# whats the big deal with bream fishing?



## Booyah (Apr 26, 2009)

Well why is bream fishing so big? heaps of people almost soley fish for bream, there heaps of bream tournaments and the seem to have a name as one of the premier fish to catch in estuaries.

I personally think they are overated, I've done a lot of bream fishing and have caught bream up to 2kg but mostly they are small with 1kg considered a very good fish. They put up a pretty good fight but a trevally of the same size would pull them backwards...and they taste horrible.

Are they so popular just because there lots of them and they are widespread? The habitat they live in? the challenge of catching them?

Interested to seeing other views, dont get me wrong i enjoy catching but i dont tend to plan a trip specifically to target bream, i.e i'd rather target dusky's cos i know i have a chance of catching a monster, and still catch bream on the side...maybe size matters to me!


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## craig51063 (May 30, 2008)

its all about the sport

i go as light as 2lb fluro in amoungst structure and oysters and i seem to be able to pull most fish out BUT it is heart renching stuff .especialy when they hit like a freight train on the drop , all hell breaks loose or ur getting pulled under a wharf .

they are a mind game as well, especialy in comps

Bream are smart - cunning - freely available - pull hard

not saying u do but if u fish with 12lb line use bait and a heavyer rod then i agree that they would be as boreing as bat shite 

flathead are much easyer to catch . they basically sit on the bottom and wait for something they can eat to swim past .when i fish for flathead all i do is cast out a gulp minnow ,put the rod in the rod holder ,let the sp sit on the bottom and then basically drap it along as i fish for bream . and i always pick up a few flathead . Bream are just smarter and more of a challenge . 

craig


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## eth93 (Dec 17, 2007)

Bream fishing reminds me of kayak fishing. 
I just dont see the big deal about both of them.


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## karnage (Jan 18, 2006)

anyone up for..... "*TEAM - wouldnt piss on a bream*" ?


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## blueyak (Jan 20, 2009)

Hey Booyah, for me it's about the challenge. It doesn't matter how many bream you catch on lures, as soon as you think you have it sorted you find out you really haven't got a freaking clue about them.

eg I fished the same spot, same conditions 2 days in a row recently.
Day 1 was awesome with a a handfull of very good sized bream hitting hordbodies with gusto. It was so good I just had to go back the next day. 
Day 2 they wouldn't even look at a hardbody, they wouldn't touch a plastic, they wouldn't eat a surface walker but they were smashing poppers Go figure.

If you don't rate bream as fighters lb for lb then jewfish must really disappoint you :lol:


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## Booyah (Apr 26, 2009)

blueyak said:


> If you don't rate bream as fighters lb for lb then jewfish must really disappoint you


Horrible, its like pulling in a a hunk of wood ;-) Alas i've only caught one, pleasant by-catch on 6lb bream gear!


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## Vulcan (Nov 6, 2008)

Hi eth93. :-|



eth93 said:


> Bream fishing reminds me of kayak fishing.
> I just dont see the big deal about both of them.:roll:


Isn't the purpose of this website, as the name suggests, *"Kayak Fishing"* ? 

I'm not sure if you enjoy fishing or not!

Copulator 
Vulcan


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## Ranger (May 31, 2008)

I think the beauty of Bream is:

Every capital city has a sheltered estuary close by, and Bream will reside in the most polluted waters surrounded by industry and development, so it's a very convenient way of fishing, suitable for most weather conditions when you cant get out to target other species.

Bream respond readily to soft plastics, hard bodies and bait, so it's a versatile form of fishing.

You do not need the latest, greatest and expensive heavy duty gear to catch a Bream.

Bream fight very well for their size.

Living tight in to structure and fishing on light gear can make it challenging to pull them out, making it a good sport fish.

Bream are widespread around the country, which makes them a great target for tournament fishers.

Bream inhabit a variety of both manmade and natural structure which allows anglers to target them in the anglers prefered environment. Rockwalls, mangroves, sand flats, channels, marinas, estuaries, pylons, wharves, jetties, sunken structures, etc, etc.

Bream are a great species for the kids to learn with, in waters close to home and a safe environment.

