How to Catch Bream - By Twelve Different Methods

By Read Books Ltd.

This volume offers the reader a wealth of information on fishing for bream, dealing with night fishing, required equipment, drifting, common problems, and much more. “Bream” is highly recommended for all with an interest in angling, and it would make for a worthy addition to collections of allied literature. Contents include: “As a Light Rod and Line Sport”, “Fishing the Surf”, “Bream From the Rocks”, “From Breakwaters and Retaining Walls”, “Daylight Fishing with Float or Bobby Cork”, “When Other Methods Fail Try Drifting”, “Drifting at Night”, “Fishing Oyster Grounds and Leases”, “Still-Water Breaming”, “The Northern Technique”, etc. Many vintage books such as this are increasingly scarce and expensive. It is with this in mind that we are republishing this volume now in an affordable, modern, high-quality edition complete with a specially-commissioned new introduction on the history of fishing.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Read Books Ltd.
• Release date: Oct 13, 2011
• ISBN: 9781447492078

Book preview

AS A LIGHT ROD AND LINE SPORT

IF you watch the men who fish the rocks for bream you will find that only in rare cases do they use a line of under 12 lb. breaking strain, while many men on seawalls use lines of 10 lb. breaking strain for bream.

In rock fishing a heavier line is required because many fish are lost on fine lines owing to cutting on the sharp stones but on beaches there is little excuse for heavy lines as even a jew of say 15 lb. is quite safe to handle on a 10 lb. line and many anglers are quite certain that more fish can be caught on fine lines as it is considered that more fish will bite on fine gear.

This chapter is for those bream men who like to fish fine and who like to give fish some chance to beat them.

In the many harbours, lakes, rivers, and bays along the coast, much sport may be had with bream on fine tackle, especially with the gear usually used for blackfish, and with a method similar to the standard float and berley method commonly used for blackfish.

WAYS TO ATTACH BAIT

Different baits require different treatment. Illustrations on right cover bait-rigs for the more popular bream lures.

As an instance, take a tidal river where bream are known to lie along the shore in a more or less scattered manner over say 200 yards.

If you wish, take a chance on a known night spot and fish it in the early morning or the late afternoon.

Using a blackfish rod, 4 to 6 lb. nylon line, blackfish floats and a No. 2, 3 or 4 hook, rig as for blackfish and, for bait, use bread crusts cut into half inch cubes. The crust of the sandwich loaf is ideal for this purpose. If the crust used is small, a blackfish hook is often more suitable than the No. 2 and 4 hooks—say a No. 7 or 8 sneck hook.

A standard bream rig for fishing under normal estuary conditions. The sinker is free running to the hook. The sinker’s weight is determined by the run in the water but, generally, the lighter the better.

Force the hook through the crust and into the white of the bread. Push the hook right in until it is entirely hidden in the cube of bread, then drop into the drift and, with plenty of slack, allow the float to go down the current upwards of 50 yards. In the case of a down let the float go well under, strike sharp and soft and handle the fish carefully to the net.

If no bite, wind in slowly, replace bread if required, and repeat the drift.

Berley is an aid to this type of fishing. Here is the mixture:

Use one loaf of stale bread, soaked and squeezed out, to one sugar bag of fine sand. Take your sand from high up on the beach as the high sand is much finer than that close to the water. Mix bread well into the sand and, keeping the berley damp, squeeze into balls and drop into the current to be fished.

The sand will carry the bread crumbs down, fish will follow up the line of berley, and scattered fish will tend to draw into the berley and so will be feeding in range of the bait. Try fishing from half tide out down to the still water and for say half an hour of