Bream on Soft Plastic, Bream on Hard Body's, Bream on Bait, Let us have it........

Hi Rick i do a lot of tinny fishing in estuary with the soft plastics i get plenty of small bream on the grubs but i like to use Prawn softplastics the way i use these is cast them out and almost Jig them back in that way i cover all depths within the area. my biggest Bream however was a 3 1/2 Pounds caught on a paddle tail with a slow retrieve.

Do you vary the depth of the first drop (ie count it down) or do you fish the same depth irrespective of conditions like water temp, tide etc?

I dont know about you blokes but in the last few years ive noticed a dramatic change in the way that we need to target Bream just to remain succesful in the sport, my diary is chokes full of combination techniques tring to find that one method that catches the most fish. I fish all plastics have for 15 years and have been very succesful but fair go fish, even fishing water ways only a few km apart the methods are entirely different but atleast my brain wont get bored

I know how you feel John. I think this is due to increased fishing pressure. Whats your opinion?

Around my area John we have many different small and large estuary systems and in each one a different technique, rig or lure is paramount to scoring bream on a regular basis. All systems do cop a far bit of fishing pressure and like you say you just have to continually use your nouse and that keeps the bordem issue at bay. It's all a challenge and thats what drives most of us to fish with a different technique or for a different species or for a different species with a different technique and so on and so forth. By the way thats a snorter of a flattie. Jiggler

Its amazing but years back i visited the use of worms (plastic) to target Bream with a fare lack of success but now with new improved models on the shelf im taking 80% of my bream on worms. But in the end is it the worm or the experience of the angler, i say this because most of my good days have come from imitating a shattered bait fish with the worm, is it more to do with the slender shape do you think or the color or the action, for me its a combination of all the above. Ive had days of 30+ Bream on worm or wrigglers but only in certain months, during the spawn they just st me. In nsw its not an effort to catch plenty but in Vic its hard around Geelong. So i ask another prick of a question is cloudy, sunny, rough or calm, dirty or clear, morning or night, shallow or deep, god no wonder i dont have a life to much to think about.

Well if you are having too much to think about when it comes to fishing and no time for bugger all else then I would say you have the same disease(thats what my wife calls it) as me! In my neck of the woods the best time to target bream on lures is definatley winter. At this time they take up haunts in our local creeks hanging around snags in much the same as bass do. This might vary alot to what you have down there John as your main bream species is the southern black bream(thats what we call it up here) and our main bream species is the yellow fin or silver bream. As far as I know your black bream only frequents estuaries and rivers/creeks where as our yellow fin bream can occupy anywhere from near enough fresh water reaches of rivers right out to ocean beaches and rocks. The only real time when you would expect to target them with lures with any consistent success is when they inhabit the rivers and creeks. I have caught them on lures further down the estuary nearer the ocean but they are very sporadic. maybe I'm not doing it right! I don't know. I would guess that the reason you are catching more bream on lures now is certainly experience but also the advent of better softies and(if you use it) near zero stretch fishing line. I prefer mornings and arvo's when the whether is fairly calm and that has more to do with my comfort more than anything else.

For me its called fish pox tell your wife that and it is very contagous if you dont fish on a regular basis. Most of our Bream hang out on weed lined sand banks or in mostly undercut banks that are well shaded thats why cloudy days are the best time to fish for Black Bream and they are triggered in to a feed frenzy on a sudden influx of fresh water, over hang of the native flora also has its appeal. I used supper lines for about 10 years but i found that fishing light mono (5lbs) or less was more productive more so during winter but in summer its dosn't have a real impact on the results. Last trip to NSW i nailed bream on a eratick rapid retreive and its a method i have had great sucsess with down here more so on hot windy days, simple rule of thumb the lower the barometric preasure the slower the retreive. Crap ive become a bloody poet. For me the only thing i hate is the cold otherwise i'm fine.

Thats interesting that you have mentioned the barometer. I have done alot of fishing for our freshwater natives in my time and although there are a number of factors that influence their behavour A high or rising(especially rapidly) air pressure can send them on a frenzy. Do you see the barometer as such an important event when luring bream?

Totaly its in my book the No.1 factor that meens the difference bettween fish or no fish. As the saying goes 1020 fish are plenty and if more fishos used the Barrometer as the first point of call when not just fishing for Bream but just about any fish they would find there trips would become more fruitfull. For Bream 1025 to 1030 is tops but for species like Estuary Perch above 1030 and its cracking. And i can tell you another trick buy a Barrometer watch because in many cases its about a small window in the weather that makes all the diff, Ive seen the preasure go from 1009 to 1021 in a matter of 10 min and only last for as long and on top of that it may only be over the area your fishing (more so in winter) the watch is worth it, its basically the diff in catch or no catch.

Hi I am new to the site, very interested in catching bream and anything else on soft plastics, you will see a small bream in my avatar it was the first one i caught after trying for about six months. I have caught a couple more since then a bit better size plus numerous flathead and a squire in Lake Macquarie. Looks like a good site I am sure I will enjoy sharing info. Cheers Charlie

Hi charlie, Nice to see you caught a bream on soft plastics very exciting. i have fished Lake macquarrie and have caught some big bream but not many. most i catch there are on twitch baits on a slow retrieve my biggest out of there was 2 lb with most. being over 1 1/2 pounds we used to have a holiday house up there and we'd go 4-5 times a year

(Edited By toothy20051990 at 10:35:36 28/11/06)

G'day Charlie, as you will see I live just up the coast from you and one of my favourite pastimes is flicking the softies around. There are heaps of places to do this on the central coast with Brisbane water and Tuggerah lakes the two major estuaries and further south of course the Hawskbury and tributries. There are also various semi landlocked lagoons that only open to the ocean on massive seas that hold reasonable numbers. Tell you what you can't go past The Entrance channel and surrounding areas at the moment as the flatties are in plague proportions. There's no monsters in there at the moment but there is enough 40-50cms ones to keep you happy. I was out Tuesday night and got 26 in a space of about 1&1/2 hours just going for a casual flick. Run out tide the best.

Cheers