Help - can't seem to catch Bream on plastics

[adamk]

have been using plastics now for over a month or two. I am catching decent flathead with every outing but can’t seem to catch any bream AT ALL (apart from the 2 I first fluked at IC) I don’t know what I am doing wrong.

The main plastics I use are the 2” Atomic Fat Grub in Amber, 1.75” Slider crappie grub in pumpkinseed a Berkley 2” Grub in Smoke/Red Glitter & Pumpkinseed. When all these fail I switch to the Kalins and BB range but again NOTHING.

I do get bites but can’t seem to hook up. A bite consists of a tiny touch or sometimes a heavy pull. I strike immediately but no takers. I don’t know if I should strike at every little touch or do I wait for a big tug.

I generally use jigheads in 1/16oz with size 2 or 4 hook and even a 1/32oz with Size 4 hook.

What am I doing wrong or not doing.

PS - Thanks to all who previously answered to this. Appreciate it

thanks in advance for any comments you may have

AdamK

Gday Adam.
Well one problem you may be having is that your striking either too early or too late. One very important thing to note is that the bream normally take the sp on the Drop. Because of this, you'll have slack line. This means you'll either not feel the hits, or by the time you have, the fish has spat the jig or is hardly touching it.
The way to combat this is to watch the slack line on the water. Any sharp sudden movements is likely to be a bream. That is when you strike, not when you feel it, but when you see it!
That is why the bright green fireline is so helpful. this technique definately works. I nailed a few using it yesterday, and i know others have been aswell!:D

HTH

Dave

[pw-bream]

I think that could be one reason I'm not getting great numbers of fish, I need to concentrate my attention on the line more after a cast and use it as a strike indicator.

[SWANK-E]

i find recently my bigger catches that are not thumping the lure tends to tap or nibble it (then i would pause), and then during the pause, i feel a very minute tension, probably slurping it back into its mouth (then i would give a few very very small twitches, and if nothing happens, then that's just going to gain the fish's attention again... OR when you twitch and you feel tension, that's because its in the fish's mouth, that twitch gets a bit harder and the hook is set and the fish goes nuts)

hope that helps

[pw-bream]

That is the behaviour I was getting; tap, tap, nibble, nibble...
Then occasionally the fish would grab it and hang on, I thought I had a solid hookup on one fish, but that was the one where it ripped the tail right off the grub.

[adamk]

thanks for all the info guys.

Well hopefully I can put it all to practice this Saturday at the Parra river comp.

Will post up pictures (IF I CATCH A BREAM)...........:D

cheers
AdamK

[cody]

Gday

when I get bream on sp's they usually just slam it straight away on the drop. Dont know if i fish them differently or what.

Cheers

[Geoff R]

Mate the best experience you can get is during a comp, i went to our Wa first round still being able to count all the fish I had caught on one hand. By the end of the season I had managed a tenth place with only 5 huge fish in one comp and came 12th overall, In my first year of Bream'in. I love the sport and as Steve Morgan says "Who shares Wins".
Geoff

[canoeboy]

Have found when fishing bream on plastics, the sqidge 65cm silver fox, and 16oz ball sinker with the hook attached works great.
A short stiff graphite rod, with braided line with a short leader to prevent bust offs is a must. It also gives you that direct feel to the fish.
But you have to target the bream, and leave the flatties alone, because the big 1kg bream don't usually hang out where the flatties lurk, so concentrate in areas of deep water, and loads of stucture, eg oyster banks, preferably shaded areas on bright days, and sneak up on the target area, canoes are great for this.
Cast into the potential area, and vary the depth you let the plastic sink till you have totally worked the area.
Work the plastic as you normally do, with short upward rod movements, not letting the plastic hit the bottom like you do with the flatties.
If that big bream is there, he won't muck around to much, a couple of nips, just keep on retreiving, but a little slower, you will feel weight, then strike
Hope i havn't waffled on too much, but am passionate about my bream fishing. hope it helps.

Dave

Adam K, dude the reason you aren't getting bream is becasue you are striking. Bream take plastics differently to hard bodies, they suck them in, kinda like a bait. That's why you are missing them.

Just let the bream hook itself, once you have hooked a few you'll know what to do and they will come easy....