HOW TO CATCH BREAM ON LURES
BY JUSTIN WILLMER
Lures for black bream are a popular option because these fish are common around much of Australia's coastline.
They fight well on light gear, love eating lures and can still be challenging to work out at times.
When & Where
Two things usually attract bream to an area: structure and food.
If you find areas holding baitfish, prawns, crabs and marine growth, you are already partway to catching fish.
Structure is the other key.
It comes in manmade and natural forms, with both holding fish at different tide stages and seasons.
Manmade structure includes oyster leases, rock walls, jetties, pontoons, boat ramps and bridges.
Natural structure includes rock bars, mangrove edges, weed beds and drop offs.
Structure gives fish protection, a break from current and ambush points, while also attracting bait.
When fishing lures for black bream, the secret is often to get your lure as close as possible to structure.
This may mean a skip cast under a pontoon, a pinpoint cast to mangroves or a lure worked over weed.
Gearing Up
For bream, rods, reels, line and leader are usually all about finesse.
Light gear helps you cast and control light lures, feel bites and fight fish without pulling hooks.
Rods of around 1-3kg and 2-4kg are often fitted with 2000 to 2500 size reels.
These are loaded with 4-8lb braid and 2-10lb leader.
If you are fishing nasty structure such as oysters, you may step to the heavier side of the gear.
In open, clear water, you may need to fish as light as possible to get the bite.
Good
Okuma Competition CM-S-702ML 7' 4-12lb 2pce rod and Okuma Alaris ALS-20 spinning reel.
Better
Okuma Cerros CER-S-701L 7' 1-3kg 1pce rod and Okuma Epixor EPXT-20 spinning reel.
Best
Okuma Helios HS-S-701L 7' 1-3kg 1 pce rod and Okuma Helios HSX-20 spinning reel.
Lure Selection
The best lures for bream are generally smaller soft plastics in the 2"-2.5" size range.
Options include ZMan 2" CruzteaZ, 2" GrubZ, 2.5" GrubZ, 2.5" Slim SwimZ, 2.5" TRD CrawZ and 3" TRD HogZ.
One plastic that has dominated bream tournaments is the ZMan 2.5" GrubZ.
It also catches a stack of different species in the fresh and salt.
This curl tail plastic represents a range of prey and has loads of built in action.
That makes it ideal for beginners and effective in the hands of experienced anglers.
These bream lures can be worked in several ways, depending on the plastic and the structure being targeted.
It is important to mix things up because the best retrieve is the one that works on the day.
Slow Rolling (Slow Winding) - Cast out, let the plastic sink to the desired depth and then slow wind it back.
This works well with plastics that have built in action, such as the ZMan GrubZ or Slim SwimZ.
You can vary the speed, add pauses or include the occasional twitch to find what fish want on the day.
Hopping - Make a cast, let it sink and then lift the rod vertically to hop the plastic upward.
This can represent a startled or fleeing baitfish or prawn.
A double hop retrieve is popular, followed by a pause before repeating.
You can change the length, number and aggressiveness of the hops until you find a pattern.
Burn and Kill - This retrieve uses a few quick winds of the reel handle and then a pause.
By changing the speed of the burn and the length of the kill, you can work different depths.
It is also a simple retrieve for introducing kids to fishing plastics.
Shaking - Shaking combines a few winds of the reel with rod tip shakes, followed by a pause.
Think of the plastic fleeing and then pausing.
Change the speed, shake and pause until you crack a bite pattern.
Dead Sticking - Make the cast close to structure and let the plastic fall naturally on a slack line.
Watch for a subtle tick, a speeding line or a line that stops when it should still be sinking.
These are all signs a fish may have eaten the lure.
Let's have a look at how we approach some different types of bream structure.
Pontoons - When fishing canals and pontoons, cast to shade, back corners and edges.
Also allow the tide to suck the lure underneath the pontoon.
Pontoons are like upside down reefs, with marine growth and crustaceans on the underside.
Fishing light with a 1/20oz or 1/16oz jighead slows the sink rate and keeps the plastic in the strike zone longer.
The TT Lures HWS jighead suits this style, with 1/40oz, 1/28oz and 1/20oz weights extremely popular.
For many anglers, this is where lures for black bream really shine around tight structure.
Fish the corners and edges thoroughly and note any ropes before casting, as they are magnets for snags.
Rock Walls - Rock walls offer shelter, ambush points, current breaks and food for bream.
