Southern Bream

[Maria Thomas]

I am originally from the north and for many years I enjoyed fishing in and around Cheshire, especially for Bream. However, I have recently re-located to London and have no clue where the best locations for Bream are round here. Anyone have any ideas?

 

[Alexander Bangert]

Maria - you are obviously quite an experienced Bream angler. I am keen to understand, Bream are recognised as bottom feeders, so why do so many match anglers fish with a slow-sinking bait?

 

[Maria Thomas]

Well, Alexander, that is a very interesting question, and while I do not compete myself I can proffer an answer. Bream are basically bottom feeders, as you rightly said, hence their underslung mouth. But they are inclined to come up from the bottom to intercept slow-sinking food when the swim is being fed by an angler. So, matchmen, and other bream anglers, fish with an end-rig that will make the bait sink slowly along with the free feed.

 

[Maria Thomas]

You seem quite interested in Bream fishing Alexander, but from your question I would guess that you have never tried it. I am doing a trip quite soon to introduce a friend to the sport, if you live in the London area, perhaps you would like to accompany us?

 

[Anthony Sloley]

Hi maria just to let you know I was fishing the Regents canal at Mile end (day time)East London, I took 9 Bream to redWorm feeding chopped worm,hemp and caster and a carp, the largest Bream was around 3.5 lb and the carp was around 9lb,
and I understand from fellow anglers that the City road Basin is doing well at night this is situated in EC1 near Old street Tube station

 

[Paddy Thomas]

Hey all! I reckon that if you want a deceent area for bream you have to come back up north. It rules. I haven't fished for bream in many a year but I went down south for a weekend and caught nothing about 15 years ago. The north is where it's at.

 

[Anthony Sloley]

where did you fish paddy, 15 years ago was a long time

 

[Paddy Thomas]

Sorry about the delay in getting back to you but I was "gone fishin'!"
to answer your question I was down in Dorking, in oxfordshire if my memory serves me right. Anyway the entire weekend was a waste of time, I didn't catch a thing. Anyway it's not the catching that's the enjoyable bit, it's sitting out in the proper weather, like we have up North, and thinking of the poor southerners and the nice rich pickings we have in our unpolluted waters! I'm only joking, we don't even give the south a second thought!

 

[Maria Thomas]

Thanks for that tip Anthony, I'll be checking it out very soon. It'll seem quite odd to be in the heart of the city, and I understand what Paddy means in that respect, but I'm sure I'l get used to it, and I certainly have to query his views about northern weather!!

 

[Trade mark]

Are Paddy and Maria related by any chance?
I'm sure Paddy is just having a joke. I don't believe he was "gone fishin'!" I just think he's slow. Anybody who thinks it's funny to try and spark a north-south dbate on this site must be short of a the old grey matter... did he say he was from up north... funny that

 

[Paddy Thomas]

I'm terribly sorry, but I thought that I had posted up a reply a couple of days ago. I am now going to get very angry with you. This site is about fishing, so far I have kept it so, but you have personally insulted me, I'm not "slow" some of us don't have permanent acces to the internet, and my comments were supposed to be taken tounge in cheek but I don't suppose that you have a sense of humour as you seem to resort to insults. Peace and Love Paddy

 

[James Ayling]

Maria, what part of London are you looking to fish - I can help with information about some lakes on the east London/Essex borders.

There seems to be very few London anglers fishing for Bream these days. Many of the lakes in my area have been stripped of small bream by Cormorants. However, in the short term this has left some big Bream, for those interested in pursuing them, which are hardly ever targeted by fellow anglers.

 

[Maria Thomas]

Hi James, that area would be good for me, if I ever get the time!
May just be that I have to adjust to my new surroundings and shift my focus away from bream.

 

[Anthony Sloley]

Just to let you know all, this morning I had 6 Bream between 2 and 6lb and numerous amounts of Roach and Perch from the Regents canal, on the stretch at Dalston kingsland, east london. The swim was doing really well until I had three canal boat go through and then the Bream seemed to move off, blast them boats.

 

[BUDGIE BURGESS]

If you are interested in fishing for large Bream (8-11lb) then as long as you are prepared to travel down to the south coast I know of a water that produces great numbers of these. They fall for the specimen approach during the late evening/night and for the lighter match aproach during the day. Heavy ground baiting is all that is required. The water is now run by a local club and is open to all the cost being only about ?20 a year.The water is near Lydd in Kent.If you are interested let me know and I can E-mail you some pictures and the membership secretarys contact address.

 

[Steve Lovegrove]

Maria...I don't know if you still check this posting but I thought I chuck my two penniesworth in anyway. I have read many a dazzling report on The Thorpe Park Ski Lake. It was only opened to fishing last year and has some real monsters in there, big Bream included. If you check out the back issues of Anglers Mail, Andy Little had a cracking day fishing for bream. The lake is just a few miles off the M25 between Guildford and the M3. Good Luck!

 

[kenneth furie]

maria
although i do not live in the london area anymore (s-e) i do know of a first rate bream fishery in the woolwich area (Theamsmead) it is a dayticket water and quite large (20 odd acres)shallow and quite weedy. i have only fished it once but it produced well.

 

[Neil Wayte]

Maria if you want some good bream fish with plenty of doubles then RMC angling have some waters that may interest you.Kingmead 1 is probably the best doubles water around the M25 and the pits at Frimley near Aldershot hold fish to 14lb.I had an 11lb 4oz bream saturday from pit 3.I hope this helps.Also the river Lee at Fishersgreen alos RMC has bream to 9lb plus.