Surface Feeding Bream

[gerg]

fished the Parramatta river for mixed success today. Started OK, but the hour and a half either side of low tide was the most frustrating 3 hours of fishing that I've experienced in a long time.

I decided to motor across to Tarban Creek (under Burns Bay Rd Bridge), because on our walks with the kids down to the reserve, you can see large scools of bream right up in the creek at high tide. I was figuring they must go somewhere at low tide as the creek empties right out.

Started at the moored boats closest to the creek mouth. My first observation at the first boat was 4-5 bream holding right at the top of the water column under the hull of the boat. In fact these fish upon closer examination were swimming upside down "feeding" off the bottom of the boat. I was thinking GREAT, here we go, I'm onto a good thing here. NOT! I could not tempt them at all. As I leccied around the boat I noticed 2 or 3 fish holding under the neighbouring boat. Same scenario. No takers. I changed lures, lighter jig heads, unweighted lures, tried hardbodies all for nothing. This occured at about 30-40% of the boats. In the end I gave up and moved over to the Marinas around Cabarita and Abbotsford Cove.

Again, the fish were visible feeding just under the surface of the Marina. Good size fish swimming upside down, high in the water column. Again, no takers nomatter what I threw at them. They didn't seem spooked at all, just not interested.

Anyone else had similar experiences? Anyone willing to share successful techniques to target these fish?

[Guest danielinbyron]

Many times.. I had a house at woolloomooloo and fished for bream all the time , but i'd usually travel as far as south head or bondi..But there were fish all around the warph at wooly.. They were eating the muscles that attatched themselves around the moorings .. grazing.. After many attempts i came to believe that this was like a trance like grazing state that they were in, and weren't easily tempted out of. Sometimes they could be berleyed up with bread which was also abundant there because of harries cafe de wheels. I eventually just used bread for berley and bait and did ok.

I've never caught a bream on a lure... well not on purpose anyway... I've jagged a couple fishing for jew with divers.

[Trouble]

More than often it ends in dissapointment if you can see them, the only time i have caught them, that i have sited before casting to are fish on sand flats and never had any luck when they are visible around boats, marinas and jetty's.. Like daniel said i think they are very focused on the muscles, oysters and all that kind of stuff attached onto the structure..a unweighted plastic would be the go but yeah sometimes they just arent interested

[mottyman]

I've only ever seen bream feeding in the way you've described once and same story, no luck.

It was a dead still day in Hen and Chicken and as soon as I put a plastic near them they just scattered. On this occassion they seemed very easily spooked.

I did however get a bream from directly beneath that same boat when the plastic hit the bottom.

Cheers

[stafford]

fished the Parramatta river for mixed success today. Started OK, but the hour and a half either side of low tide was the most frustrating 3 hours of fishing that I've experienced in a long time.

I decided to motor across to Tarban Creek (under Burns Bay Rd Bridge), because on our walks with the kids down to the reserve, you can see large scools of bream right up in the creek at high tide. I was figuring they must go somewhere at low tide as the creek empties right out.

Started at the moored boats closest to the creek mouth. My first observation at the first boat was 4-5 bream holding right at the top of the water column under the hull of the boat. In fact these fish upon closer examination were swimming upside down "feeding" off the bottom of the boat. I was thinking GREAT, here we go, I'm onto a good thing here. NOT! I could not tempt them at all. As I leccied around the boat I noticed 2 or 3 fish holding under the neighbouring boat. Same scenario. No takers. I changed lures, lighter jig heads, unweighted lures, tried hardbodies all for nothing. This occured at about 30-40% of the boats. In the end I gave up and moved over to the Marinas around Cabarita and Abbotsford Cove.

Again, the fish were visible feeding just under the surface of the Marina. Good size fish swimming upside down, high in the water column. Again, no takers nomatter what I threw at them. They didn't seem spooked at all, just not interested.

Anyone else had similar experiences? Anyone willing to share successful techniques to target these fish?

Next time you see this happen try using a rebel popper clear in colour and with a redish bluish head and a white feather on the rear treble, when you cast make sure you have your boat about 4 to 5 meters away and cast along side of the moored boat, your cast has to land right at the edge where the water line is and when you retrieve your popper make it hit the hull once or twice and then get ready, this is the only way I've been able to tempt bream while they feed this way and it has worked for me 3 times already you must use 4lb leader as well, you mainly see this when the tide is near out or just on it's way back in. Hope this helps for next time, let me know how you go..............

Jason

[gerg]

Thanks for the feedback guys. I have never seen this before, and was interested to here other's experiences. Is this a common observation?

The fish were definately not spooked and as Daniel said it was more like they were grazing in a trance at either side of low tide. Thanks for the tip Jason. I think that a popper was the only thing I didn't try because I don't own one. But it's on my list now.

cheers, Greg