Bream FishingBream (pronounced "brim") is the name given to the group of small fish that includes the Bluegill, Redbreast, and Pumpkinseed. There are others, however these are the most abundant species and the only ones I have fished for. They are members of the sunfish family and are common throughout the country and into Mexico and Canada. Bream inhabit waters of all types, from muddy ponds to clean rivers. They are usually associated with shallow water, however they often move onto deeper dropoffs during the winter. Insects, worms, and small minnows are their favorite foods. Bream spawn on shallow flats, usually with muddy or sandy bottoms, when the water warms to between 67 and 80 degrees. Bream, though they do not usually grow very large, are delicious tasting and fun to catch.
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Difference Between Species
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Bream Baits
Bream are fierce feeders and can be caught on a large variety of baits. The most common method is using a small piece of worm or a cricket suspended under a bobber. This method is simple, inexpensive, very effective, and is perhaps the oldest method of fishing. Nightcrawlers, red wigglers, meal worms, wax worms, crickets, horseflies, and a variety of other insects work well for bream. Very small artificial lures are also popular bream baits. Small grubs (1 1/2" - 2"), tiny spinners, marabou jigs, and very tiny crankbaits also produce plenty of quality fish. My personal favorite is a 1 1/2" curly-tail grub on a 1/32 oz. jighead.
Ultralight spinning tackle is, in my opinion, the most enjoyable way to catch bream. A super-flimsy 4 1/2 - 5 1/2 foot rod makes even the smallest bluegill feel like world record. I really enjoy the Shakespeare MicroSpin rod. It's 4 1/2 feet, ultra-light, and still has some backbone to fight bigger fish. As far as I know, you can only get it as a MicroSpin combo with a small spinning or trigger-cast reel. These reels aren't worth a dime as far as I'm concerned (I have not had good experiences with the MicroSpin reels), but the rod is perfect for panfish. A great ultralight reel that I will recommend is the Quantum MS-00. It is very small, light, durable, smoothe, comes with 2 spools, and has a very good drag on it. I have the MS00 on my MicroSpin rod, and this combo is my favorite way to fish for bream.
Whether you use spinning, spincasting, cane pole, or some other method of bream fishing, your line choice should remain very light. 2, 4, or 6 pound test line is all that is necessary to land even the largest bream. Lighter line provides more sensitivity to detect subtle strikes, allows more line to be held on the spool, and is much less visible than heavier line. Always use a brand name line. Stren and Trilene are perhaps the most popular brands and are both underrated (this means that, for example, 4 lb. test will actually break at about 5 or 6 pounds of force). Whatever line you use, be sure to cut off any sections of line that are nicked or frayed and replace your line every few seasons.
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Bream Baits
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For a simpler, cheaper, more traditional method to catch bream, try a cane pole. Both the real bamboo and the telescopic cane poles are fun to use. They are both inexpensive ($3-$10) and effective. Bamboo poles can be made simply by cutting a suitable length of bamboo, letting it cure, and affixing some line to the end.