I only ever catch and release Bream due to their very slow growth rates, but for those who take them for a feed, Bream are quite a tasty species rating quite closely with Snapper, and Bream are a perfect pan sized fish to either bake whole or get a couple of great fillets off. They are also suitable for baking, broiling, shallow frying, deep frying, smoking or barbequing, and the firm consistency of the flesh also makes it good for soups, broths, curries and stews.

Personally, on the kayak I really enjoy the serentity of paddling through mangrove creeks and in the sheltered backwaters of bridge pylons and wharves, with a lightweight little graphite spinning outfit, instead of being out battling against tide, wind and waves for other species. I can hit these sheltered backwaters year round, when the weather is too bad to consider being out chasing other species, and I can feel confident that the Bream will always be around regardless of the season or conditions.

If you don't like Bream though, if you think Bream are over rated, or if you don't see the point in it, there are plenty of other species to get out and target instead. It just may not be as close to home, as sheletered, as consistent or as serene as targeting the humble Bream.


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## ringo (Oct 3, 2008)

I agree. I don't understand what the big deal is. I laugh everytime I see the AFT fishing comps with those guys in their big skeeter boats catching little bream.


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## sitonit (Dec 29, 2006)

Bream are available in every state in all weather, seasons and sea conditions what other fish could you fish for in a national fishing comp? If it was easy a five fish bag weight would constantly be around 10kg ie 2kg per fish which it never is.


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## Feral (Oct 18, 2008)

karnage said:


> anyone up for..... "*TEAM - wouldnt piss on a bream*" ?


Thats a bit harsh, I find they are great shark bait, my favourite in fact. Only time I specifically fish for bream is when I want live bait.


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## john316 (Jan 15, 2009)

Booyah said:


> ...and they taste horrible.


everyone is different and has a different idea of what is good to eat but IMHO if you don't like bream as tucker you aren't preparing and cooking them properly...

absolutely love a feed of bream from my local waterway...

cheers

John


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## Booyah (Apr 26, 2009)

john316 said:


> everyone is different and has a different idea of what is good to eat but IMHO if you don't like bream as tucker you aren't preparing and cooking them properly...


I've tried heaps of different ways and im a pretty decent cook. I actually reckon it might be a bit of an aquired taste, i grew up eating trout in n.e victoria and love them, yet heaps of people on the forum hate the taste. I think bream must similiar, they have a distinct flavor which im just not used to...yet i think tailor and even salmon are fine! PM a kickarse recipe if you have one..im willing to be converted!


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## mustrumr (Feb 27, 2009)

I think it's the challenge - black bream are fussy fish, and contrary - what works one day doesn't the next. They fight pretty well for their size and since they are in snags or around structure they can break you off pretty easily. On light gear I rate them as a lot of fun to catch. 4lb line, 6lb leader, 1-3kg rod, good-sized bream = big grin!

I no longer eat bream, partly because my main location, the Swan River, is fairly polluted, but mainly because they are such slow-growing long-lived fish. A 40cm black bream is probably over 25 years old. I'd rather put it back and have the opportunity to catch it again.

When I used to eat them, I reckon that bream from the Swan are pretty ordinary - very soft flesh, and rather muddy in flavour. I've been told that out of clean estuaries down south they aren't muddy-flavoured but I haven't tried them myself.

Cheers,


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## harrip94 (Sep 30, 2009)

karnage said:


> anyone up for..... "*TEAM - wouldnt piss on a bream*" ?


yeahp . :lol: :lol: 8)


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## craig51063 (May 30, 2008)

on more thought and reading booyah i think u must be pulling our legs :lol:

if u think a 2 kg bream comes in like a lump of wood you must be useing medium to heavy estuary gear . try going to a 1-3 kg rod with 4lb braid and lighter leader and try and pull in a 2kg bream ,THEN u might see what all the fuss is about.   

and as far as eating is concerned im sorry but tailor and salmon simply do not taste as good as a bream .a fish i think will always taste like the water it lives in so if u compaire a fresh stream trout against a polouted river bream well of course the trout will taste better BUT if u put a beach caught bream up against a clean mountain stream trout than i think the bream is much nicer .and after living down the snow for 10years , ive had plenty of trout that where quite muddy in taste . pan fry any of these fish in flour - butter and garlic , and the results would be bream - trout close BUT not as nice - tailor [ no where near as nice ] and salmon well my cat complains if i try to feed it salmon .   

craig


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## Imaddictedtofishing (Nov 28, 2007)

Its a good excuse to buy more fishing gear  Smarter the fish means a more expensive and sexier lure to buy.


