BREAM



BLACK BREAM

Acanthopagrus butcheri

Black Bream are a deep, robustly built species (much like a Snapper) that is common in South Australia. The Black Bream is normally a a silvery/olive colour on the upper half which changes to a white belly. Those fish found in ocean environments are more silver than estuary/river fish which are normally a gold/bronze colour. The Bream is a fine eating fish and has firm, white flesh.

HABITAT

The Black Bream are found right through the southern half of Australia up to southern Queensland in the east and central Western Australia in the west. They also occur in a number of Tasmania's estuaries and rivers. In South Australia the Bream is found in numerous locations in our rivers, estuaries, open ocean and even some lakes. The fish in South Australia are normally found between 20-35cms although they can grow to 55cms and weigh 4kg.

The Bream often feed on shellfish (molluscs), marine worms, small crustaceans and small fish like whitebait and anchovies. In some places the Bream live around oyster leases and feed almost exclusively on the oysters. (what a diet!). In South Australia the fish often feed in mangroves and along rock walls picking off small fish, crabs, prawns and worms.

FISHING TECHNIQUES

Bream are normally a challenging fish to target in the estuary where they may be wary and hard to tempt onto a bait. Light lines are often needed and to this end a big Bream is a hard opponent, both to tempt and to land. It is a good idea to use a light sinker (if needed) but one of the most effective rigs is simply a 60cm trace of 4kg nylon tied to your main line via a size 10 swivel with your hook choice at the other end. If needed a small running sinker can be placed on the main line above the swivel. Hook choices are one of personal preference but after hundreds of Bream I rely on only a couple of hook patterns now. For the majority of my Breaming I use a Mustad Tarpon 7766 size 4 hook OR I like to use a Daiichi 2461 size 6 hook with touchy fish and worm baits. I will go through a range of baits that I like to use and give the situations that I like to use them in. One bait is normally not enough to rely on for a whole year or range of locations so it is important to keep these different baits in mind and then assess the area you plan to fish before choosing the bait.

BAITS AND SEASONS IN S.A

Baits, seasons and fishing areas all need to be taken into account to successfully target Bream in South Oz.
My favourite baits in rockwall/bridge situations are

  • Pilchard cubes and fillets.
  • Whitebait.
  • Small strips of fish.
  • Live rockcrabs.
  • Live Bloodworms.

    My favourite baits in beach/mudbank areas are

  • Live Clickers (Saltwater Yabbies).
  • Live Blood/Sand/Squirt/Tube worms.
  • Live Cockles.

    My favourite baits in mangroves are

  • Live Worms.
  • Fish Flesh.

    My favourite baits in Lake/river situations are

  • Small peeled prawns.
  • Live Worms.
  • Live Cockles.

    3 nice Onkaparinga River Bream that took live tubeworms in September (Spring).

    In Spring/Summer I like to use

  • Live Tube Worms.
  • Live Sand Worms.
  • Whitebait.
  • Live Clickers.
  • Live Cockles.

    In Autumn I like to use

  • Whitebait.
  • Live Cockles.
  • Small Prawns.

    In Winter I like to use

  • Pilchard.
  • Fish flesh.
  • Live Bloodworms.
  • Live Sandworms.


    Although the above is really only for SA it is a good guide to follow when you are chasing the South Aussie Black Bream. For example if you were fishing a lake like West Lakes in July, Live Bloodworms would be the ideal choice to use. If you were fishing the Birkenhead Bridge in autumn, whitebait or small prawns would be ideal to use. The above is not hard and fast rules either because in autumn I occasionally use pilchard for good results.

    STATE REGULATIONS

  • SIZE LIMIT = 28cms
  • No bag or boat limits apply in South Australia.

    LURE FISHING

    Lure fishing for the Black Bream is a sport that is just taking off in South Australia. Many good areas abound for the fishing of lures chasing Bream but my lure fishing is centred around the Port River/West Lakes areas. I fish these areas regularly with good success on bait and good success on lures. The essential need for a Bream lure is to produce a lot of action from a small lure and at a VERY slow retrieve. Instead of walking pace I prefer to retrieve a lure at the pace at which a baby usually crawls about. Casting near snags and cover is almost always essential for lure fishing and a heavier trace is often required to compensate for the chafing it may receive with the terrain. I still use 2kg main line with the exception that I use a 10ft double tied with a bimini twist which goes to an albright knot connecting another 10ft leader on 15lb line to the lure via a perfection loop! (try saying that fast).

    FAVOURITE LURES

    I don't mean to offend any lure manufacturers here but the following lures are lures that I have had success with. My overall favourite lure for Bream fishing is the Rebel Carwdad deep diver in small "Teeny Weeny Craw" size. the actual lure is a Rebel Deep Teeny Weeny Craw. These are dynamite. I have had success with a Rapala CD3S, A Mini Serge in colour 10 (black, pink and yellow), Attack lures in colour 7 (Banana Fish) and one or two others like the Manns Depth 5+ in Blu/Grn Sunfish colouration. There are many other lures however that dive deep, swim wide with action, have small size and good hardware. It is just a case of trying them out.

    Click here to see proof that you can catch Bream on lures.

    CLEANING/COOKING

    Bream, as previously mentioned, are a succulent eating fish. To get the most out of them they should however be cleaned promptly and thoroughly. I always prefer to bleed my fish upon capture and then store them in a 'slurry' of ice/saltwater mix. They keep well this way but it is important to gut and gill the fish as soon as practicable. This leaves the fish whole for cooking by a number of methods. On the contrary you can fillet the fish quite easily. Still bleed and gut them immediately, but then use a sharp knife and fillet the fish as you would any other. Keep the scales on and then skin the fish leaving a clean, skinless fillet.

    When cooking the fish whole my preference is to bake it. to do this I place the fish upright in an aluminium foil tray by opening the belly flaps and standing the fish up. I like to make 2 or 3 vertical slices on each side to ensure the fish is cooked properly as well. Slice a lemon and place 3 or 4 on the dorsal surface of the fish and the others can be placed on the underside of the fishes gut cavity. This will get the aromas. Pour a decent splash of white wine over the fish and tray before wrapping the fish in foil and placing in a pre heated (180C) oven for 25 minutes. Check the fish and it should be ready to devour. (YUM!).

    With the fillets I either grill them in lemon pepper and mixed herbs or I like to crumb them in Kelloggs corn flakes crumbs and fry for a few minutes on either side. The last method I use is to batter the fish in a "Beer and lemon" batter before deep frying it for a couple of minutes.





    Overall, enjoy the target a Bream gives and the fine sport available. Try the lures, they really work!.





    GOOD FISHING

    © 1997 bradheath@hotmail.com

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