# Just Curious.. Are the Bream Biting in TX ?



## olsteve (Jul 20, 2008)

The Redbreasts, Shellcrackers, and large Bluegill are biting better than I have ever seen for this time of year here in Georgia. The Shellcrackers have averaged over a pound. 
How is the pan fishing in TX ?


----------



## CoastalOutfitters (Aug 20, 2004)

we have perch and bream here, but they don't seem to be a go-to fish like over east
except on rayburn and toledo bend

now crappie/white perch..........another story


----------



## tbone2374 (Feb 27, 2010)

Soon the crappie and WB will be sneaking up the creeks to do their thing.... I will be waiting!


----------



## Sunbeam (Feb 24, 2009)

Wish I was there. I would rather catch a one pound perch on a fly rod more than any other fish I know. They bite most anything, fight hard and taste great. A real gentleman of a fish.


----------



## olsteve (Jul 20, 2008)

*Follow Up*

I went back to the river Friday AM and the fishing had slowed down a lot. The Oconee river has been going up and down like a Yo-Yo. We had 4" of rain a few days ago. The mullet were biting pretty good a couple of weeks ago. That is the most fun fish to catch that I have ever seen. Anyway., I'm going to attempt to load a pic of the fish caught Fri. morning. They weren't impressive, but sure tasted GOOD !


----------



## essayons75 (May 15, 2006)

olsteve said:


> I went back to the river Friday AM and the fishing had slowed down a lot. The Oconee river has been going up and down like a Yo-Yo. We had 4" of rain a few days ago. The mullet were biting pretty good a couple of weeks ago. That is the most fun fish to catch that I have ever seen. Anyway., I'm going to attempt to load a pic of the fish caught Fri. morning. They weren't impressive, but sure tasted GOOD !


Those are some nice bream! That one on top is a monster. They are some good eating scaled and fried whole (minus head/guts).

Thanks for sharing.


----------



## tbone2374 (Feb 27, 2010)

We did a survey, a while back on the Freshwater side, and the consensus was that pound for pound, the bream was the hardest fighting fish!. Quite an honor.


----------



## Jeff G (May 18, 2010)

I met up with mike and his brother Tim Friday evening in atoscosida . I traded them 6 bags of cleaned catfish for 65 nice bream that they caught from the south end of lake Houston yesterday afternoon . The bream was biting the best over the catfish . 

I'm keeping these in a bag and on ice for some all night jugging with john3:16 for sunday night .

I've been catching small ones all summer long in a creek near my house averaging 70-100 per trip . We caught 105 at bj's marina two weeks ago . Nothing size wise like what you catch . That would be very exciting though !!


----------



## Sunbeam (Feb 24, 2009)

What is the Georgia name for the ones with the orange belly. Those are some real nice bream. I caught about 30 today at the marina. Hunting cut bait but I was surprised I did get about a dozen the size of your smallest.
Love them perch.


----------



## olsteve (Jul 20, 2008)

*Hey Sunbeam !*

There are Redbreasts, Pumpkin Seed { A real name**, what we call "Strawberry Bream" which is a bluegill, and Shellcracker [aka red ear sun fish]. The pumpkin seed and the shellcracker look somewhat similiar but the Shellcracker can grow to 5 pounds, whereas the Pumpkin seed will only grow to about 1&1/2 pounds. The gill flap on the shellcraker is flexible and will easily fold to 90 degrees. The gill flap on a Pumpkin seed is rigid.
The Redbreasts have a long narrow black extension of the gill plate. The record is 1 pound 12 oz.
They all taste great and are a lot of fun to catch.
Sometimes its hard to decide whether to use them for bait on limb lines or just clean them and cook them. LOL


----------



## Meadowlark (Jul 19, 2008)

Olsteve,

Catching any copper nose bluegill? We have them in ponds and they grow to 12 inches with the largest one I've seen at 13 inches. They are an absolute blast to catch on fly rod...and I usually catch them just about every day in the evening just before sunset.

Great fish from Florida.


----------



## katjim00 (Jan 8, 2009)

ML

LOL that fish pic looks like the body mutated around the head. Something just does not look right


----------



## Sunbeam (Feb 24, 2009)

Man o Man Larry, that is one big ugly bream. Looks like you stuck an air hose in its mouth and inflated it like a tractor tire.
Is the copper nose a hybrid? 
Better be careful. The next time you go to Alaska, Jim and I will be sneaking in to your pasture.
Olsteve, what lake area are you fishing? I have family in the Savannah area. Don't care for them much but with good bream fishing it might be worth get more friendly with them. LOL.


----------



## Meadowlark (Jul 19, 2008)

No, SB, copper nose are NOT a hybrid. Tey are native to Florida. They grow faster than native BG and IMO tend to reach larger sizes....maybe my favorite freshwater fish. Mine are descendents of Florida fish...Bob at Tyler fish farms went to Florida and selected the best of the best for his brooding stock. Genetics matter...and it helps to release 8 inch fish so they can grow to be over 10 inch fish. 

