How To Target Big Bronze Bream In Winter
The hard fighting
Bronze
Bream is a target of many rock and surf anglers along the
South African coast. The
Bronze Bream can grow to huge sizes and many large fish are
caught during Winter months especially. The Bronze Bream is a fierce and
dirty fighter, so be careful when playing or landing the fish.
Also they are a very slow growing fish, so please think twice before
keeping them.
Best Times To Fish
Bronze Bream love feeding in rough water and
turbulent sea conditions
especially when there is a South Westerly wind blowing. If the weather
is miserable and other fish have gone off the bite, this would be the
best time to target Bronze Bream.
Where To Fish
Bronze Bream like to hang out in very rocky areas, gullies and close
up against ledges. They prefer shallow water reefs where there is an
abundance of white water, rocky terrain, green seaweed and tidal
organisms that live on the rocks. They often feed in very shallow water
and sometimes come in and out with the waves in only a few feet of
water. Keep a look out for green seaweed on the rocks at low tide which
looks like it has been mowed; this will be a good spot to fish for
Bronze Bream.
Tackle Needed
Depending on how far you will be casting and what the structure is of
the area, I would recommend tackling up for this fish. Besides the fact
that they are very strong fighters, you might also hook into a
Musselcracker or
Rockcod. Your trace line should be at least 20lb and I
would personally use Maxima 0.45 fluorocarbon. The best hooks will be
bait holders, or hooks with a long shank, as this will allow you to
build a very good bait. I would use a 1/0 size hook for these fish. A
rod no less than 8 feet in length should be used, as you need all the
leverage you can get and your reel should have a good drag system,
whether you are using a grinder or a multiplier.
Best Baits
There are a lot of baits that work well for Bronze Bream but listed below are some of my personal favourites:
- Fresh Chokka strip bait, tenderized, with a Sand Prawn cottoned on top on a 1/0 hook
- Pink prawn cut in half and soaked in vanilla essence for a minute on a size 2 hook
- Bloodworm on a 1/0 hook
