Dave Harrell
How to catch bigger nets of river bream – loads of great tips!
THE recent RiverFest qualifier on the River Thames at Reading was an incredible match.
There were four bream weights over 100lb and a top weight of 156lb, which fell to Barry Chapman. It took me almost two hours to start catching, but when the fish arrived it was action all the way, and I finished with 135lb.
We’re now at a time in the season when very big weights of bream are possible from many rivers, so this week I’m going to take you through some tactics that you might like to try, together with a few tips to help you enjoy a real red letter day before winter sets in.
LOCATION
This is sometimes the hardest bit about river bream fishing, as they have fins and are allowed to swim!
A good way to find out where bream shoals are is to walk along a match length at the weigh-in and follow the scales all the way to the end. Make notes of peg numbers and talk to the anglers who have made the good catches. Where in the swim did they catch and what tactics did they use? Which baits worked best? All the answers will help you.
Another good way to catch a big bream weight is to prebait a swim the night before. Fire in 20 or 30 balls containing casters, chopped worm, sweetcorn and micro carp pellets, and don’t be surprised if the swim is heaving with slabs next morning!
GROUNDBAIT
I’ve used the same mix for bream for many years and I have great confidence in it after catching many big bream weights.
I use a 50/50 blend of Bait-Tech Marine Method Mix and plain brown crumb, and always take at least three to four pints of this dry mix with me to wet up on the bank. Keep adding water gradually until the crumb has absorbed it and you’ve got a nice soft, fluffy mix. This is used to hold goodies like casters and chopped worm.
HOOKBAITS
My top hookbait is worms, followed by red maggots. I’ll also try casters in twos or threes.
ACCURACY
To ensure you go to the same distance every time, always use the line clip. Once the session is underway, you can experiment by lengthening line or shortening and re-clipping.
FEEDER OR BOMB?
If you get a lot of fish feeding in your swim, try switching the feeder to a bomb. It’s possible to catch several quick fish this way before you need to replenish the swim with the feeder again.