...watch out for that mean old red bull in the pasture....he takes no prisoners


----------



## Meadowlark (Jul 19, 2008)

katjim00 said:


> ML
> 
> LOL that fish pic looks like the body mutated around the head. Something just does not look right


Its all natural katjim00...that fish is in its spawning mode, colors and attitude....maybe this one, which pushed 12 inches looks a little more "svelt"

Pure copper nose


----------



## shadslinger (Aug 21, 2005)

Those are nice shell crackers olsteve, and they are sure good to eat! Do you find clam shells in them when you clean them?


----------



## olsteve (Jul 20, 2008)

I fish the Oconee river close to Dublin, GA, Sunbeam. It is downriver about 85 miles from Lake Oconee and Lake Sinclair. There is a GA. Power Hydro electric plant between the two lakes.Below that the Oconee and Ocmulgee rivers join to form the Altamaha river that ends at the coast near Darien, GA. I have caught Copper nose in the Altamaha but not in the Oconee. They sure pull and taste good. I haven't seen any clam shells SS, but I'm sure they like to eat the fresh water mussels, (I do Too ! LOL). 
Sunbeam, if you can give me a few days notice about when Meadowlark is going to Alaska, I sure would like to slip into his pond with you and catch some of those Copper nose. My wife scolded me for fishing on Sunday [today], so I have come up with a way to distract that pesky Bull. I will take her with us and insist that she wears bright red clothing. Sounds like a pretty good plan doesn't it? LOL


----------



## Fish Doctor (Sep 29, 2010)

olsteve said:


> There are Redbreasts, Pumpkin Seed { A real name**, what we call "Strawberry Bream" which is a bluegill, and Shellcracker [aka red ear sun fish]. The pumpkin seed and the shellcracker look somewhat similiar but the Shellcracker can grow to 5 pounds, whereas the Pumpkin seed will only grow to about 1&1/2 pounds. The gill flap on the shellcraker is flexible and will easily fold to 90 degrees. The gill flap on a Pumpkin seed is rigid.
> The Redbreasts have a long narrow black extension of the gill plate. The record is 1 pound 12 oz.
> They all taste great and are a lot of fun to catch.
> Sometimes its hard to decide whether to use them for bait on limb lines or just clean them and cook them. LOL


Clean 'em and put their heads on the lines, doesnt catch as big of fish as the whole bait but i think it catches more fish


----------



## Sunbeam (Feb 24, 2009)

olsteve said:


> I fish the Oconee river close to Dublin, GA, Sunbeam. It is downriver about 85 miles from Lake Oconee and Lake Sinclair. There is a GA. Power Hydro electric plant between the two lakes.Below that the Oconee and Ocmulgee rivers join to form the Altamaha river that ends at the coast near Darien, GA. I have caught Copper nose in the Altamaha but not in the Oconee. They sure pull and taste good. I haven't seen any clam shells SS, but I'm sure they like to eat the fresh water mussels, (I do Too ! LOL).
> Sunbeam, if you can give me a few days notice about when Meadowlark is going to Alaska, I sure would like to slip into his pond with you and catch some of those Copper nose. My wife scolded me for fishing on Sunday [today], so I have come up with a way to distract that pesky Bull. I will take her with us and insist that she wears bright red clothing. Sounds like a pretty good plan doesn't it? LOL


Olsteve, I can see you and I are cut from the same cloth. 
I'll bet we can get by the bull but i'll bet Mrs. MDL is a crack shot. 
As daddy aways said, "There is more ways to kill a cat besides choking it to death on sweet cream"


----------



## CoastalOutfitters (Aug 20, 2004)

there is another one called a rock bass or war mouth bass, that has blue streaks down their cheeks , fight really hard used to catch em in rocky creeks as a kid


----------



## olsteve (Jul 20, 2008)

You are right Coastaloutfitters, the Warmouth do put up a heck of a fight! They love creeks and tend to like shallow water along the edges, especially around stumps. The Rock Bass and Warmouth look very much alike but the Warmouth grows bigger. ( See Pics.) The record in GA is 2 pounds.
Here is an interesting bit of trivia:
Georgia has the WORLD RECORD for seven fish -
Largemouth Bass-22 lb 4 oz
Shoal Bass-8 lb 3 oz
Suwanee Bass-3 lb 9oz
Yellow Bullhead-4 lb 15 oz
Chain Pickerel [Jack]- 9 lb 4 oz
Redfin Pickerel [ Redfin Pike]- 2 lb 4 oz
Flier Sunfish-1 lb 4 oz 
Sunbeam, If you decide to go see your relatives in Savannah, Stop by to see me. We will either go to river or go to the family pond. It is only about 6 acres, but has not been drained since 1971 and the fish have been fed everyday since. I won't tell you how big of fish we have caught because you may not believe it. You have an open invitation.


----------

