Think hookbaits for bream and automatically you’ll go down the classic route of worms and maggots. There’s nothing wrong with that, of course, and they do still catch lots of fish, but the advent of fishmeal for this species and the impact of carp fishing on many venues has seen a big shift in what we now use on the hook.
In fact, on some venues, natural baits rarely get a look in. Boilies, pellets, wafters and corn dominate to such an extent that it’s a waste of time slipping on a couple of red maggots! For that reason, having a well-stocked bait tray and being prepared to experiment is an approach that always catches more fish.
Tailor your worms
I think worms work on some waters and not on others, so finding this out beforehand is important. If you are feeding worms, though, and are catching, it makes sense to use them on the hook. For big bream, two halves of a hair-rigged dendrobaena are unbeatable, yet when targeting skimmers, a worm head seems to be better.
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Wafters and boilies
If a lot of carp anglers fish the lake I wouldn’t use anything but mini boilies or wafters alongside micro pellets on a Hybrid feeder. Light colours are best, with yellow or white my picks, fishing anything from a 6mm to 10mm size. They are very much a big-fish bait, though, so don’t expect to catch many skimmers on them!
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Use corn for big fish
Colour is key with this bait. It’s bright yellow, a colour that bream absolutely love. I’d not fish it for skimmers, though, preferring to save it for big bream between 4lb and 6lb, fished as a single hair-rigged grain. I know some anglers like to use a stack of two or three pieces, but I’ve never found this to make much of a difference.
Pellets and more pellets
Pellets have changed the game when it comes to fishing for bream and skimmers in recent years, especially on commercial fisheries where the fish see loads of these fishmeal packed parcels. Soaked micro pellets are great as feed to hold fish in your peg, whilst 4mm hard pellets are perfect for feeding over the top when the sport is good. Use an expander pellet on the hook and you're certain to have a good day!
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Try meat
Despite the arrival of boilies, meat still works. I’ve caught plenty of 100lb bream nets at Ferry Meadows and Stanborough Lakes on meat dyed yellow, so by all means use meat – bream really do love the stuff. In general, it’s very much a summer bait when the fish are feeding hard. Feeding cubes between 4mm and 6mm generally scores well, don't be surprised if the fish come shallow when using meat either.
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