By Ricky “Sticky” Farrell
Introduction
With the cold winter months hitting there is no need to put away the fishing gear and hibernate like a bear. Indeed, it is during these colder months of the year when I embark on my favourite kind of fishing: Rock fishing.As the title of this article states, I will be discussing how I like to get back to basics when targeting bream from the rocks. I will discuss: Areas I like to fish from the rocks; Tides; Rod and reel, and line; Tackle; Berley; Bait; and The hook-up.
 |
| The author Ricky "Sticky" Farrell with a nice bream. Winter months are a great time to get back to basics and fish for bream off the rocks |
Areas I like to fish from the rocks
When scouting a location to fish from the rocks I look for cuts, channels and coves, with a mix of rock, weed and sandy bottom all in one area. Also a spot that has white water created from the waves surging on the rocks is a must, as this is where the fish will look for cover and any dislodged food. But with all this in mind I make sure the spot I fish is safe. No fish is worth your life! |
| Rock fishing for bream is great fun but can be very dangerous, make sure the spot you fish is safe |
Tides
Depending on the area you fish some spots will fish better on high tide or low tide. This just comes down to trial and error, so it's worth trying both tides. In my area of Port Stephens (NSW, Australia) I find the last two hours of the run up to high tide and first two hours of run out to low tide are very effective times to fish for bream.Rod, Reel, and Line
A medium-heavy rod anywhere from 10ft to 12ft, preferably with a soft-tip but plenty of power in the butt-half, is ideal for rock fishing. Personally, I use a 10.6ft rod like a Wilson Shore Line or Wilson Live Fibre rod. I combine this with an Alvey 455B XL Blackfish reel, but a size 4000 to 6000 spin reel will also work fine. At the end of the day its best to use what feels most comfortable for you for fishing. |
| When fishing from the rocks strong sturdy gear is essential |
10lb to 15lb line is ideal when rock fishing for bream. My choice is 15lb Schneider Klear line monofilament line. I find this line to be reliable and durable with low memory, with consistent breaking strain, that makes for high knot strength and abrasion resistance. I find that not only is it good for bream, but it also gives me more chance to land other species such as drummer, snapper or grouper which regularly happen to lurk when you have been chucking berley. Indeed, you never know what's gunner turn up in a berley trail!
Tackle
Hooks anywhere from size 4 to a size 1/0 are ideal for bream. I regularly use a size 2 suicide hook, but long shank, bait holder or kirby kendal style hooks will also do the trick.For weight I use size 1 Jarvis Walker ball sinkers. I find one sinker is usually enough. However, if there is a particularly heavy swell I'll use two sinkers.
There are many rigs you can use for bait fishing for bream, but my favourite is a basic running sinker rig. To rig this up, all I do is thread the ball sinker(s) through the line, and tie the line to my hook using a simple Uni knot. The end result will have the sinkers resting on top of the hook. The benefit of this rig set up is that a fish can attack a bait, and run away with it without feeling much resistance before I set the hook.
 |
| Keep it simple. You don't need expensive terminal tackle or elaborate rigs when fishing for bream off the rocks. |
Berley
When I find the spot I'm going to fish, the first thing I do is make a berley mix. I put two loaves of bread in bucket and add water to create a fine soup. The soup consistency is important as it acts as an attractant and not food. During a single session I usually take at least five loaves of cheap bread as i like to get a good heavy berley trail going.I chuck three big hand fulls of berley into the water before I've done anything else. Then I find that while rigging my rod up this gives the berley time to work and bring the fish in. While I'm fishing I chuck in a hand full of berley every few cast to keep the fish around.
 |
| Berley made of bread is a powerful attractant. It is an essential component when fishing from the rocks |
Sticky's hot tip: It doesn't hurt to ask your local bakery for some old bread to use for berley. It can be a lot cheaper.
Bait
I like to use cooked prawns - yes, the ones in the deli section of Coles and Woolworth supermarkets - for bait when bream fishing from the rocks. Not only do bream love them, but they also catch many other species such as drummer, snapper, grouper, leather jacket & luderick. In fact, there's not many fish out there that won't eat a prawn!When rigging my bait I only want enough bait to cover my hook. Therefore, I'll chop the bigger cooked prawns in to 3 sections (head, body & tail) or the smaller prawns in half. I find using these smaller sizes makes it easier for the fish to take the bait down in one go, instead of just picking at it.
 |
| Prawns make good bait. Bream love them! |
Sticky's hot tip: Green prawns, cunjevoi, crabs, pipis, mullet strips, bontio or tuna strips or cubes and also pillchard choped in cubes are other baits that also work well for bream from the ocean rocks
Technique
I cast out letting the bait hit the bottom, then I let it sit for a minute. If I don't get a bite I'll give the bait a lift up off the bottom to try to attract a fishes attention. I repeat the lift and pause process, always staying tight with the line. When the bait gets too close to the rocks I'll reel it in so it doesn't get snagged.Once I hook a fish I like to play it by letting it take line. However, the trick here is to keep enough tension on the line to prevent it from snagging, or without pulling the hook from the fishes mouth, or snapping the line. But in saying all that, sometimes you just need to lock up when fishing heavy structure.
 |
 |
Wrap-up
If you haven’t given rock fishing for bream a crack, give it a go, it’s inexpensive, great fun, and you will find some big fish. If you are already doing this style of fishing I hope there’s a tip or two here that helps you hook into a few more.
Cheers.... Sticky
About Sticky
Ricky "Sticky" Farrell is a mad fisho who has been fishing the area of Port Stephens, NSW, Australia for the last 20 years. He is the creator of Sticky Fishy Fishing. You can check Sticky out on his social media platforms by clicking the links below:
No comments:
Post a Comment