The classical way to fish for bream is on the ground bait feeder. This method is often used to target bream on natural waters, rivers and lakes. A simple paternoster setup is a well known bream rig, although a simple running rig is just as effective. Slide your feeder up the line or a quick change snap link swivel, then a bead, and then tie on a swivel. Your hooklink is then attached to the other end of your swivel. This running rig offers as little resistance as possible to the fish, and therefore they will take the bait much more confidently. A soft, light tip in your feeder rod, 1oz say, will also be a big advantage for the same reason, and will also aid you when fishing for finicky fish that only give you a small indication on the tip.
When fishing for bream on the feeder, the length of your tail is very important! It's always better to go for longer rather than shorter. A good starting point is around 3 foot. If the fish are hard to come by, don’t be afraid to try hookliengths of 5 foot or more, as these will give your hook bait a slow natural fall, and your hook bait will be well away from the feeder, where those wary shy fish may be sitting. A Hooklengths of 2lb to 4lb are best for bream, although heavier can be used.
Ground bait Mixes
Bream naturally have a really sweet tooth. All companies now make this classic sweet mix for bream, and all will do a similar job. One of the most important things to carry when bream fishing is BROWN CRUMB. It’s about a quid for a kilo of the stuff, and all bream love it! A 50/50 mix of brown crumb with another ground bait will produce a fluffy mix, sweet smelling which should catch you some bream! Mixes for the feeder should be a little on the dry side, which will enable you to add juicy baits like chopped worms, casters and pinkies to the mix without it getting too wetA fishmeal mix with some brown crumb has accounted for some recent big bream catches, especially on heavily fished carp waters and commercials. Small pellets added to the mix are also a good fish holding bait, and some big bream have been caught using small boilies and pellets on the hook! Other good additions to the mix are additives such as Brasem or Sweet Molasses, both gorgeous smelling, available in liquid of powder form.
The feeder is by no means the only way of catching bream. Waggler fishing has accounted for some fantastic bream catches, as has slider float fishing. On canals and lakes, balling in ground bait to make a fish attracting noise can be effective for skimmers and bream. Bream on commercials can be caught very quickly if you get them feeding. Pellets and casters regularly loose fed, can bring the fish up in the water, which goes against the breams stereotypical ‘Bottom Feeding’ habits. Also don’t be afraid to whack plenty of line on the deck, and even some shot, this will ofter give you some cracking lift bites from bream!
The spring and autumn are classic months to fish for bream. Also, some of the biggest record bream have been caught at night, when they will feed more confident closer in. Hot calm conditions are not really favourable for Bream fishing, more of a wild windy day, where waves are on the water, and churning up the bottom tend to be when the best bream catches are recorded. Also fishing with a strong wind (preferably warm) in your face may also increase your chances of catching bream, as they are known to follow the wind.
