Black bream (southern black bream)

A deep, compressed sea bream with a dark bronze, olive or almost black back, brassy-silver sides and dusky fins (no yellow on the lower fins, unlike the yellowfin bream). Strong spines on the dorsal fin and molar-like teeth for crushing shells.

10–14 in and about 1–2 lb.

About 2 ft and 9 lb (4 kg).

Crabs, mussels, shrimp, worms, small fish and weed.

Spends its whole life in estuaries and rarely goes to sea; it can live in almost fresh water and moves up rivers. Wary and clever, it can live nearly 30 years.

Found from South-East Australia & Tasmania and Northern Territory & Western Australia. Estuaries, coastal lakes, lagoons and lower rivers from Myall Lakes (NSW) around Victoria, Tasmania and South Australia to Western Australia's Swan River and beyond; the Gippsland Lakes and Hopkins River are famous.

Estuaries, coastal lakes, lagoons and lower rivers from Myall Lakes (NSW) around Victoria, Tasmania and South Australia to Western Australia's Swan River and beyond; the Gippsland Lakes and Hopkins River are famous.

2–30 ft.

3–15 ft along snags, rock walls, jetties and weed beds.

All year; spring spawning runs up the rivers (August to December) are very good.

Dawn and dusk, and at night.

The first half of the run-out tide, when bait drains off the flats and out of the creeks; the turn of high tide is good too.

Stable weather with clean water; a few days of steady conditions beat a front coming through.

Sandworms, shrimp, crab, mussels, pipis and pieces of fresh fish.

Small soft plastics (2–3 in grubs and minnows), small crankbaits and surface poppers in summer.

7 ft light spinning rod (2–4 kg).

Size 4–1/0 hooks; light 1/16–1/8 oz jig heads.

4–10 lb braid.

6–10 lb fluorocarbon.

Cast small plastics or crankbaits tight to snags, jetty pylons and rock walls and let them sink slowly; or fish unweighted baits on light line. Bream fight hard and dive for cover.

Use the lightest line you dare — black bream in clear water are very line-shy.

Catch and release: wet your hands, keep the fish in the water when you can, and release it quickly. Use circle hooks and a dehooker.

Good eating when fresh.

Bleed and ice it right away. Fillet, then remove the skin and any dark bloodline.

Good, white and moist; best skinned (the skin can taste weedy) and pan-fried or baked.

Sharp dorsal spines and gill covers — hold the fish firmly with a wet hand or towel and use pliers to remove hooks.

Minimum sizes (around 25–28 cm) and bag limits vary by state; some estuaries have special rules. Check current rules. Each Australian state sets its own rules: NSW and Victoria require a recreational fishing licence in fresh and salt water, Western Australia needs a licence for boat fishing and freshwater angling, Tasmania for inland waters, and Queensland only for stocked impoundments; the Northern Territory needs none. Bag limits, size limits, closed seasons and marine park zones apply everywhere.

Black bream grow slowly; release big fish and keep only a few.