Bream on fly, please help

[eddystone]

Hi all,

I have a BD fly rod on the way and i'm keen to snare a few bream on fly.

Can members please post any tips especially types of flies. Pics would be GREAT!!

There is a pattern that is tied by Muzz wilson which is spose to go well??? Not sure what its called.

Any help is appreciated.
eddy

[swoffa]

Don't bother... they're easier on plastics... :p

I used to catch heaps of bream on fly before the soft plastic thing took off, now I'd never go back to it. It's a very unproductive way to catch bream, and they're not much of a fight on 5wt gear.

I used to mainly use baited breaths and crazy charlies, but they're not too picky so anything shrimp like will usually do the trick.;)

[eddystone]

Hi swoffa,

I'm not trading in my spin rod!!! Just thought it would be a buzz to catch a few bream on fly for a change.

Not sure about sydney bream (or whereever your from) but tassie bream won't be easy landing on a 5wt!!!!
:confused: :confused:

eddy

[getchoo]

unproductive way of catching bream? Or simply a more challenging way?

Anyhow Eddystone, bream on fly is very rewarding if you're prepared to put in the effort. I don't have too much experience in catching large bream on fly (yet :D), but successful patterns for me have included gotchas, smaller green clousers, all sorts of shrimp patterns, ghosts...

but by far the best pattern i've used so far is the BMS... pure bliss is this one...

[swoffa]

It's not that it's unproductive, it's just a lot less productive than plastics.
I've caught heaps of bream on fly, and they were easily overpowered by my 5wt outfit. Unless you're on the racks or similar there's a good chance you'll land them.

Have a go, they're still fun, but you'll get a lot more spinning.

[Scott T]

Your jokin aren't ya Swoffa,bream no good on a 5wt,i've been blown away on a 9wt.Since when is fish'n about numbers anyway?Bream are awesome on fly Eddystone,get into em mate.

[pappy]

Hey eddystone i just started fly fishing myself and i would love some advice aswell!!!

cheers pappy

[swoffa]

I caught bream on my 7wt recently while chasing trevally and was very unimpressed with the fight. When I got bored and changed back to spin gear the bream were a lot more fun. Also, that day I caught about 3 bream on fly in 2 hours, then about 15 more on plastics in an hour...

They're still fun, I didn't say otherwise, but I jus prefer spinning for them. :D

[eddystone]

Hi swoffa,

I can't see a 5wt over powering a bream???

I can't see how a spin rod is more fun given a fly rod you have direct contact and they are very soft.

Thanks for all the replies. Keep them coming.

eddy

[Scott T]

Sorry Eddystone i forgot to mention successful bream flies,i'm still seething from swoffa's coments.Flashy clousers in green and orange are popular here in the west and the hammerhead and Bms from Muz Wilson are also good.Don't let unfounded comments put you off one of the best ,hardest pulling flyrod species you will ever come across.:D

[Mickb]

interesting debate guys. swoffa sounds like you're probably using a realy light spin set up and a much heavier fly set up (5-7 weight). fly gear's to heavy man. just caught my first and only bream on fly using a 3-4 weight. only 30cm but pulled like a train and took a good while before it was ready to to be landed. standing in the river in waders and casting a fly back down the bank to its snaggy home, smiling as i got the take and then beaming when i saw it's bronze colour. what a magic moment! it's right up there as one of my best catches and i wouldn't have traded it for 10 bream on a lure.

hope that's inspiration for you eddy and pappy, trust me it's a ball. fly that took it was a medium sized fresh water fly with brown and green colouring. sorry, not sure of it's name. i will be experimenting with all my fresh water flys over summer and i think most of them will be succesful.
best advice i can give you is BE PATIENT (or at least, be more patient than swoffa).
good luck
mick;)

[eddystone]

Hi all,

Thanks for all the advise!!!

Keep it coming!!!

Sounds like I shouldn't be too overmatched by my 5wt but i'm still concerned!!

