Bream tactics

[DINOBOY]

Ago e got any tips on types of marks to look for rigs n groundbaits to try? I know they are around but nobody seems to fish much for them in my area? 

[Andy135]

I use a two hook flapper, with the snoods about 12-18 inches of 10lb fluoro and size 4 or 6 hooks with pencil width strips of squid.

I've heard some anglers use a bead or pop up on the snood.

Bream like smooth rocky ground with a light covering of gravel to make their nests. On side scan sonar it's possible to pick up nesting sites - you'll see a series of shallow circular depressions a bit like the surface of the moon. If you find a nesting site go easy. One or two for the pot is ok but fishing out a whole site is clearly not ideal for future fish stocks.

Good luck in your search. Keep us posted 👍

[Scotch_Egg2012]

Pretty much what Andy says,  I personally use yellow popups on my rigs. I've done side by side tests and found the same rig with the popups 99% outfished the non popup rig some days by a considerable amount.  Yellow is the colour, a tip passed to me by a former team England angler.  As for groundbait it does work at certain times and marks, I mince fish, squid and add boiled rice with a bit of bran to stiffen it up, freeze it then I use another rod to lower a cage feeder full of it

Edited April 16, 2021 by Scotch_Egg2012

[DINOBOY]

Thanks guys, any particular depth? 

[Andy135]

23 minutes ago, DINOBOY said:

Thanks guys, any particular depth? 

The bream marks round here range from 5-6m up to 20m, so I don't think depth makes too much difference. Look for rocky, gravelly ground and drift about until you find the fish.

[Saintly Fish]

10 minutes ago, Andy135 said:

drift about until you find the fish.

Never heard of anyone drifting for bream? Is that a thing? 
Anchor up and trot the lead back to search out the fish. 

[Andy135]

6 minutes ago, Saintly Fish said:

Never heard of anyone drifting for bream? Is that a thing? 
Anchor up and trot the lead back to search out the fish. 

Yep. Covers more ground that way.

I was fishing Bullocks at anchor a couple of seasons back and a large wooden boat drifted between me and the next boat. He was prospecting for bream. We blanked. He didn't.

[Saintly Fish]

9 minutes ago, Andy135 said:

Yep. Covers more ground that way.

I was fishing Bullocks at anchor a couple of seasons back and a large wooden boat drifted between me and the next boat. He was prospecting for bream. We blanked. He didn't.

Well that’s a first. 

[Andy135]

Just now, Saintly Fish said:

Well that’s a first. 

I wish. Sadly I'd blanked plenty before that session. Still do as it happens.

[Saintly Fish]

2 minutes ago, Andy135 said:

I wish. Sadly I'd blanked plenty before that session. Still do as it happens.

I didn’t mean you blanking was a first. We all know that’s a regular occurrence. 

[Andy135]

1 minute ago, Saintly Fish said:

I didn’t mean you blanking was a first. We all know that’s a regular occurrence. 

I know you didn't 😉

[Dicky]

Weymouth charters fish for bream on the drift quite often. As already said it's a good way to try and find where they are as long as the drift isn't to fast.

[Odyssey]

Anchor up but be prepared to move, bounce your bait around, hold your rod. 
 

Ragworm can be good for bream too. 
 

I find that they can very patchy, keep the bait moving to find them 🙂 they scrap well and taste lovely 

Edited April 16, 2021 by Odyssey

[DINOBOY]

Thanks for the info lads I’m keen to get them on my list of alternative targets, I always target them when I go to the Channel Islands from the shore. 

[Hooked1980]

We quite often drift for them here over rough ground and down the sides of the wrecks 

[Hooked1980]

These were all caught on the drift on rough ground off Dover 

[mike farrants]

i've also heard that yellow is the colour - and will be targetting the bream this year too - but what do the pop ups do? lift the bait? eg are they floating beads? 

looking forward to hitting the bream between Ringstead and lulworth -and in portland harbour!

 

 

[Andy135]

6 minutes ago, mike farrants said:

are they floating beads? 

Pretty much, although true pop-ups are much more buoyant than beads (most of which float anyway just not very well, based on my experience), and are a slightly different shape than regular beads. See the link below.

https://www.veals.co.uk/cgi-bin/sh000002.pl?WD=pop&PN=Tronix-Lumi-Pop-Ups-4565.html#SID=76

[mike farrants]

ok got it - i have some bigguns from Sea-Glo - to avoid the crabs..... 

 

[Scotch_Egg2012]

7 hours ago, mike farrants said:

i've also heard that yellow is the colour - and will be targetting the bream this year too - but what do the pop ups do? lift the bait? eg are they floating beads? 

looking forward to hitting the bream between Ringstead and lulworth -and in portland harbour!

 

 

I reckon the floating beads don't pop the bait up much but give the bait a more neutral bouyancy so it wafts around in the tide. 

[Andy135]

Earlier in the season, this chap fell to a finger length strip of squid, pennelled using size 4 hooks, with a white pop-up above the top hook. I found that pennel rigging the squid strip with the lower hook at the tail end of the bait did well for picking up fish instead of getting half the bait nibbled off.

[mike farrants]

nice idea on the pennell -- they do tent to 'nip' the tail of the bait off......

[Saintly Fish]

38 minutes ago, JonC said:

The only bream I’ve caught for ten years fell to my one trick pony 4/0 running ledger cast across the tide. That is my full range of expertise on the matter. 

But what a lovely bream it was too2..

Apologies I no longer have the un graffiti version.