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5 Tips - Finesse Plastics for Bream

By Luke Smith

Keen Victorian based angler Luke Smith loves chasing big southern black bream and in this article he gives us 5 Tips for targeting bream on finesse soft plastics, a popular technique for anglers around the country.

1. Go Small

When fishing finesse, for me it all starts with lure selection. It's pretty hard to fish finesse for bream with a big bulky plastic that scares everything in the vicinity each time it slaps the surface. Choosing a small plastic with a slim profile, for me, is a must. I have three go-to options for finesse breaming and they are the ZMan 2" GrubZ and 2.5" GrubZ, along with the 2.5" Slim SwimZ. These three plastics all have small profiles, they can be rigged in different ways and more importantly, they all have a great action when rigged on light jigheads.

2. Rig Light

Once the plastic is chosen, the next piece of the puzzle is to rig it with the right size jighead for the application at hand. Rig too heavy and you lose all of the finesse approach that you are trying to achieve. Rig too light and you will not be able to impart the desired action or get the lure down into the strike zone. I usually use three types of jigheads for my finesse fishing. These are the TT Lures HeadlockZ Finesse, HWS (Hidden Weight System) and from time to time I will use the Chinlockz Finesse if fishing in snagsville.

Down south, when chasing black bream, we tend to fish a lot slower and therefore use lighter weights than our northern friends targeting yellowfin bream. A 1/16oz jighead is the standard weight that I will use for most of my fishing, however when the wind backs off and allows me to fish lighter, I will. I find that 1/20oz and 1/28oz jigheads both work super well when teamed with the above mentioned plastics. Lighter weights mean that you can have the plastic sitting in the strike zone a lot longer, with subtle rod shakes making the lure dance almost on the spot.

Rig Subtle

To follow on from selecting a lightly weighted jighead, it is also just as important to try and keep the hook as light as possible. When finesse fishing, a heavy hook will alter the action of the plastic, while also taking more effort to set. The hook may also alter the weight and sink rate of a finesse presentation. Hook up rates are also impacted by a thicker gauge hook.

For this reason, the TT Lures Headlockz Finesse is by far my favourite bream jighead. The hooks are super sharp and do not take much effort at all to find their mark. A #1 HeadlockZ Finesse hook pairs up perfectly with the 2.5" options, whilst the #2 or #4 (HD) hooks both work with the 2" GrubZ depending on the application.

If you are wanting to go lighter than the 1/20oz options available and do not want to use the HWS jigheads, don't be afraid to pull out the side cutters and give the head a trim or even use a lighter to melt a bit away.

Fish Light

When fishing finesse for bream, the outfit used plays a crucial part in being able to make long accurate casts and impart a subtle action to the plastic. I love fishing as light as possible and my favourite combo for this is the Okuma Helios SX Spin Rod - HSX-S-702L 7' 1-3kg, paired with an Okuma Helios HSX-30 spin reel. This combo is well weighted and comfortable to cast with all day. Some people prefer to use the 20 size reels and reduce the overall weight, however I opt for the 30 as the larger spool allows for slightly longer casts when using super light plastics.

Line choice is a big decision. You want something that is thin and allows long casts, while having the strength to land that trophy fish. I use Platypus P8 in 6lb on my bream outfits as it's thin, strong and I have had no issues with it in the few years that I have been using it.

With leaders, again it's about going as light as possible. This helps to get the bites and also the thinner leader allows for longer casts and it does not impact the lure action as much. There is a massive difference between 4lb and 6lb leaders and the same again when comparing 2lb and 4lb. I strongly recommend rigging an outfit with each, then fishing the same lures and comparing them beside each other... you will be surprised.

Fish Slow

Whenever you are fishing for black bream, I cannot stress enough the importance of fishing slow. Sure, some days they are aggressive and prefer a bit of speed, however more often than not slow and steady gets the bites.

When fishing finesse, slow rod movements and small twitches work perfectly with light line fishing. Even when hooking fish, it is important to remember the impact on lighter gear. You can't attempt American bass style hook sets as you will be winding in limp line and having to tie on another plastic. When using 2lb, I will have a really light drag set and even then, in some situations, I don't strike to set the hook. Instead, I use the reel and wind them on.

Time on the water is your friend in any situation and especially when experimenting or learning new techniques it is the key.

Gearing Up:

Okuma Helios SX Spin Rod - HSX-S-702L 7' 1-3kg
Okuma Helios SX Spin Reel - HSX-30
Platypus P8 Braid - 6lb
Stealth FC Fluorocarbon Leader - 2lb, 4lb, 6lb
ZMan 2" GrubZ
ZMan 2.5" GrubZ
ZMan 2.5" Slim SwimZ
TT Lures HeadlockZ Finesse Jigheads
TT Lures HWS (Hidden Weight System) Jigheads
TT Lures SnakelockZ Finesse Jigheads