How to catch a Bream?

When it comes to bream fishing these guys are some of the easiest fish to tackle. Any amateur level fishermen or fisherwomen should have a go at bream fishing.

Often Black Bream will have an olive/silver body and brown to black fins. Great looking fish and are similar to Silver Bream, Pink Snapper and Yellowfin Bream.

 

Location

Bream are commonly found in estuaries and rivers where they live most of their lives and are very hardy fish. Coming from brackish water conditions these guys are often found near banks, pilons, boat ramps, and fallen tree branches.

Generally, anywhere there is structure in estuaries and rivers you’ll find Bream.

 

Best time of day

Black Bream can be caught any time of the day but the best time I’ve found is either at dawn or dusk. Fish, in general, are often most active during first light and last light when they hunt for prey or scavenge around looking for food.

 

What type of setup should you use?

When it comes to catching Bream keep in mind that Black Bream are opportunistic feeders and scavenge around for their food. These guys will take a number of different baits and lures.

A lot of different set-ups can be used but a good point to start from is with a light rod and reel combo paired up with a light fishing line. Anywhere from a 7′ to 9′ rod with a 2500 reel will do the job. Either use a 4lb to 6lb braid line or 8lb to 10lb monofilament.

 

Bait

When it comes to bait fishing for Black Bream my go-to rig for estuaries is a running sinker rig with either a circle or bait holder hook.

Generally, any type of bait will do the damage. Black Bream will take cut mullet, pipis, worms, bread, bread crumb, crabs, prawns, sandworms and grubs. As you can see the list can go on and on.

 

 

Lure

Similar to bait fishing a lot of different lures can be used including soft plastics, hard bodies and blades/vibes.

But what has worked really well for me in the past is soft plastic grubs and crustaceans. As a rough guide, I either use a 1/8 or 1/16 oz jig head and size 1/0 hook.

Jig head sizes will all depend on the size of the soft plastic you will be using and the water conditions. For calmer days you can get away with something as light as a 1/16 oz. But on rougher days you will need something that carries a bit more weight.

 

 

Legal catch limits and sizes

Legal catch limits and sizes will vary from state to state but for us Victorians as advised from VFA ‘Victorian Fisheries Authority’ our minimum size limit is 28 cm. Measured from the tip of the mouth to the tip of the tail. Our daily bag limit is also 10 per person.

Please abide by these regulations as Bream play a vital role in our estuaries. Also, enable us to fish for these guys in the future.

Information and Image referenced from VFA ‘Victorian Fisheries Authority’

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *