Finding And Catching Trophy Bream: Steve Steer

Episode Overview

This episode is the fifth in a six-part series put together by well-known kayak tournament champ Andrew Death in which he explores strategies for finding and catching XL bream with five gun tournament bream fishos and one passionate fisheries scientist.

Steve Steer

Steve is well known and respected on the bream tournament scene with plenty of good results and podium appearances under his belt. He’s also the founder of Australian tackle company Cranka Lures, which produces excellent lures for many Australian species, but is particularly well known for bringing some deadly bream lures to the Aussie marketplace. Of course, when he’s not targeting bream, Steve takes advantage of the exceptional trout fishing opportunities on his doorstep.

Summary Of Steve's Interview

Steve's Tips For XL Bream

Steve’s experience’s fishing for trout has made him a better bream angler. Learning stream craft and paying attention to how trout position themselves around current will improve bream angling skills.
Some of the key points:
- No run, no fun.
- Pay attention to wind, flow and how it creates back eddies around structure.
- Bream eat a lot of the same things that trout eat, such as flying ants. Pay attention to events like bug hatches.

Structure That Holds XL Bream

The oldest structure, with the most growth is what to look for, especially if it's on the edge of high flow.
The mouths of some rivers such the Tambo or the Nicholson will have flood debris and snags etc deposited where the flow backs off. Big bream will frequent these areas.
When you find a single log on a otherwise barren bank, it's usually a prime location for big bream.

Steve's Lures For XL Bream

Cranka Crabs 65mm. Steve prefers the 65mm crab because it comes with size 12 decoy hooks, 25lb rings and a through wire. He feels the 65mm will catch less fish, but they will be a bigger class of bream.
50-80 mm suspending jerk baits. Fished by allowing the lure to hang in the strike zone. The lure needs to suspend like a real bait fish.
Steve advises to spend some time in clear systems sight casting to fish and seeing how they respond to your lure. Casting accurately is critical and landing the lure softly by catching the line on the spool is also important.
35 -40mm Crank baits. Steve suggests covering water quickly with this type of lure and uses them to establish feeding zones during a prefish. Steve also like these lures to suspend in brackish water and to have a more subtle rattle.
Steve has his own tackle company, Cranka Lures and created his range of lures out of necessity because he couldn't get exactly what he wanted through the existing tackle companies.

Steve's Tackle For XL Bream

Miller Rods Twitch Freak with a Diawa 2004-2500 Certate with 5lb Flamell for general and structure situations and 3lb for the flats.
Steve also uses a Miller Rods Bas Freak M and an un-named prototype from Miller Rods
Steve prefers braid and leader for deep water situtations. He also uses up to 7m leaders.

Final Hot Tips

Berkley Power Bait Lud Worm 3” in Glow colour. This is the "forgotten lure" and is a bit like a fry. Steve dyes it a little like a blood worm colour.
Steve has a comprehensive hand written diary from when he was about 12 and has since moved on to a comprehensive diary on a spreadsheet. He now records everything from moon phase, water temperature, barometric pressure, water depth and lures used, fish caught etc.
Slow down and be observant. If you catch a fish , stop and think about where, when and how you caught that fish!