Big jetty bream

[Jo5hC]

I recently went down to Oyster Cove Reserve in middle harbour and saw some truly massive bream hanging around the oyster encrusted structure, close to 40cm. I tried a crank bait and a grub with no fish, though one almost hit the grub but swam away at the last second.
 

I presume that the bream would not be as inclined to bite my lure as there was such an abundant food source right next to them, but I was wondering if any of you guys have tips on how to present a lure to entice the bream into a strike.
 

[Mike Sydney]

Last time i was there the marina was closed off for repairs but some good bream were taken against the rock wall on the right hand side of the Marina. There were also flathead in that small section from the footbridge that goes to the nature path. Haven’t had a crack at the marina but that section to the right had fished very well for bream, I was using slim SwimZ casting far to the western edge. 

[Mike Sydney]

[dirvin21]

They will eat a lure, lightly weighted soft plastics and cranka crabs floated down against pylons

Big jetty bream are incredibly wary so your presentation needs to be almost flawless as in sinking naturally and stealth is also very important 

[Jo5hC]

1 hour ago, Mike Sydney said:

Last time i was there the marina was closed off for repairs but some good bream were taken against the rock wall on the right hand side of the Marina. There were also flathead in that small section from the footbridge that goes to the nature path. Haven’t had a crack at the marina but that section to the right had fished very well for bream, I was using slim SwimZ casting far to the western edge. 

Do you mean walking down onto the sand?

[Little_Flatty]

I've had my eye on that spot for a while, never been there though!

All this advice here is great. Try fishing line or leader < 6lb as well (with 4lb being a good choice).

[Yowie]

Be prepared for tears if you hook one close to structure, as it will most likely take you around pilons, rocks or whatever else you can see in the water when using light line.

[Little_Flatty]

1 hour ago, Yowie said:

Be prepared for tears if you hook one close to structure, as it will most likely take you around pilons, rocks or whatever else you can see in the water when using light line.

Absolutely, it’s often a damned if you do, damned if you don’t situation. If you use heavier line, you won’t hook anything. If you use lighter line, you might not land anything! That said, occasionally you do get lucky 😎

Just have fun with it and enjoy the zzzzzz sound, whether you land anything or not!🤣

[Yowie]

16 minutes ago, Little_Flatty said:

Absolutely, it’s often a damned if you do, damned if you don’t situation. If you use heavier line, you won’t hook anything. If you use lighter line, you might not land anything! That said, occasionally you do get lucky 😎

Just have fun with it and enjoy the zzzzzz sound, whether you land anything or not!🤣

A number of times I have fooled the bream, mainly after filleting fish and throwing the carcases into the water. The bigger bream turn up, as well as smaller versions. 10 or 15 pound mono with a size 2 bait holder hook. A bigger than normal chunk of fish on the hook.

Throw it among the smaller bream, and they will sometimes grab the bait, and have that bait grabbed from them by the bigger bream, or, the bigger bream will race in and grab the bait first, thinking they will be missing out on a feed. Usually in clear water so I can watch the action. Greedy fish. 😂

[Rebel]

I always catch bream on cooked prawns.

Never fails.

Cheers.

[XD351]

Many years ago I was fishing crowdy head wharf with a mate , monster bream everywhere but they wouldn’t look at a bait( prawns and mullet gut) after a couple of hours of frustration we gave up and went home . I threw what bait we had into the water and the biggest bream I have ever seen swam out and engulfed a fist sized clump of mullet gut ! I nearly cried that day 😭.

[Mike Sydney]

16 hours ago, Jo5hC said:

Do you mean walking down onto the sand?

I mean the bit in this photo. Not on the sand, but standing up on the walkway.
To the left is the marina , to the right is a footbridge that goes to (presumably) a nature walk. That’s the bit I circled in the map there. In the little trapped space on the other side of the footbridge is a drain feeding into it, which is always good place to look for fish.

 

 

edit / re jetty bream I heard on a podcast the other day that when fishing with crab or mussel lures for jetty bream to drop them on the shady sides of the pylons as close as you possibly can. They were saying the margin of error is like 10cm off and you don’t get bitten.

Edited February 7, 2023 by Mike Sydney

[Jo5hC]

52 minutes ago, Mike Sydney said:

I mean the bit in this photo. Not on the sand, but standing up on the walkway.
To the left is the marina , to the right is a footbridge that goes to (presumably) a nature walk. That’s the bit I circled in the map there. In the little trapped space on the other side of the footbridge is a drain feeding into it, which is always good place to look for fish.

 

 

edit / re jetty bream I heard on a podcast the other day that when fishing with crab or mussel lures for jetty bream to drop them on the shady sides of the pylons as close as you possibly can. They were saying the margin of error is like 10cm off and you don’t get bitten.

Ahh ok. Thanks for the help!

[Yowie]

On 2/7/2023 at 12:35 PM, XD351 said:

Many years ago I was fishing crowdy head wharf with a mate , monster bream everywhere but they wouldn’t look at a bait( prawns and mullet gut) after a couple of hours of frustration we gave up and went home . I threw what bait we had into the water and the biggest bream I have ever seen swam out and engulfed a fist sized clump of mullet gut ! I nearly cried that day 😭.

That is why he was a big mongrel. He would have pulled you into the water if you had a hook in the mullet gut.  🤣

[JamoDamo]

With pressured fish use patterns that they wouldn't see as often but would still eat; for example for bream the usual bread and butter is grubs and paddle tails I reckon anything like creature baits lightly weighted on structure would kill it, use 4lb! 

Also give different lures a go, I would say a walk the dog topwater lure from 50mm-80mm will be perfect! Throw in the shadows and built up spots they will always be there. Also keep your distance and keep quiet, they can feel the vibration from you walking plus they can sometimes see you coming!

Good luck.

[SquidMarks]

Go and buy some hot chips, throw one or two at a time kind of chopped up in the water (half a chip or small chunks). if they go for the chips then hide a size 3 baitholder longshank in a chip tied straight to 4lb line (nothing else). Throw your baited chip amongst the burleyed chips with the bail arm open so the bream can go for a little run. Flick the bail arm after 2 secs of the fish running and hold on. 

I have fooled many a wily old bream using this technique in suburban areas. I had fun at the gold coast in the canals at night using this technique (counted 38 bream released in the space of 2 hours). 

 

Let us know how you go

[Jo5hC]

On 3/17/2023 at 6:31 PM, SquidMarks said:

Go and buy some hot chips, throw one or two at a time kind of chopped up in the water (half a chip or small chunks). if they go for the chips then hide a size 3 baitholder longshank in a chip tied straight to 4lb line (nothing else). Throw your baited chip amongst the burleyed chips with the bail arm open so the bream can go for a little run. Flick the bail arm after 2 secs of the fish running and hold on. 

I have fooled many a wily old bream using this technique in suburban areas. I had fun at the gold coast in the canals at night using this technique (counted 38 bream released in the space of 2 hours). 

 

Let us know how you go

Never heard of that before! Might have to try it out myself