Bream Options 

The humble bream. A fish that is growing in popularity amongst fishos around Australia. Whether it be bait, lure or feathers, bream are a target on most estuary fishos list, and in many cases it’s right at the top!

Bream respond well to many differing fishing styles, and this makes them a good prospect on most fishing outings. 

Bream Habitat

So where do you start looking to catch a bream? Well the bream domain is a varied one. Some type of structure is vital. You can’t just go throwing a bait into open water on a beach and expect to catch fish. You need to find gutters, rips etc., to be consistent. In the estuary, there is little point just dropping a bait over the side of the boat, and hoping that something will swim past and pick it up. It may work sometimes, but not  with any regularity!

A few spots  that will hold bream are: rocky shorelines that drop into deeperwater. Wharves and pylons, especially when they are covered with crustaceans! Oyster leases at high tide. The edge of sandbanks, and on the bank at high tide. In, under and around fallen trees or rocky points. 

Bream Bait

Almost as varied as the places the fish hang out, bait will change from place to place, time of year and so on. Try to use a bait that is found within the system you are fishing. For example, if fishing the Hawkesbury River, then Hawkesbury River Prawns are a good bet most of the time. If you are fishing sandbanks then worms or nippers are probably going to catch you more fish than say a strip of bonito. 

Sometimes, though, bream won’t touch fresh local baits and prefer something like chicken gut or even skirt steak. I’ve even heard of  them caught on cheese.

Picture: The author with a nice bream caught on prawn bait

My preferred bait is prawns. They are easily obtainable, fairly consistent in terms of bream taking them, and most other fish will also take a liking to them, so if the bream aren’t biting, you are still in with a chance at a flathead or the like.
 
 

Bream Tackle

I’m not going to look at rods and reels, I'll leave that up to you. A rod that has a sensitive tip is a good idea in order to see the little nibbles.  Hooks, line and sinkers are another matter. Bream are a shy fish most of the time, and this means that they will be spooked by thick lines, huge sinkers etc. The idea then, is to go for as thin a line as you can get away with. Four to eight pound line will see you through most situations admirably. When choosing a sinker, go for the smallest sinker you can in the conditions you are fishing. i.e. if the tide is moving very quickly you will need a bigger sinker than you will when there is little movement.  Don’t forget you can always change sinkers during your fishing trips. Use a heavier one when the tide is still on the move, and then change to a smaller one when at the top or bottom of the tide. Why? As soon as the bream picks up the bait and has a run with it, any weight felt by the fish will make it drop the bait, and it’s all over!

Hooks are an important factor in bream fishing. Bream have very hard, boney mouths capable of crushing oyster and mollusc shells. This means that the hooks have to be very sharp and also fairly strong. I have hooked bream on long shank whiting hooks, landed them and had one very bent hook left on the end of the line. One fish almost straightened the hook! Go for chemically sharpened hooks as the first choice. If you can’t get any make sure you sharpen your hook before using it. Size 4 through 2/0 hooks are the go here, and choose one that suits the bait. If you are using big prawns, you will need a bigger hook to thread through the prawn to come out near the head. 
 

 When fishing around oysters, wharves etc., it is advisable to use a heavier trace than you would on a sandbank. I use up to a 15lb trace when fishing around any structure such as these.
 

Fishing Method

As stated at the beginning, bream are a prospect on fly, bait or lure, and now that you know where to fish and what sort of tackle you are going to need, what about getting the line wet?

When fishing structures, you need to present the bait, lure or fly as close to the structure as possible. In some cases it’s a good idea to cast past the structure and bring the lure, bait or fly back into the “strike zone”. This way you are getting into the zone without scaring any shy fish as your bait etc. hits the water. There is no point throwing your bait 10 metres short or past the structure because that’s not where the fish are. Be ready as soon as the bait hits the water. I have lost many a fish as a result of letting the line settle. Some fish will hit the bait as soon as it starts to sink.

Picture: Bream Country! Rocks and snags - depth about 4m (north of Port Macquarie? Watch for Jacks!)

Bream bites vary too. Sometimes they will just pick-pick at the bait. Other times there is no warning, they just pick up the bait and run for it. When they are in a picking mood, don’t strike too early or you will end up pulling the bait and hook right out of the fish’s mouth. Wait until the fish picks up the bait, point the tip of the rod towards the fish to let it take some line, and then strike when the line goes taught. Bang you’re on!

When fishing on the sandbanks, the best method I have found is to actually drift over the banks. This way you find the fish, the bait looks more natural as it drifts with the tide and there is less chance of scaring the fish off with splashes etc. as the line is away from the boat.

Lure fishing for bream is really taking off. I am just starting to get into the action on this front, but I will share some of what I have learnt (the hard way). Firstly, go for a small lure. anything up to 60mm is a good size for bream. They are not likely to hit a 10cm lure, their mouths just ain’t that big! Don’t retrieve the lure as if you were fishing for tailor or salmon. A slow stop start retrieve is the go here. Again fish into the structures,
sure you are going to snag a lure occasionally, but if you aren’t hitting rocks, trees etc., you are less likely to encounter a fish.  Be prepared! These fish like to play dirty sometimes, taking you back into structure - especially around oysters!

Conclusion

Fishing for bream is a great way to spend time on the water. There are always subtle variations in the way they respond, baits, tackle and habitat. It takes time to get to know the habits of these fish - tides, moon phases etc. But it is fun learning! Give it a go - You’ll like it!