Saturday 3 September 2016

Chalk Stream Bream 2


Back to the chalk stream to stalk out a new PB bream and it took about 30 minutes searching the riverbed with polarized glasses before I spotted a shoal in the gin-clear water. A dozen fish about 5 or 6lb, with a lump in the mix. I fed them some free samples and quickly set up the world's simplest rig - size 10 hook directly to 10lb mainline, wetting the bread makes it sink.

Ten minutes later I had them feeding confidently, but there was no logic to which bream was going to eat which bit of bread. Often, but not always, the lead fish would miss the bread and one behind would grab it. Sometimes they would move across the stream to intercept it, sometimes they didn't bother. It was breaking my brain!

Eventually the lump moved to the outside edge of the shoal and I cast upstream and slightly outside the target. And watched with my heart in my mouth as she pealed off from the shoal and sucked in the bread. Not a bad fight for a bream, mostly just turning broadside in the current while I prayed the hook wouldn't pull.

Safely in the net. I'd got my double, 10lb 9oz, and a beautiful dark bream at that - brilliant!

10 comments:

  1. Wow, that's some river bream! Well-in, Brian!

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  2. That's a monster, nice one Brian

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    1. Thanks Mick, don't mind a one fish session when the fish looks like that

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  3. Lovely copper-colour bream. Was about to tease you about fishermen holding the fish close to the camera to make it seem larger than it really is... Then I re-read the article... 10lb! Nice catch!

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    1. I do hold fish too close to the camera - but there was no need on this occasion :) And it was s beautiful colour, exactly what I was after - cheers

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  4. Nice one Brian, well done sitting it out and waiting for the right time to cast to it.

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    1. Cheers Martin, I did feel a bit like Rain Man sat there trying to work out which bream would intercept which bit of bread - but a bit of patience and a lot of luck paid off!

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  5. nothing wrong with your photos mate.your slight build makes them look big.it's never a case of sausage fingers!it's worse the other way,being a big guy,i can never make them look big.

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