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## Nativeman (Sep 6, 2005)

Imaddictedtofishing said:


> Its a good excuse to buy more fishing gear  Smarter the fish means a more expensive and sexier lure to buy.


Save ya money just hang a strip of chicken breast on the hook, that's all you need.

Now where do you you join up for that team Carnage is talking about.... :lol:

Cheers


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## craig51063 (May 30, 2008)

Nativeman said:


> Imaddictedtofishing said:
> 
> 
> > Its a good excuse to buy more fishing gear  Smarter the fish means a more expensive and sexier lure to buy.
> ...


funny thats how i catch bass   

craig


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## justcrusin (Oct 1, 2006)

MMM grilled bass fillets.

Basically for me it takes around two to three casts up here in the right spot and you have a flathead on, no challenge really.

Bass comps probably would be good if you could catch them in WA, Vic, Tas, and SA with any regularity.

The humble bream is a cagey foe, and the only fish that gets anywhere near being a national fish, i think the only state you can't catch them in is the NT.

I reckon you should fish a bream comp or two booyah an see how you go, after you eat a few crispy creams you might change your mind and if you have caught bream up to 2 kilos, so us the proof never seen one that big one here.
I know they exist especially down south and more so in Tassie but the only bream i have ever seen over 1.5kg is hanging above the bar at Swansea NSW weighing in a 8lbs, I believe its still a record.

Cheers Dave


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## ratfish (Oct 21, 2008)

NT have pikey bream, guessing canberra might be another story...

They do put up a decent fight on light gear but while i can appreciate the whole tournament thing i don't think i can ever take someone fishing for a bream with a 150hp motor on the back seriously - yeah i get why they have it but it still cracks me up.


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## spectrum (Aug 22, 2007)

I think you must be pulling our legs here to get a reaction. Well looks like it worked. I like catching bream and I like catching flathead too for that matter. In fact i love fishing in general.
So what if someone wants to spend money on a particular boat, thats their passion and good luck to them.

Regards
Jeff


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## john316 (Jan 15, 2009)

Booyah said:


> I've tried heaps of different ways and im a pretty decent cook. I actually reckon it might be a bit of an aquired taste, i grew up eating trout in n.e victoria and love them, yet heaps of people on the forum hate the taste. I think bream must similiar, they have a distinct flavor which im just not used to...yet i think tailor and even salmon are fine! PM a kickarse recipe if you have one..im willing to be converted!


I wasn't trying to be smart... I truely believe that we all have different tastes and that while I love a feed of bream from my local river not everyone will. I don't scale or gut the fish, I take off the fillets roll it over, slip the knife in under the skin and remove the skin and scales in one go. Because the local water is normally clean I don't even do much more than lightly fry the boneless fillets in butter and maybe a bit of garlic or ginger... I'm skinning most fish these days as it avoids some of the less pleasant flavours that accrue there. Saw a chef recently who advocates preparing carp as boneless skinless fillets as the nasty flavour in the carp is from a layer just under the skin. Will reserve judgement till I can find a carp and give it a try...

Cheers

John


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## Barrabundy (Sep 29, 2008)

I don't get excited about catching bream, unless it's on bait and I want to take a feed home.

Having said that, I lack the skill required to get them on lures and am glad that others are happy to make a sport out of it. If people get a kick out of it and want to buy fancy boats to go chase them in comps then I'm not about to stop them. If I could get good sized ones consistantly on lures I'd probably chase them too but am too lazy to learn the tricks.

Each to their own, no one's ever told me I should get excited about it nor have I told anyone they're mad for doing so. A bit like watching sport, I would rather sleep but who am I to say it's over-rated.


