Winter Bream — Nathan Huizing

Winter Bream - The Good Oil

By Nathan Huizing

During the cooler months of the year, the fishing tends to slow down for a number of different species around Tasmania, however the big blue lipped bream that Tassie is notorious for are certainly an exception to this. As the water temps begin to drop around the state the bream begin to leave the larger estuaries and bays to make their way up into smaller rivers and tributaries for the winter. In this article, I’ll be sharing some of the knowledge I have gained while chasing these fish with lures during these cooler periods over the last 12 years or so.

LOCATIONS

Little Swanport Lagoon

Little Swanport Lagoon is one of the well known bream fisheries along Tasmania’s east coast situated about half an hour north of Orford. Little Swanport is an extremely healthy system and supports a wide variety of species such as silver trevally, Australian salmon and flathead, but most importantly big bream! This lagoon is a bream fishers paradise as it provides for a wide variety of fishing styles from oyster racks to sand flats, channel edges, weed beds and rocky shores, this place has it all! During the earlier stages of winter, bream can still be found in good numbers in the lower section of Little Swanport. Fishing the racks and flats in early winter, you can expect some exciting fishing on shallow diving hardbodies or even better, topwater! Later in the season, the majority of these fish tend to make their way into the upper reaches of this lagoon and school up for spawning. This is when fishing deeper with soft plastics, vibes and cranka crabs is most effective.

Derwent River

Tasmania but Australia wide - and for good reason! This river hosts possibly the largest population of bream in the state and not only does it host a quantity, the quality is there also. One of the commonly visited locations on the bream tournament scene, the Derwent is known for producing (5 fish) bags over 6kg! With endless rocky shores, reefs and industrial structure, this system can cater for some exciting fishing. Being such a big system, knowing where to focus your efforts can be tricky. In early June, some good fish can still be found lurking along the shores around the Bowen Bridge, Otago Bay, Old Beach and Austins Ferry just to name a few spots. Although usually by late June it seems as if a large percentage of the Derwent’s bream population have headed for their designated winter hideouts. This is when the shores surrounding the mouth of the Jordan River are worth searching. The upper section of the Derwent itself should not be neglected also. In particular, the shores around Sorell Creek and Boyer have been known to produce good numbers of fish as well as the industrial structure of Norske Skog.

Jordan River

The Jordan River is one of three better known tributaries of the Derwent River. Located just south of the Bridgewater Bridge on the eastern side of the river, the Jordan is accessible by foot but certainly better fished by boat. Unfortunately this is one of the least scenic bream locations in the state. Over the years this little river seems to have been used as a bit of a dump site by people looking to get rid of unwanted cars, shopping trolleys and other debris. On a positive note, this can be seen as extra structure for the many blue lipped residents that reside here in the colder months! The tidal section of the Jordan is less than 3km long and mostly consists of rocky edges with a muddy channel of which large numbers of bream can be found schooling in.

Ralphs Bay Canal

Ralphs Bay Canal is a smaller body of water found branching off the lower Derwent on the eastern shore. The canal is located in an area known as Lauderdale and considering just how small this body of water is, it sure does support a great number of bream! Only accessible by foot, this rather shallow canal is roughly 750m long and mostly consists of a sandy/silty bottom with patches of weed and scattered shells. The perfect habitat for a variety of crabs, shrimps and worms that these fish love to feed on. With so much food on offer it is no surprise that some of the fish in this area grow to such large proportions.

Browns River

Arguably one of the most popular and well known winter bream fisheries in southern Tasmania if not the whole state, Browns River certainly hasn’t gained its reputation as a bream hot spot for no reason! Yet another great fishery branching off the lower Derwent, this river is fishable by foot or kayak and definitely sees its fair share of anglers throughout the season. Each year as winter begins to set in, huge numbers of bream make their way into this little river and quickly take up residency in all the fish friendly structure this system has to offer. From bridge pylons to undercut banks, fallen trees, jetties and weed beds, it’s no wonder so many bream return to this system every winter!

Big bream taken on a two inch swim prawn soft plastic.

Huon River

A little further south and one of the lesser fished winter options is the Huon River. This is a system not often discussed on the bream scene but don’t let that fool you. The Huon River has all the key elements to support a healthy population of bream and it does just that! If you’ve never fished the area it can be quite a daunting place to work out and knowing where to start isn’t easy. However, from personal experience I’ve always found the section of river from Franklin down to Cairns Bay to be the most productive at this time of year. The rocky oyster covered shores of Castle Forbes Bay to the muddy flats of Egg Island and the industrial structure of Port Huon are all worth prospecting. The dark tannin stained waters of this river may seem a little off putting but this is not to be stressed, if anything, I think it possibly gives the fish a false sense of security and makes them less wary.

