Swim Baits for Big Bream

Tiny jointed marvels that will surprise you

Scotto James

Within the mouth of a bream

Vivid still, is the memory of tying on a swimbait for the first time. Fishing at Lake Leake in Tasmania’s Eastern highlands, a near-perfect redfin imitation was clipped on and retrieved. The first thing that is noticeable with a quality swimbait is how lifelike the action is. To our human eye, these tiny jointed engineering marvels appear to move through the water in the same manner as the item they so perfectly replicate. Moving around the lake shore that afternoon produced a session where a strike a cast was the norm for an extended period. If you’ve chased trout long enough in this fishing life, you’ll know just how rare that is. The brown trout of the ‘Big Woody Shore’ couldn’t refuse the presentation. That session on brown trout, not bream, remains etched in this fisherman’s memory as clear as if it was yesterday. However, it took two years to join the dots and make that first presentation to a bream. To visual, shut down bream where all applicable mainstream methods had failed. The strike a cast session was repeated. The rest, as they say in the classics, is history.

For many folks, the biological structure of a breams mouth is quite possibly something they’ve never taken into consideration in regards to lure selection, presentation and technique. It’s intrinsically different to the mouths of most lure fishing targets. Snapper have somewhat similar dentures and there’s no surprise their diets can reflect some comparative traits. Their frontal tooth assembly is a series of strong and shortish peg-like teeth, transitioning into crushing plates at the rear. Bream do not have sharp or cutting teeth, nor fine needle-like grasping teeth and are not implosion feeders. Most mainstream lure targets are one or more of the above. The odd species may fall somewhere in between, but in general terms, fish that prey on fish and other fastmoving underwater lifeforms can approach and take prey at speed based on their dental anatomy and/or mouth size. Either ambush stalkers like flathead that can engulf or hold prey or the frantic speeds associated with many pelagic species that bite or slash at their targets. Even large yellowfin whiting have fine needlelike teeth to hold prey. Black bream have the perfect mouth for disabling and crushing crab and destroying shellfish like oysters, mussels and barnacles. Anything relativity stationary and hard. Their jaw pressure at pounds per square inch would be expected to be very high. They are good diggers and explorers and can extract yabbies, worms, shells, shrimp and more. They are also opportunistic, and if it can be eaten, bream will have a crack at it.

In many ways, black bream are a bit of a lure fishing anomaly. Their mouths are not built to attack prey fleeing their approach at speed. But they have come up with a pretty cool way to get around this. Understanding this is key to presentation and the key to sending your bream catch rates through the roof. For the most part, bream fishos fall into one of two broad categories. Anglers that catch a lot of bream on lures and anglers that don’t. There are probably not a lot of folks out there having consistent average results on quality fish. Understanding where bream will be in a system is one thing. Good bait fisho’s slay bream. However, bringing consistently good results to the table on quality fish on a lure can be significantly increased by understanding the mouth structure of the fish and how they must feed or bite because of it. What is on offer next, is theory and anecdotal evidence only. But backed by a lifetime of lure fishing for various species and 30-plus years spent beach fishing for target species that are not bream, but in waters where bream are present. The beach fishing part is important as the conclusions drawn would be impossible without it.

How bream disable prey fish

In general terms, black breams are ‘pause’ takers. This means they are more comfortable taking a lure stationary or near stationary, although they will hit actively moving lures on occasion. Lure fishing for bream is about bringing the presentation to life. Or perhaps alive, but dying or injured, is more descriptive. Part of this process, whether it be hard-bodied lures, vibes, plastics, crabs or swimbaits, involves all of those lure styles being stationary during parts of the retrieve. Long pauses on plastics, for example, perhaps shorter ones on hard bodies, though true suspending lures can be twitched while motionlessness for long periods and to very good effect. Let’s now digress to beach fishing to try and pull the theory together. Here the scenario is concise. Anyone throwing pilchards off beaches around the country for tailor, salmon or mulloway, among others, would be more than familiar with retrieving a bait to find a neat, semi-circular bite from the stomach section of the pilchard and its common knowledge that these bite marks are most likely bream, (regularly the more aggressive yellowfin bream, however, blacks can be on beaches too) and more often than not, are.

