Spreading a little joy one bread slice at a time

[linewetter]

I've become a regular at my local wharf fishing with bread after work.  Even if I can only fish for 30 mins, I'll head out for my chance since the wharf is not far from where I live.  I've really enjoyed fishing with bread because it allows me to nearly always get something when I head out and catching even a tiny fish really boosts my mood after a long day of work.

Being a wharf, the ferry comes and brings its share of commuters and tourists quite often.  I think anyone who has ever been around a wharf and observant has noticed some of the fishing related trash left behind by others.  Because of this, I can't help but feel that those at the wharf must have a negative connotation of those who fish.  I try to do my part and clean up any leftover hooks and line left behind from others when I fish but it magically always comes back the next day.  Even doing my part, tons of people will still end up seeing the new trash the next day before I get there to fish.  It's a sad reality but hey we can only do so much for what's in our control.

Speaking of doing what we can in our control - I've started to bring extra slices of bread with me whenever I go fish the last week or so.  I notice sometimes kids with their parents walking by will make curious comments about me fishing while waiting for the ferry and if they're lucky sometimes they even get to see a fish pulled up!  I started bringing these extra slices to offer them to the parents & kids that seem interested so that they can throw it into the water and see fish come to the surface to feast.  They're always really happy to take some and the kids get to see the fish up and close.  I like to think that if nothing else, they'll hopefully walk away with a positive connotation of fishermen and fisherwomen - that we're not all bad and are approachable and nice too...and maybe even a nice memory to look back on.  That and maybe the fish gods will bless me with good karma and a big fish on the next cast 😁

Here were some of my best fish I've caught this week on just bread.  Not the best photos because they're screengrabs from POV videos I've been recording but you get the idea!  All went back into the water safely, some leaving with a parting gift of a piece of bread in their mouth for letting me catch them.

~30cm bream

 

~35cm bream

 

And last but not least...my new PB!!! Coming in at around ~37cm.

[Little_Flatty]

Nice effort @linewetter. Love a good bread session. Any bream over 30cm is a nice fish and once you go above 40cm, you're dealing with something quite special.

Yep there are just too many people doing the wrong thing, especially on wharves. A bit of positive PR to counter the negative experiences will go a long way to helping our cause. Well done.

[big Neil]

I would like some information from you linewetter. What is the complete outfit you are using... braid, leader, hook size and type, weighted, float? I assume you are using something like a 2-4kg rod and small spin reel?

What movie camera do you use? I am looking into getting one so am interested in what fishos use and how easy they are to use.

You got some nice fish there mate. Good post. Thanks, bn

[linewetter]

56 minutes ago, big Neil said:

I would like some information from you linewetter. What is the complete outfit you are using... braid, leader, hook size and type, weighted, float? I assume you are using something like a 2-4kg rod and small spin reel?

What movie camera do you use? I am looking into getting one so am interested in what fishos use and how easy they are to use.

You got some nice fish there mate. Good post. Thanks, bn

I am using Siglon Adv 6lb braid at 0.5PE, Daiwa J-Thread 6lb fluoro leader (tied about 30cm-ish so that the leader knot doesn't go through the guides), size 6 Gamakatsu Panfish hooks, and no weights or floats. My rod is the Atomic Arrowz 7' 1-3kg and reel is the Daiwa Fuego 2000S which has a shallower spool. 
 

I smoosh the bread onto the hook, exposing only the eye and the part of the hook that curves upwards and it casts a mile on this setup surprisingly without any weights.  If the water is really choppy or the fish keep stealing the bait, I will smoosh the bread first then thread it onto the hook like a soft plastic almost.  This makes it hold better onto the hook.  I think it casts further because the smooshing condenses it enough to add weight while also making it more aerodynamic.  If I leave a fluffy bit, then it doesn't go as far.  I can take a picture of the bread on the hook tomorrow if you want additional detail on that part too.  The big fish were all caught when I made the bread baits extra fat, but not wide as that seems to ruin the structural integrity too much. But making them extra fat also makes them more fragile, so it only really works if the bigger bream are around in the first place. I will usually make them fat if I’ve sighted big bream already or after casting a few casts of normal baits so that the bigger ones see the commotion of fish feeding and come to check it out. Or at least that’s my theory on how it would work 🤣

 

As for the camera, I'm just using my iPhone with a chest harness with a phone mount.  I had to go through a couple chest harnesses before I found one that I liked and good quality and stable enough so that my footage wasn't shaky.  I sort of frankensteined it together though with the phone mount and chest harness to get the viewing angle I like, but it works out because they all use the same thread size. The phone is practically at my belly button which was a lot lower than I thought would be ideal, but the footage comes out at the perfect perspective for fishing.

