Busting big bream

It’s time to hit shallow-water beds for bluegills and shellcrackers

Bream fishing season means the parking lots around Carolina lakes will be full of shallow-water fishing rigs during May and June as fishermen target their favored species in shallow water.

Fishing bream beds with live bait provides outstanding action, but it’s not the only way to catch limits of these feisty fish. Whether bedding or not, artificial lures provide bream fishermen with options that enable them to fish lakes, rivers, and ponds effectively. 

From live bait to multiple types of artificial lures, one bream expert discusses several options that work for him throughout the summer.

Stacey Weatherford is a lifelong bream addict and fishing guide He guides clients fishing for bream, crappie, and catfish, his three specialties on the Santee Cooper lakes of Marion and Moultrie. 

His ideas on catching bream involve multiple tactics that work great wherever bream congregate.

“In the Carolinas, just about any place that’s wet is likely to hold big bream,” Weatherford said. “I guide on Santee Cooper, out of Blacks Camp, and that gives me easy access to both lakes Marion and Moultrie, full of big bream. But anglers have multiple ways to catch bream on lakes and rivers.”

Live bait

Weatherford said using live bait is perfect for beginning bream fishermen because crickets or worms produce fast bream action and quality fish.

“The great thing about using live bait is the equipment can be as simple as a long, natural cane pole with a length of line tied to the tip with a small wire hook, split shot, and float at the terminal end,” he said. “Anglers can swing this rig to work around shoreline targets looking for bream beds or just for scattered fish. At this time of year, bream will be bedding, but not all the fish are on the beds. Many are around trees, stumps, logs, and rocks.”

Weatherford (854-206-0199) said light spinning, or spin cast tackle, gives anglers additional flexibility, enabling them to cast around stumps, under overhanging branches, and over submerged brush targets. Bream are creatures of targets when not on the beds, and are more scattered, but still plentiful. Find them on the beds, and anglers can occasionally catch limits on a single spot.

If anglers have electronics aboard their boat, the side-image view is a quick way to locate bream beds.

“Both crickets and worms catch bream or shellcrackers, but shellcrackers have an affinity for redworms,” he said. “If I’m specifically targeting shellcrackers, worms are a good option, and they’ll catch bream readily. I usually begin with crickets but have worms available and offer the fish what they want on a given day.”   

Flyrods and artificials

Once the water warms, using flyrods is one of the most effective and fun ways to catch big bream throughout the summer.

Weatherford said using flyrods and popping bugs is an enjoyable and effective method for catching limits of big bream.

“Flyrods can be productive throughout the day, but during low light hours, the topwater popping bug bite is outstanding,” he said. “Mornings are productive, of course, but I prefer the late afternoons as the sun sinks toward the horizon. It means time is of the essence, but find a shady bank in the evening, and you can gain more productive time.”

Weatherford said on many lakes, mayfly hatches occur periodically during warm weather and offer the ideal opportunity to take big bream using a flyrod rig.

“We have tremendous mayfly hatches at Santee Cooper, and bream will bust a topwater bug any time of the day when mayflies are winging around,” he said. “Big bream are caught late in the evening even if mayflies aren’t hatching. Rock, mud, and rock banks with a drop into deeper water attract big bream.”

The popping bug’s color can be important, but he’s found it varies by lake. At Santee Cooper, yellow or white are productive colors.

“I like to cast the bug almost to the water’s edge, especially around wood or rock cover,” Weatherford said. “Lakes with rocky banks that drop into deep water are excellent, and rip-rap along bridges and dams are excellent targets for flyrod fishing. Work the bug back slowly, making it pop and twitch.

However, low light is not the only productive time for employing the flyrod. Midday can be excellent during May and June, and you can use a sinking lure to get to the bigger bream.

“A black ant sinking rig will do the trick, as will a sponge spider with legs,” he said. “Use a long leader and let the lure fall a few feet.” 

Tiny crankbaits, big bream

One of Weatherford’s favorite ways to take huge bream is fishing crankbaits.

“Not the bass-sized crankbaits, but the tiny crankbaits made to target panfish,” he said. “Big bream maul minnows, so don’t hesitate to use crankbaits if you’re serious about catching big bream. These come in assorted sizes, colors, and name brands, but I’ve found the lipped lures in the 2- to 2 ½-inch size class work best. I prefer cranks with a tight wiggle that will dig at least 4 feet deep on a long cast.”

He said these lures don’t require specialized tackle. A simple spinning or push-button rig is sufficient.

“But use a light line, 4-pound test maximum. And sometimes I enjoy 2-pound test line to challenge myself,” he said. “But 2-pound test line also enhances the ability of the lure to entice a big bream to bite, maximizes casting distance, and increases retrieve depth.”

The action can be one of several methods, with a standard crank and retrieve often working best.

“But just as in black bass fishing, a stop-and-go retrieve can be deadly, as can taking a floater/diver lure and twitching it to pop underwater, then floating back up and repeating back to the boat.

“You’re going to occasionally get surprised by a chunky largemouth bass that couldn’t refuse the tiny tidbit,” he said. “Big surprises are always a possibility with these tiny crankbaits.”

Weatherford said anglers don’t have to diversify tactics to catch beam, but employing different lures or baits in diverse situations can help maximize their catch of quality fish.

“I find that using different tools of the bream fishing world adds more fun, and usually more quality fish, to our catch,” he said. 

Spinners are lethal

“The Beetle Spin is one of my go-to artificial lures, and sometimes, even when planning to use crickets, I may search for a bream hotspot using the Beetle Spin,” Weatherford said. “It’s attractive to big bream and can be worked near the surface, mid-depths, or even into deeper water. When I fish deeper water, I’ll add a small split shot about 8 inches from the lure. The extra weight lets it sink into the bite zone quickly and provides a better feel, or bite detection, when in deeper water. It’s a great searching lure to find bream, and once located, it’ll catch limits of them.”

Weatherford said another excellent spinner is a small Road Runner head with a tiny plastic grub. 

“The Road Runner has the flash that attracts bream, and this lure can be fished down a slope from shallow to deeper water effectively,” he said. “Cast the lure parallel to the shoreline at that depth. A 1/32-ounce Rooster Tail spinner is another highly effective choice for covering a lot of water. These spinner lures are all effective for taking fish throughout the day by enabling an angler to test various water depths.