Bream fishing under structure

Whether it's Shorncliffe, Redcliffe, Woody Point, or a fishing platform, when it comes to targeting bream and catching a good size fish you've got to be prepared to fish light, and fish under structure. Catching fish under structure can be a challenge, and requires your full attention because if you nod off you will just end up around a pylon or on a snag.  Most jetties/platforms will hold bream underneath at night in all conditions, but I find it's most applicable when the water is dirty and/or there is little to no moonlight around. During the day the noise along the jetties will deter fish from hanging around or feeding.

Learning to fish under the jetty can see you catching a number of good-sized fish where the majority of people out there will be casting out into the abyss and catching little to nothing at all. It's one of the most satisfying feelings to walk up beside a group that has been sitting there a while soaking baits, cast in underneath them, and then pull up a large fish in less than a couple minutes right from under their feet!  >:]

Fishing under structure is a lot different to casting out and waiting for a bite.  When cast out, a passing fish will hopefully find the bait, grab it, and swim off, setting the hook when the slack hits the rod.  This doesn't work very well when fishing under the structure because you have to hold the rod out away from the edge of the jetty because your line needs to go underneath, and any slack in the line gives the fish a good run to get you around something before you even know it's been taken.

The technique I employ is to cast the bait with a very light sinker under my feet, anywhere from ~2m under and behind me, to ~1m. I slowly reel in the slack, and with a very gentle "bounce" I feel for the bottom. When I feel I'm on the bottom in a spot I lift ever so gently to take up all slack with a light grip on the rod. From there you wait and feel.

Gear

To employ this technique you will want to set up with the following:
- A 6' - 7' 4kg rod with a spinning reel or baitcaster reel. A small enough reel to be able to toss a short cast of 3-4 metres.
- Set the drag on the reel to fully tight. (Important!!)
- A sturdy line. Personally I use 8lb~12lb braid line. Mono will work but you want to go with a low-stretch, durable brand. Not the cheap junk that comes on most combos.
- A good leader. I opt for a 20lb Daiwa Sea Line. (Cheap and effective)
- #4 or #2 hook. I use a long-shank for my dough baits or Cheese, Baitholders for meats.
- Size #0 sinkers, #1 sinker is as big as you need to go. (Dealing with wind, or getting a feel for the bottom)

Orientation

You generally want the wind to your back, and if there is current, you want it flowing from your back as well. (casting down into the current)  If you have to choose between current (tide) and wind (plus swell) have the current to your back and wind/swell to your front. If the wind is coming from the side and anything but really gentle I'd pick a different location. :)  Current is more a consideration for fishing along rivers such as the Hornibrook fishing platform. Here, regardless of wind you want to cast under into the current, but shallow enough that the current is light.

Casting

Casting under your feet involves a setting up like any normal cast, but then lowering the rod while holding the line with your finger, and with a smooth pendulum motion, swing in out and then under your feet, releasing it and letting the line out, before closing off the line guard.  If the line felt tight off the reel I'll grab a bit of line and pull it off the spool before closing off. Keep the rod low, no more than 45 degrees from straight down, then gently reel in the slack, feeling for the bottom.

Rod position

When feeling for the bottom keep the rod no more than 45 degrees from pointing straight down. If there is wind you want to get the rod as close to the water as you can, so lean on that railing. The rod grip is extremely light so-as not to drag the bait out from under the structure. I quite literally have the rod balanced on 1 finger forward of the spool with my thumb as a backstop. When setting the hook it's important to pull the rod out away from the jetty rather than up, and keep tension fully on the fish. Let the rod do the work and take up the fight from the fish before reeling the fish up to the surface. Larger bream (40cm+) can put up a hell of a fight on a 4lb rod and even manage to pull the drag when I had it quite tight. These are the ultimate under structure fights where it can feel like you hooked a stingray. They will take patience and steering with the rod to tire them out enough to get into position to retrieve.

Feel fishing

When fish are on the feed, usually when there are a few around, a fish will grab the bait and you will feel a very deliberate pull back away behind you. Let the fish pull for a moment, then lift the rod out and away from the jetty to set the hook. Let the rod tension draw the fish away from the structure before attempting to wind them in. This is where a tight drag and a strong line is needed because larger bream can pull you around a pylon if they engage the drag. This is purely fishing by feel. If you leave the line slack and look to set the hook when you see the line go taught or feel the sudden tug on the rod, chances are it will be too late. The fish will spit, or have you around something.

Sometimes the fish are more picky, picking up the bait but not swimming off with it, they will sit there are chew on it. This might require a sharper tug to hopefully set the hook before the fish can spit it out.  If you feel a sharp tug at the bait this is typically an indication that your line is too slack. If there is slack in the line, the sudden "snap" in resistance that the fish feels causes them to spit it out.

You can start with a #1 sinker to get a feel for the bottom, and Bream will pick it up, though larger sinkers are more prone to snags, so once you have a feel for sitting the bait on the bottom, drop the sinker down to a size #0. Depending on the wind and swell you can opt for a single size #0, 2x #0, or a #1.

Baits

Personally I use a dough bait when targeting structure since it coats the hook to help avoid snags. Doughs aren't the best for casting out since they will generally disolve off the hook in around 2~5 minutes, but if you place them where you're confident fish are near, that is more than enough time to secure a bite. My personal dough recipe has around a 90% hit rate, though hookups can be a challenge when the fish get picky. An excellent bait that can be employed the same way is old tasty cheese. If it starts to go moldy, just toss it in the freezer and take it out with you. Squish a piece around your hook and you're good to go. Bream will eat just about anything. Prawn is effective, but IMO not worth the money. Mullet gut is often sold without the "onion" which is candy to Bream, so again, not really worth the money. Both chicken and beef work quite well, and I'd select these over any frozen baits.

Snags

Snags are inevitable when fishing under structure. Gradually you will learn what spots have snags from what spots are more safe. Fish like having structure around them, so where there are fish worth catching, you've got to be prepared for a possible snag up. This is where using a size 0 sinker can help because the smaller diameter sinker doesn't get caught up on as many gaps in rocks, oysters, and weed. However, you need to size your sinker by the conditions because heavier swell can move a lighter bait around and get you hung up where a heavier sinker would have stayed put. Go as light as you can get away with, keeping the bait in one spot.

Summary

Learning to fish under structure can be an engaging, and challenging way to catch fish where other people would find nothing. The key things to take away from practicing this technique is to use as little sinker as possible, a tight drag on a flexible rod, and a good, stiff line. Baits like dough or cheese work wonders under structure where if there are fish around, they will be hitting it in less than 2 minutes. From there it's all technique to feel the bottom, encourage the pull, and get the big ones up.