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## Booyah (Apr 26, 2009)

nah Im not really pulling your legs except to say i do love catching bream but thats only because i loooove catching fish not because they are anything more special than other species,

I use 6lb gear and have caught a 2kg 50cm bream in the snowy river near marlo...grow'em big in vic....it definetly fought harder than a lump of wood but that was a tounge in cheek response to hooking a mulloway 

Maybe i have strange taste buds but i way prefer tailor of bream...err i do also like pickled herrings better :shock:

Was stirrring the pot a bit but i was genuinely interested in what makes them so awesome to others!

cheers for the responses!


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## wayner (Jan 7, 2009)

its more fun than hitting a poor little white ball around a paddock.

wayne


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## craig51063 (May 30, 2008)

ahhhhhhhh there u go   

but if u wanted to stir the pot u should have asked well who or where is the best bream fishery .

craig


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## alcbb (Dec 2, 2008)

i dont get it either.. the abt? thing that come to the glenelg was hilarious. all these mega $ boats with 250hp outboards and off they go all carefully abiding by the 8knot speed limit 

they are great for teaching the kids to fish and a welcome by catch when fishing for mullys in the glenelg river (vic) but i dont ever specifically fish for bream.. 
still i catch a few (on 5/0-6/0 ganged hooks) and dont mind eating them either.


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## simonsrat (Feb 13, 2009)

It makes me sad that people actively chase bream on lures ....... about 17 years ago no one believed that we could catch bream on lures.

We started getting the odd one while targeting flathead, but worked it out when we downsized our offerings. Then the flathead became the by catch.

Then along came ABT and stuffed it for me and a couple of mates who did it all the time. I recon they are targeted more often now and are harder to catch. Especially in the more accessible areas.

I like to catch anything on lures .... even toad fish (40+ in a session). We always joked that eventually there will be an ABT comp for toadies.

Cheers,

Steven


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## phil79 (Nov 7, 2008)

its something to focus on,target and buy gear towards,,just the same as people go nuts for bass,or barra,or kings or blaaahhhhhhhh blahhhh
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz


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## Ratdog (May 29, 2009)

You guys are taking the piss arent ya....Fishing is Fishing and if like catching bream good on ya....if you like catcing flatties good on ya, It astounds me that people ON THIS FISHING FORUM ...who fish are having a go at bream fisherman because they dont like catching bream or just dont understand it, so they stir the pot. i think your teams name should be "Team - couldnt catch a bream".
:lol:


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## ScottLovig (Aug 7, 2006)

I wasnt interested in them untill the ABT and Hobie put a price on their heads.

Now its game on!!!! I hunt them like the "The Dog". I'm all retro 80s and man boobs for them.

Cheers

Scott


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## ScottLovig (Aug 7, 2006)

yeAH !!!


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## justcrusin (Oct 1, 2006)

> dont get it either.. the abt?


Maybe another way to look at it is, so far i have fished from Noosa in the North to Bemm or Glenelg in the south and several places in between that I never otherwise would have ever been.

I have made many new mates out of the comps that I may have only otherwise meet once if i happen to be fishing somewhere far afield.

Then you can put in testing your fish abilities out, you can't pick the weather, tides, moons etc that you would normal look at, you take the conditions given to you on the day and deal with it. I think this is what brings most people undone.
The comps have seen some locals come in paddle straight to their spot an win, for me the only place I had ever fished before an ABT so far was Narrabeen, so piting my abilities to find fish in any waterway on any given day against other top notch fisho's makes it a challenge worth trying for.

Cheers Dave


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## PhilK (Jan 4, 2010)

Booyah said:


> PM a kickarse recipe if you have one..im willing to be converted!


Sorry it isn't a PM but wrap it in foil with lemon juice, plenty of pepper and some salt. Stick the rest of the lemon wedge in the cavity along with some knobs of butter.

Into the coals of the camp fire... best feed around. Butter, lemon, salt, pepper... ohh baby


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## scorpio (Dec 15, 2009)

Caught a bream the other day 23cm long with a 3ft bull shark chasing it. Great on 4lb mono right next to the kayak.


