Blacks on Pink by Wayne Friebe

It seems like every time you pick up a fishing magazine at the moment, there is an article about catching bream on surface lures. These techniques are nothing new, especially to those fishing the east coast of Australia, but consistently catching black bream on surface lures can be a different matter altogether.

Luckily, the answer is a simple one and does not necessarily involve forking over bundles of cash on expensive Japanese hard-bodied lures.

THE PINK GRUB

In my experience, the humble pink grub is the most effective surface lure for black bream. This is because it perfectly imitates a shrimp, prawn or wounded baitfish and it can be fished both on the surface and sub-surface, which makes it exceptionally versatile. They are also very inexpensive compared to premium hard-bodied surface lures.

So what is a pink grub? It is the name is given to a 2.5" Ecogear Grass Minnow M in colour 119. This lure is a paddletail style of soft plastic, and is pink in colour - which no doubt gave rise to the name. The translucent body and colour of the lure make it a perfect representation of a skipping prawn or baitfish, especially when eyeballed from underneath - just ask old mate bream when you talk to him next.

The pink colouration is also vitally important when the lure is allowed to sink through the water column after you have attracted the bream's attention. This is because it is highly visible beneath the surface - more on that later.

TECHNIQUE

The technique for fishing pink grubs is very simple, but can be tweaked as much or as little as you like. They are most effective in shallower water, which can be found on bank edges and at the backs of bays, as well as across expansive weed and sand flats.

I encourage you to throw a pink grub anywhere you can see cruising fish, or around any likely areas that hold the type of food source you are imitating. Or, if you are like me, you'll chuck pink grubs all day long over every bit of water you can see, because it's so much fun.