I want to catch bream

guest2014

Hi, I fish a small lake that contains perch, brown trout, bream and eel's. in my 20 years fishing the lake I have only ever caught 1 bream, using maggots and a float, about 15 years ago. I have often used swim feeder and maggot method at the lake but never caught bream using this method. I have used ground bait but no luck. I have been told of people catching big bream in the lake but this would be going back a good 15 years. I would of thought using the swim feeder and maggots would of worked but all I caught was trout and perch using this method.

any ideas where I am going wrong? and could there possibly be other fish species in the lake that I may not yet have caught, seeing as the bream are so hard to catch.

flounder

If it's a large lake with a small number of bream you could try pre baiting a swim for a few days before you fish.
I have always found fishing first thing in the morning 5-9 the best times.
I would keep going with the feeder and maggots.
Another possibility is the fish have been poached. I visited some old spots I used to fish on the canal recently and it has been completely cleaned out.

guest2014

flounder wrote: »

If it's a large lake with a small number of bream you could try pre baiting a swim for a few days before you fish.
I have always found fishing first thing in the morning 5-9 the best times.
I would keep going with the feeder and maggots.
Another possibility is the fish have been poached. I visited some old spots I used to fish on the canal recently and it has been completely cleaned out.

its a small lake. full of perch and a nice number of trout. what kind of sick monster eats bream? lol

flounder

All course fish are on the menu for some people. But if your still catching perch and trout that rules out poaching cause they would take the lot.

Try the pre baiting with the likes of hemp and corn for a few days before you fish.
If the fish are in there that long there could be some huge bream in it

guest2014

flounder wrote: »

All course fish are on the menu for some people. But if your still catching perch and trout that rules out poaching cause they would take the lot.

Try the pre baiting with the likes of hemp and corn for a few days before you fish.
If the fish are in there that long there could be some huge bream in it

will do. hopefully there is some big ones in it. would you pre bait far out or close in to the shore or does it matter?

flounder

Use a lead weight and cast around dragging the weight along the bottom trying to find a clear area free of bottom weed. If your hook bait is buried in weed it's going to be hard for fish to find.

Bream give off large bubbles when feeding on your ground bait so it's something to look out for aswell.

I would pre bait as close as I could as long as it's not to shallow. If you try pre bait out to far you will spread the bait everywhere. It's best to keep it all together

guest2014

flounder wrote: »

Use a lead weight and cast around dragging the weight along the bottom trying to find a clear area free of bottom weed. If your hook bait is buried in weed it's going to be hard for fish to find.

Bream give off large bubbles when feeding on your ground bait so it's something to look out for aswell.

I would pre bait as close as I could as long as it's not to shallow. If you try pre bait out to far you will spread the bait everywhere. It's best to keep it all together

the lake is pretty much weed free. hopefully the perch keep away from the ground bait, the lake is full of them.

flounder

guest2014 wrote: »

the lake is pretty much weed free. hopefully the perch keep away from the ground bait, the lake is full of them.

Use ground bait that doesn't break up to quick. It should only break up after hitting the bottom. using sweet corn or tinned luncheon should keep away the perch

guest2014

flounder wrote: »

Use ground bait that doesn't break up to quick. It should only break up after hitting the bottom. using sweet corn or tinned luncheon should keep away the perch

will do. will report back on how it goes. thanks.:)

uch

If you have a Feed store nearby, get a bag of flaked maize, soak overnight then use that as a very cheap bulk feed groundbait, you'll get 20kg for the price of 1kg of tackle shop crumb

guest2014

uch wrote: »

If you have a Feed store nearby, get a bag of flaked maize, soak overnight then use that as a very cheap bulk feed groundbait, you'll get 20kg for the price of 1kg of tackle shop crumb

was just looking at videos about animal feed for ground bait, could i just add the maize dry to soaked bread?

flounder

All particle baits (nuts,grain,seeds,beans) have to be soaked or boiled before using them.
Don't throw away the left over water. Use it to mix your ground bait.

Super-Rush

I'd go along with the prebaiting idea as well. I'd do it just before dark for two or three days. The longer the better to be honest and adding particles like corn, dead maggots, pellets, casters and hemp is a must.

I always found it best to use the same mix when you fish as you did for prebaiting and if there are really big bream present then try some big hook baits like lobworm or two or three pieces of corn. It always pays to have a variety of baits.

If there are big bream present then they will muscle any smaller or nuisance fish out of the way.

I'd love to hear how you get on.

Tight lines.

guest2014

Super-Rush wrote: »

I'd go along with the prebaiting idea as well. I'd do it just before dark for two or three days. The longer the better to be honest and adding particles like corn, dead maggots, pellets, casters and hemp is a must.

I always found it best to use the same mix when you fish as you did for prebaiting and if there are really big bream present then try some big hook baits like lobworm or two or three pieces of corn. It always pays to have a variety of baits.

If there are big bream present then they will muscle any smaller or nuisance fish out of the way.

I'd love to hear how you get on.

Tight lines.

some great info there, thanks:) I will pre bait it for a few evenings before bringing the rod. looking forward to it as no one fishes for bream on the lake and you wouldn't know what kind of size bream are in it.
just say I pre bait the lake 3 or 4 days before i fish it, how many balls of ground bait would you put out each night? and on the evenings i fish it, how many balls of ground bait would you put out them nights?
I will report back on how i get on.

Planet X

If you sit and watch the lake at sundown or dawn you'll see bream roll on the surface. You'll get an idea of population, patrol routes etc. How far out. If a decent head of fish they'll generally follow a certain pattern of showing themselves.
Have had them to over 10lbs. from various Monaghan lakes over the years, all months of the year.

guest2014

back at the lake after a week and a half,the water level has risen 2 or 3 foot, nothing biting, not even the perch, was using worms, and feeding with maggots. few fish moving on the surface and jumping.

Super-Rush

guest2014 wrote: »

back at the lake after a week and a half,the water level has risen 2 or 3 foot, nothing biting, not even the perch, was using worms, and feeding with maggots. few fish moving on the surface and jumping.

Did you prebait?

guest2014

Super-Rush wrote: »

Did you prebait?

no, i was just fishing for trout and perch this evening. there was fish gently rising on the surface, wonder what type they were?

Super-Rush

Could be roach or bream but then again it could be trout.

The best thing to do is to do an evening prebaiting and see what happens.

I'd lump in 40-50 balls about the size of a tennis ball laced with some corn and dead maggots last thing at night and be ready to fish at day break.

guest2014

Super-Rush wrote: »

Could be roach or bream but then again it could be trout.

The best thing to do is to do an evening prebaiting and see what happens.

I'd lump in 40-50 balls about the size of a tennis ball laced with some corn and dead maggots last thing at night and be ready to fish at day break.

there is no roach in the lake, just trout, perch,eels and bream.