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## GregL (Jul 27, 2008)

alcbb said:


> i dont get it either.. the abt? thing that come to the glenelg was hilarious. all these mega $ boats with 250hp outboards and off they go all carefully abiding by the 8knot speed limit


So what were they supposed to do? Bomb around at 50knts in the 8knt zone and all get disqualified from the comp and then fined by the cops?
Or maybe they should have just replaced their engines with 5hp's for the event.
Geez... :?


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## Nativeman (Sep 6, 2005)

GregL said:


> alcbb said:
> 
> 
> > i dont get it either.. the abt? thing that come to the glenelg was hilarious. all these mega $ boats with 250hp outboards and off they go all carefully abiding by the 8knot speed limit
> ...


Gee you hobie boys arc up :lol:


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## GregL (Jul 27, 2008)

Just responding to a stupid comment Sel. 
Mate, if I or any of the other 'hobie boys' - arced up to every stupid comment made on this forum, the place would go into meltdown.
Freedom of speech though, they say what they like and so will I ;-) 
Be nice though - there's a present on its way.... 8)


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## Bart70 (Jan 28, 2007)

GregL said:


> alcbb said:
> 
> 
> > i dont get it either.. the abt? thing that come to the glenelg was hilarious. all these mega $ boats with 250hp outboards and off they go all carefully abiding by the 8knot speed limit
> ...


Tend to agree.....

Would not matter if I was in a Skeeter or my Quinny Tinny with its 20hp Yammy - You are only allowed travel at the nominated speed limit regardless if you are fishing for Bream, Flatties, Marlin or Toadfish...Can hardly blame the teams for abiding by the law   

(Now there is an event! ATT - Australian Toadfish Tourney! I am sure there are Toadfish all round Oz? I would then be in with a chance....the first fish I caught in the PA was a Toady the size of a football!! At last a tourney where the target species is one in which I got a hope of catching!! :lol: :lol: :lol: )

Bart70
(Accepting invitations for a Team slot for an upcoming ATT series.....)


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## Nativeman (Sep 6, 2005)

GregL said:


> Be nice though - there's a present on its way.... 8)


What a present for me??? Surely I don't deserve a present..Be 8)

Cheers


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## justcrusin (Oct 1, 2006)

> there's a present on its way.... 8)


Heard about this, sounds very interesting.


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## Nativeman (Sep 6, 2005)

justcrusin said:


> > there's a present on its way.... 8)
> 
> 
> Heard about this, sounds very interesting.


Please don't tell me its a dummy, now that would be funny :lol:

Cheers


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## alcbb (Dec 2, 2008)

The speed limits are laughable down there, have you seen the damage a wake from a 18ft deep vee does at 8 knots? will near on tip a kayaker out. At 15 knots theres hardly any.
I would say half of the boaties in the river dont abide by it at all and in my entire life (im a local) i have NEVER seen any police on the water. Personally that rivers best fished in a kayak or putt putt. I leave my boat at home for fishing down there.


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## Ratdog (May 29, 2009)

Nativeman said:


> GregL said:
> 
> 
> > alcbb said:
> ...


How does a coment about 250hp boat have anything to do with Hobies??????

Oh i get it, we spend more time fishing and less time paddling.....


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## GregL (Jul 27, 2008)

Ratdog said:


> Oh i get it, we spend more time fishing and less time paddling.....


oh dude...now you've gone and done it...... :lol:


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## justcrusin (Oct 1, 2006)

> Please don't tell me its a dummy, now that would be funny












yeah Sel, we got you one of these :twisted: :lol: :lol: :lol:

Don't worry mate, I don't know all the details but from what i've heard you'll like it.

Cheers Dave


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## eth93 (Dec 17, 2007)

Ratdog said:


> Oh i get it, we spend more time fishing and less time paddling.....


Is that before or after your mirage drive falls apart? :shock: :shock: :twisted:


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## ScottLovig (Aug 7, 2006)

eth93 said:


> Ratdog said:
> 
> 
> > Oh i get it, we spend more time fishing and less time paddling.....
> ...


