Saltwater Boat Angling — December 2017

50 Saltwater Boat Angling

THE QUEST FOR GILTHEAD BREAM

on my travels. I’d happily catch them all day

long and on light tackle they’re by far one

of the hardest fighting fish for their size that

we’re likely to encounter in our waters.

One thing I have found with gilthead and

Couch’s bream is how aggressive the bites

from them are. There is no doubt when

there’s bream present as they will literally rip

the rod out of your hand. They both have a

distinct sharp run that is difficult to pre-

empt and despite giving such violent takes

they are surprisingly difficult to hook. I seem

to miss most the bites and one theory I have

on this behaviour is that the bream move

through in schools and the big sharp takes

experienced are a result of a fish picking up

the bait and then rapidly swimming off with

it in its mouth to get it away from the rest of

the school.

FRUSTRATION OF TRYING

TO HOOK THEM

This is often when I strike or tighten down

as it feels very much like the fish is already

hooked, though in reality it is only holding

the bait in the bony part of its mouth. To

get a hook hold the fish needs to move the

bait further back its mouth where its less

bony and there is more soft flesh for the

hook to take hold. It’s a frustrating affair and

can have you pulling your hair out in no

time though when you do hook one it’s a

rewarding feeling!

I find the best time for a bream bite is

usually very shortly after you’ve cast your

bait in. Whether that’s because the crabs

haven’t had time to nick the bait or if the

disturbance of it hitting the bottom catches

the fish’s attention, I’m not sure. All I know is

that the only few gilthead bream I’ve caught

have almost always been hooked right after

casting in.

Fishing for gilthead’s is a very frustrating

game but it’s a new challenge that’s taking

time to work out and for that reason I

love it. I’m still yet to find a big specimen

though I’m learning a lot along the way

and as this season drifts away I’m hoping

next spring I’ll know just that little bit

more to get myself a big one.

to ensure you don’t run out before the

fish arrive.

If like me, you don’t gather your own bait

then this style of fishing can quickly become

expensive. I’d usually spend around £20 on

lugworm and the same again on fresh crab

if I can get it and my local tackle shop owner

must love it when I walk through the door!

CREEK MOUTHS

The most productive areas I’ve targeted tend

to be at the mouth of the creeks and it’s not

too surprising given that the giltheads are

likely to pass through these areas at some

stage of the tide, especially if the creek itself

dries up at low water. This is a good starting

point though, if bites dry up, then it’s wise to

move around and head further up the creek

as the tide pushes in as it’s likely the bream

will have pushed right up in search of food

on the newly flooded ground.

While targeting gilthead’s far up into the

creeks I’ve been surprised at the variety of

species that head that far up with them. One

morning, in particular, stands out as I caught

a tub gurnard in less than 5 feet of water and

only about 40 yards of the shore. This was

shortly followed by a string of dogfish and it

was so shallow beneath me that I could see

the dogfish attacking my bait on the bottom.

I had never imagined they would be present

so far up the river and it just goes to show

that you never really know what’s down

there and that there really is nowhere safe

from the dreaded dogfish!

MY FIRST COUCH’S BREAM

Another interesting and quite sought-after

catch was my first Couch’s bream. A fish not

too dissimilar from the target quarry and

one which put up a superb scrap on my light

tackle. The Couch’s bream is a spectacularly

striking fish and rivals the looks and fighting

ability of the red snapper which I’ve caught

GILTHEAD BREAM

COUCH’S BREAM

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