What August’s Black Bream lack in average size they make up for in numbers. If you know where to look they are there in their hundreds. It’s a fun time of year to break out the LRF gear, jump on the boat and head out for some bream game in the sun.
The key to catching Black Bream well, is movement. They love chasing down a bait. Most probably because they are a shoal fish and compete to get to the bait first. Keep the fish thinking they might miss out and the bites keep on coming.
In terms of tackle, you want to keep the lure on or very near the bottom. It’s a kind of drag or slow retrieve method. I prefer to use a fixed or running Caro rig with just enough weight to keep me in touch with the bottom as I slowly retrieve the lure after casting out.
My lure of choice for this fishing is the Aquawave Ami – a lifelike shrimp imitation that is made of a tough, stretchy material that resists the snatching and tearing that a shoal of hungry seabream will administer. I had 38 this day (as well as some bycatch) so your lures need to be up to the job. As the photos prove, lure colour wasn’t massively important, but try and gain some contrast so the fish can see your moving lure.
I was using a high quality solid tip rod (a HTO prototype) which allowed the fish time to engulf the moving bait, without me losing the critical feel.
It was a whole load of fun with bream up to 29cm and the odd mackerel gate-crashing the party. Exciting fishing on a 7g-rated solid-tip rod and light line. Lots of drag-singing!
