THE BREAM - Abramis brama
The bream referred to as dustbin lids,are one of the larger members of the carp family. They have deep narrow bodies with their dorsal fin set back close to the deeply forked dark tail fin.
Mature fish range from a golden olive colour to a greenish black depending on the colour of the water they live in. They also have an under slung mouth which they can project forwards while rooting on the bottom of lakes and rivers in search of food. Bream are also well known for the thick covering of slime on there bodies
The bream is a bottom feeder, and will feed on mostly anything that it finds wile foraging like insects, plant matter, fry and bottom living invertebrates. The bream is a shoaling fish thus loved by the match angler,because once you have caught one there are normally more to follow,and can sometimes be seen rolling on the surface before feeding.
Bream are thought of as still water fish,but are quite adaptable and can thrive in moderate to fast flowing rivers,sheltering just out from the main current or in deep pools,and depending on the diversity and quantity of food will grow over 10lb (4.5kg) in weight. Waters rich in silt and plant life that hold a large variety can all hold big shoals of quality bream.
Spawning starts around may, June time when water temperatures are between 14 to 17 degrees centigrade,when the female will lay up to 400,000 eggs,which will hatch in three to twelve days depending again on water temperature. The young start feeding on plankton and algae moving on to larger foods as they grow the young bream are silver in colour and are called skimmers and change colour when they mature.
