What a fantastic time of year to be on the water and chasing a feed of fish. The water temp is dropping along with the weather and that can only mean great things for all the bream fishers out there.

The bream season has kicked off to an early flyer with top quality specimens on the bite last month, which should continue. The whole Jumpinpin area is a bream haven where they come to breed over the cooler months and will be looking for an easy meal.

Bream will take almost any type of bait put in front of them, however there are a few tricks to make sure you’re having a crack at the larger ones.

Berleying is essential to get bream interested. Pellets and oils work, but the best way to berley is with the bait you’re using, such as pillies, whitebait, prawns, etc. This entices the smaller ones into the area and then, when they start feeding, put on a well presented larger bait that should get the attention of the better fish. Plus, larger baits will always get the attention of the bigger fish.

Heaping mullet or chook gut onto a 2/0-4/0 baitholder hook will always fire up the larger bream. Remember to not strike too early and wait for them to engulf the whole bait and, essentially, catch themselves.

Another tip is to present the bait naturally in the water; they will be turned off by a spinning bait or a smashed bait. An extra bit of care will help get you the better fish.

Hot spots for bigger bream have been from the north wall of the Seaway, the beach off South Straddie at night, the dead trees at the bottom of North Straddie, the Stockyards, Flat Rock and Kalinga Bank. You can expect even bigger bream as the temp drops off.

If you’re into flicking soft plastics or just want to give it a try, the water quality has improved and the bream have been smashing lures all around the ‘Pin lately. Small hardbodied minnows along the rock walls and twitching small soft plastics around sunken trees have yielded great catches.

Flathead have also been very popular with plenty of reports from Kalinga Bank, Cobby Passage, the mud banks off Kangaroo Island and Redland Bay Channel. The best baits have been froggies, pillies and whitebait.

Small school mulloway have been in good numbers too but unfortunately not many over the legal 75cm length, mostly around 50-70cm. Most have been caught using live mullet, herring and 5-7” soft plastics in the deeper churning water off the bottom of North Straddie, Marks Rocks and Giants Grave. Expect to get a good by-catch of trevally, tailor, small mackerel or anything else that will smash a livie.

The whiting have quietened off, but if you love your whiting fishing the hot spots are usually Alberton Sands in the Logan, the Gold Bank, Tipplers Island and the bottom of Kangaroo Island.

Don’t forget the King Of The Pin fishing comp is on again this month starting Fri-Sun 24-26 May. Entry fee is only $30 adults/$10 juniors (15 and under) with a major prize of $2,000 cash for the heaviest random species. Tickets are available at Gem Bait & tackle. Weigh in is at the Gem Hotel Sun 26 and there will be food/entertainment, and you could even win yourself a boat package worth over $13,000.

Thanks for all your reports and fish weighed in. Drop us a line at Gem Bait and Tackle if you’d like to order bait or get some up to date info on what’s biting on 07 3287 3868 or email --e-mail address hidden-- .

I’ll catch you next month.