LURE GUIDE TO BREAMING SUCCESS
Have you ever asked yourself the question when heading out for a breaming session, ‘what should I throw today?’ When you take into account the weather, tide, water clarity, terrain, season and finally what’s left in my tackle box, it can leave you in quite the lure dilemma. We all have our favourite ‘go to’ lures that are guaranteed to catch fish and then there are those lures that you have bought because somebody won a comp using them! But where does this leave you? Keeping a simple game plan can often reap better rewards which can turn any lure in your tackle box into a ‘go to’ lure.
TERRAIN
Terrain is probably the biggest influence on lure choice as it provides great insight to a bream’s eating habits. For example, shallow rubble flats may mean bream feed along the bottom; crunching shells and hunting for crustaceans while herding baitfish into shallow waters. As opposed to reef bommies, which may mean bream cruise the deeper drop offs to ambush baitfish and target reef ledges for shrimps and other small resident fish. So taking these factors into account can give you an indication of what lure to cast in certain environments.
LURE COLOUR
This is a topic that has fuelled many ongoing debates amongst anglers for several years with no rights and wrongs. As a ‘general rule’ transparent coloured lures are suited to clearer waters, giving them natural tones and subtle camouflage. On the flipside, solid coloured lures tend to hold good contrast in murkier waters giving them outstanding lines and features that tend to grab the attention of feeding predators. Being a general rule it is very open to be proved wrong as many anglers have done in the past. We all have our favourite lure colours for all different situations so finding what works in certain fishing arenas is all part of the fun.
Oyster leases account for large numbers of bream when working minnow patterns around them. Often the bottom is littered with rubble and Oyster shells.
LINE CHOICE
As I was first introduced to breaming using a braid/fluorocarbon line combination it is certainly my preference when throwing hardbody lures; as the sensitivity suits my style of fishing. Gaining in popularity is fishing hardbodies with straight-through fluorocarbon line. Both techniques have several pros and cons, but I believe at the end of the day it really comes down to the angler. Braid certainly gives great sensitivity, durability and versatility as it can be matched with several different strength leaders. On the flip side, braid can also have ‘over-sensitivity’ that can spook flighty fish when the bite has shutdown and when matched with the tedious job of retying leaders, this can be enough to sway many anglers to the straight-through fluorocarbon option. Fluorocarbon also possesses great versatility and durability but its true strength lies in its flexibility. Its stretching capabilities can be an anglers’ best friend when fighting stubborn bream; as their runs and lunges can be absorbed through the line therefore reducing the chances of pulled hooks and lost fish. This option also has its disadvantages with the biggest being the lack of sensitivity especially when setting hooks in a bream’s mouth. Line stretch can add a time delay to the angler when feeling a lure hit or a take which can lead to missed hook ups or ‘spat’ hooks therefore decreasing the number of fish caught. Also the lack of opportunity to change leader strength while fishing can leave an angler fishing too light or to heavy depending on changing terrain. As stated before it really comes down to what the angler feels best suits their fishing style as this may vary between each angler and their surrounds.
CONFIDENCE “GO TO” LURES
As most seasoned bream fisho’s have at least one or two (or a dozen of the same colour) of these essentials in their tackle box, it’s usually the model that has ‘smashed them on the last session’ or ‘nabbed me my PB’ over the years. Although be warned, this can also be a trap for young players, as what may have worked last week may not work this week. So when recreational and tournament fishing, thinking outside the square and trying new lures can sometimes reap rewards as a lot of lures have the potential to turn into a new ‘Go To’ lure.
In closing, using your general rules of thumb when picking your next lure to throw, such as: terrain, depth, colour and action, will give you a start on creating more opportunities on catching your next fish. Patience and persistence also plays a role when finding your next favourite lure, as giving each lure a good run will definitely satisfy your curiosity on whether something works or not and who knows – your next cast may be the one that beats your previous personal best.
This deep diver accounted for a healthy bream during a recent comp.
(pic Nick Wood)