You fibreglass boys are deluded again. Stop sniffing the fumes from your skis. Or better still join your Nimbin locals and get on the toad juice. :twisted:


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## spooled1 (Sep 16, 2005)

Depending on where you live, the best thing about bream fishing is that you can often get a loaf of bread, an ocean wash, a line, a hook and a short berley trail going in less than 10 minutes for an easy protein rich meal. Even though I could never imagine targeting bream from a yak, the ocean rocks are a reliable ace when all else fails.


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## justcrusin (Oct 1, 2006)

the ocean bream taste better anyway Dan, You only want to eat them when there nice an silver like that one. The ones that are brown have been up the creeks for a while an do get a bit of a tainted weedy taste to them depending on what they have been eating.

Cheers Dave


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## spooled1 (Sep 16, 2005)

justcrusin said:


> You only want to eat them when there nice an silver like that one


The Snowies are the biz when it comes to bream... They're almost white and taste so sweeeet it's un-breamlike. I doubt the snowies have ever even seen a estuary. This one was more silver so who knows where it's been...
No crap! That fish in that pic was landed 2 hours ago and I just took a pair of slabs off it before posting. Hence my current bream appreciation. Right now I'm trying to decide on the meal.


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## justcrusin (Oct 1, 2006)

If you have already filleted it, how about just pan fried in some butter and garlic.

Cheers Dave


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## Davey G (Jan 15, 2006)

OK, so far in this thread (which is about Bream by the way) we've had:

Bass Fishermen telling Bream Fisherman they suck
Bream Fishermen telling Bass fishermen they too, suck.
People whinging about stinkboats
People whinging about various comp formats
Paddlers giving pedallers a serve
Pedallers returning serve with venom.
Fibreglass ski paddlers questioning the quality of other brands
People questioning the manhood of others.

SERIOUSLY, WHAT THE F#CK IS WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE? :?

If you cannot stay on topic, then either start up a new thread, don't post at all or go find somewhere else to have your childish arguments.... :twisted:

And to all the people who did stay on topic, thanks! 8)

End of rant.


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## Shorty (May 11, 2008)

I agree wholeheartedly ,,,


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## forbs (May 20, 2008)

I love bream fishing in Estuaries on light gear. Flathead fishing is like picking on the dumb kid at school. I agree though that a decent Trevally or a decent Tailor fights harder than a bream. There is something about casting a lure 20cm from a snag or oyster rack or popper fishing for bream that gets the pulse above 60. As for all the expensive gear, well how many people have $80,000.00 haines hunters that end up catching nothing at the local boat ramp and fish using 60 pound line for a few flathead. If it wasn't for the sport factor of fishing most of us would be better of staying home and buying our fish from the fish market. I catch heaps of big bream of the rocks on 15lb line chasing Drummer. However this is always second choice to going to Tuross and catching a few bream out of the snags on 4lb line.

Glen


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## dishley (Jan 20, 2009)

Davey G said:


> OK, so far in this thread (which is about Bream by the way) we've had:
> 
> Bass Fishermen telling Bream Fisherman they suck
> Bream Fishermen telling Bass fishermen they too, suck.
> ...


And now we've got Davey whinging about the lot!!! :lol: :lol: 
Nice work fellas.
ps. funny stuff davey


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## Nativeman (Sep 6, 2005)

GregL said:


> Be nice though - there's a present on its way.... 8)


Come on guys, I have been checking my door daily when I come home from work and I'm not seeing a hobie complete with livewell... Are you guys for real :lol: :lol:


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## mcbigg (Jul 14, 2007)

Bream are those pesky pests ya catch when you're waiting for mulloway, aint they?

Vermin.


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## alcbb (Dec 2, 2008)

im hearing you. if you fell in the glenelg im sure you would have some in your pockets when you got out

still as someone said above, in a pan with garlic butter they are pretty damn good to eat.


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## mcbigg (Jul 14, 2007)

I'd only be falling in the Glenelg because some bastard in a Tempo was ramming me.


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## alcbb (Dec 2, 2008)

thats from all the bream in my pockets.... cant operate rudder :lol:


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## Tbone (Mar 17, 2009)

ringo said:


> I agree. I don't understand what the big deal is. I laugh everytime I see the AFT fishing comps with those guys in their big skeeter boats catching little bream.


Me too mate, sure seems like overkill


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