Applying what Ive learnt....Taking on the Bait Fishos

[8footugly]

As some of you know, Im relatively knew to targetting Bream with Lures. Historically Ive been your average bait fisho. But now that Im starting to learn a bit about the challenge of Bream fishing with light gear and lures, I would like to share a recent experience with other newbies.

For the past couple of months since taking up this pastime we all love , Ive been doing a lot of research. Mainly listening and reading what more experienced fishos have to say.

So thats my first tip: Listen, Look and learn from the experienced anglers. Dont let your old habits inhibit your learning curve. This Bream spinning is an eye opener and a new kettle of fish..pardon the pun.

OK so I did some research, next step...experiment and put the theory into practice. For me it was analysing the type of lure successful fishos are using and getting my hands on an assortment of lures to test.

Part of the test plan was to understand the environment I was intending to target, and using what Ive learnt to trial the lure types/colours and also trial the retrieval styles and methods. Its doing a test, but at the same time learning about the environment and perfecting a style that suits and brings success to you. One important part of defining the targetted spots.... check them out at low tide. Its often the only time you get to see what the substrate's like. You discover where the fringes of weed beds are. Where the rock outcrops are, where the flats start and end and where the channels are. You see the feeding/Bait environment that you are trying to immitate. Wormholes, crabs, nippers, shrimpy weed beds, oyster shells and cockles...all these help with ideas on lure selection and retrieval styles.

So the experiment was underway. Keeping in mind there are no real rules, I went with my recently acquired knowledge and my gut feel. Never forget your gut feel.

I found that for me, being land based provides some restrictions, but around the Sydney area that may not hold true. What I decided was to find and mark 5 fishing spots in different areas who's only similarity was they are potential Bream holding spots. I deliberately ensured these spots all varied in degrees: water colour, tidal flow, substrate (sandy/muddy/rocky/weedy). These properties enabled me to use my newly stocked Plano Soft pack to the max. Every jig size, every slider, every grub and every hardbody would get a chance across these varying environments.

Then after a few weeks, successful targetting started coming my way. Its not that hard catching fish. It gets harder when you target one particular species. So for the first few weeks I was targetting Bream, but mainly landing Flathead. So I looked at my lure selection and I looked at my retrieval style.

I started varying my style from a uniform slow retrieval along the bouncy bottom to a slower retrieval rate with frequent pauses and vertical jigs thrown in to test the water column going up as well as across the horizontal. What do you know....Bream. Variety people...mix it up if the usual doesn't seem to produce results.

My first was a ripper and I knew then there was no turning back, I was hooked as many anglers here know....its what happens when you hook and land a fat 30-40cm Parra River yellowfin.

So I started feeling my lure selection was getting better, my technique was improving as I was landing at least 1 good sized Bream every time I went out.

Now Im at the next stage in my learning curve. Increase the numbers caught. An old guy that's been fishing the Lane Cove River in Sydney showed me the horse he caught...he's been hitting the same spot for 20 years, using live crabs and landing 1 or 2 Big bream per session...from 5:00am until 8:00am. Evry day, every year, same thing.

The sizes he gets are impressive. But what got me thinking was what he said..."There in here son....they are always around these parts". So the next thing I learnt was, I could spend the rest of my Breaming life fishing the same spot of water for 1 Bream a day, or I could do something to increase those figures. The answer was, if the fish dont come to you....go to the Fish.

Mobility. Stay on the move. Cover as much ground as you can, and sure enough...the numbers increased.

And yesterday it all came together for me in a big way. The past couple of months of learning and the results were as follows:

I popped down to a popular spot near the Ryde Bridge on the Parra. There were 5 bait fishos there when I arrived that had been fishing for 4 hours and only 1 Bream to sho for it. They had their 10-12 foot rods, snapper sinkers double rigs and a variety of baits: prawn, mullie cubes, live crabs and bloodworm. They basically baited up and cast as far as they could (about 50m) into the heart of the river and sat and waited. I started flicking some Atomic single tails about 10 meteres away from them. The water was very calm and flat as the tide was well near the top of it's high. I used a very light (1.5g) jighead and could only cast about 15 meteres with it. Within 4 casts and retrieves....a 40 cm Duskie. The bait fishos just put it down to luck. After all they couldnt get anything with their gun equipment and variety of bait, I must have fluked it with my lil 6 footer and plastic bait.

