Bream basics for beginners

You can catch good-size bream on both bait and lures, with what you use coming down to personal preference and what seems to be working on the day.

Yellowfin bream are my local species here in Queensland, and just recently I caught several measuring 40-43cm underneath a bridge and hanging around structure.

I reckon these fish would have been around 35 years of age.

Bream like having access to both shelter and a steady food source. The main places that I find them include rock walls (particularly those lined with oysters), pontoons, boat ramps, bridge pylons, beaches and weed beds.

Bream love having protection from the current, particularly those areas that produce bait fish and other crustaceans to feed on.

My most used set-up for targeting bream includes a 6-12lb Atomic Arrowz rod paired with a 2500-size reel and 5kg monofilament line.

You can fish much lighter than this, but I like the versatility of this size rod, and the heavier line comes in handy when trying to pull fish away from structure.

When using bait, I use a small ball sinker held on by a swivel, and a Gamakatsu 1/0 baitkeeper hook.

If the current is running, particularly under bridges, I will swap out to a heavier sinker, leaving the rig the same.

I find prawns, worms and live yabbies to all be effective bait.

Live bait is always best in my opinion; however, bream will still take to frozen prawns or worms.

Bream tend to hang around structure, so the key to targeting them with lures is to cast as close as you can to the structure, whether that be a bridge pylon or a pontoon edge, and draw the bream out from where it is holding position.

This sometimes means casting lures into dangerous country, peppered with snags or oyster-covered rocks, but fortune definitely favours the brave.

When trying to entice bream out from weed beds located on shallow flats, my go-to lure is the Atomic mid-crank 38mm. It is perfect for these conditions, with a dramatic wobbling movement and holding less than a metre deep in the water profile.

Bream are very accessible for land-based anglers. If you’re landing a fish from the bank, a landing net is a good idea as bream carry a decent set of spikes along their backs and will flick around when handled.

Using a net is safer for both the angler and the fish, especially if you plan on returning it to the water. If you do handle the fish, use a damp cloth or wet hands.

Once you become familiar with the species, they become a lot easier to handle.

These tips should help you find success when you start your own bream journey.

Bream can be an exciting species to chase, especially when they are hot on the bite.