The complete fishing for Bream guide Australia. How to fish for bream!

Professional Anglers have setup Bream Fishing Tournaments, Companies have made entire product lines of hard body lures, soft plastic lures, reels and rods made specifically to catch Bream. So what could be so great about fishing for Bream?

Bream is a fish everyone can enjoy whether your 11 years old and throwing your first line in the water, a seasoned weekend warrior chasing the "big one", or a professional competing for prize money.

The best part about fishing for Bream is that they can be one of the easiest fish to catch but one of the most challenging to master. So read on and learn how to hone your Bream catching skills.

Australian Bream Species

Yellowfin Bream

Other Names: Sea Bream, Silver Bream, Surf Bream, Eastern Black Bream

Scientific Name: Acanthopagrus Australis

Commonly found: Estuaries, Coastal Areas, Beaches, and Salt Water Rivers.

Size: Up to 65 cm, commonly between 25-30 cm.

Pikey Bream

Other Names: Black Bream.

Scientific Name: Acanthopagrus Berda.

Commonly found: Estuaries, Muddy Salt Water Rivers and Coastal Areas.

Size: Up to 50 cm, commonly between 25-30 cm.

Tarwhine

Other Names: Silver Bream.

Scientific Name: Rhabdosargus Sarba.

Commonly found: Estuaries, Coastal Areas, Beaches, and Salt Water Rivers.

Size: Up to 60 cm, commonly between 25-30 cm.

Bream are known to devour almost anything however they are also been known to be picky at times, so it is best to have a couple of different baits on hand just in case they are being picky. My personal favorite baits are chicken and bread Bream love them and they are cheap and easy to come by.

If you have the opportunity to collect bait in the area you are fishing it will usually perform better than bait bought from the shop or other locations. For example you could pump for yabbies, catch blood worms or sand worms, small crabs or prawns.

Went baiting your hooks take your time this is very important all it takes is one good bite and you're on! Your aim is to present your bait as naturally as possible and disguise your hook inside the bait having as little hook showing as possible.

Best baits:

Prawns, Sand Worms, Blood Worms, Small Crabs, Yabbies, Fish Flesh, Fish Gut, Squid, Bread, Dough, Cheese, Beef, Chicken.

Berley

Your aim when using berley is to attract Bream in the area and entice them to start feeding. You only want to throw a small amount of berley to achieve this. If you use too much berley the fish will become full and stop feeding altogether.

You want the berley to be where you're going to fish so if there is a strong current you may want to berley down current so it will gradually float past where you are fishing. Throw your berley out a few meters from where you are fishing and once the fish start feeding cast your bait a few meters past your berley. Slowly wind in your line through the area that has the berley the slow moving bait that looks much more enticing than your berley will become the number one target.

Bream Berley:

Prawn Heads and Shells, Cheese, Breadcrumbs, Bread, Diced Pilchards or Fish.

Hooks

Many anglers have unsuspectingly caught Bream on unusual rigs and tackle; I have even caught a Bream on a whole pilchard with 3 gang hooks however when targeting Bream the best hook you can use is a bait holder size 1-5 depending on the size of your bait. For example use a size 1 (larger) for prawns and a size 5 (smaller) for bread, the right size hook will be hidden comfortably inside your bait. Bait holder hooks are ideal as Bream will occasionally pick at the bait.

Sinkers

The aim of your sinker is to assist in casting your bait to the spot you want to fish and keeping it there. That said you want to use the smallest sinker possible to achieve this, now that doesn't mean you shouldn't use a big sinker because you may need to if the current is running strong.

A good angler will adjust the size of his sinker to the speed of the current to keep his bait in the preferred location as long as possible. So if the current is running strong use a larger sinker, if there is no current use the smallest sinker possible to reach your targeting fishing spot.

When rigging a sinker you want it to freely move up and down the line, you don’t want to fix it to the line otherwise when a Bream nibbles and feels the bait tied to the sinker it will leave the bait and move on.

Line

A 4 to 6 pound line is ideal for catching Bream as it is light and difficult to see. Anything over 6 pound you will notice a lot less bites as the Bream can see and feel the heavier line.

Rod

You can use almost any size or style rod to catch bream, but you're here to find out what the best rod is. The ideal rod:

• 6 Foot to 7 Foot 2 Inches Long.
• Fiberglass Tip.
• Light Spinning Reel.
• A sensitive rod is a bonus you will be able to feel bites much easier.

Deep Rig

What makes this rig useful is that is simple and effective it stays where you want it to in running water. When targeting Bream you have to expect a few snags because thats where the best Bream are in protected, snaggy areas. That's why I love this rig its quick and easy to get back in the water if you get snagged.

1. Cut a 35 cm piece of fishing line.
2. Thread a sinker on to your main line.
3. Attach a swivel onto the end of your main line, a Uni Knot is ideal.
4. Attach the 35 cm piece of line to the other end of your swivel also using a Uni Knot.
5. Finally attach the hook to the end of your line using a Uni Knot.

Floating Rig

Used correctly a floating rig can help you get to areas that are not possible with a sinker. Because Bream are extremely curious fish once you cast a floating rig out it will make a small splash, nearby Bream will swim over to have a look.

The great thing about having a float is that when you get a bite you can really tell not only by feeling the line but you can see the float bob down in the water, it also helps you keep track of where the fish is going when you're fighting it.

1. Cut a 40 cm piece of line.
2. Attach a swivel to the end of your main line using a Uni Knot.
3. Attach the 40 cm piece of line to the swivel with a Uni Knot.
4. Attach your hook to the end of the 40 cm piece of line.
5. Finally attach your float 5 cm above your sinker.

Best Practices

To ensure the future of Bream fishing for everyone we must be responsible anglers.

• Only keep what you will most certainly eat and only take what you need.
• Follow the size limits and bag limits, size limits are set to ensure fish breed at least once in their lifetime allowing them to reproduce is crucial to avoid overfishing.
• When removing hooks be as gentle and avoid touching the fish as much as possible as it removes the protective coating and can lower the chances of survival.
• Just because you caught the fish doesn't mean you need to eat it, try catch-and-release fishing!

Tight lines and happy fishing!