100lb of Bream

[Silverfisher]

Anyway. I know I come from East Anglia. But if anyone said to me “You can’t fish the Broads or the Fens, what river do you fish for Bream? My answer would be The Thames,,,,,or The Trent

Oh yes the Thames is without doubt a great bream river. After the roach I'd say they are the next most targeted fish. I don't think 100lb bags are that plausible around here but 20-50lb seems pretty routine. I'd don't do much of it as I prefer to be on the float but my grandad does a fair bit of feeder fishing these days if theres any wind (windy trotting when an old man isn’t fun apparently!) and without specifically targeting bream he often gets 4 or 5 4 to 5 pounders.

A guy had 190 lb in a River Fest match at Child Beale nr Reading 2 or 3 years ago. I was watching a bloke about 3 pegs down - he had 100lb and was 4th or 5th !.

I remember that match crazy wasn’t it! Can imagine there being vast shoals down there as is a big wide deep bit of river.

 

[Zerkalo]

It wouldn't surprise me to hear of regular tons in matches at Chard, seemed like a supreme Bream venue. Patshull does it in matches but only when it's fishing well.

 

[smiffy]

A guy had 190 lb in a River Fest match at Child Beale nr Reading 2 or 3 years ago. I was watching a bloke about 3 pegs down - he had 100lb and was 4th or 5th !

Ive heard of carp anglers who bait heavily catching silly numbers of fish and some of them are big.

My heaviest catch is probably only about 75 lb (from a pit)- it was only 7 fish though.

There used to be quite a bit of overlap in regions on the open match circuit so I have been told a lot about the Thames. Us in the East often crossed paths with Thames regulars. There are some mighty shoals of Bream in the Thames. On my few visits I’ve not managed to get on them or catch the river in the right nick. One day

 

[The Runner]

They’re there just not in the size or numbers to do a ton I wouldn’t have though tend to be 2-5lb. If you catch a dozen they might be top end of that but if you get a couple dozen seems to be more bottom end. Banbury reservoir and states lagoon certainly have the size of fish, 15 would do a ton but you’d do flipping well to get 15 of them lol

There's definitely been 100 plus match weights of bream from Medley, quite recently as well.
Behind the houses at Dorchester also, although they show once in a blue moon and cant recall hearing of a big weight of them in the last ten years.
And at Childe Beale, big fish down there as well.

 

[The Runner]

Squimp beat me to it re Childe Beale...

 

[mickthechippy]

Had 3 netfulls of bream, out of the last swim before the red lion bridge on the military canal in hythe one day

had only gone to use bait up from the previous days match

it was a conservative estimate of 100lb, all were big black mature fish, that had shoaled up for pre spawning, full of tubercules

had an audience behind me watching me catch fish after fish, every bite was a lift bite on a double bulk rig

 

[The Runner]

Anyway, 100 lb of bream for me ?
Possibly once in England, pleasure fishing the old Match Lake at Farlows.
Lots of times in Ireland, and cleared 200 lb twice, once from the Shannon near Athlone and once from the Inny near Ballymahon (estimated at 256 lb based on number of fish at the average size of mate's in next swim who was weighing his individually as he went along. The 5 or 6 of us who used to go together often did this if we were expecting big bags and it seemed pretty accurate). Could easily have ended up with over 300 lb that day but I packed in when I ran out of mates to borrow spare nets from. (Had 4 nets in the water, to save you asking...)

 

[Silverfisher]

There's definitely been 100 plus match weights of bream from Medley, quite recently as well.
Behind the houses at Dorchester also, although they show once in a blue moon and cant recall hearing of a big weight of them in the last ten years.

Blimey never heard of it at medley probably 60-70 tops. Not surprised at Donnington the 80 odd pleasure weights I’ve heard of have been there.

 

[The Runner]

Got a vague memory of the best being something like 138lb from just below the massive fallen tree at the end of the Poplars. (Not sure if still there...)

 

[Griffo]

128Ib of roach bream hybrids on the Shannon at O’Brien’s bridge 1999, and My first even 100Ib (bit before commercials really got going over here), fab day many other possible 100Ib bags of bream on the Witham in the mid 90’s but no keep nets.

