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Bream Fishing Tips - April

Q. WHAT GROUNDBAIT MIX FOR NATURAL WATER BREAM?

Match Angler 1;- In spring a sweet fishmeal mix is my choice - Mainline Match Pole Mix, with a sweet coconut taste and a good hit of fishmeal.

Match Angler 2;- I use a mixture of 60 per cent Tom Thick Intelligent Black and 40 per cent Mainline Method. The Mainline is very strong in fishmeal and gives it an extra boost.

If the water is very clear I will blacken the mix more as I prefer the groundbait to be darker in these conditions.

Match Angler 3;- At this time of year, I would use a fishmeal-based mix and my favourite is Sonubaits F1 Green and Match Method Mix used at a ratio of 50/50.

Match Angler 4;- On natural venues we seem to get better results by using a fishmeal element in our mixes. Two great mixes when the water is clear are Bait-Tech's F1 and the new Special G Dark.

Q. DO YOU ADD MANY FREEBIES TO IT AND, IF SO, WHAT AND HOW MUCH?

Match Angler 1;- Very little goes in the groundbait. I tend not to use casters until the weather has warmed up so I rely on a few dead maggots and around an egg cup full of minced worms. On a commercial fishery such as Barston Lakes, I will also add a few micro pellets to the mix.

Match Angler 2;- I add freebies as I go along - dead red maggots, casters and dead pinkies in spring. As the water warms up, I'll add more chopped worm and maybe a bit of corn. If fish are already in the swim I just add more particles as I go along.

Match Angler 3;- I do add a few freebies to the groundbait but only casters and small 2mm pellets. Chopped worm comes into play now and then, and once I add this, the fish will tell me whether I can continue with worm or cut it out totally.

Match Angler 4;- If I expect it to be hard I'll adopt a one-line approach and only feed 50ml of loose offerings. These can be casters and dead maggots or micro pellets. On venues such as Larford Lakes, if I expect fish to come in close I will feed that line positively for later on.

Q. WHAT LENGTH OF TAIL DO YOU KICK OFF WITH, AND WHEN WOULD THIS CHANGE?

Match Angler 1;- All my hooklengths are tied to 1m of line to give me options. Around 50cm is a good start but I will go up to 30cm if I am missing bites. If the fishing is harder, a 1m hooklink combined with several quick casts using a sloppier groundbait to create a cloud can winkle out fish.

Match Angler 2;- 50cm is a good starting point for a hooklength and I will shorten it if the fishing is very good. In this situation, need a very short 30cm or 40cm hooklength to speed the process up. If I am searching for a bite then the opposite applies and I may go up to a 1m hooklength.

Match Angler 3;- I'd start with a 75 cm hooklength and only change if I was bagging up or couldn't get a bite. When catching well, shortening the hooklength will produce quicker and better bites.

Match Angler 4;- On almost every match I fish, I start with a 50cm hooklength. A 30cm hooklength can be better when fish are still sluggish. If I was fishing in the 12ft-deep Larford's Specimen Lake I'd sometimes switch to a 1m hooklength to target fish sat at half-depth.