There ain't no better tasting fish than bream. And there ain't no easier fishing than a cane pole, a bobber and a cricket.
You know, as much fun as it is to take you on a wild chase, I have to be straight here. You are SO right and are also one of the ONLY people I've ever heard say that- though I agree 100%. To me bream has the same texture as crab meat. I fillet all the ones I fry but have an uncle who prefers them on the bone. Phucker even eats the fins...yuck. I also use a 6 1/2 foot spin cast rod/reel to locate them- I fish them deep and I flip to find beads- but keep a couple of jig poles for when I get on some. I find there is a lot more advantage with leverage and setting the hook straight up instead of at an angle. Only kept 5 nice bream but had one bass about 2 lbs. and a white perch. Caught all on crickets. Lucky to land bass. I usually have them break off but did like one of the pros on tv and took my time tiring it out then lipped him at the boat. I did a Bill Dance on his ass.
My mom loved to catch bream. She had a camp on a fabulous bass lake, but all she fished for were bream and catfish. She used a goddamn fly rod and reel. She fished cane pole style with a simple old cork and cricket but she loved that spring-loaded take-up reel and pulled them in by the dozens. My Dad liked fish cooked whole with the heads on and he just picked the meat off the bones. My mom was a filleting expert and turned that bream into a pile of filets in no time. I like it fine both ways. Deep fried breaded filets are damn good eating, but if I'm out camping I just throw them on the grill and eat them with my fingers like a caveman. If you've got a little butter and Tony Chacheres to put on 'em, it's a wilderness feast.
I used to fish for bream in a private lake at my ex's family's hunting camp. Sun bellies the size of your foot. The meat is super clean. I also sometimes snack on the fins. Haven't done it in years. My son and I have been hammering the shit out of redfish though.
def nothing wrong with some bream....I always fry them whole and def eat the fins....especially the tail(same with flounder too).....prob gonna try to get a mess out of my pond this evening actually. on the redfish note they are stupid thick right now.....I had an hour to kill before the snapper summit tues night so bumped around the ramp with the trolling motor(never even cranked the gas motor) lookin for a few flounder. Only put 2 flounder on ice bc I couldnt get past the reds. Relased prob 20-30 of them in the 30-33 inch range. Only caught 2 that I kept at 26 and 29inches but really those are a little to big too but the wife loves some half shell redfish so she is happy. I prefer them under 25 inches but didnt get any between 18-25.
OS. I can tell you the reds being there like that are not the norm. I fish that area a good bit on evenings after work when its to windy to get to other spots or I just don't have time and usually a couple hours there is more like 5-10 flounder with maybe a red or 2 mixed in. Never seen them stacked like they were tuesday. Back to the bream topic I have about 50 crickets ready to get after them here in about 2 hours.
