River Fishing for Bream on the Ouse
Team member Jacob Stone takes us through his River approach to feeder fishing for Bream,
After joining the Spotted Fin Promo Team in April 21, I quickly stocked up on a large range of products ready to experiment and play around with various combinations.
Over the last few months, I have been utilising one of my club sections of the River Great Ouse fishing for bream and roach on the quiver tip and fishing the feeder. Before tackling the river, I spent a few afternoons and evenings, just walking the stretch and taking a mental note of various features and spots, whether it be a nice slow, deep corner or an area that is alive with bait fish. Another reason for this is so that I can clearly mark out what areas of the river have depth and what the weed levels are like. The last thing I want to be doing is baiting an area and my bait and feeder contents are being spread out/lost within large weed patches. I personally have confidence when I know my feeder and rig is sitting on a clear river bed or gravel bed.
I already knew the approach I would take for my bream campaign on the river this year and it is one similar to that largely used on commercial carp fisheries, in today’s market. My setup consists of an 11ft feeder rod with a 2oz quiver tip inserted. The approach is to then use ground bait cage feeders on a free running rig and a short hook length to size 14 or 16 hook that has a banded 8mm pellet on.
Once I have decided on the spot I intend to fish, I will always set up and prepare my bait before spending some time casting out a feeder to various spots in front of me to work out the depths and what the weed is like. Once I have found the spot, I feel is a good depth, free of/little weed and feels like a good run where bream will cruise, I am ready to go.
My pellet option, I have now narrowed down to three options that I will switch between every couple of casts to keep the fish from wising up to the hook bait. The three options I will never leave the house with are 8mm Boosted Coarse Pellets, 8mm Catalyst Pellets and 8mm Boosted Carp Pellets. All three are a very well-made pellet and don’t disintegrate or turn to mush within seconds. With each one having their own unique sweet scent and pulling power.
I have also experimented with my ground bait options to figure out what will hold fish in the swim and have now narrowed it down to two options. Option one consists of Commercial Hemp Blend ground bait mixed with a generous amount of Natural Hemp. This option to me provides a great cloud of bait and attractants in the water columns and leaves plenty of particle on the deck to keep fish feeding in the swim.
Option two has consisted of Commercial Green Betaine ground bait mixed with a couple of handfuls of 4mm Boosted Carp Pellets. I then have, also, added the GO2 Green Betaine Bait Sauce to my water that I am mixing my ground bait with.
I have found both options have been the two mixes that have kept me busy all day with large bream, roach and skimmers coming in all day and providing some big nets of fish.
The method is easy once you have got set up and found the spot you think will be where the fish come through. I will tend to fish that one spot and that one spot all day and feed it regularly, so that I do not let the fish leave the area I am baiting. With silver fish and bream, the bites will be quick, once in the area, so I will recast every 5 – 10 minutes depending on how much action I am getting on the tip. This way I keep a steady flow of bait going in, especially as I am often fishing a far bank that you just cannot ball bait out to.
This type of feeder fishing is fast paced and great to get others in to the sport, as the action is constant throughout the day and you really do have to sit on the rod, ready, as the bites will come thick and fast, with the occasional slow pull round when the bigger bream move through your swim.
