Artificial Bait For Big Bream

[Jerry Blake]

This summer when the crappie bite gets slow, my crew is getting board (especially the youngsters) and I need a few more fish “in the box” I plan on doing a little bream fishing.

I’ll be installing a Side Imaging Sonar unit on my boat in the next week or so and hope to be able to use it to find the bream beds that are holding the big bruisers.

But, I HATE fishing with crickets and I HATE fishing with worms!!! I don’t mind putting them on the hook but chasing the escapee crickets around the boat and cleaning up the mess from using worms is NOT how I want to spend my summer. I won’t be using them every day either so I don’t want to deal with trying to keep live bait alive in hot weather.

So, I want to know what is the very best artificial bait for catching big bream. I want a bait that will stay on a hook while the little bream peck away at it until a big one comes along and eats it – something that will catch multiple fish without having to re-bait.

I use cricket hooks under slip-floats on my 10’ crappie poles and I plan to use the same set-up for bream. I can even bait up a rod or two for bream while we're fishing over one of our Crappie Condos. I think someone on here mentioned using artificial crickets but I don’t recall if they said what brand they were or where they could be purchased.

I also plan to pitch jigs so any suggestions on jig type, brand or color combinations would be helpful.

Thanks in advance!

[texascrappiefisherman]

Jerry,
I caught some big ones while I was there on hair jigs.

[longliner]

Jerry, you might want to look at something like Berkley Gulp in maggotts or corn.

[Slipcork]

Hey Jerry,

You not workin (fishing) today? We use Hot Dogs. Get the cheap ones, cut them into bites about the size of a pill. I know that not really what you are lookin for but they work great. We really get some good bream on them and catfish. The big bream will come in and take it away from the little ones.

Cheap clean bait.

[pstone]

Here is an idea. It works too. I caught more big bream with this guy that I every have before.....or since. Might be worth a try, and it's not very messy. I used a small plastic bowl with a top on for storage.
http://www.crappie.com/gr8vb3/showth...ghlight=Shrimp

[Ken Kinser]

I use the 1" tube jigs on 1/64th heads, they like the more natural colors,Pumpkin,brown,or light colors

[Slabo]

Here are som beatles that I make and rig up on a cricket hook or with a small jig head. These really work I catch a ton of bream on these and they will last awhile if you put them on a small jig head with a dab of super glue. I use them under a cork or casting them .

[deathb4disco]

Any small jig or fly is a good artificial bait. Here are some good options:

small beetle spins
Charlie Brewer's slider
small tubes
hair jigs (like the grizzly jig)

I still think live bait is far superior. I understand your reasons for not using it, though.

[skiptomylu]

I have not tried it yet, but I have been told tying a artificial gray cricket to a tiny jig works.

I also know that using a dry fly with a split shot works and I have been doing that since I was a kid. The ones you find a Walmart or BPS, Cabela's will all work. Many times you can buy them in a container of some sort filled with little dry flies and they work. I have not bought any in a long time, but unusually you can find them in a plastic box full of little flies.

Here is a page of them, but I seem to remember a much cheaper assortment that was like $5-$10, but maybe they have gone up. Maybe the ones I have are even really trout flies. Someone should be able to point us in the right direction for these. I will take a picture later when I find them.

http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/te...ainCatcat20431

http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/st...=TOP_SEARCH_GO

[randybenham]

Jerry,

here is one option that I use at home, & it catches crappie as well as bream.



this is the arkie panfish creature mayfly. if there is a mayfly hatch on the lake, sometimes these will bring them in when they are finicky. we usually have a good mayfly hatch, & they mimick some of the big horseflies we have also. I rig them up on a black 1/32 oz jig head. they will knock the fire out of it. it's worth a try. i agree about the mess using crickets, but sometimes, you have to take the good w/ the bad.