Fishing in Paradise


In Australia the Bream is one of the most targeted fishing species. There are two main varieties that are fished for, the Yellowfin and the Black Bream but on the east coast you will mainly find Yellowfin Bream, except for in the south from about Wollongong down. In a limited area around there you will find both species mixed together and then eventually all the Yellowfin are replaced with Black Bream. For the purposes of fishing they are very similar. Some say that the Black Bream have a larger average size but lack the same fighting factor as the Yellowfin but it is hearsay at best.

Yellowfin Bream fish

Yellowfin Bream on the ocean floor.

Southern Black Bream

Average sized Black Bream taken on a hardbodied minnow.

Physically the difference between the two species is small but pretty obvious. The Black Bream have black fins where the Yellowfin Bream have yellow ones. Pretty straightforward.

These feisty feeders are caught by every means you can think of. They would be almost certainly the most commonly caught fish in Australia and can be caught on all types of lure and a lot of baits, even more bizarre baits like skirt steak, cheese and chicken fillet work well. Big bream are often caught when fishing for Jewfish with large live baits, particularly herring.

Fishing for bream with soft plastics is one of the more popular ways to target them. Best way to target them is to match the hatch, with grubs and prawn style patterns. Big bream will also target minnow pattern plastics. Hardbodies work well for rack fishing or throwing at rocks.

They will grow up to 4kg but these fish are almost mythologically rare captures. Average size goes just legal, 25cm and roughly 300gms. A good sized fish is over a kilogram or 35cm upwards.