After a few more casts I started moving away from them in a direction against the current. Within 50 metres I had landed and released 2 more Flathead. As I moved around the bay, the terrain became rockier and I lost a couple of jigs. It happens. I changed my retrieval to accomodate and got smacked and landed a nice 30 cm bream.

Mission accomplished. In 1 and a half hours I had landed and released 4 fish to their 6 hour old 1 bream in a bucket.

I knew then I must be doing something right.

So to all the newbies out there, I hope I didnt bore too many of you, but keep trying and eventually you'll get the results that will turn a few heads, and you'll even suprise yourself.

Happy Breaming!

[jimi]

Good story 8foot. Thinking about your fishing is what makes a successful lure fisherman stand out from the average bait fisherman.....Well that and a desire to stick it to the baitos .

Well done.

[Craig_S]

Summed up in a nutshell 8'U.

Super work and nice narration mate.

[torvic]

Couldnt have said it any better....

[bubba]

Really well said mate,
I think articles like this should perhaps go in an FAQ section so that long after the thread has 'died' newer people can come in and read it and have a lot of questions answered.
What ya think Warren?

[8footugly]

Thanks for the kind words fellas. And thanks for sharing your experiences and knowledge.

Breaming is fast becoming a passion of mine, and its one of those things where you like to share your experiences with like minded addicts! LOL.

Cheers.

8footugly.

here here, nice one.................

[madsurfe]

excellent writeup and good to see that you put some thought into your lure selection and retrieves. you may know that Mim and JP were in Sydney recently well I found the Rydalmere Ferry pontoon and shoreline along the reserve to be excellent. You get rocks under the bridge to the west of the pontoon as well as a little drain between the mangroves. To the east along that reserve is bream nirvana amongst the Mangroves and boy is it fun to extract the feisty little buggers out of those mangroves
I had a ball. Now I gave a guy some tuition as he was struggling to get a bream, I rigged a no.2 bloodworm squidgy wriggler on his line, told him to slow the retrieve and hop it along the bottom and what do ya know! he got one on his second cast. He picked up a couple of others as well in around 15 mins. He took this photo of me with one of my fish but it,s a little blurry. So if you haven't done already checkout this spot. One advantage you have is that there are no boats other than the ferry allowed into this part of the river. So you've got the fish all to yourself, on this day I caught the ferry to Rydalmere.

[beefaman]

Not a truer word spoken It really is perserverance and listening and learning. I know even the really experienced guys continue to learn, so for the rest of us the sky is the limit

[Geoff R]

A great read, i would like to see that published in some magazine, i reckon it would make a great subject for an article.
I am impressed.
Regards Geoff P

[peter bear]

clap ,clap with the hands, 8ft ugly well down and a great story.

i reckon you PM starlo on the FISHING MONTHLY site or the SPORTSFISH which he visits and he might take the story up and publish it in modern fishing mag.
JMO
peter bear.

[8footugly]

Here are some photos of the good bream Im starting land.
My PB about 40cm, caught in Mangroves on Squidgy Wriggler in Bloodworm.

[8footugly]

And another....the Parra System is a lot cleaner than it used to be and the fish are in pristine condition. Here's another around the 30cm mark, deeper water, rocky bottom, Atomic single tailed grub in Pumpkinseed.

[8footugly]

Here is my very first bream on plastics....muddy bottom, Atomic Fat Grub in dark Purple, full moon night......38 cm thumper!

[8footugly]

Putney Area..... Sandy bottom, very light jig (1.5g) Atomic Slider in Camouflage. One happy Novice.