THE LITTLE & LARGE SPECIES – by Dr Bruno Broughton

Most anglers think they can recognise bream quite easily. The familiar hump-backed shape, the large, bronze-grey flanks and the under-slung mouth are unmistakable characteristics.. or are they? In fact, there are two main species of bream in British waters – the common or bronze bream, and the silver bream – and the fish are capable of hybridising with roach and rudd.

WHEN YOU CLICK ON LINKS TO VARIOUS MERCHANTS ON THIS SITE AND MAKE A PURCHASE, THIS CAN RESULT IN THIS SITE EARNING A COMMISSION. AFFILIATE PROGRAMS AND AFFILIATIONS INCLUDE, BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO, THE EBAY PARTNER NETWORK AND AMAZON
bream_570876341.jpg

Spot the difference
Few anglers will take the trouble to study a small fish to determine whether its eye diameter is longer than the distance from its mouth to its eye, or to count the 44-48 scales on the lateral line, two characteristics of the silver bream. In contrast, the bronze bream has a smaller eye and 51-60 lateral line scales, and its throat or pharyngeal teeth are different to those of its smaller cousin. I wonder how many record-sized silver bream (the current British record is l5oz) have been returned unwittingly!

Grubbers
The natural food of bream are bottom-dwelling invertebrate animals such as worms and water snails, and the fish can consume large quantities of insect larvae, including chironomid larvae (or ‘bloodworms’). The shape of their mouthes is ideal for sifting through the bottom mud to locate this food, and the accompanying release of bubbles and the colouring-up of the water are often reliable guides to the presence of bream shoals.

Gang culture
Quite why bream form large shoals is open to debate, but this behaviour is probably related to the instinct to survive – to provide ‘safety in numbers’ from predators or to help locate food for all to share. The shoaling instinct remains throughout their lives, even on waters containing very small numbers of specimen-sized bream, and fish of similar sizes often shoal together, Some dustbin lid!
How big bream may grow in Britain is equally unclear, A decade ago, few anglers could have guessed that an 18lb bream would be possible, yet two such fish were caught in 2001. Evidence from Europe suggests that the top weight for the species is somewhat higher, and we may well witness the capture of a bream of 20lb+ at some stage in the near future.

–*–

If you are interested in cheap bream fishing tackle and bait, please click here.

Whole Maize Seed, 5kg, 10kg, 20kg, Carp Fishing Particle, Tench, Bream
eBay
£13.99
Whole Maize Seed, 5kg, 10kg, 20kg, Carp Fishing Particle, Tench, Bream
Pescaviva Flavoured Sweetcorn 340g Tins Coarse Fishing Corn Bait Bream Carp etc
eBay
£5.49
Pescaviva Flavoured Sweetcorn 340g Tins Coarse Fishing Corn Bait Bream Carp etc
Hemp Seed 1kg 2kg 5kg 10kg Carp Fishing Particle Tench Bream Fish Feeds
eBay
£8.75
Hemp Seed 1kg 2kg 5kg 10kg Carp Fishing Particle Tench Bream Fish Feeds
Hemp Seed 1kg 2kg 5kg 10kg 15kg Carp Fishing Particle Tench Bream Fish Feeds
eBay
£7.49
Hemp Seed 1kg 2kg 5kg 10kg 15kg Carp Fishing Particle Tench Bream Fish Feeds
Mixed Micro Pellets 2mm, 1kg 2kg 5kg Carp Fishing Pellets, Tench, Bream FREE P&P
eBay
£25.49
Mixed Micro Pellets 2mm, 1kg 2kg 5kg Carp Fishing Pellets, Tench, Bream FREE P&P
Maple Peas 1kg 2kg 5kg 10kg Carp Fishing Particle Tench Bream Fish Feeds
eBay
£7.25
Maple Peas 1kg 2kg 5kg 10kg Carp Fishing Particle Tench Bream Fish Feeds
Mackerel Feathers Sabiki Bass Bream Pollock Lure Sea Fishing Rigs 5Hooks 10 Pack
eBay
£11.12
Mackerel Feathers Sabiki Bass Bream Pollock Lure Sea Fishing Rigs 5Hooks 10 Pack
COPPENS 2mm 4mm 6mm 8mm COARSE PELLETS MATCH FISHING METHOD FEEDER CARP BREAM
eBay
£59.99
COPPENS 2mm 4mm 6mm 8mm COARSE PELLETS MATCH FISHING METHOD FEEDER CARP BREAM
Carppurr baits super thick liver glug in 500ml/1L/2L/5L for carp and catfish
eBay
£59.99
Carppurr baits super thick liver glug in 500ml/1L/2L/5L for carp and catfish
Boland Bream Ground Baits 3kg 5 Flavours
eBay
£16.50
Boland Bream Ground Baits 3kg 5 Flavours
4,6,8,12,18 or 24 Trout Salmon Fly Fishing Epoxy BAITFISH Flies Lures Streamers
eBay
£5.00
4,6,8,12,18 or 24 Trout Salmon Fly Fishing Epoxy BAITFISH Flies Lures Streamers
-15%
Phoxinus Circle Hooks - Freshwater / Sea fishing hooks - Pike Cod Bass Pollock
eBay
£5.90 £6.99
Phoxinus Circle Hooks - Freshwater / Sea fishing hooks - Pike Cod Bass Pollock

About the author

Dr Bruno Broughton

Pin It on Pinterest

Anglers' Net
bream_570876341.jpg
Whole Maize Seed, 5kg, 10kg, 20kg, Carp Fishing Particle, Tench, Bream
Pescaviva Flavoured Sweetcorn 340g Tins Coarse Fishing Corn Bait Bream Carp etc
Hemp Seed 1kg 2kg 5kg 10kg Carp Fishing Particle Tench Bream Fish Feeds
Hemp Seed 1kg 2kg 5kg 10kg 15kg Carp Fishing Particle Tench Bream Fish Feeds
Mixed Micro Pellets 2mm, 1kg 2kg 5kg Carp Fishing Pellets, Tench, Bream FREE P&P
Maple Peas 1kg 2kg 5kg 10kg Carp Fishing Particle Tench Bream Fish Feeds
Mackerel Feathers Sabiki Bass Bream Pollock Lure Sea Fishing Rigs 5Hooks 10 Pack
COPPENS 2mm 4mm 6mm 8mm COARSE PELLETS MATCH FISHING METHOD FEEDER CARP BREAM
Carppurr baits super thick liver glug in 500ml/1L/2L/5L for carp and catfish
Boland Bream Ground Baits 3kg 5 Flavours
4,6,8,12,18 or 24 Trout Salmon Fly Fishing Epoxy BAITFISH Flies Lures Streamers
Phoxinus Circle Hooks - Freshwater / Sea fishing hooks - Pike Cod Bass Pollock
CookieYes Logo