by Capt Chris Foster
It’s that time of year again, the cold mornings of Winter are behind us and we Anglers are all looking forward to the Spring fish spawn. One of the most exciting things a Fisherman in the NC Piedmont can hear in the months of May and June is “The Bream are on the Beds!” Bream are some of the most aggressive freshwater species that we have in our area and they will bite nearly any bait you throw at them when they are spawning. Some favorites are of course worms and crickets rigged up on a small gold hook with a swivel and split-shot weight. Most of us all have used this rig at one time or another to catch panfish in lakes and ponds; however, there are other options on the market today that will allow for bigger fish and more fish at the end of the day.
Years ago, I remember getting off the school bus one day to be delightfully surprised by my Dad, Capt. Butch Foster, saying “I’ve invented a new jig and we’re going to try it out this evening!” Dad has always invented new methods and lures to entice more and more fish to bite, fishing is not a hobby to him it is a true passion. This jig looked much like a piece of worm with some legs coming out of it that was rigged onto a chartreuse 1/32 oz jig head on an ultralight rod and reel setup with 6lb test line. The jig was an instant success and over the past 20 years has been used to catch thousands of Bream from various bodies of water. A similar jig is available for all Anglers today, the Arkie Fiddle Legs in the “cricket” and “orange-brown” colors tipped with Pro-Cure “Crappie and Panfish Magic” Super-Gel will have you filling your cooler up quickly once you find them ready to feed.
As the month of May progresses and the water temperatures rise near the 70 degree mark the Bream will slowly make their way into the shallows many times where there is a large patch of submerged dead leaves or some form of brush that will provide some protection from predator fish such as Bass. When observing these areas oftentimes in 3’ or less of water, you will notice the sunken leaf patch will have places where the leaves have been wafted away to make way for the fish to make a bed. Simply toss a bait in amongst these areas and you will nearly instantly be setting the hook on a nice fish. If you are fishing with kids, be sure to put a cork on the mainline as this visual attraction of watching the cork shoot under the surface is entertainment itself and will have them wanting to come back for more!
Capt. Chris Foster
Yeah Right Charters
www.yeahrightcharters.com