Back to sanity

[SpecimenSean]

do big bream fight at all or do they just flop over and give up like smaller fish? Thats why i have no attraction no matter the size. Could be a 20lb'er but its no fun without fight!

[Anderoo]

I've only had a very small number of the big ones, but lots of small-medium size bream. Regardless of size, I've never caught one yet that's done anything other than pretty much allow itself to be reeled straight in. The nearest I've had to a 'fight' from a bream is from fish averang 5/6lb from an Oxfordshire gravel pit, which donk around a little bit. The bream I've caught from rivers pull a bit more, but only because of the flow on their flanks.

 

They're not a very exciting fish really, and they smell horrible, but the sight of a big one really is something else.

[Nicepix]

That about sums it up for me. The only time I've had bream fight was a bag of 15, all over 5lb, in Ireland. They fought like tench. I've had bream up to 7.5 lb at Coltishall in Norfolk that just came in like a bag of weeds.

[gozzer]

I've had them from the Yorkshire Ouse, that have actually run when first hooked, but after the initial rush it's a pretty dour fight.

A lot depends on what tackle you are using. On carp gear, they have no choice but to come straight in with a few kicks. But on match gear (not 'commercial' type), you have to be a bit more careful, especially in rivers. A 5 or 6lb bream, on a size 20, and 1 or 1.5bs, hooked trotting a river, can put up it's own kind of fight.

 

I don't mind bream at all.

 

John.

[Barry C]

If all you get from your fishing is the fight then bream are not the fish for you.

But if you want the challenge of finding and catching fish that are not easily found, can often be infuriating in their feeding habits and often just seem to dissapear completely then big bream are a real challenge.

I know someone will get on here and tell me how they can get 10lb plus fish anytime they want (theres allways one) but I can't and am glad of it.

Huge bags of fish do'nt do it for me neither does pulling 10lb carp out just for the fight. But to catch a big bream that only show up on rare occasions will do me fine.

Edited October 4, 2011 by Barry C

[Nicepix]

These days I confine almost all my fishing to 'wild' or 'unfished' waters. I haven't bought a ticket in years and rarely fish where others have. Catching mullet can be frustrating and infuriating and also highly enjoyable as is catching a 6lb chub from a tiny river, followed by a 2lb perch and 2lb plus trout from the same swim. I can understand the challenge of fishing for hard species, but not specialising in bream. I just cannot see the attraction in bream no matter what their size.