TACKLE

When it comes to tackle there are a lot of great options on the market these days. While you may notice some anglers are fishing for bream with outfits priced over $1000, this is certainly not necessary. By all means, if you have the money, go for it, you won’t be disappointed! However, technology has come a long way over recent times and these days a nice set up can be purchased for no more than a few hundred dollars. When choosing a rod to suit your style of fishing, it is worth noting the specs of each individual rod. If

you’re fishing open water such as flats and channels, you want to be covering as much water as possible with each cast and this is where a longer rod has its advantages. Rod lengths in the eight to nine foot range are ideal and will help you noticeably when casting light presentations for these fish. If you’re fishing amongst tight structure such as fallen trees, undercut banks and jetties this is where shorter rods around six foot come into play, particularly if you’re shore based. A shorter rod will give you the freedom to position the rod in angles that may not be possible with a longer rod in these situations which in return can assist your ability to cast, work your lure and fight the fish tremendously. If you fish all sorts of places and are after more of an allrounder type rod, something around the seven to seven and a half foot range should be just perfect and is often the length I find myself using the most. When it comes to rod tapers I rarely stray from a fast action rod. I personally prefer the feel and responsiveness of a fast action rod when fishing for bream with both soft plastics and hardbodies. A slower action rod does have its benefits when fishing with smaller trebles on lures such as cranka crabs and some hardbodies as it absorbs more of the headshakes and doesn’t tear the hooks out. Other than that its really just a personal preference thing and if you’re fishing small trebles on your fast action rod I find just loosening the drag and the stretch in the fluorocarbon leader alone is enough to keep those hooks in the fish. Choosing a reel is relatively easy. Both 1000 and 2500 sizes are great options and you want to look for something with a smooth drag. Brands such as Shimano, Daiwa and Abu Garcia all have excellent options within their range and you shouldn’t have to spend more than $200-300 for a quality bit of gear. www.tasfish.com - Get the knowledge - Get the fish.

When spooling your reel I personally suggest going with braid as it gives you a more direct feel to your lure and helps you feel more bites. As with most things fishing, braid has advanced quite a bit in recent times and you can now get some stronger braids in some super thin diameters. Due to this I generally run eight strand braids in six to twelve pound on my reels.

It also pays to have a number of different fluorocarbon leader sizes in your arsenal. If you’re fishing in open water where there is no risk of being busted off or perhaps you find some bream that are a bit wary and not committing this is when leaders as light as three pound can be very helpful. On the other hand, if you’re fishing deep in some nasty structure such as oyster racks or bridge pylons I would suggest you beef your leader up to eight or even ten pound because lets face it, no one enjoys losing expensive lures or the fish of a life time to a leader failure!

LURE OPTIONS and HOW TO UTILISE THEM

As we all know, the range of lures on the market these days is quite extensive and when it comes down to it, most of them will catch fish. However, knowing just how and when to use a specific style of lure is the important part. Listed below are a number of lure styles I like to fish and how I like to fish them.

Soft Plastics Hard body Minnows

Soft plastics were all the hype when the bream scene really started to take off all those years ago and the fact that so many fisherman still use them speaks for itself. There are so many styles of plastics available these days but there are a select few that stand out above the rest. Grubs, minnows, prawns and worm profile plastics are without doubt the best options. Typically with these lures, anything in the two to four inch size range is ideal with the exception of worm styles up to seven inches. There are two main scenarios where I like to fish soft plastics; If you find the bream to be schooling in deeper water which is quite typical behaviour in the middle of winter, a soft plastic rigged with a suitably weighted jighead is a great option! Cast your lure into the zone you suspect the fish to be sitting and allow you plastic to sink until it reaches the bottom. Once on the bottom, begin the retrieve with a couple of short sharp lifts of the rod tip then allow your lure to sink back to the bottom while winding the slack in. Let your plastic rest on the bottom for a few seconds and repeat. Bream will often eat the lure as it rests so watch your line carefully for a subtle ‘tick’ that typically suggests a bream bite! Alternatively, if you find fish hiding deep in thick structure such as fallen trees and undercut banks, rigging your plastic on a weightless worm hook is a very effective method and often over looked. Rigged correctly, worm hooks are super snag resistant and give you the ability to cast your offering into areas you wouldn’t even consider with other lures. If you can’t already, teach yourself how to skip cast. This is a skill worth learning for situations like this! The bonus of using a weightless worm hook is that your sink rate obviously slows dramatically which gives you the ability to slow your retrieve right down and keep your presentation in front of the fish for longer!

You’d struggle to find a bream angler in Tassie who doesn’t have an assortment of 60-80mm suspending hardbody within their lure tray. These lures not only catch fish but they’re a great lure for covering water quickly when in search of bream. They come in both shallow and deep diving options and therefore can be fished in a few different scenarios. Shallow diving hardbodies are great when fishing over flats, weed beds or rocky shores no more than a metre or two deep. Deep diving minnows are great when fishing down the sides of channel edges, reefs or deep banks in two to four metres of depth. Generally, after making a cast I like to give the lure a couple of solid rips to get it down to the desired depth. After this, proceed to twitch the lure two or three times with the rod tip down while slowly winding up the slack. Follow this with a pause anywhere from two to five seconds and repeat all the way back to the rod tip. Bream will almost always eat the lure on the pause!

