fine wire hooks?? CheersLee

I rig em all different, so ive got the right lure for the situation, ie not all are rigged with Fine Wires, or even the same size hook, nor even the same rings. When i do go finewire i usually go up a size as the reduced profile allows for this, plus the wider gap (usually ) means better hook ups. Standard Owners are the norm, but arent the best for all situations especially when fishing with 3lb leaders or down VERY deep. I dont mind changing or replacing trebbles, i view them a totally disposable hardware, but as Leethal eluded; at the end of the day its better to have the fish in the boat, than all the right tackle for a situation that never eventuates (if only i had a crystal ball!).Also this time was not casting the vibes at pontoons, rather working deep in open water over sumberged structure. These piles of bricks, shopping trolleys and crates are very snaggy and i have lost vibes though not many as i usually bend the hooks straight to free them. In the past month or so i have still lost 6VX35s and 2 Damiki Pro Vaults!, and its wearing thin, hence the finewire down deep!!Leethal; cant say that i get more hits using finewire, but when Trout fishing the hookup rate is way better with the FW. On Bream im not so sure. It wouldnt have much bearing down that deep i wouldnt think, but it does allow for a very aggressive action on the Damiki Vaults.Dave.

[elv1990 0]

went fishing last week using those small black crabs u find and was at west lakes for about seven hours and didnt even get a bite on ithad a bit more luck using those crabs about 11 weeks ago when it was a bit warmer.does anyone have luck using those crabs?

[Leethal 1]

Standard Owners are the norm, but arent the best for all situations especially when fishing with 3lb leaders or down VERY deep. I dont mind changing or replacing trebbles, i view them a totally disposable hardware, but as Leethal eluded; at the end of the day its better to have the fish in the boat, than all the right tackle for a situation that never eventuates (if only i had a crystal ball!).Also this time was not casting the vibes at pontoons, rather working deep in open water over sumberged structure. These piles of bricks, shopping trolleys and crates are very snaggy and i have lost vibes though not many as i usually bend the hooks straight to free them. In the past month or so i have still lost 6VX35s and 2 Damiki Pro Vaults!, and its wearing thin, hence the finewire down deep!!Leethal; cant say that i get more hits using finewire, but when Trout fishing the hookup rate is way better with the FW. On Bream im not so sure. It wouldnt have much bearing down that deep i wouldnt think, but it does allow for a very aggressive action on the Damiki Vaults.Dave.

So what you are saying is that you have some artificial structure in west lakes?? So do you find using a fine wire treble to the standard on a lure the action of the lure is different at all compared to changing the size of the treble? I havent really experimented much with changing of hook sizes etc too much but have tried the fine wire hooks and in one 7 hour session I went through a pack of the trebles on pretty much one lure from bream squashing them or straightening them out on rocks etc but as you said it was good not losing that lure, especially when it is the one working and catching the fish in a time when it is more important then others. :)And what do you think of the vaults I havent used one yet or even bought one??Lee

[David Ciaravolo 34]

went to WL yesterday out in the Yak again. It was nice to be properly set up and to have some extra time up my sleve. I got there around 1pm. It was windy as hell and the lumps were aproaching 3/4 of a foot, which in an inflaitable makes u feel like ur on a bad show ride :POnce again i stuck to using lipless cranks only and it proved to be a good choice. Now while I didnt mannage any honkers, i did manage 10 bream 6 of which were legal, none were over 35cm.2 fish on a Damiki Vault and the rest on VX 35s. I found a range of retrieves to fool the fish, but the most reliable was to work the lure with a tight line very slow retrieve with periodic double lifts of about 15-30cm. I found more agressive retrieves worked better down deep and where i had no action for a while. Around shallow structure a couple of wrist flicks followed by mending the line was all that was required, but not too many decent fish were hanging in the shallows as the freezing wind had super-chilled the surface.twas a good day out, but the 20min full bore paddle back into a 20knt headwind howling from the south was not fun and my arms are still sore, and my nose frostbitten!

[snake 1]

bream are one of those fish that switch on with tide movement,low light,discolored water etc.and if it aint to thier satifaction switch off just as quick and nothing seems to get em going especially in cold winter weather water,try using a larger lure than u would usually use on bream, i use hardcore hb suspended lures which have a rather aggressive wobble and really work the rod tip in short aggresive bursts then let the lure rest for a few seconds then repeat the process all the way in,these lures are deep divers but work well in the deeper sections of the onk ,but u need to work the same area for longer than usual as this more aggresive type of lure fishing has bagged me some thumper bream when all else has failed by not relying on their hunger but their aggresion at having a larger fish bully their way in to his territory!thats why bream are such a great fish to catch if they were easy to catch anytime of the day all year round you would get bored and take up golf!ha