Big bream

[Anderoo]

I agree with the bed of boilies bit (i never feed full boilies), but why would fine crumb, flavours, micro pellet, maggots, casters, corn, and a few boilies be any better? Its only familiar to the ones that have fed in that kind of trap before.

 

Because it's attractive and consists of lots of different items, some small and light and some larger and heavier. I think it's fairly clear that big bream like to eat caster and maggot, and that these items are accepted as 'natural', and I'd put money on those items being eaten first. After that, if you've got the baiting right, they should start to eat the other bits instead of wandering off - because you've created 'competitive' feeding and changed their natural behaviour.

 

Nobody would ever have caught a Wingham bream if they weren't interested in unfamiliar baits, which must to some extent include caster and maggot has well. Its all about flavor (to draw them in) and getting them to have a taste of things (small things first) and if they like it with a bit of luck they will gain in confidence and put their heads down and pick up your hook bait.

 

Yes, exactly! I would put caster and maggot in a different category to boilies, pellets, etc. If there were no nuisance species I'd be happy fishing over a bed of maggots (expense permitting!), but I wouldn't over a bed of boilies.

 

I don't think fishing on a sixpence is the key to catching more than one fish and I'm convinced heavily baited patches put bream off or make them slow to settle on other waters.

 

Me neither, and I agree, in that order

[lutra]

Because it's attractive and consists of lots of different items, some small and light and some larger and heavier. I think it's fairly clear that big bream like to eat caster and maggot, and that these items are accepted as 'natural', and I'd put money on those items being eaten first. After that, if you've got the baiting right, they should start to eat the other bits instead of wandering off - because you've created 'competitive' feeding and changed their natural behaviour.

I do agree with you Andreoo, Its just not the way i would go.

 

Even with the low number of fish Wingham has produced, going off Steve Burkes numbers of 29 since 2004. I would guess 29 fish even with repeat captures could be between 50-100% of the bream in there. Then add to that the number of bream that have been spooked off by there mates being caught and the fact that these bream really don't have to eat anglers bait and i hope you can see why i would be a little uneasy about fishing any bait over a bed of bait they might have seen before. Its also interesting how some baits start to blow before others. Distinctive baits (Strong colour/flavour) like corn often start to blow first, were as maggot and caster can be one of the last, But any bait fished on the same old bed of bait is unlikely to have much improvement in catch rates.

[Anderoo]

I do agree with you Andreoo, Its just not the way i would go.

 

Even with the low number of fish Wingham has produced, going off Steve Burkes numbers of 29 since 2004. I would guess 29 fish even with repeat captures could be between 50-100% of the bream in there. Then add to that the number of bream that have been spooked off by there mates being caught and the fact that these bream really don't have to eat anglers bait and i hope you can see why i would be a little uneasy about fishing any bait over a bed of bait they might have seen before. Its also interesting how some baits start to blow before others. Distinctive baits (Strong colour/flavour) like corn often start to blow first, were as maggot and caster can be one of the last, But any bait fished on the same old bed of bait is unlikely to have much improvement in catch rates.

 

Yes, I agree Lutra, you're raising some very good points. The trouble with baits like maggot and caster is eels - if it wasn't for them, things would be a whole lot easier.

 

My groundbait contains very little actual food of any description - it's mostly an attractive dusting of fine crumb with a few bits and pieces of various sizes and densities in. Again, I have virtually no experience of any of this, so I do feel like I'm walking in the dark with my arms outstretched somewhat.

 

It is, without doubt, the most engaging and thought provoking fishing I've ever done. Steve Burke likened it to the pioneering carp fishing in the 70s/80s. I think that's a fine comparison. Carp fishing eventually got sussed, I'm sure big bream fishing can be too...

 

If I can get one bream a season, I'll be over the moon

[lutra]

Yes, I agree Lutra, you're raising some very good points. The trouble with baits like maggot and caster is eels - if it wasn't for them, things would be a whole lot easier.

Ive always favoured caster over maggot on the my local river that has its fair share of eels, but i think this is likely to be because the flow helps disperse them more than maggot. It might be similarly true that live maggot is a little better than dead ones as live ones disperse into the lake bed a bit. Despite the down side of caster and maggot i wouldn't give up on them, Just feed them sparingly.

 

My groundbait contains very little actual food of any description - it's mostly an attractive dusting of fine crumb with a few bits and pieces of various sizes and densities in. Again, I have virtually no experience of any of this, so I do feel like I'm walking in the dark with my arms outstretched somewhat.

lol your walking in the dark, Ive never even seen Wingham and only guessing that I'm even looking at the right water on google earth.

 

It is, without doubt, the most engaging and thought provoking fishing I've ever done. Steve Burke likened it to the pioneering carp fishing in the 70s/80s. I think that's a fine comparison. Carp fishing eventually got sussed, I'm sure big bream fishing can be too...

Its been far more thought provoking than carp fishing for me.

 

If I can get one bream a season, I'll be over the moon

Catching just one bream on a water like Wingham is real sucsess, but it must have been frustrating even for you having caught that lovely bream to sit there with other bream in your swim and not catch 1 or 2 more.

 

Ive had some fantastic bags of bream off the waters i fish, but even if you have some success you just seem to end up with more questions than answers.

 

The only real thing i can say about the way you are fishing Anderoo is try and make sure that ground bait you are using not only smells good but they want to eat it as well and not just swim round nicking your freebies. Bream that have their heads down are a lot hard to spook.

Edited February 17, 2009 by lutra

[Dick Dastardly]

I agree with just about all youve said there Lutra. There was a time when I thought I had big bream well and truely sussed! I could just do short evening sessions on one pit and near as dam it expectto catch a double! It became far to easy and when I got the chance to join Queenford I honestly thought I was going to slay it! my friends thought I would s well but it wasnt to be.Same tacics I had scored so well with on other waters just didnt seem to work and I had to start all over again.

 

Despite having caught a few there I never really felt that I had it sorted and my results were simply down to persistance! Same to an even lesser degree at TC.

 

Winghm and its SB's will definately be my last "big campaign" as my ever worsening health is finally proving to be a major issue.Im determined to give it as best a go as I can and regardless of what I catch or dont its a great place to be!

 

They say the final stage of angling is to want to catch the hardest dont they?

[Anderoo]

Perhaps (as in Derek Quirk's book) using squatts instead of maggots would help the eel problem?

[Dick Dastardly]

Why because they burrow more? Only thing I know bout squats is that they are softer skinned?

[lutra]

They say the final stage of angling is to want to catch the hardest dont they?

I'm not sure your book sales will be great if the grand finale of a well traveled big fish angler is bream fishing round the corner.

[Anderoo]

Why because they burrow more? Only thing I know bout squats is that they are softer skinned?

 

Just because they're smaller and maybe less obvious to eels - OK, I admit it, I'm getting desperate! The more I think about it the more I want to use maggots or caster as bait (if caster would even survive a 40 yard cast with a 2oz lead - whole other can of worms) but I don't have Dr Capper's steel resolve to put up with the damn eels.

[Dick Dastardly]

I'm not sure your book sales will be great if the grand finale of a well traveled big fish angler is bream fishing round the corner.

 

 

Kind of ironic isnt it!