Big bream

[lutra]

I'd love to be able to do that! I know it wouldn't be exactly what happens in the real world, but I bet it would help a great deal...

 

 

Yes, that's all I can think of, casting an unbaited rig around before feeding.

 

Reminisce all you like Budgie, I love these stories

 

I did notice that the tench were affected by the undertow last year, so it's definitely worth trying to suss. I was fishing a swim with two long, shallow parallel bars going away from me, and I was fishing in the wide gulley between them ('Plantation' swim for those who know it). As I looked out, the wind was coming from about 2 o clock (a SWerly). I figured that the most sheltered spot would be along the base of the right-hand bar, so that's where I baited for bream. Along the left-hand bar, where the tow was strongest, I fished for tench. The whole time the wind was from that direction, I caught tench from the left. That was the night I caught the bream, from the right (although the wind died off completely overnight). The next day the wind swung around and came from 11 0 clock (SEerly), and after that I didn't get any more tench from the left-hand spot (now sheltered) but started catching them from the right-hand spot (now in tow).

 

So, the tench moved with the tow, and seemed to like it! I guess that's where the food was being moved to. You'd think the bream would also like it for that reason, but from what info we have they don't seem to. Or maybe they just fed there because that's where I baited...

 

I need another lie down.

The trouble with both dens stick idea and tow on your line is neither tell you 100% were the best areas are, which in my view are the slack areas on the bottom of the lake off or near to the bank that is facing the wind. To be honest Ive been pretty good/lucky at finding bream on some very big waters over the years just by fishing into the prevailing wind. I think this is because bream patrol this area looking for these slacks and just fishing that area is good enough and ive had good bags with a lot of tow on my line at times.

 

Lutra, thanks for that, sounds like that would make the problem even worse! I guess it's just a case of just a few live maggots and fingers crossed.

I agree, have you tried things like liquidized sweet corn or ground up boilies and if you like micro pellets ive found them a little better if you scalded them with sweetened and or flavored water, a touch of molasses (go easy just colour the water) or shrimp paste works for me.

[Steve Burke]

There is a scientific formula/theory that zoologists use in relation to foraging animals. It concerns the nutritional value of a food and the amount of time and energy required to find, eat and digest it. Test of many animals show that they always pick the most efficient type of food of that available i.e. lots of small items where they are abundant but fewer large items when the smaller items become scarce etc etc.

 

Very interesting indeed! My first ever article was in Chevin, the Chub Study Group's magazine, about 30 years ago. It was regarding my experiences in very cold weather when I'd found that the fish preferred large items of food - contrary to the oft-repeated wisdom of the time. The reason I came up with as to why it happened is exactly as you've described. For more see my article on the subject here on AN at http://www.anglersnet.co.uk/Coarse-Fishing...er_fishing.html

 

I remember taking quite a bit of flack about it at the time, and I sometimes still do. Other members of the Chub Study Group have found the same as me in the intervening years and it's now become more mainstream.

 

I had no idea though it was an existing scientific theory!

 

Of course it may have wider implications, and in the context of this topic would perhaps have a bearing on both baits and feeding.

[Anderoo]

*Bumpity bump*

 

Nearly time for the serious blanking to begin!

[Dick Dastardly]

Thanks Andrew saved me hunting for it!

 

Tel,I woulkd be most interested to see how you get on "carp fishing" the coarse lake.Ive found that there seems to be two tyoes of big bream or I should say SB waters.Some have stocks of bream where the levels are low but the size high.These seem to have all got like this due to natural food.There are very very ferw if any bream of much lesser sizes.

 

The second type are always heavily fished carp waters.Here there is a lot of bream of varying sizes.A couple of these bream will go on to grow to lower SB sizes ie around the 15lb mark.They achieve this by feeding on the massive amounts of quality bait put in by the carp anglers.

 

Ive not done any research buit wouldnt mind betting these "carp water bream" (CWB) have reached thier potential maximum frame size and can no longer grow but can put weight on.This is why I sugest they will never be 20lbrs (allthough their offspring may?). Non CWB seem to be growing at a much better rate in their early years and therefore obtain (or potentially obtain) a greater frame size (which of course gives them theoretically the greater maximum weight potential)

 

Now more to the fishing point of veiw and your experiences Tel.

 

Ive found that there are several true (ie non carp) SB waters where the Bream totally ignore boillies and just dont turn on to them! This isnt because no one puts them in either! I suppose I should qualify that by saying that I mean that a water isnt expressly stocked with or fished or ran with carp in mind as opposed to not having any carp/carp fishing full stop.

 

Be most interested to see how you got on as it would not only be interesting to find out if Wingham fits into this strange pattern but (ask my brother!) theres some cracking carp in there to!

[Wordbender]

Yup Dens "poo sticks" for me this year Im going to make an effort to get my head around this undertow thing.

 

 

See this wee jobby? It measures, recals and predicts atmospheric pressure, it also measures windspeed, temperature...and water flow.

 

It cost 60 sovs and it's my secret weapon.

 

Sadly, now I've told you about it - I'm going to have to kill you all.

 

Still, never mind, ay?

[Dick Dastardly]

 

See this wee jobby? It measures, recals and predicts atmospheric pressure, it also measures windspeed, temperature...and water flow.

 

It cost 60 sovs and it's my secret weapon.

 

Sadly, now I've told you about it - I'm going to have to kill you all.

 

Still, never mind, ay?

 

Superb! but your not going to lure me to the Darkside! Mr Waller would have my guts for garters! Traditional poo sticks for me! .........................................................................(erm plus 60sovs in a bit heavy for me at the moment......but where do you get them from.........just out of interest like?!)

[Wordbender]

Now more to the fishing point of veiw and your experiences Tel.

 

Ive found that there are several true (ie non carp) SB waters where the Bream totally ignore boillies and just dont turn on to them! This isnt because no one puts them in either! I suppose I should qualify that by saying that I mean that a water isnt expressly stocked with or fished or ran with carp in mind as opposed to not having any carp/carp fishing full stop.

 

Be most interested to see how you got on as it would not only be interesting to find out if Wingham fits into this strange pattern but (ask my brother!) theres some cracking carp in there to!

 

Hmmmm...food for thought, there Budge.

 

The water where I landed my non-counting 17-plus, has a head of over 200 carp and around 25 huge bream in just over 15 acres. The bream have been caught to 19lbs but the odd thing is, they seem to come out in 'bunches'. None will be caught for weeks, even months, and then four or five will come out in a matter of days. Those who try to fish for the bream with 'proper' bream tackle - feeder rods, 8lb line, size 10 or below hooks - will inevitably get smashed up in the weed by a mid-20 carp, so it's all but impossible to say what the feeding pattern of the bream would really be.

 

A fellow could go bonkers trying to suss it all out.

[Wordbender]

Superb! but your not going to lure me to the Darkside! Mr Waller would have my guts for garters! Traditional poo sticks for me! .........................................................................(erm plus 60sovs in a bit heavy for me at the moment......but where do you get them from.........just out of interest like?!)

 

 

Don't tell young Waller!

[Dick Dastardly]

The bream have been caught to 19lbs but the odd thing is, they seem to come out in 'bunches'. None will be caught for weeks, even months, and then four or five will come out in a matter of days.

 

That would certainly fit in with my "gap in the natural food chain" beliefs when carping on ultra difficult rich waters so its not unlikely it could be the same with the bream you mention.

 

How many different waters have your big carpbream came from Tel?

[Dick Dastardly]

You also mentioned there may have been recaptures? You say 25 big bream but are there any other bream of any other sizes?