We get quite a few fish around the kilo mark down here. Not sure how i'll stop them close to cover.

eddy

[User Removed]

lock up the drag on your reel and hope your notes hold and pray it aint a huge six pounder or the line will breack you dont need light line i use six pound on the fly rod and 6and 4 pound on the spin stuff and you never get snaped of just catch in snags fly rods arnt weack they can take it dont be scared to put some presure on a fish.:D

[swoffa]

Originally posted by Mickb
interesting debate guys. swoffa sounds like you're probably using a realy light spin set up and a much heavier fly set up (5-7 weight). fly gear's to heavy man. just caught my first and only bream on fly using a 3-4 weight.



That's what I said, I use 5wt for bream so they are a very easily overpowered. I've caught hundreds of bream on fly (and some big fish), it's all I used to do from about '97-'99. I didn't say that it isn't fun, just that it's nowhere near as productive as lures.
I can swoff for a couple of hours and probably pick up 1-3 bream, or I can spin and get up to 20 fish... which would you choose... ;) :confused:

The thing with fighting bream on fly gear is that there's so much give in the line and rod that you rarely have to play out any line to the fish, it's just a matter of easing it in. You don't drop many fish.

I still remember my first bream on fly, I was over the moon, it was worth all the fishless sessions prior.

[Thurls]

"I can swoff for a couple of hours and probably pick up 1-3 bream, or I can spin and get up to 20 fish... which would you choose..."

I'd go string a net across the river and catch about 200 mate!

I'd take the 3 fish on fly any day of the week.

As for favourite flies, BMS's or flashy green clousers.

Cole

[swoffa]

All I'm saying is that there's better fly targets than bream. Pelagics for example are much more responsive to fly tactics, as are EP's and bass a lot of the time.

I'm a big advocate of fly fishing, there's too many people that never give it a go because they think it's too hard. I've never said that bream aren't fun on fly, just that it's not a very productive way to fish for them. There's a lot of casts in between fish...

If you want to have more fun (ie. more action) on you fly rod, then go and find a school of salmon, tailor or trevally. They pull a lot harder and they usually leap all over a fly.

Eddy, are you going to chase any trout? You'd be crazy not to down there...

[eddystone]

Hi swoffa,

Whats wrong with bream up your way???

The ones done here go HARD!!!

As for the trout yeah i'll be targeting them. They don't go like bream do!!! Its a hell of a lot closer but.

eddy

[Tony Ireland]

Hi Swoffa, are you sure your fishing with a 5 wieght because from your discription it sounds more like a 15 wieght.:D

[i_wanna_fish]

swoffa ill agree that it takes a REALLY big fish to take line of a fly rob but i still reckon that any bream is a great fight and just as fun as spin gear, but im still to crack bream on fly.
Just my opinion though

[Bierdo]

It's a damn shame, seeing guys give up the fly rod for spinning gear.

I'm the other way round, I used to spin a lot, now I hardly do it at all. Yes bream are easy to catch on softplastics (once you get the hang of it), but I found it too easy.

I fish for enjoyment, and for the hunt, not so that I can tell someone at the pub (or on this site) that I caught 20 bream in my last session.

When flyfishing for bream you have to work a lot harder for each fish, but every time you get out you usually learn something new about the bream's behaviour.

Now don't get me wrong I used to enjoy my softplastics and lure fishing and I'll probably do more of it in the future. I'll pull out my Struddy and Stradic and have a fun easy fish.

But it doesn't compare to catching them on fly at all, I use either an 8wt or 5wt outfit and they are still fun to catch on the 8wt using light leaders and small flies.

My favourite flies for estuary species (I don't just fish for bream) with bream in mind are a crazy charlie (blue underbody/ pink or white wing), and baited breaths (pink/black chenille, yellow or black hackle)

Cheers

:D

[i_wanna_fish]

well said bierdo:) :) :cool:

[eddystone]

Hi all,

This isn't a spin vs fly post.

I love me spin stick. Maybe after i catch heaps more fish i may look towards other challengers.

Bierdo i suggest you pull out the spin stick some time. I reckon you be suprised at how relaxing and fun you'll find it.

I plan to do SOME fly fishing for bream but still love the spin stick too much.

Thanks for all the replies.

eddy