Thames Bream Windsor area

[billynobites]

Hi there anyone fish for Bream in the Thames in the Windsor area. What is the best feeder mix to use bait etc? Not really done much tip fishing in the river and I am a bit of a novice so any help would be appreciated.
Thanks.

[BRAMLEY]

Hi i Happen to be a bit of an expert on bream in the windsor area!!, if thats the species your after then your in luck coz theres loads of them, fishmeal based groundbaits-pellet hook bait you wont go far wrong but to be fair anything will work for them.

[billynobites]

Hi Bramley, I was thinking of fishing the Home park?Romney Island area. Is it best to chuck half way or three quarters or to the far bank? Thanks for the tip regading the fish meal and pellet hook bait.

[guybaxendale]

Hi i Happen to be a bit of an expert on bream in the windsor area!!, if thats the species your after then your in luck coz theres loads of them, fishmeal based groundbaits-pellet hook bait you wont go far wrong but to be fair anything will work for them.

Agreed - find a shoal round there and a serious bag is on the cards - there are plenty of fish in the 5-7lb range and some bigger. Dont neglect worm as a change hookbait.

[BRAMLEY]

take a walk up towards the end of the island, away from the weir although there there too, mid channel is always productive but so are the margins far or near, just get plenty of bait in, keep your feeder going in regular. try and stay into evening. should pick up some nice chub too.

[quinny]

As said before. Just chuck it in the middle (or thereabouts). Loads of fishmeal, halibut, betaine pellets, and fishmeal groundbait. There are tonnes of bream around Windsor and you could get a massive bag of fish if you get it right. Get everything ready a couple of hours before dark and once the light starts to fade then the bream start feeding.

[billynobites]

Thanks for the info chaps, 4Lb line about right or should I go heavier.

[quinny]

4lb? No chance matey. I would go for minimum 6lb. Bear in mind that a barbel or carp could take your bait and if you stepped up to 8lb line you would stand a chance of landing it. If you don't mind getting smashed by a bigger fish then I would say 6lb.


PS
Remember you will proberbly be casting heavy feeders a fair way so 4lb line will be no good at all, even though you can safely land any Thames bream on 6lb line you are pushing it because of the amount of work the line will be doing. At night I would use 8lb line. Then everything is cool. That is just my opinion though

[billynobites]

8lb it is then quinny, would you use braid or just normal mono?

[quinny]

I never use braid, always mono. But mine is not the final word! Other chaps find braid better. I used braid one season and never used it again. Braid is good for casting very long distances but as I never cast huge distances I don't need it. Braid is good for pike fishing though.

[guybaxendale]

As per Quinny - 4lb is a tad light. You catch plenty of bream on the Thames on barbel and carp gear so there is no need to go too fine. Plus you have a chance of landing one of the other species should one come along.

[quinny]

I guess if you were happy just to fish for bream and accept that you might lose a nice carp or barbel you could even drop to 5lb during the day. At night I would def change up to 8lb though. Thats when the Thames Leviathens come out to munch (or so I am told LOL). Us barbel anglers catch bream all night on 10- 12lb line.

[billynobites]

I will give it a go next week hopefully. May step up to 10 or 12 of an evening on your recommendations lads as although I have never caught a Thames Barbel or carp would hate to lose out through being under gunned.
Thanks.

[Tim1]

Had plenty of bream from windsor race cource up 2 6lb and thay fight well 2, every morning first light it was bream city on the bend by the big landing stage, that was 15 lb line and 4oz leads and tigers or active 8, oh how i laughed.

[billynobites]

So plan of attack large feeder in a loop filled with fish meal groundbait and pellets, 3 foot 8Lb hooklength with 12/14 hook hair rigged 10 mm halibut pellet and 10Lb mainline fished between half way and 3/4 way across. Probably start off on Home park stretch and fish evening till a couple of hours after dark 'O' clock. Just hope I land on a shoal. Should get out early next week, thanks for the info.

[StewartJ]

Don't underestimate the amount of feed the Thames bream will get through.
In years gone by, when I was niave to the Thames bream I would regularly introduce 5 - 8kg of pellets in an evening then await the arrival of the carp.
Bream activity would start at dusk and end a couple of hours later - I assume after they'd eaten all my bait and bu**ered off!
You might struggle to get the required amount of bait out using just a feeder...