Bream bites on larger baits like pilchards are readily identifiable as bream to those who have put in the hours, standing on beaches. The first ‘pick’ however, is likely to be to the underbelly, a deeply entrenched behavioural trait by a predator that intimately knows the limitations of its dental hardware. Is it fair to assert then, that without sharp biting teeth or needlelike grasping teeth, that bream, with their strong but comparatively small mouths, disable live prey by taking to the section that is the softest and most vulnerable on the said prey item? In boxing terms, it’s a bone-jarring overhand right to the solar plexus. Disable and devour. With this knowledge, we as anglers can present lures that imitate fish (and other prey) in a way that makes it far easier for bream to have an obvious pathway to the lure’s midsection. Stronger evidence of this theory is how an ‘A’ typical hookup on a swimbait appears visually. It’s one or both sets of hooks on the outside and underneath the fish’s bottom jaw. If we imagine the bream with the tiny gut section between its pegs, the weight of the hooks forces them to hang below the lure. As we strike and hook up. the hooks penetrate from the outside in. It is a very unique hook-up style and one that other lure styles replicate less often. We also see them taken whole at times because a 50mm presentation is so small. Interestingly, the initial disabling bite is a characteristic of most other lure forms as well. Not just those imitating fish.

Identifying bream takes

Black bream take lures in a relatively consistent manner, whether the material is plastic, metal, resin, wood, or other. As mentioned above, there are no steadfast rules but the overwhelming amount of takes will be similar. They regularly begin with a concrete pick. This in all likelihood is the disabling bite. It’s not heavy but it is uniquely firm and regularly a single peck. The hit to the gut on a hard, or the kill shot on a soft plastic. There is not another take like it in lure fishing and with a little experience they are readily identifiable as bream takes. Black bream also enjoy interactions with other fish like large mullet, and birds like swans. Swans root up plant and bottom matter which can create feeding opportunities for bream. Meanwhile, both offer mostly vegetarian excreta and polaroiding fish in clear water will reveal bream eating their poo. After the concrete pick should come subtle weight. Striking on weight will generally get the job done. Striking at the pick will yield less consistent results. On hard-bodied lures, the pick may also be followed by a series of rapid-fire pecks. These are quite light even when the fish involved are large. This is also a good time to set hooks.

Introducing swim baits

Swimbaits have been around since the late 1980s and are recognised as multi-jointed resin or wooden lures with a life-like fish profile. There are soft plastic presentations now being called swimbaits and the term has been bastardised to include many lures that are not representative of the original genre. For bream purposes, we’re concentrating on the small, jointed lures described above in 50 and 80-mm lengths. For the most part in 50mm. Although the larger, 80mm pattern can be deadly in the right conditions and forms an important part of the swimbait arsenal. Swimbaits were first devised to catch striped and large-mouth bass in the United States. They are regularly a large to very large lure. Inadvertently perhaps, they stimulate most fish that feed by creating a vacuum whilst opening their mouths to engulf prey. On species that feed this way, swimbaits are no doubt a worldwide phenomenon. They will almost certainly change lure fishing as we know it here in Australia and their mainstream emergence may well replicate the second coming of soft plastics. That’s an enormous wrap and they’ve earned it. The key to their success is to unlock their hidden potential and fish them. Not simply retrieve them. They retain a sink rate (slow and fast sink rates are available) and an angler-induced ‘death flutter’ action that can’t be replicated by other lures. Added to this is that larger swimbait models are already smoking natives like barra and Murray cod in other parts of the country.

Mainstream lure type limitations

Most of the lures presently accepted as mainstream within bream circles have limitations. That’s one of the reasons many of us carry such an array of styles. Throw into that equation that bream can reside and feed in nearly all estuarine locations within a given year (in microsystems within a day at times) and they will also feed specifically at varying depths within the water column, from the surface to the bottom and everywhere in between. They can be structure orientated or appear on open flats. Minnow-style floating and suspending hard bodies are depth orientated to design (and open to manipulation) and retrieves are mostly horizontal. They can’t be fished throughout the water column unless that column is within the diving depth of the lure. Furthermore, most sinking models can’t be fished effectively on the drop as they move through the water column too quickly. The relatively recent introduction of slow sinking pencil type lures, with a similar appearance to many traditional bibbed lures, differs from the above.

