Bream
(Acanthopagrus Butcherii)
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Common Name
Before I start I know there are quite of number of Bream around; I am not going to do them all, just this one is my favourite. This species of Bream is known as Southern Black Bream, Black Bream, Gippsland Bream, Bluenose Bream, Southern Yellow Bream, or just plain old Bream. This Southern Bream is very closly related to the Eastern Black Bream, where up at Narooma in Southern N.S.W they overlap each other.
Description
Colouration of the Southern Bream is mostly black on the back, which tends to run of into a silvery-gold on the flanks and a white to a silvery-white colour on the belly. The Breams fins are generally dusky, although the anal and ventral fins may show a tinge of yellow.
Size
Southern Bream usually weighs from 0.4-1.0 kilo; if you catch one bigger then that I would like to know where your little hot spot is. I have heard apparently their growth potential is 4 kilos - wow.
Habitat
Southern Bream often forms large loose schools, during the spawning season in late winter and early spring. At such times you can find them up the river or lakes beds which are reasonably deep. Also in winter you can find the bream closer to the estuary mouth than they are in summer. This may have something to do with their salinity requirements.
Feeding
Bream are notorious for ignoring baits. They feed on prawns, shrimp alive if possible, small crab, sand worms again alive if possible. They also enjoy the old mussle - if you know of a mussle farm, it might be an idea to go fish around it and you should get a good feed.
Fishing Technique
With bream they are a pretty easy fish to fish for - you fish one place and if you don't get one bit move. Just moving a few metres can make a bit diffrence. They like deep holes at low tides, and during high tide they move out and closer to shore line. I have found the best way to catch Bream is to cast against the tide and let the tide move it along the bottom the same way you do for whiting.
Fishing Tackle
I would go for a relatively long rod 2.2m - 2.8 metres with a light soft action and a nice small reel with 2 - 4 kilo line. Hooks: 4-2/0 with a small ball sinker left running so that the bream won't feel it when they pick the bait up. Also try some small plug lures and some minnows lures.
Bag Limit
Ten per day, all species of Bream.
Size Limit
23cm for the Southern Bream,Tasmania 23cm.
Eating Qualities
Southern Bream are the tastiest of all the Australian Bream. Their flesh is white and moist, and tend to have more meat on them.
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