[Mr T]

I used to fish Romney Meadow in the late 80's by the stakes and have loads
of bream out on a groundbait feeder with hemp amd maggots/casters.
I don't know how it has changed now, but may be worth a go there.
Old Windsor AC own the stretch

[quinny]

Don't underestimate the amount of feed the Thames bream will get through.
In years gone by, when I was niave to the Thames bream I would regularly introduce 5 - 8kg of pellets in an evening then await the arrival of the carp.
Bream activity would start at dusk and end a couple of hours later - I assume after they'd eaten all my bait and bu**ered off!
You might struggle to get the required amount of bait out using just a feeder...

Agreed. If I ever wanted to go and catch a massive bag of bream from The Thames, and do the job right, I would take a wheelbarrow of bait with me. But the wheelbarrow can stay in the garden because i'd rather catch any other fish than a bream LOL.

[billynobites]

Hi Mr T have noticed the stakes fishing from the meadow. I take it that is a known bream swim. Have to fish in the evening when the boat traffic dies down I think. Stewart and Quinny looks like I will be quite active having to cast out very regular to get a good carpet of bait down, May see if I can knock up an extra big feeder out of something for the first half dozen casts.
All the best.

[Phil Adams]

Good luck Billy, let us know how you do. I've always found that standard size for thames brim is around 7lb, and while they don't run much, they are still good sport on the right gear. I've had quite a few on hair rigged sweetcorn, a couple of grains with a rubber one on the end to keep them on. Or has been said, anything remotely like a pellet, or a boilie, or a worm or maggot etc etc etc. I wish you stinky nets!
Phil

[StewartJ]

Funny how the humble bream can polarise people's opinions eh.

Billy - If I were you I'd leave the feeder at home and stick to a straight bomb. Get down your local petfood shop, buy a 15kg bag of vitalin, lace it with a few pellets and whatever hookbait you might be using and ball it in by hand.
You should be able to get jaffa orange sized balls out into the middle with no probs. Straight lead fished over the top saves all the hassle of re-casting a feeder.
As Phil says, you should have a stinky net full of snot in no time!:thumbs:

[Mr T]

Hi Mr T have noticed the stakes fishing from the meadow. I take it that is a known bream swim. Have to fish in the evening when the boat traffic dies down I think. Stewart and Quinny looks like I will be quite active having to cast out very regular to get a good carpet of bait down, May see if I can knock up an extra big feeder out of something for the first half dozen casts.
All the best.


From what I remember it's quite deep over by the stakes, but quite snaggy too. Make up some groundbait and catapult a load of balls over. You should soon have interest. We used to catch loads years ago in Sep and Oct.

[billynobites]

Got the vitalin just need to grind it, first time I will have used it will add the fish meal and pellets and chuck it out still probably use the feeder to keep it toped up. I am looking forward to it roll on next week when I can get out. Will let you know how I get on.

[StewartJ]

Billy - no need to grind the Vitalin mate. Just add water and leave it for a while to soak it all up. The longer you leave it the 'gloopier' and stickier it gets.
Some people add a bit of flavour or similar to the water used to mix it with but not essential.
If I were going for it I'd mix it the night before the morning I was going to use it and leave it to stand for 12hrs. That way the balls don't break up and you know all the ingrediants are well and truely softened.
Ball it in and off you go ....
Fingers crossed the rain holds off and the river's not to high - Do let us know how you get on

[billynobites]

Thanks for the tip on mixing the vitalin, will do as you say. Just hope the weather stays fine as the little river outside my work is very high and coloured at the moment.

[billynobites]

Hi all just to let you know I had first go after the Bream last night. Chucked in a load of Vitalin/fish meal ground bait containing a lot of pellets and corn, as soon as I got there and again just before dark when the boat traffic had stopped.
Although I saw a few fish roll I could not say what they were and they were not over the baited area. Fished from about 1800 to 2330 with very few indications other than a couple of liners early on. Tried Corn, Pellet, meat and maggot, my mate a swim further down tried worm and meat for no bites. Mr T you were correct it is very snaggy there lost a number of hook lengths on a snag. Definitely fish there and will have another go come September (away on hols now), this time will make sure I bring my waterproof trousers and or a brolley, not that comfortable sitting with a wet arse for 5 hours just as well it was a warm night. Apart from that it was just great to be out and by the river.

[Mr T]

Still snaggy then. I can't belive nothing has changed in 22 years.
If that's the case wait for September and October and you should have a few out.
Out of interest, I know a very good chub swim in Home park. downstream of
the railway bridge. When we fished there we'd have 40lb of chub out back in the day. I last fished there about 7 years ago and had a 7lb chub out.
Again Late September and October are the best months.
I might even get down there myself and give it a go, as I work in Windsor.
I just need to find somewhere to park that doesn't cost the earth.

Give me a shout if you want to meet up. Any time in Sep and Oct and I can show you the spots.