How to Fish For Bream
Learn the basics., Look for a fish 30–60 centimeters (11.8–23.6 in) in length., Learn the difference between silver, white, and common bream., Familiarize yourself with the American species of bream., Check for local varieties of bream.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Learn the basics.
The common bream is a deep-bodied, medium-sized fish, that is bronze in color.
The fins of the common bream are dark brown, with a tail that's deeply forked.
Younger fish are a silvery color that deepens with age.The common bream is a member of the same family as carp, so if you know how to identify a carp you'll be looking for a similar fish.
It's a bottom-feeder, preying primarily on worms, snails and pea mussels throughout ponds, lakes and slow-moving rivers. -
Step 2: Look for a fish 30–60 centimeters (11.8–23.6 in) in length.
Between spawning and maturity, the bream will grow to a size of between 30 and 60 centimeters (1-2 feet long), though it can become quite larger on occasion.
Bream are extremely common, putting them in the lowest-priority of conservation risk, though bream need to be large enough to catch legally.
European guidelines and American guidelines will vary widely by region and season, so it's important that you find out the local guidelines in your area to determine size-minimums for the fish you catch.
In general, if it's 30 centimeter (11.8 in) long, you'll be fine. , Bream frequently breed with other species of fish, making the identification somewhat difficult on occasion.
If you're on the lookout for a specific species of fish, for some reason, you'll want to be able to quickly identify the common bream or the American bream, and distinguish it from the other varieties.
Silver and white bream are somewhat smaller than the common bream, featuring an iridescent effect in the scales that isn't found in the common bream.
If the fish is glistening below the water line, it's likely that you've got the silver or the white bream.
It's not critically important to determine the difference between all the sub-species and the cross-species of bream to catch some good panfish, as long as you're sure you're in the general neighborhood.
Count the scales from the dorsal to the lateral line to get a quick check on the bream.
There should be 11 or more scales in the line.
Fewer, and it's another variety of bream., Again, to clarify, American bream aren’t technically bream, but some species of sunfish are locally and colloquially referred to as “bream.” The word identifies several distinct species of fish.The members of the sunfish family most commonly identified as bream include:
Bluegill, which are named for their gill coloring, bluegills can be found in most parts of the United States, except Alaska.
The 1950 world record bluegill weighed 4 pounds, 12 ounces (2.15 kg).
Redear sunfish are similar to bluegill in appearance, except that their gills are red instead of blue.
They are found primarily in the southeast, but have been introduced elsewhere in the country, although not as widely as the bluegill.
The world record for redear sunfish is 5 pounds,
7.5 ounces (2.48 kg).
Redbreast sunfish.
Redbreast sunfish bear their red coloring on their breasts and bellies instead of their ears, although some members of this species substitute rust or yellow coloring for the bright red.
Alternate names for this species include "longear," "red perch," "robin," "tobacco box," "yellowbelly," and "yellowbreast." They can be found in brackish marshes, warm ponds, and cold creeks, but they are not as widely distributed as bluegill or redear sunfish. , Other species of bream include banded sunfish, green sunfish, orange spotted sunfish, Ozark bass, rock bass, and warmouth.
Check with your state's Department of Natural Resources or Fish and Game Commission to see which species of bream inhabit the waters of your state. -
Step 3: Learn the difference between silver
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Step 4: and common bream.
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Step 5: Familiarize yourself with the American species of bream.
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Step 6: Check for local varieties of bream.
Detailed Guide
The common bream is a deep-bodied, medium-sized fish, that is bronze in color.
The fins of the common bream are dark brown, with a tail that's deeply forked.
Younger fish are a silvery color that deepens with age.The common bream is a member of the same family as carp, so if you know how to identify a carp you'll be looking for a similar fish.
It's a bottom-feeder, preying primarily on worms, snails and pea mussels throughout ponds, lakes and slow-moving rivers.
Between spawning and maturity, the bream will grow to a size of between 30 and 60 centimeters (1-2 feet long), though it can become quite larger on occasion.
Bream are extremely common, putting them in the lowest-priority of conservation risk, though bream need to be large enough to catch legally.
European guidelines and American guidelines will vary widely by region and season, so it's important that you find out the local guidelines in your area to determine size-minimums for the fish you catch.
In general, if it's 30 centimeter (11.8 in) long, you'll be fine. , Bream frequently breed with other species of fish, making the identification somewhat difficult on occasion.
If you're on the lookout for a specific species of fish, for some reason, you'll want to be able to quickly identify the common bream or the American bream, and distinguish it from the other varieties.
Silver and white bream are somewhat smaller than the common bream, featuring an iridescent effect in the scales that isn't found in the common bream.
If the fish is glistening below the water line, it's likely that you've got the silver or the white bream.
It's not critically important to determine the difference between all the sub-species and the cross-species of bream to catch some good panfish, as long as you're sure you're in the general neighborhood.
Count the scales from the dorsal to the lateral line to get a quick check on the bream.
There should be 11 or more scales in the line.
Fewer, and it's another variety of bream., Again, to clarify, American bream aren’t technically bream, but some species of sunfish are locally and colloquially referred to as “bream.” The word identifies several distinct species of fish.The members of the sunfish family most commonly identified as bream include:
Bluegill, which are named for their gill coloring, bluegills can be found in most parts of the United States, except Alaska.
The 1950 world record bluegill weighed 4 pounds, 12 ounces (2.15 kg).
Redear sunfish are similar to bluegill in appearance, except that their gills are red instead of blue.
They are found primarily in the southeast, but have been introduced elsewhere in the country, although not as widely as the bluegill.
The world record for redear sunfish is 5 pounds,
7.5 ounces (2.48 kg).
Redbreast sunfish.
Redbreast sunfish bear their red coloring on their breasts and bellies instead of their ears, although some members of this species substitute rust or yellow coloring for the bright red.
Alternate names for this species include "longear," "red perch," "robin," "tobacco box," "yellowbelly," and "yellowbreast." They can be found in brackish marshes, warm ponds, and cold creeks, but they are not as widely distributed as bluegill or redear sunfish. , Other species of bream include banded sunfish, green sunfish, orange spotted sunfish, Ozark bass, rock bass, and warmouth.
Check with your state's Department of Natural Resources or Fish and Game Commission to see which species of bream inhabit the waters of your state.
About the Author
Richard Harvey
Specializes in breaking down complex cooking topics into simple steps.
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