[z42]

Hi Derek. I wasn't trying to raise the climate change debate again, I was only pointing to the data that suggests that the recorded increase in air temperature over the UK land mass is raising the water temperature of rivers in the south of the UK. This may be another reason why the Gilts are moving north, I do hope they become a more regular catch around our coast.
The same thing is happening around the coast of southern Ireland with some marine species that were resident in the area 10 - 15 years ago have now all moved 150 km further north and warmer water species have moved in to where they were.

 

[chrisspiller]

Hi Derek, I will try to write up a report and add photos of my guilt expeditions,. I'm back working for myself . so time is really tight, so little time on WSF, and even less by the sea.
Hopefully this will calm down next month and I will be able to get back out again, Thanks chris

 

[TICTER]

We do get them up in North wales although not in great numbers, 2005 they were being caught on Pwllheli, LLanbedrog and Abersoch beaches in late October. Also the Straits produce some, I remember seeing a pic in a post of one around a fair few pounds and along them being caught at the west entrance to the straits on the beach. So I would think there down there somewhere it's just finding them.....

 

[Guest]

They follow me around, I caught one from Boscombe Pier today, only abut 6" long. It was among black bream of similar size.

 

[Ticker]

Good morning members ,

The various reports by Cap'n Haddock, Chris Spiller, Z 42 , penn2 and others is highlighting the dispersal of opportunity for contact with the Gilts across the south of the UK. It would appear that finding them and more importantly landing individual fish, remains a challenge which calls for patience, a fair amount of good luck, being in the right place at the right time and an ability to absorb "blanks". I can fully understand why there is so much mystery attached to them! Is there any evidence of their presence in the more northern waters of the UK?

Best regards,

Ticker (Derek)

 

[Ticker]

Good evening Members (2017)

Gilthead Bream....The Prospects in Wales and Beyond!

This thread was more or less allowed to go into hibernation towards the end of last year (October 2016) as the summer and "Gilt" season was coming to a close. Never-the less, the Gilthead (Sea) Bream as an object of interest was well represented in the pages of the excellent and well supported "Ambitions" thread published by woody33.

Amongst the many aspirations to catch a whole variety of regular species, published by Woody33 in the excellent thread "targets/ambitions", a specific aspiration expressed by Noyorplaice (Neath Port Talbot)...."I would love to catch a Gilthead Bream!" caught my attention. A combination of the interest in this species "Gilts" together with the wealth of information covering Where, When and How this species could be encountered, particularly in the local Welsh waters and beyond etc, where the option of interesting landings on appropriate balanced tackle are there for the committed angler to enjoy, prompted me to resuscitate this informative thread. Hope you find this thread both interesting and informative!

Best regards,

Ticker (Derek)

 

[ian nesbitt]

Thanks Derek, this thread has been very informative. I have a couple of places in mind that I want to try and with a bit of luck I hope to catch one this summer. If that happens I'll be sure to post it on here.

 

[Ticker]

Good afternoon members,

The Battle of the "B's & "G.B's"!

Looking into the future through the proverbial "Crystal Ball", definitely not a precise art, the rise of the Gilthead bream looks set to receive even more attention in 2017 than in 2016, possibly due to greater appreciation of the G.B's fighting and eating qualities, questionably rated as superior even to the bass, in both areas, by some! Personally, I have never caught or eaten a G.B. despite a strong desire to do so. An opportunity to compare the prowess of a like for like Bass and Gilthead bream on the same appropriately "light" tackle, is "theoretically" a possibility but unlikely, so in the end, it all comes down to a subjective comparison between the opinion of those who regularly catch bass or those who have experience of the gilthead bream.

In terms of taste and appreciation of the eating qualities of both species, I came across this article on line which defines one persons opinion of the culinary delights of both species. See what you think ! I came across the following quote by a Rowley Leigh, published online in the Telegraph 2003.
"Rowley Leigh salutes two superior fish: Sea bass and Sea bream in his article: GREAT WHITE FLAKES "

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/recipes/3306032/Great-white-flakes.html

Quote "Sea bass and Sea bream are both highly prized. If anything, a really fine Dorade Royale (Gilthead Bream) will probably take precedence over the bass, however revered that fish may be. The best bream produce the most gorgeous - and incredibly meaty - great white flakes prone to dryness when overcooked, while the sea bass are all finesse, much more delicate in the texture, although every bit as flavoursome."

Best regards,

Ticker (Derek)

 

[z42]

Hi Derek. The farmed GH Bream from M'sons is pretty good and would at least give you a taste.

For me it's no contest, the grilled GH Bream wins hands down on texture and flavour over any Bass I've eaten. Come to think of it I also prefer the taste of GG's to Bass.

 

[R10R]

I had Gilthead bream while on holiday and much preferred it to Bass. Black bream is just as good too. I think Bass is so over rated as an eating fish anyway....its nice but not the best. Also had smoothhound on hols and it was amazing to eat.

 

[Ticker]

Good afternoon members,

GILTHEAD BREAM ON THE FLY?

Despite some thorough researching online and in my library, any reference to this technique being applied to this species is virtually non existent but for small fragments of info such as set out as follows:

"out chasing mullet a few days ago at a local mark and ended up taking 3 Gilthead Bream on the fly. Nothing big, around 8-9" in length." This was a post on a Fly fishing website by a gentleman called "Guernsey bass" as far back as 17th July 2003. It goes without saying that the mark in question was situated on Guernsey, Channel Islands.

