Having a nose for bream

When four bream, three bluegills and a redear, are big enough to cover the lid of a cooler, you know there’s a delicious meal waiting at the end of a fun day of fishing.

Fish long enough and you will notice a pungent smell near bedding locations. Some anglers compare it to the smell of ripe watermelon. It will appear in conjunction with a thin, oily film on the surface of the water.

While I’ve never received a comprehensive answer to the exact cause of this odor, all veteran bream anglers claim to have smelled it, and swear it marks the location of an active bedding site.

Otis Hall of Smith County says he starts in the deeper water fishing with red-worms.

According to Hall, “chinks” (a.k.a. chinquapins, shellcracker or redear bream), like worms better than crickets. If he doesn’t catch the bream on a tight line, he switches to crickets under a cork.

About David Hawkins 195 Articles
David Hawkins is a freelance writer living in Forest. He can be reached at hawkins2209@att.net.

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