Top Water Lures

By far the most exciting and visual way to catch bream, fishing with topwater lures is definitely my favourite method! Chasing bream with topwater lures in winter is often neglected by many anglers as most seem to consider it as more of a summer thing, however this is not true. Some of the best topwater sessions I’ve had were in Cranka crabs are deadly on bream!

winter, one session in particular produced over 30 fish in late June while fishing Tassie’s east coast. That being said, I do find this style of fishing best utilised in early winter when the fish are still mostly spread out feeding over shallow flats and oyster racks or towards the end of winter as the fish begin to school in the shallows prior to spawning. Topwater lures are best fished over water no more than a metre or two deep and there are few instances where I fish them in particular; These lures are great for covering flats, working parallel down racks or alongside undercut banks. Similar to retrieving hardbody minnows, keep the rod tip down and give the lure a few consecutive twitches followed by a short pause. When retrieving your lure it is important to pay close attention to the surface around your lure. Any subtle bow wave, boil or ripple can be the sign of a big bream hunting down your lure. If you notice any of these signs try to pay close attention to how the fish responds to your lures movement. In these moments, a longer pause or a few extra twitches can be all it takes to convert a follower into a boofer! When selecting a topwater lure, I generally pick sizes anywhere from 60mm up to 90mm and find styles such as surface walkers, bent minnows and even small poppers to work well.

Cranka Crabs

anglers. Designed by Steve Steer and Andrew Cox - two gun bream fisherman in Tasmania, its no surprise these thing catch lots of fish! I’ve found these crabs to be great when the bream are in a super fussy mood and not interested in chasing down faster moving presentations. These crabs are great for fishing in channels and over flats, sand holes or sinking alongside pylons and other structure. When fishing a crab, I sink it to the bottom and simply keep my rod tip high and shake the rod tip lightly in order to make the crab scuffle along the bottom while incorporating some long pauses along the way. While fishing so slow can seem a little tedious it can often save the day and result in some red hot fishing!

Lure Colours

When it comes to colour choice, I usually stick to natural presentations that mimic the baitfish and crustaceans that the bream like to feed on. Although it never hurts to have some more bright and colourful options in your lure box as they can often provoke a bite when nothing else is working!

While bream can be caught at any stage of the tide I’ve always found the last half of the run in tide, high tide and start of the run out to be most productive. For me the last half of the run in is possibly the best of all, particularly in winter! As the tide comes up, the bream feed aggressively on all the food items that weren’t accessible to them during the lower periods of the tide and this can account for a couple hours of exciting fishing!

Although it is hard to cover everything in just one article, I hope there is a few things that can be taken from this for those that are new to bream fishing or looking to get into it. Winter breaming can be great fun and is a good way to keep your fishing skills in check over the colder months while waiting for those summer species to return in force! Fishing the racks usually finds some big bream.

New leadership and a new look at TARFish

TARFish, Tasmania’s peak body for recreational fishing has undergone some significant changes in recent months.

The relatively recent appointments of a new Chairman and CEO have paved the way for a process of organisational renewal with the TARFish Board focussing on strategic planning in recent months.

TARFish Chairman, Dane Jones said, “I took on this role after the unexpected resignation of our former Chairman last year which was closely followed by our former CEO. Importantly, both I and the entire Board embraced the changes as an opportunity to revitalise TARFish.

“Like any organisation, we must continue to examine what we do and how we can do it better. As a Board we have been reflecting on just that and I look forward to sharing our new strategic framework that will guide our organisations activities over the next three years at our Annual General Meeting in October,” he said.

The organisation also has a new look with the launch of their new website showing off the new logo and making it easier to find out what the organisation is trying to achieve on behalf of marine recreational fishers and how it is going about doing it.

TARFish CEO, Jane Gallichan, joined the organisation in February and used the Covid-19 lock down to fast-track development of the new site.

“It’s time we caught up! I’ve had plenty of feedback from fishers that our communication needs to improve. I’ve heard that message loud and clear and this is a first step to providing more information more often to recreational fishers,” said Jane.

The new website provides access to recent submissions made to governments and regulators on a range of topics important to recreational fishers as well as how fishers can get involved in everything from citizen science projects to surveys.

The News section of the website will include all media releases as well as anything recently added to the site.

“This is the first stage of the website development and we have more changes planned for stage two including an events section that will be a one-stop-shop for all marine fishing related events and activities.

“We’re holding off the stage two roll out to make sure we get initial feedback and can incorporate that into the final stage of development.

“I encourage Tasmania’s fishers to jump on the website and have a look around. Your feedback is welcome and will help us to continue to develop the site in coming months – the website will grow and develop over time as we get to know what fishers want to see on there,” she said.

A new website is not all that is planned at TARFish with a new e-news bulletin replacing the old one and which provides more in-depth updates on issues of interest to recreational fishers.

“We’re giving the news bulletin and Facebook page a refresh as well so that we have consistent, relevant and timely information coming out via a number of channels, but the website will be the information hub for the organisation,” she concluded.

Got feedback for TARFish? Go to www.tarfish.org or or email info@tarfish.org

New TARFish website OUT NOW!

www.tarfish.org

We’re here to champion you, Tasmania’s marine recreational fishers. To find out how we are doing that and for the latest on the issues that matter in marine recreational fishing from your peak body, visit our new website.