Big bream

[lutra]

Yes because its tilted back towards him.

No that 18.8 looks tall. So tall it makes it look a bit short, but I don't think it is sort (not shorter than Anderoo's bream anyway), just looks that way. And while Im on it, it's a fatty to with a big gut.

[Dick Dastardly]

Yes, Goes to show that photos are difficult to judge which was my real point.Both cracking fish either of which I would love to catch!

[watatoad]

Is it a Bleak or a Gudgeon?

 

Seriously very well done, and I send you genuine congratulations. You should wake up with a smile.

[AddictedToScopex]

Following on from Richard's excellent breamy bobbins topic, I'd like to get opinions on some of the more specific things about big (15lb+) bream in low-stock waters.

 

I've been thinking about rigs and I think I've come to the conclusion that they don't actually matter that much, as long as they don't tangle. What do you reckon? I can see the benefits of both semi-fixed and free running. I think I'm favouring free running.

 

Bait on a hair or on the hook? Again, I don't think it matters too much, but I would probably use a hair for semi-fixed and on the hook for free-running.

 

Amount of bait - as there aren't many fish probably not that much actual food but a fair amount of attraction?

 

Bait - any preferences? I'm not convinced it matters too much. Corn, boilies, maggots, worm, caster...

I know that when I was targeting bream at a local lake they would be able to pick up my free running rig and drop it again without showing much of a registration. In the end I decided to lightly pinch a shot about two inches from my feeder or lead. This made a kind of bolt rig which would produce a small shock effect. As the fish pulled the line through the lead the small shot would hit the swivel on the feeder or lead i was using and cause a tensioning of the line great enough to pull the hook into the fishes mouth. Then when the fish began to move off the shot would fall off, as it was only on very lightly, and I would wind into the fish upon seeing the bite registered properly. This made for a very successful catch rate and was perfectly safe to the fish. The key was to only just nip on the shot so that it would ALWAYS come off and also not damage the line. I dont know what you think of the method I used but it did definetly improve hookups with bream and carp.

[Anderoo]

I very quickly became totally sold on the semi-fixed inline lead (or method feeder), short hooklength and very sharp hook for bream fishing. I've played around with various types of lead, hooklength material and hook pattern over the last 3 seasons, but the basic rig is the same. I totally agree that running rigs are not as effective, especially as there's an awful lot of waiting involved.

 

PS if the lead is inline (rather than on a lead clip or similar), you don't need that much weight at all - 1.5oz is plenty. To achieve the same effect with a pendant lead you'd need more like 3oz, and therefore heavier tackle all round.

 

However, I know that twice this season I've had bream pick up the hookbait and not get landed. The first was very similar to a big, constant liner and so I daren't hit it in case it spooked them. Eventually it stopped and I reeled in a rig that had clearly been shaken out of a fish's mouth (swivel out iof the lead, tangled, silicone holding hair to hook moved right back to the eye). I'd had several small liners before that, so I'm sure it was bream.

 

The second time a similar thing happened and I did strike, had the fish on briefly and then it dropped off. Again, I'm certain it was a bream, several liners right beforehand, a heavy fish that didn't fight, and it was the night before I caught one.

 

I'm fairly content in my mind that these are pretty much unavoidable and more bad luck than anything else. But I still have an open mind on rigs, and perhaps I'll have a eureka moment that prevents this happening again.

 

Also unusual is the number of bream that people think they've lost this season - 6 to my knowledge.

[Anderoo]

Here's a little something to keep those bream dreams alive while sitting for days behing motionless indicators - a tantalising glimse of a small group of big bream caught on film (click on the 'bream' thumbnail halfway down the page): http://www.jeffish.co.uk/id117.htm

[lutra]

Here's a little something to keep those bream dreams alive while sitting for days behing motionless indicators - a tantalising glimse of a small group of big bream caught on film (click on the 'bream' thumbnail halfway down the page): http://www.jeffish.co.uk/id117.htm

They look quite big, but its hard to get a scale to them. Is there any clues on their size or does anyone know where it was filmed?

[Anderoo]

They look quite big, but its hard to get a scale to them. Is there any clues on their size or does anyone know where it was filmed?

 

No idea lutra, I might email the guy and ask. They look pretty big to me! I also assumed that because there are so few of them they are probably a decent size. Quite a sight

[lutra]

No idea lutra, I might email the guy and ask. They look pretty big to me! I also assumed that because there are so few of them they are probably a decent size. Quite a sight

Yep a great sight, but that post kind of sums up SB's and this whole thread for me. 90 odd pages hasn't turned up any evidence that big bream behave any differently to small bream.

 

As far as i can tell the main problem is these bream are low in number and in a lake with cristal clear water and that is full of features.

 

Talk of them being Super Bream is at best misleading IMO. Their just bream, but nice big ones that are a good challenge to try and catch.

[Anderoo]

Well the topic wasn't supposed to be about finding evidence that very big, low stock gravel pit bream behave differently to small shoal bream. It's been a big help to me as I started from zero experience and started learning and experimenting and listening to people's experience and opinions/theories.

 

I've only ever fished for big bream at one pit, so I don't know what I've learned there is applicable to other waters.

 

I've had an open mind about it all since I started, and still do. I have never done any fishing that's as seductive as this bream lark.

 

Having said that, of course big, low stock density bream behave differently to small shoal bream!