Bream The Smartest Fish?

[trouthunter]

Do you agree with me that bream is the smartest fish.

At lunch today, I stopped at Roseville bridge (2:00pm). I just bought fried rice from a thai shop, so I threw a bit of it in the water. To my surprise, few fish started to get excited. More fish then coming to check. I can say easily 30+ breams, and lots of mullet and garfish. even I saw 3 small rat swiming through fast ( may be 30-40cm)

There were some good size bream, at least 5 were more than legal there, at least 2 were 30-35 cm. I've been there many times, but never see this before.

I stopped eating my lunch, got back to the car took my rod.(always have a rod with few lures in the car). Tried poppers, blades, everything I got..none interested, but they still stay around there. The sound when the big one took the food make me excited.

I got some bread with me thinking to use them, but no hook at all. Search around and found one on the ground, I think size 1/0. put the bread on, no sinker at all. By now, there were too many mullet around.

Lost few bait then a hook up, small about 22cm bream. Why I say they are smart is that after I cought and released that 1st fish, there was not more bream around, all gone. They really learn fast. only mullet and garfish were still there. I threw some bread, only mullet taking it, the bream are really gone.

And to catch them on lure or plastic is very tricky. The timing, colour, how to flick and so on must be right, or else these breams will never even check. very smart.

Not like flathead, or tailor, almost anything goes, they'll take anything.

p/s - will go there again with better bait

[jewgaffer]

Hi trouthunter I think all fish are smart particularly when it comes to survival and loyality to their ilk and to the school as well ... but daring and greed can get them into trouble..I believe that schools of the same species protect one another and the fastest or maybe the oldest or weakest of the species could well become sacrifricial on the day...and detour predators away so as to give the school time to head for safety...salmon schools for instance, if you go in too close they play games with you and bob up somewhere else or behind you etc so you fish away from the boil up and fish wide of the school and use a hardbody like a little gillies no7 and slowly bump off a few of the scouts and so on..... another example would be tailor going off the bite and balling up around pylons etc and sacrificing a few to the jew for instance and then fleeing in mass.. Some species like cat fish and eels for example certainly communicate together but they are so greedy that they are actually gluttons for punishment,,considering the fact that if you happen to strike a school of these unfortunate creatures they can actually cost you at least $50 a session in squid, hooks and leader material.

As to jewfish, as smart as they are I reckon they'll drag anything along just to squeeze the calcium out of it and a few will fall for the same you caught the first one on ...as to bream, when the bite goes off just move downcurrent a bit but change the bait you were using..

Cheers

jewgaffer

[bmp075]

Totally agree with your observation. I take my 2yr old daughter to feed the bream on a regular basis down at Roseville. As soon as I put a plastic or unweighted prawn in front of the big guys noses they turn their backs and head towards the Mangrove lined shore. Somtimes I go down there and hunt the bream feeding on the oyster encrusted shore line along the fire trail... the bream can see you a mile off, if your not in green, grey and tan coloured clothes.

[trouthunter]

Hi all fishraiders,

I went there again Saturday 4 pm. cought few poddy mullet from there as the bait. cought 1st undersize snapper, then quiet for a while. Then got few bites and then 3 legal breams , 1st- 27cm, 2nd - 33cm, and 3rd - 29cm. At least I got my revenge

Edited April 25, 2010 by trouthunter

[Basil D]

haha, who is Smarter now.

With bream I find if your on the bite and let one go, they all know the one you let go was in trouble and they follow, Ive been told they let of a panic signal.

When Im on the bite with bream lately I keep the smaller versions in the live bait tank and let them go once I think that they onto to me and move onto another spot, But I will take Jewgaffers advise and use different bait for a little while

I also watched a fishing show with a guy going for Trout and the guy was using the same tactics, kept the smaller versions in a keeper net and let them go at the end of the session so they don't alert there mates.

Yes fish a smart and they do remember things, survival,patterns, food, keeping there species going etc