Big bream

[WickerDave]

Yes, the record bream was caught on fake maize, see the bottom of this page amongst all the carp... http://www.enterprisetackle.co.uk/photo.htm

[lutra]

Yes, the record bream was caught on fake maize, see the bottom of this page amongst all the carp... http://www.enterprisetackle.co.uk/photo.htm

 

I wonder if you get a lifetime of freebies for saying you caught a record fish on some companies bait. I know none of my fishing mates would publish a true acount of how or with which bait they caught a prized fish.

[Kappa]

I wonder if you get a lifetime of freebies for saying you caught a record fish on some companies bait. I know none of my fishing mates would publish a true acount of how or with which bait they caught a prized fish.

 

Should I catch a record bream, I will be there covered head to toe in my bait sponsorship logos, Mother's Pride are actually a very generous sponsor!

 

I am tempted though by the offers I'm getting from Green Giant....

[Dick Dastardly]

I wonder if you get a lifetime of freebies for saying you caught a record fish on some companies bait. I know none of my fishing mates would publish a true acount of how or with which bait they caught a prized fish.

 

I know what your saying mate! Mind you you would think if he was bending the truth he might have claimed something a bit more usefull as a lifetimes supply of artificial maize wouldnt be a lot!

[Anderoo]

We should leave an Anglers Net T-shirt in the clubhouse just in case!

 

The imitation worm is an interesting idea...

[Dick Dastardly]

We should leave an Anglers Net T-shirt in the clubhouse just in case!

 

 

Good idea.........make it a medium one so it fits you Oxford Mafia boys and if Andrew or I get lucky we will just have to cut up the back of it!

 

What would Elton give us though? free membership to the best angling site on the internet?...oh forgot he has allready given us that! Suppose we "owe" him a bream pic!

[lutra]

I know what your saying mate! Mind you you would think if he was bending the truth he might have claimed something a bit more usefull as a lifetimes supply of artificial maize wouldnt be a lot!

 

Maybe he liked the T-shirt.

Edited July 11, 2008 by lutra

[Anderoo]

I need to understand undertow better!

 

So, a wind gets up from a certain direction and starts moving the surface water towards the windward bank. This takes a while to get going because water is heavy(?)

 

When the surface water reaches the windward bank, it travels down the margin and loops back on itself and creates undertow - the water on the bottom now moves back on itself, opposite to the direction of the wind.

 

So, the surface water ends up along the bottom. If it's a warm, sunny day, the warm water on the surface is mixed up with the cold water on the bottom (at this time of year). The steadiest stream of warmest water is on the margin of the windward bank(?)

 

What happens to the water in the middle? Is there a fairly static middle layer where fish can sit in between the surface drift and the bottom undertow?

 

Bars, plateaux, gulleys, deeper water, weedbeds will all affect the flow of water. But on any given day it should (shouldn't it?) be possible to pick an area which is either out of the flow or just off the flow, depending on what you're fishing for.

 

As for species (this is after talking to Steve Burke), roach love undertow, perch behave as they do on running water i.e. they like to be just off the flow, and bream dislike it altogether.

 

Thoughts anyone?

 

These questions about undertow are not limited to bream or any particular water, it should be relevant to anyone who fishes stillwaters.

 

In the context of big bream though, I suppose what you'd look for is an area out of the flow. So, deeper water, sheltered areas (behind bars, islands, etc.) or the middle layer of water which is fairly static? (I'm hoping this isn't true about the 'static' layer of water - that means they could comfortably sit anywhere!)

 

How do you measure undertow?

 

If you bait up in a big wind with spods of fluffy groundbait, does it drift all over the place?

 

What would perfect bream fishing conditions be? A big, steady wind all day and a still night? Windy and mild so that you can eliminate ares of the lake and look for the sheltered areas out of the undertow? No wind for weeks?

 

All this is to do with location of course, rather than perfect conditions for feeding, etc.

 

Just one or two questions for you there

[poledark]

Ander, I know little or nothing about big bream (only had them to 9lb 1oz) but I think I understand the basics of 'tow.

 

As you say, the wind (cold or warm, matters not) is pushed towards/along one bank, and pressure builds which moves the lower layers in the opposite direction. Sometimes, if the wind is at an angle, then the water may return along another bank (as in a triangular or round lake).

The returning water may only get a short distance before the flow peeters out, you can spot this as it is where the gulls and oots often sit...wind balanced out by tow. You can check this by using a 3/4ft stick with a couple of shot (enough to sink most of the stick) . Throw this out on the downwind bank, and you will see it drift upwind, eventually stopping. Sometimes it moves sideways and comes back this depends on lots of variables like bars/weedbeds/shape of bank etc.

 

Rightly or wrongly, I believe most coarse fish prefer to lay up in comfort, and will seek out/end up in areas out of the tow. Sometimes during a period of fairly light winds, the fish end up in different areas, and when the wind starts the tow, they move. I also believe that a "sleeping" fish will get moved by tow

 

Another very important by product of tow is the depositing of debri...leaves/bits of weed/even surface dust. This results in an area of silt, often very productive silt. This area may well be some way out in the lake, but can be anywhere....watch the prevailing winds for clues. You have all seen the signs..bits of twig/leaf etc which seems to sit still or go around in a large circle.

 

I actively look for leaf debri, I have a couple of "shovel" type leads which scoop up mud and leaf debri, if I find some which I put down to tow then I will fish that area. Fortunately,when I fished Wingham, the swim I was allocated had just such an area about 40 yds out

 

Regarding your spod mix ending up somewhere else. Certainly the soluble parts will drift away, flavour and smell and even tiny bits ending up at the other end of the lake ?. Not good methinks. When float fishing for Roach in an area of tow, you may have to feed maggots etc a long way upwind or downwind....the top may be going one way and the bottom going in the opposite direction. The shotted stick can help you here

 

Weedbeds/bars etc can alter/stop tows.

 

An example of wind effect...early March (water at 42f) wind from SW and 53f. Blowing a hoolie...downwind end of lake stuffed with bream...upwind devoid of fish. Water temp rose 6deg during the 6 hours or so we were fishing. Fish were taking on the drop at times. 15 acre gravel pit, average depth 9foot.

 

Den

Edited July 14, 2008 by poledark

[Anderoo]

Brilliant post Den - thanks