Sinking hardbodies, crabs, vibes, blades, and weighted plastics are regularly dependent on fish feeding head down, tail up, and near the bottom. Many have sink rates far too fast for consistent results fishing during free fall. Add other structural features like a weed, rock or timber on the bottom, or around banks and undercuts and it will either render them useless, partially useless or cost you a bucket full of cash. Unweighted,

Texas-rigged (weedless) plastics probably offer the next most scope for general all-purpose use and results. This is another fairly new bream technique and slow sinking designs in an array of shapes and colours are now available. Current can be a significant issue angling this way, as can be sorting technique and casting considerable distance. That said, this form of sink rate fishing will gain greater acceptance via angler awareness and it’s very effective. As it’s also a form of sink rate fishing similar to slow sinking swimbaits, we are exploring this method of fishing thoroughly. A slow sinking, dying or distressed-looking offering that can move both vertically and horizontally through the water, be visually appealing and fished from top to bottom throughout the column, can rock a bream’s world when the going gets tough. Swimbaits have proven they will work in most situations, most of the time and can most definitely open up shutdowns. Nothing on the market portrays a fish in distress more effective and within that lays their unique fish-catching ability.

Black bream techniques

It’s uncommon for black bream to respond to the awesome action of a slow-rolled swimbait. They do not imitate a distressed animal and the fish seldom chase them down.

Knowing that it’s their mouth that dictates much of this behaviour is important as it governs presentation. You can have a million images in your mind or near as many on your sounder and then create action and presentation unique to the properties of the lure and the given situation. With swimbaits, if the fish are in one metre of water or four metres, there’s rarely a need for a lure change, just an adjustment of technique with the same lure. It’s a lure style where the person behind the rod dictates all terms, rather than a situation where the individual lure styles’ swimming characteristics are the mainstay of the presentation. For the most part, swimbaits like the Izumi ‘Shad Alive’ in the 50mm size do a lot of good work on the drop. The drop speed is similar to dense burley pieces in the water. It appears very natural at 5 to 8 seconds per metre. This of course can be manipulated via the diameter of the leader, the material chosen, fishing straight through braids, the gauge and size of hooks, the use of line clips and rod orientation. They are beautifully designed, so subtle differences do impact on sink rate. Get the sink rate right for any given day and positive results are likely to follow. What may seem like a small difference in sink rate to us as humans, like easing the rate from 5 seconds a metre to 7 seconds a metre, can deliver explosive results on strike and catch rates.

The science/data on fish mortality is that approximately 70% of dying fish sink. So to that extent, it’s what scavenging feeders like bream are accustomed to. All we are doing is presenting them with a very familiar situation to consider regarding the day’s menu. The next thing to do if you’re keen to try these fantastic lures is to grab some and tie one on. Both loop knots and small figure of 8 clips, like the Spiral Snaps from Decoy, are very practical attachments.

Because the lure’s action is going to be completely at the discretion of the angler, tying directly to the lure may influence movement even further. Consider removing the split ring. Now place yourself adjacent to a metre or two of clear water and count down the sink rate accurately in seconds per metre. It’s pretty simple stuff and then start to subtly flick your rod tip and observe the fluttering action imparted on the lure. As the lure sinks, a tiny flick will momentarily halt the sink rate as the swimbait either stalls or rises a few centimetres in the water, turns over and continues to descend. This is what we refer to as the death flutter. A short time is spent repeating and observing the behaviour of the lure when stimulated and it’s time to make your first cast and get the lure performing as previously witnessed. If there are any limitations to this lure style it’s likely to be weight related. But you cant trade sink rate for more or less overall lure weight in a 50mm size lure.