 

[Paul.P]

Had 145lb of bream in Steely's open on Ferry Meadows many years ago, before all these commercials were about, that was my PB then by a large way. Still think its one of my best days fishing.

 

[Andygw]

I fished jumbles reservoir in bolton, must have been 30 years ago, prevaibaited the night before.
Was free fishing back then, counted 38 bream back into the reservoir, 2-4 lbs each, best thing was I fished in 28 ft 5 rod lengths out on the sliding float.
Read about it, practiced it and had a red letter day on it.
I now love to fish waters 20 ft plus just to fish that way.
It adds another level to float fishing when it comes together, good luck, you will love it,

 

[Chris Calder]

Never really Bream fished in UK, except for matches and that is mostly skimmer bashing for 50- 60 lb

Lived in Holland for 5 years and regularly used to get 200lb out of the rivers fish about 3 to 5lb each, nice in flowing water

In Ireland & Denmark had bags 150lb to 200lb quite a bit.

In Sweden one holiday every day was getting 200 lb and average size was 1 to 2lb ,loads of action

But best weight was about 400 lb from 5 am till 12 midday ,51 Bream all between 7 lb and 9 1/2 lb not one fish broke the 10 lb barrier
went to that place twice for a fortnight and most days had between 200 to 300 lb of Bream with the odd 5 lb Tench.
That place took a lot of prefeed every evening, would put in 2 sensas green buckets full every evening, mostly corn and wheat with a bit of groundbait to be able to form balls

 

[Godber]

Llandegfordd reservoir a couple of weeks back, 60 bream for 260ish lb+

 

[neil fallows]

Thankfully i have lots of hundred pound catches and a few 200lb catches. My first was at LLangorse lake when i was 19 , night fishing with a slider float off a punt. Amazing fishing but you had to fish at nights due to speed boats.
2nd and followed by many more were in County Cavan in Ireland and my first 200lb off Town lake in Killeshandra.
First English one was at Mere golf club where the bream went to 9lb and had close to 300lb there.
Also in Denmark we had 100lb catches at Silkeborg.
Then we started to go to Holland and nearly every trip we have late 100lb catches from big wild waters. Cant wait to get back to Holland next year and carry on the dream.

 

[adriang]

I think you'd have to go some to get 100lb around here though. Have seen a few match weights around 60lb and pleasure weights around 80lb never heard of a definite 100lb. No doubt it is done but can't be very often.

I was chatting to somebody who had big bags of bream opposite the marina at Lechlade, estimated to be around the 100lb weight, right at the end of the season.

 

[Silverfisher]

Ah well lechlade is Gloucester and child Beale Berkshire I was referring to the Oxfordshire thames

I have no reason to doubt it can be done around here. It’s just that in 15 years of generally fishing the Thames around here and about 8 years of being addicted to fishing it and following the fishing on it I don’t recall hearing of a 100lb net so can’t be something that you could realistically set out to do in the way 50-60lb seems to be if you get the conditions right.

 

[Robwooly]

I've done Barbel quite a few times and chub too but never bream, not even close, not sure I ever will but I do like bream, 10lb will do me.

 

[crackatoa]

Never in a match but managed it regularly when I used to fish Castle Loch, Lochmaben. Even 300lb was not unusual in the late 70's early 80's. Nor was it unusual to blank on the same peg, using the same methods, the week after having a massive haul. It was up and down, depending where they rocked up at night.

 

[Rick123]

I was brought up on the Norfolk broads, and had several summers in a tiny boat fishing at night for them. While the fish i caught were never massive the average was 5lb-6lb you could catch 20/30 most trips. I'd bait with brown crumb and left over bread from the week, and fish flake, maggots, worms. It was simple fishing too, size 6 hook, 6lb line, 12' match style rod, home made rod rests. But I did have 100lb of carp more recently. That was 10 fish for 100+ from Hallcroft, my best session to date.

I do think it possible on the Trent now days as the fish are so big in places. Doubles are about and lots of fish 7lb+ you don't need many of them for 100lb?