Can any member improve on this early evidence of GHB's on the fly. There was no mention of the fly type or any description of rod, reel, line etc used in this rare but accidental encounter. If it hasn't happened by design already, no doubt some enthusiastic Fly fisherman will turn his/ her attention to this species.

Best regards,

Ticker (Derek)

 

[Ticker]

P.S.to Post above:

Gilthead Bream from the Adriatic Sea - Italy. by Kenneth, Fly Fishing .co.uk. (15/10/2009).

This post is excellent and informative, detailing the info on rod, reel, hook and Flies used.

http://www.flyfishing.co.uk/saltwater-fly-fishing/51583-gilthead-bream-adriatic-sea-italy.html

 

[R10R]

Truth is that most fish can be targeted on the fly with a bit of tweaking to the tackle.The possibilities are endless.

 

[ollyball9]

Hi ticker hope your doing OK mate, I've just flicked through this thread and seen Cornwall come up a few times but where would you and everyone else regard as "the" gilt head hotspot of all or isn't there one, many thanks.
Chris.

 

[Ticker]

Good afternoon Chris (Moore),

Good to hear from you! Seemed to be a very long winter this year but thank goodness, things are looking up now. Without giving away any other anglers hard earned "hotspots", I guess that Devon and Cornwall are the most recognised counties where this species is in evidence. As they are reputed to be unpredictable and a fast moving, mobile species, roaming in and out of rivers and muddy creeks, along shallow coastal waters, it is not easy to pin point specific locations. If any members are dead set on having a go for this prestigious species, probably the rivers in south Devon receive the most publicity. There are links to some extraordinary articles on the subject of "Where When and How" contained in the back pages of this thread, written by expert locals in the various regions, which could be invaluable to the dedicated angling visitor, pointing the latter in the right direction. Specific rivers in west Wales are known to be popular with the Gilts, but naturally enough, the anglers in the know are likely to keep this knowledge close to their chests! The Gilts like bass, are sometimes caught by anglers not specifically fishing for them, but again as with large bass, the Gilts demand a concerted effort before the angler is rewarded with any level of consistency in landings!

Thank you for your post, Chris!

Best regards,

Ticker (Derek)

 

[ollyball9]

Thank-you for the advice ticker much appreciated not sure where we're off on this year's summer excursion but I'd like to give this species a go at some point or other they seem to be a great fighting species to catch on light gear plus I've never caught one, so I'm just putting the feelers out on where to go,
Thanks again, Chris.

 

[z42]

Hi Derek. I see that there is a new Cornish GH record of 10 lb 11 Oz, bet that put up a good fight, lol
More information on the south West forum with a link to faceless for the pic..

 

[Ticker]

Good morning Z42,

It isn't often that this thread receives incoming information on the Gilthead bream scene, so I appreciate your drawing my attention to the latest (huge) contender for the British record. Weighing in at 10lb. 11oz, and not unexpectedly caught in southern British waters, Cornwall to be precise, this specimen is a welcome boost to those dedicated G. B. hunters. Initially reported on the south west forum, accompanied by an excellent photograph. There is no hint of the tackle used but I would imagine that it would have had to be robust to have weathered the power and struggles of such a fine fish. Talking about the photograph, it is available through the following long link, and knowing my luck with links it is a case of fingers crossed that I get it right. Here goes:

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10155997295918455&set=gm.1571592706239528&type=3

Just tested the link via Preview and it worked after a bit of a stutter....progress!
The interest in this species is definitely growing, and I would encourage any enthusiasts or interested parties to visit the pic and enjoy, relish the imagined feistiness of this fish's resistance! Well done the angler Ben Taylor, who landed this magnificent example of the species. Once again, thank you Z42!

Best regards,

Ticker (Derek)

 

[Ticker]

Good morning members

"Fishing Ireland"...Gilthead Bream.

Looking for updates and information on the current Gilthead Bream scene, I happened on a website titled "Fishing In Ireland" which by coincidence was presenting a list of some G.B. landings for 2017, demonstrating the quality of fish available in the "Emerald Isle", given knowledge, patience and persistence. The link below takes the reader to the Home page of the website. Click on each of "thumbnail!" pics for more information on the individual landings.

http://fishinginireland.info/news/tag/gilthead-bream/

Best regards,

Ticker (Derek)

 

[fishingrhod]

fascinating thread. i first heard about giltheads in the early 2000s when a friend who was working at the Field Studies Council centre at Dale told me about a seine netting session down on the Gann estuary which turned up masses of juveniles. the info was filed away as an oddity but the logical conclusion that there must be adults around wasn't drawn. yes, we really were that stupid.

fast forward a decade or so and someone i know caught a small one at Abereiddi. shortly after another angler had some at Abermawr. he was getting lots of rattly bites on a big pennel bait close in and switched to small hooks to solve the mystery. i had a couple myself around that time myself from Abermawr as a result.

from talking to other anglers it became apparent that giltheads were more common than we thought. we also checked out their ecology/behaviour on some marine biology websites and our preconceptions were shattered. they seem to be mainly associated with estuaries but they are very flexible in terms of habitat and could turn up anywhere, as our north-coast surf beach catches showed.

my buddies and i didn't follow up, the occasional small gilthead from our local patch being not enough of a draw. the Pembrokeshire marks that offered greater promise were too far away to fish consistently - Dale and Llangwm - the latter being associated with rumours of very tidy fish indeed.

i want to move down Dale way if possible and if that does happen then i'll get on it. met a guy when i worked in a tackle shop in Haverfordwest who told me he tackles the Gann area by loose-feeding small carp pellets and fishing rag under a bubble float. the lure option is also intriguing with isomes being an obvious starting point.