Thread: Worms or shiners for winter Bream...does it matter?

Up here when the water gets hard the switch is too smaller jigs, spoons ,tipped with bait like wax worms an maggots, maybe minnows for carppie , perch, walleyes, pike. Might try meal worms , or a piece of worm under a bobber..

Originally Posted by clay slayer

... worms or shiners. Or does it just depend on the fish's mood that day and I should always bring both?

I wouldn't bring either one. I always prefer some type of grub bait (maggots, wax worms or meal worms) over anything else. They work year round.

Wax or meal worms has always worked for me!


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Never known anyone to use minnows for bream. They will bite minnows but by far worms and crickets are the prevalent bait at least around here.

If you have crappies in the same waters as your bluegills like we often do up north, then take some crappie baits along, like Lil Hustlers, Bobby Garland Baby Shads, or their Itty bitties or the Mr Twister Micro Shad. The plastics do not need to be kept alive and the littlest ones often work great for both crappies and bluegills up here anyway on 2# mono and jigs with size 8 or smaller hooks in open water (on 2# 1/48 and 1/64th oz jig heads work well but need patience to get down). We have often taken some real nice bream on the 2" baby shads, too, as strange as that may sound. Maggots or mealies for sunfish, and those often take hard water crappies up here too. Forget the shiners, far too much messing around for the return. One more thing crappies and sunfish in the same waters at the same time often prefer different colors. 1" black Gulp Alive leeches or minnows are also very good for all sunnies, either under a tiny bobber or on a plain hook behind a size 0 single blade gold or silver spinner with a split shot for casting weight. All these baits you can carry in a jacket pocket without needing aerators, batteries, fresh water, or any of that stuff. If you want, take along some red worms, but only use a piece at a time. Circle hooks do reduce gut hooking even for sunnies and can be had down to sizes 6 and 8.

We been Ketchn some dandy bream about 15 foot deep on 1/32 number 6 jig heads and plastics , but if I wanted to just Ketchn bream I would use worms on the jig head ....I like a number 8 .... in a 1/64 for bream
Reddish orange colors seem to a bream favorite as well around here in artificial baits

This time of year since my black soldier flies are done, I tie flies and tip them with a black soldier fly maggot to save them until they get started in the spring. Larvae of most any type are so easy to grow, I'd just stick with that. Tie a fly of most any type when production is slow so you won't waste what you have.

Thanks for all the input. I'll pick up some mealworms nearby and give them a try.