 

But if you are looking for an action camera to use specifically for fishing, I have also been doing my research on this.  Only using the iPhone for now because I don't know if I'm dedicated enough to recording to justify an action camera, but if I am, I'm looking to pickup the DJI Action 4.  I see a lot of people use GoPros but the thing is, a lot of those people are doing things where you're constantly moving, getting passive cooling onto the camera.  With fishing, you're not necessarily moving depending on the type of fishing you're doing, so you don't get the benefit of the passive cooling which leads to the GoPros overheating.  They require active movement as part of the operation to keep from overheating.  That's when I discovered the DJI Action 4, which can still overheat, but not nearly as bad of an issue as the GoPros.  If you're okay with not recording at the highest resolution with all the stabilizers on, then the DJI Action 4 shouldn't overheat even if you're just fishing in one place and not moving.  From what I've read, if you ARE recording at the highest resolution, with all the bells and whistles on like the motion stabilizers, AND not moving, it will likely overheat.  The DJI Action 4 also seems to have better capabilities and better footage quality than the equivalent GoPro.  You could go for the DJI Action 3 which is very similar to the Action 4 if you want to save money.  The main advantage the Action 4 has over the Action 3 is a bigger sensor which will help with low light footage.  So if you're going to be recording shaded areas while fishing, or low light conditions, might be better off with the Action 4.  The Action 4 is also far cheaper with accessories included compared to GoPro.

Edited March 27 by linewetter

[big Neil]

Many thanks for your very comprehensive reply linewetter. I shall take all you have cited onboard and give it a go. Be nice to hook into a few Bream similar to the ones you scored. Will add the Action 4 to my research list to look into.

Cheers, bn

[ireallylovefishies22]

Wow a 37cm bream! That's a good one in anyone's books, good to see that your persistence has paid off.

[linewetter]

15 minutes ago, big Neil said:

Many thanks for your very comprehensive reply linewetter. I shall take all you have cited onboard and give it a go. Be nice to hook into a few Bream similar to the ones you scored. Will add the Action 4 to my research list to look into.

Cheers, bn

No worries, looking forward to seeing you report on hooking into some nice bream! The bread is the key, they seem to go mad over it, just doesn’t stay on the hook as well as other baits. I’ve been next to others that were fishing with raw cut prawns and landing more than the prawns did. Another tip if you’re using bread, get white bread that’s the toast variety not the sandwich bread kind. The toast ones are a little thicker so they are more gummy when you smoosh them and it’s a lot nicer to use. Sandwich bread works too but dries out faster and doesn’t get as gummy. I’ve used Aldi store brand, Cole’s store brand, Woolie’s store brand, and Tip Top branded white toast. I rate Tip Top and Cole’s the highest but Cole’s wins out due to being less than half the price, then Aldi, then Woolie’s. But all will work fine, it’s just small nuances that make me prefer one over the other. Haven’t tried using the fiber specific breads myself since I imagine the fiber will make it not hold together as well as the plain white bread that’s bad for you. 

Edited March 27 by linewetter

[linewetter]

13 minutes ago, ireallylovefishies22 said:

Wow a 37cm bream! That's a good one in anyone's books, good to see that your persistence has paid off.

Thanks! The 37cm one had a lot of fight in it even compared to the 35cm ones. Surprising how much harder they fight, it even bent my hook after pulling it in. Now to break the 40s next…

[ireallylovefishies22]

2 minutes ago, linewetter said:

Thanks! The 37cm one had a lot of fight in it even compared to the 35cm ones. Surprising how much harder they fight, it even bent my hook after pulling it in. Now to break the 40s next…

Yup trying to crack the 40 too. Have hooked a few around that size, but they always get the better of me on light line.