Episode 181: NSW Mid-North Coast Bream With Kris Hickson

Kris’ Top Bream Fishing Tips

• Bream fishing from the stones between Port Macquarie and Camden Head can be exceptionally good and the quality of fish tends to be high.
• Kris likes to fish small holes and channels that are in washy areas. This takes a little practice to develop the skills required to work the lure and can result in higher lure losses, but he likes to live on the edge. For those less adventurous there are also plenty of quality bream on the shallow, rocky flats where there is less wash.
• Tide is the key. An incoming tide allows fish to push up into shallow areas as they become inundated. Don’t be afraid to fish all the cracks, ledges and other structures, even in areas that are a foot or less deep. Bream will frequently move into holes that become dry when the next wave recedes.
• Be sure to wear quality footwear that’s suited to fishing from slippery rocks and take precautions regarding safety (ie fish to conditions, wear a personal floatation device etc).
• Bream in these areas are there for the sole purpose of feeding and are often quite aggressive, allowing anglers to fish a little heavier.
• The quality of fish and the toughness of the structure demand strong hooks, but it’s important not to weight the lure too much and that hooks can still be straightened when a lure gets snagged. Kris like to retrofit his lures with Decoy Y-S25 trebles.

Kris’ Headlands Bream Fishing Tackle

• Kris likes the Daiwa Emeraldas Rod for its softness and ability to make long casts. The softer rod allows the angler to coax the bream a little more gently, which results in less of a dash for structure on the part of the fish. The Daiwa Gekkabijin rod is another great option, being long, soft and light enough for this style of fishing.
• A mid-range 2500 size spin reel with 6-10lb line and a 12-20lb leader completes Kris’ setup for targeting bream from the stones.

Fishing Lures

• Kris’ #1 bream fishing lure off the headlands is the Daiwa Tournament Spike. This deep diving lure has a long bib that bumps it’s way around the bottom in shallow water and keeps the hooks out of danger. The key is to fish it as slow as possible, winding when there is a wave surge to maintain contact with the lure, then holding steady as the wave recedes and letting the current impart action to the lure. In less washy areas, fish slow, keep the rod tip up over shallow water, then drop it and crank to work the lure into holes and cracks. Kris recommends rubbing the end of the diving lip over concrete to wear away the curved tip and leave a square edge. This helps flip the hooks up and out of danger when the lure strikes structure.
• The Daiwa Presso Rolling Crankbait is a great bream lure for the stones but is no longer made. If you have some in your box they can be fished in much the same way as the Tournament Spike.
• The Jackall Chubby makes up the trifecta and is a small deep diving hard body that is effective on headlands bream.
• Kris finds that the natural, earthy colours typically used for bream in estuaries are not as effective on the stones as the brighter baitfish colours.