Bream

There are three species of Bream common to Australian waters and popular catches amongst recreational anglers. They are The  Eastern Black Bream (A. australis), Black Bream (A. australis and A. butcherii) and Southern Bream (A. butcherii) or silver bream. The Eastern Black Bream are also occassionally known as Yellowfin Bream.

Each of the Bream detailled above have full laterally compressed bodies, small mouths with stong teeth and forked tails. Colourations will vary with habitate and the silvery colours of lower esturine and inshore bream, to the dark colourings of lagoon bream. Bream may also have yellow pelvic, anal and tail fins.

Recreational fishing usually attracts bream usually upto 1.2kgs with 2kg's catches being rare. Eastern Black Bream are caught between central Queensland and Northern Victoria, Southern Black Bream from Southern NSW and around the coast to Gaeraldton in Western Australia and tidal rivers in Tasmania. 

Black bream are a northern species and extend from Exmouth in Western Australia to central northern Queensland. All three species can be found in a variety of locations including freshwater rivers through to harbours, inlets, bays and tidal lakes. Eastern black bream can also be found along ocean surf beaches, rocky shorelines and offshore waters.

The following Bream 'Fishing Techniques is described on www.sportsfish.com.au

Fishing Techniques: The most productive techniques for taking bream in estuaries, bays and harbours are based around the use of light, sensitive tackle and live or fresh baits of marine worms, shellfish, yabbies (nippers), crabs, prawns or small bait fish species. Bream also succumb to an array of less conventional offerings such as bullock's heart, tripe, steak, chicken intestines and various 'pudding' mixtures of flour, water, cheese, tinned sardines and the like. Estuary and river-dwelling bream of all three species are also taken with reasonable consistency on small lures and flies, often by anglers targeting other species such as flathead or tailor. In New South Wales and southern Queensland, surf, rock and inshore boat anglers target eastern black bream using the same range of baits as estuary anglers, as well as whole and cut pilchards, fish fillets, strips and cubes. All three species also respond well to the use of berley.