To catch big bream on the feeder our bait, tactics and watercraft need to be perfectly in tune – and one man who knows how to achieve consistent results is Tony Curd.
The MAP-backed angler has caught big bream from a variety of different types of venue, including day-ticket stillwaters, large reservoirs and even the mighty River Thames. Over the years he’s built up a wealth of knowledge, and believes that deep venues offer the best chance of success with the species at this time of year.
"Big bream look incredible in front of the camera, and one of the best things about targeting them is that you’re unlikely to need to buy any additional gear to do so," explained Tony.
Simple feeder tactics are often the key. It’s then all about feeding and fishing the swim appropriately to make them fall for the trap.
THE BEST FEEDER FISHING RODS WILL HELP YOU CAST ACCURATELY AND CATCH MORE BREAM.
Target two lines
Lakes that appear featureless on the surface often have more to them than meets the eye. It’s the variation in depths that is the key factor here. I’ll always lead around at the start to find the deepest area of my swim. Before you start fishing, cast a reasonably heavy lead around a few times and count how long it takes to hit the bottom. The longer it takes, the deeper the area.
Pencil in a line in the deepest water that you can find. This is often well away from the bank, and perfect when the bream are proving cagey. It’s also worth having a line a little closer in too, in shallower water. Big bream naturally sit off the bottom in deep water, and sometimes they simply won’t go down to feed on it.
On days like this, fishing in slightly shallower water where the lead touches the deck a second or two sooner can be key. The bream will be naturally closer to the bottom to start with, increasing the chances of them showing an interest.
IF YOU WANT MORE TIPS ON CATCHING BIG BREAM, THIS EXPERT ARTICLE IS FULL OF GREAT ADVICE!
Picking the right mix
Groundbait plays a big part in any bream fishing session, but you need to use a mix that proves appealing and pack it with freebies that will hold the fish in your swim.
My go-to mix is an equal blend of Dynamite Baits Green and Black Swim Stim, and I add micro pellets to it once it has been whipped together. I introduce both standard and yellow Dynamite F1 Sweet 2mms, the latter adding a splash of colour that makes the bed more visible to the fish.
Live and dead maggots can be used as hookbait, with worms also a good option. Refrain from adding the latter to your groundbait at the start, though, as they are a real ‘boom or bust’ type of bait that can kill your swim in an instant. I’ll always carry a tin of corn too, in case small fish keep chewing my hookbait.
USING THE BEST FEEDER REELS WILL HELP YOU WIND IN BIG FEEDERS AND BIG BREAM WITH EASE.
Give 'em some grub
I’ll always start my session by having several chucks with a big bait-up feeder that is set up on another rod. There are two reasons for this.
First off, it gives those bream that are sat off the deck an early incentive to go down and show an interest. There are different ways to ‘empty’ the feeder, and giving the rod a quick tug when you think that the feeder is between half and three-quarters of the way to the bottom will release a lot of the contents from the frame.
This will create a slow-sinking cloud, giving the fish off the bottom a trail to follow. I’ll also top up
with a bait-up feeder later, and if I sense the bream are on the bottom at this point, I can pack the bait in more firmly and not yank it as it sinks, so that everything gets to the bottom intact.
I like to use cage feeders, both for baiting up and the actual fishing, because they are versatile, and I can play about with how hard I squeeze the groundbait in to find out the best presentation.
IF YOU ARE USING A BIG FEEDER, CONSIDER USING A SPECIALIST BAIT UP ROD TO GET THE BAIT OUT.
Use tangle-proof rigs
Tangles can be a problem when fishing in deep water. A running rig is my first choice, and I have a small feeder link which runs to a line stop butted against the knot of a four-inch twisted boom.
By having the twisted boom, it kicks the hooklength away from the feeder, assisting in bite detection but also keeping tangles to a minimum.
Using heavier hooklengths also helps in this respect, and as a minimum I’ll use 2ft of 0.15mm MAP Optimum Power to a size 14 Kamasan B560 hook.
Mainline is always 0.12mm Agitator braid, as I am convinced this is vital for bite detection in winter. Braid has zero stretch, and I also use it on my baiting-up rod, as the stretch of monofilament would lead to the feeder going beyond where I end up fishing.
An 8lb shockleader prevents any crack-offs when casting forcefully, and a 12ft MAP Parabolix Black Edition Pro Feeder rod is the perfect tool for the job.
THE BEST FEEDER LINES WILL HELP YOU DETECT EVEN THE MOST SUBTLE BITES.
React to line bites
You may catch a few fish and then suddenly start to become plagued with liners. This is likely to happen when the bream have hoovered up what feed was on the deck and then risen back up in the water column to sit at the depth where they feel most comfortable.
This isn’t the time to sit back and hope for the best, however, and reaching for the baiting-up rod is the answer. Catching earlier in the session proved that the bream are happy to feed, and so you can be pretty confident that adding more bait won’t spook the shoal.
Hopefully, the fresh introduction of bait will pull the fish back down to the deck again, where they will resume feeding. You’d be amazed at how many times I’ve re-fed a swim, chucked a baited rig over the top, and the tip has gone round almost instantly, with the line bites stopping completely.
IF YOU WANT TO CATCH BIG BREAM, HEAD TO ONE OF THESE SUPERB VENUES TO LAND A NETFUL.
