A river bream

[Troydog]

With all its lovely fins intact......

[Mark]

This is the bream I caught from the River Soar on the first day of the season last year, 5lb 9oz.

[Troydog]

Wonderful colours on your fish Mark and it doesn’t look to have been kept in a keepnet at all. Our fish all tend to be silver and dark. There’s a lake at Letton where they breed; Dave Burr and I were talking about the fact that when the river floods the lake is swamped and very many fish find their way into the river.

[Duebel]

They are very special indeed! I don't catch them often, but when I do, I'm very happy.

[Banksy]

With all its lovely fins intact......

And what a lovely big tail on it!

A friend and I had a wonderful holiday fishing the Guden near Silkeborg in Denmark, and were amazed by the fighting powers of a decent bream in a medium paced current.
Almost like a different species from the UK stillwater bream.
The same applies to the big ide from the Guden, not to be confused with the "flip flop - give up" ide in many commercial fisheries these days.

[Tengisgol]

With all its lovely fins intact......

And what a lovely big tail on it!

A friend and I had a wonderful holiday fishing the Guden near Silkeborg in Denmark, and were amazed by the fighting powers of a decent bream in a medium paced current.
Almost like a different species from the UK stillwater bream.
The same applies to the big ide from the Guden, not to be confused with the "flip flop - give up" ide in many commercial fisheries these days.

I’d be really interested in your experience of fishing the Guden, was this recently? I last fished there, and the Skjern, back in the eighties and had some wonderful fishing (and nightlife ). I’d love to go back (for the fishing!)

[Troydog]

Thank you Banksy - I think that you are right about river bream, especially where there is a moderate current and the river is occasionally subject to spate conditions. I know anglers that dislike bream so much they call them "snotties", but these are often slime covered still water fish that perhaps never have to hold their own in a real current. The Guden sounds like a lovely venue - I've never been to Denmark....

[Walkerburt]

I used to love bream fishing in the Fens with my Ernest Stamford swingtip rod - we used to go to Outwell every year and took a cottage close to Morton’s Bridge on the Middle Level. This was a good base for the whole of the Middle Level, the Sixteen Foot, the Relief Channel, the Cut-off Channel, and many more hotspots. I can think of nothing better than settling into a peg that I’d pre-baited the evening before, and waiting for the swingtip to climb, great days.

[Banksy]

Sadly, it was in the early 90's when we last went to Denmark.

Our favourite venue was above and below the bridge at Resenbro, especially the faster water about 200 yards above the bridge, where we each had well over 100lb of big roach on several days.
Nearer the bridge there were more areas of slack water, where the big bream were to be found. Usually caught using a groundbait feeder on top of plenty of heavy balled-in groundbait , but once they got out into the main current, you had a right tussle on your hands.

Our trip coincided with the start of the college vacations, and many a trot was spoiled by the distraction of semi-nude female students paddling by in canoes, but those photos were censored on my return home.

And after a satisfying fishing session, there was a roadside cafe caravan just over the crossroads, where they served pure ambrosia -





The Guden at Randers was also excellent fishing for roach, but was also affected by being tidal.

My friend and I took a log cabin in the woods near Silkeborg for two weeks, with the intention of concentrating on the big bream on Silkeborg Lake, but having spent three almost fishless days of pre-baiting and fishing the lake, we were told that it had been trawled and most of the bream removed to be used for fertiliser.

So I'm afraid I cannot offer any up to date advice, but it was certainly a wonderful fishing break.
I understand the DFDS sea crossing from Harwich to Esbjerg has also been discontinued, so for us in the North of England, it's a fair drive to take a channel crossing, then up through France or Belgium, Holland and Germany.

[Troydog]

Yes it really is true what Mark Everard advises. And that is, whatever fishing you have, make the very best of it whilst you can. Nothing lasts forever.....