How to Catch Bream on Boat Hulls

BY ABZ MESHLAWI

Fishing for bream around boat hulls is a very productive and exciting style fishing. It suits both kayak and boat anglers and gives you the chance to target fish holding tight to structure in busy waterways. The key is to understand how bream behave around boats throughout the seasons and how to adjust your approach to match.

In the warmer months, most fish will be sitting directly under the hulls feeding on barnacles and other growth. When they are in that mood, they often see your lure fall and follow it all the way down before striking. For this reason, I prefer using the lightest jighead possible. My go to soft plastics are the Bait Junkie 2.35” Prawn, the Risky Critter, and the 2.95” Flick. I like to break each boat into three sections: the bow, the centre, and the stern, working each part carefully before moving to the next. Covering every angle helps you locate the fish that are actively feeding.

During winter, bream tend to school deeper, often around the mooring blocks or sitting on the bottom beneath the boats. This is when I will go slightly heavier with my jighead to get the plastic down faster and stay in the zone longer. The technique becomes more about patience and precision, making sure the lure stays close to where the fish are holding.

In summer, one of the most effective ways to target boat hull bream is with a crankbait. The Daiwa Infeet Rollin Crank MR in brown suji has been my most reliable choice. I will cast as close as I can to the front or rear of the boat and work the lure along the hull. Often the fish will shoot out from underneath and hit it hard. Boat and kayak positioning are both critical for this technique. You need to be close enough to make accurate casts, but not so close that you spook the fish. Casting accuracy matters, and so does awareness, as you do not want to hit or damage anyone’s boat.

Another tip is to focus on the shadow side, especially when the sun is out and the temperature is high. Bream love to sit in that shaded zone where the light fades and the water stays cooler. Being able to place your lure quietly and accurately into those pockets will make a big difference.

My outfits of choice for this style of fishing are the Infeet Z 702LRS paired with a 2500 shallow spool reel for crankbaits, and the Infeet Z 712LFS paired with a 2000 shallow spool reel for lightly weighted soft plastics. Both setups offer the perfect balance of finesse and control needed for tight quarters fishing around boats. 

Targeting bream on hulls teaches you a lot about accuracy, lure control, and stealth. Each boat becomes its own little ecosystem, and once you figure out how the fish use that structure, the rewards come quickly. It is a method that keeps you thinking, moving, and refining your skills every session.