Using blades for bream in deep water

by Gary Brown on 26 Aug 2013

The author with a couple of black bream caught while blading the place called the cut at Mallacoota Gary Brown

There is only one disadvantage to using blades in deep water for bream, and that is that you tend to get so much in the way of by-catch. I have caught Australian salmon, kingfish, flounder, snapper, flathead, mulloway, leatherjackets, bass, estuary perch, whiting and trevally while deep water bladeing for bream and really I am not complaining. What I would call deep water would be say six to fifteen metres. Anything shallower than six I would class as flats fishing.

There are three sizes of blades that I use in this depth of water, small medium and large. Now by the meaning of small, medium and large it will depend on the brand that I am using at the time. For instance if I am using the Berkley Big Eye blades I use the 34mm and 64mm, the new Berkley PowerBlade come in two sizes 37mm and 40mm, while the Strike Pro Cyber Vibe comes in three sizes 35mm, 40cm and 50cm. Another couple of brands that I use are the TT Switch Blades 35mm and 43mm and Ecogear VX35 and VX40, plus the ZX35 and ZX40.

You can't go past the quater ounce TT Switch Balde when it comes to deep water blading for bream © Gary Brown

As you will see the length of the blades does vary a bit, but what also varies a fair bit is the weight of the blade. For instance the Berkley Big Eye blades I use the 34mm weights 4.6 grams and 64mm weights 5.6 grams, the new Berkley PowerBlade come in two sizes 37mm weights 5.2 grams and 40mm weights six grams, while the Strike Pro Cyber Vibe comes in three sizes 35mm weights 3.5 grams, 40cm weights 6.6 grams and 50cm weights 9.1 grams. Another couple of brands that I use are the TT Switch Blades 35mm weights three grams and 43mm weights seven grams. The Ecogear VX35 weights 3.5 grams and VX40 weights six grams, plus the ZX35 weights five grams and ZX40 weights 6.4 grams.

So why do I have so many different types, sizes and weights in the blades that I use. When using blades in deep water the current can be your worst enemy and having so many different sizes and weights will allow you to fish all sections of the tide, including that period of time at the top and bottom of the tide when there is not current at all.

You don't just catch big bream in deep water on blades. Dave managed this pair up at Lake Macquarie © Gary Brown

There are a number of different techniques that can be used when using blades and I have five main ones that I use. They are as follows: tea bagging, dead sticking, rip and burn, cast out and bunny hop and the drop and drag technique.

If you drink tea and use a tea bag by jigging it up and down in the cup, tea bagging is as the name suggest. Firstly cast out the blade about twenty metres in the direction of your drift. Allow it to hit the bottom and as you are drifting towards where the blade is you will repeat a series of small bunny hops until the blade is directly below the boat. Once you are directly above the blade it is just a matter of tea bagging the blade as you drift along. This is where you will use a slightly heavier blade and the use of an electric motor is a must to make this work.

John from Fergos atckle with his first bream caught while using blades in section of the deep water in the Port Hacking © Gary Brown

Dead sticking can be one of the most boring ways of using blades, but it can also be one of the most effective ways of using a blade when the bit has slowed down. First off you will need to add some kind of scent to the blade. I use TT Pro Scent in Shrimp or Bloody Tuna and the Squidgy S Factor. Just remember to only smear on a small amount or you may find the trebles will stick to the side of the blade making it ineffective. It is just a matter of casting the blade out as far as you can, allowing it to sit on the bottom. As you drift towards where the blade is you will need to wind in the slack and then slowly lift the blade off the bottom. Once it has hit the bottom again I would suggest that you leave it for about ten seconds before you slowly lift it off the bottom again.

Try looking for maker poles that are in deep water. The bream love to hang around them © Gary Brown

When using the rip and burn method you will need to check that your knots are tied correctly, as the part where this technique can come undone is when you start the rip and a bream hits it straight away. To help compensate I will loosen off my drag slightly. Once again cast out as far as you can, allow the blade to hit the bottom, wind up the slack and then wind the handle about ten times really quickly, stop for about two to three seconds and then repeat the process.

A couple of years ago Carl and I came third in the WSBB Bream Tournament on Sydney Harbour and one of the other teams came up and asked us why were we catching bream when we were doing everything opposite to what they had read. The drop and drag technique came from one day when I had no electric motor and I had to use my sea anchor to slow the drift down. I tied on the largest blade I had and let it sink to the bottom. Once it hit the bottom I just gave it a couple of bunny hops and then folded over the bail arm and let out enough line to allow the blade to hit the bottom. This is then repeated until the line is at about a 45 degree angle. The blade is then wound in and the process is repeated over and over again.

Aaron caught this kilo bream while blading the entrnce to Hen and Chicken Bay in the Parramatta River © Gary Brown

Most blade users will use this method. It is just a matter of casting out the blade, allowing it to hit the bottom and then lift the rod tip to create small bunny hops off the bottom. Just remember to wind in the slack as you drift towards the position of the blade.

Video: How to use the Berkley Big Eye Blades by Brad Hodges

Another by Patrick Brennan and Stuart Hindson that is worth a look:

Also check out the colour ranges of the blades I use on the following web Berkley Blade TT Switch Blade Strike Pro Cyber Vibe Pro-cure Super Gel