Bream on fly - any tips?

[Grimacing Trout]

Tired of sitting around waiting for September, thought I'd try my luck with Bream on a fly. Had a crack in Patterson River (south of Melbourne) last week without any luck. Thought someone might have a tip on fly types or any spots in my area worth a look!

[Beevor]

G'day GT...

Probably not the easiest time of year for Bream on fly, especially in VIC or TAS. Sure they're still a worthy target, but you will have to work hard, and probably go deep for them.

If you find some schools that are responsive to berley, bang a bread fly out there and watch for the 'ticks' in your flyline. Kind of feels like cheating, but a bread fly is only made out of artificial materials, you're just imitating bread as opposed to a baitfish/shrimp/crabs/ etc!

Some anglers that fly-fish for Bream use Muz Wilson's hammerheads, fuzzle buggers and spooks, and catch plenty. I find the sink rate a bit too quick (not to mention the cast-ability on a #5 or #6wt). Unweighted woolly buggers or other baitfish patterns in natural colours work well, and you get plenty of 'hang time' in front of the fishes nose. These may be better in the warmer months, and you may find yourself needing a weighted fly this time of year, depending on where you plan to fish. Tide and drift will also complicate things!

While I've not targeted bream on fly often, I have caught some and they are loads of fun and very challenging. Even caught one on a dry fly once!

Good luck!
Beevor

[Grimacing Trout]

Thanks Beevor,

Very useful information. Enjoy Thailand - off to Rompin, Malaysia in a couple of weeks myself for same reason!

[Beevor]

Very useful information. Enjoy Thailand - off to Rompin, Malaysia in a couple of weeks myself for same reason!

Watch out for those Rompin' Sailfish.... Sounds unreal, enjoy!!

Also, have read a little about one of Muz Wilson's latest creations - The Hover Shrimp. With a little bit of mucking around, you can apparently get this fly to suspend. Looks good, and sounds even better - especially for spawning time when you're sight fishing for Bream on the snags