Fish your soft plastic down the face of the wall with a hopping or slow rolling retrieve.
You can also fish parallel along the wall and fan your casts from high on the wall to the base.
Jighead weights can vary based on depth and current, from 1/16oz - 1/4oz.
Mangrove Edges - Bream often move into the mangroves on a rising tide and out again as it falls.
On big tides, fish may move too far back to target effectively.
You can fish back into the mangroves or work parallel along the edge.
This approach can also suit lures for yellowfin bream in similar structure-heavy water.
Common jighead weights include 1/16oz, 1/12oz and 1/8oz.
Flats - On higher tides, bream often move onto yabby and weed flats looking for an easy meal.
The trick is often to cover plenty of water with a slow rolling or shaking retrieve.
Try to match the hatch where possible.
If there is baitfish on the flat, a Slim SwimZ may be effective, while a TRD CrawZ may suit a yabby bed.
Deep Structure & Schooled Fish - At times bream will school deep due to bait, structure or seasonal spawning.
Cast up current and let your lure sink to the fish before starting the retrieve.
Current and depth will dictate your jighead selection, with 1/12oz - 1/4oz popular.
Jetties & Boat Ramps - Jetties and boat ramps can be bream magnets because they offer both structure and food.
Bream often hold tight to structure, so casting away from the jetty can mean casting away from the fish.
Fishing vertically around pylons can produce more fish, though you may need heavier line and leader.
Look & Listen
Keep your eyes and ears open.
Bait or prawns flicking on the surface may signal feeding bream in the area.
Listen for bait being harassed or the kissing sound of a bream feeding under a pontoon.
Lure Colour
When targeting bream, natural colours often dominate.
In clear water and bright conditions, anglers often choose Opening Night, Bad Shad, Greasy Prawn or Bloodworm.
In stained or dirty water, they may switch to Pumpkinseed, Gudgeon, Watermelon Red, Motor Oil or Midnight Oil.
If those are not working, it can be worth trying a bright colour such as Bubble Gum or Space Guppy.
Jigheads
Jighead choice is usually about finesse and hook penetration on light line and light drag settings.
Common hook sizes are #4, #2, #1 and #1/0 to match smaller profile plastics.
TT Lures HeadlockZ Finesse - A popular option with fine wire Gamakatsu black nickel chemically sharpened hooks.
TT Lures HeadlockZ HD - Built for heavier drag settings and heavy structure with a Mustad heavy wire hook.
TT Lures NedlockZ - A mushroom style stand up jighead for Ned Rig presentations.
TT Lures HWS (Hidden Weight System) - Designed for a slow, natural, horizontal sink.
TT Lures ChinlockZ / SnakelockZ Finesse - A useful option for weedless rigging in structure.
Switchblades
Another effective lure for bream is the TT Lures Switchblade metal vibration blade in the 1/8oz size.
It casts like a bullet, covers water and can be fished with a slow roll, pause or twitch.
You can also fish it vertically around structure, bait or schooled fish.
Scent
Adding scent can mask foreign smells, attract fish and trigger strikes.
Bream can reject a lure quickly, so scent can help them hold on a little longer.
Pro-Cure Super Gel is a popular option, with Shrimp, Mullet, Bloodworm and Inshore Saltwater among the favourite flavours.
Land Based Tips
Land based anglers should also focus on structure and bait.
Cast around rubble bottom, weed beds, mangrove edges, rock walls, pontoons, bridges and jetties.
Fan your casts further from the structure in case fish are holding on less obvious areas.
Landing & Handling Fish
A landing net is a good idea because bream have spikes and are often only lightly hooked.
You can then handle the fish with a wet rag or a firm grip on each side of the head with a wet hand.
Hopefully there are a few tips here to get you started with lures for black bream or help you hook a few more.
Fish on!
Gear List
ZMan 2" CrusteaZ
ZMan 2" GrubZ
ZMan 2.5" GrubZ
ZMan 2.5" Slim SwimZ
ZMan 2.5" TRD CrawZ
ZMan 3" TRD HogZ
TT Lures HeadlockZ Finesse jigheads
TT Lures HeadlockZ HD jigheads
TT Lures HWS (Hidden Weight System) jigheads
TT Lures NedlockZ jigheads
TT Lures SnakelockZ Finesse jigheads
Pro-Cure Shrimp Super Gel Scent // Bloodworm