Gearing up

If you are finding bream on varied lure styles consistently, continue what you are doing regarding your choice of rods, reels, leaders and tackle. Bream aren’t regularly an easy lure target so you’re already getting a lot of stuff right. Getting consistent results or year-round results in the same water is not easy. No one lure style will be your best bet over a breams biological year as their behaviour changes so much within that time frame and in many waters year-round results are not possible. In setting up to fish a swimbait that weighs 2.8 grams, the ability to present at distance is crucial, so line diameters need to be fine. Braided mainlines of Pe 0.3 to Pe 0.6 work well. Actual, rather than stated breaking strains will likely be in the four to the seven-kilogram range. This point is bought up as a matter of fact as many braided lines break well beyond stated limits. Some folks fish straight through fluorocarbon or monofilament though it’s difficult to advocate for an advantage with this method over quality braid, good line management skills, four to six-metre co-polymer leaders and a repertoire of high-breaking strain knots. Shifting to specific brands of copolymer leaders or super mono has been a huge stride forward in technology (versus fluorocarbon) that’s regularly offering breaking strains from 70 to 100% stronger for the same or even smaller diameter. For those that dare, the next generation of thinner, stronger braids offers the new alternative of straight-through braid which can offer unprecedented strength-to-diameter ratios.

While tiny eggbeaters are a joy to use, they have some limitations in throwing extra long distances and ratio rates which impact the centimetres of line gained by each revolution of the reel handle will struggle to accommodate the retention of a tight line when large fish change direction at speed. When bream turn on the afterburners during directional changes, either a standard or fast 2500 or a 2000 with a ratio of at least 6:1 will afford a far greater extent of control. I find Shimano’s 2,5/4kg drags perfect for bream fishing and fishers won’t go far wrong with their mid to upmarket models. Other quality brands will suit people with different needs. We have found during trials with swimbaits, and in general terms as bream techniques with other lure types have evolved, there is no single greater all-round advantage when presenting to spooky black bream than distance. The behavioural differences in bream being aware of an intrusive presence at 10 to 15 metres versus little or no awareness of a presence at 30 to 50 metres plus, really has to be experienced to be believed. Fast taper rods with a maximum length people are comfortable with are suitable for small swimbaits. Fast taper and length generally equal far greater casting distances and allow for easier operation of vertical presentations. In creating extreme distance, the subsequent issue of the weight created by the line and lure in the water is a factor to consider. You do not want your rod folding up into its butt section during the strike. It equals limited lure movement coming toward you in the water as you try to achieve hook-set. An equivalent issue arises if drag settings are too light and the drag gives upon striking. At this point, your lure cannot be moving forward. So rod choice and initial drag settings are crucial and not all long rods are created equal. There appears to be a trend toward softer rods as a fail-safe to stop (the perception of) hooks pulling. The issue here is hook-set in the first place. Hooks can bend more easily if the fish have not hung up in the hook’s gape; the strongest part of the hook. To remedy the technical problem of not setting hooks, with some parabolic nonsense that affords little control over large rampaging fish during the fight, is replacing a problem with another problem. People can disagree with that if they wish. We get to brutalise fish on rods designed to set hooks and play large fish on the same hardware as everyone else and hook problems are not evident. The importance of hooking fish properly cannot be overstated. Nor can the importance of the correct tool. Asking a rod builder’s opinion who is fortunate enough to regularly encounter large black bream may offer a differing mindset to an internet forum.

We use 2-4 kilo, fast tapered, light sticks from 8 foot 6 inches (including 9 foot 6 inches) to 10 foot 5 inches on high quality, graphite blanks and 3 to 6 kg models over dense cover if necessary. While this is not the mainstream approach to bream rods, length is gaining in popularity, especially from some specialists within the field. These lengths and strengths may be new or different for some, but large bream will consistently take you to the cleaners on noodle sticks. Big bream go hard!

Summary

Miniature swimbaits are new to most people and very few folks have used them on bream. The above is a beginner’s guide. There’s no rule book and the possibilities appear unlikely to be defined by limit. Get out there and create your own story. New players to embrace and produce swimbaits outside of current brands will no doubt spread like wildfire. These are a technically challenging lure to engineer so discretion is advised on untried or unknown swimbait brands.