Is landing a personal-best slab one of your angling targets? If so, we’ve got you covered, with bait, rig and tactical guidance to bring that goal within reach
THERE’S no denying that bream are a bit of a ‘Marmite’ fish among anglers.
While some cringe as an average slab slides into the net, covering it in thick slime in the process, others love catching the species and will put plenty of time and effort into tracking down specimen-sized examples.
There is something about giant, bronze double-figure bream that can win over all but the biggest of critics. Once they reach this benchmark size, they become much more impressive creatures to behold, and the annoyance of having to clean up your kit once the fish has been slipped back soon disappears.
So, what do you need to do to catch a fish of this calibre? IYCF this month reveals 10 red hot tips to help you bank your biggest-ever bream.
1 MAP OUT THE CONTOURS
The large stillwaters and pits that big bream commonly inhabit can look barren on the surface, but they’re often packed with underwater features.
Bream are quite fussy with regards to where they will settle, and it’s important to use a lead to work out the contours of the bottom before you decide where to position your rigs.
Gravel bars, plateaux and depressions will all appeal, while overly thick silt and heavy weed will prove off-putting.
Cast out a bare 3oz lead (or a feature-finding lead, as shown here) on braided mainline and slowly retrieve it across the bottom to work out what the lakebed is made up of. What you’re looking for is either smooth gravel (indicated by a light ‘tapping’ on the tip) or smooth silt, which will feel ‘glassy’.
2 GIVE THEM A FEAST
It’s important to consider how many fish you think you could catch should a shoal arrive and start to feed. For example, if good numbers of fish in the 6lb-plus bracket are present in the venue, then you’ll need to introduce a big bed of feed to hold them in the swim, but if just one or two big fish are more likely then you should scale back the feed so that you aren’t waiting an age for them to pick out and take your hookbait.
When it comes to loosefeed types, it’s best to use a variety of offerings. Fishmeal groundbait, sweetcorn, pellets, crushed boilies and dead maggots should all come into the equation, with a Spomb being the quickest and most accurate way of delivering them to the spot.
3 MAKE YOUR HOOKBAIT STAND OUT
If the bream are cagey they may take a few mouthfuls of food before backing away. With that in mind, you need to make sure that your hookbait is unmissable, so that it’s one of the first things they inhale once they arrive.
Ensuring that it is visually enticing and offers a distinctive scen
