I fish for bass mainly and figured I might as well figure out how to catch other types of fish incase the bass arent biting.

what should I look for ? brush piles like bass? under and around dock?

also whats an inexpensive rod/reel combo to start off with? doesnt have to be the best just something that I can kill time with. assuming ultralight? or light? fast tip?

OK. First off, if your pond has docks on it, throw to those docks. Half the docks I've come across have a brushpile under or somewhere near it. BPS has an Ugly Stik 4'6" UL combo for $25-$30 that works well. The lower the docks the better. You will learn how to "shoot" those docks in time. If there is grass nearby throw an UL crank. A big bream will come out of the grass with reckless abandonment to snatch a helpless bug or injured minnow. Hope this helps. Let us know how you do.

will do. I skipped the whole stage of bream and just went to bass and catfish so not real sure how to go after them.

what would be a good bait/lure to start off with? stick with night crawlers? the power bait chunks or whatever they are? also what size hook ?

In a pond, I look for spawning fish this time of year. They may be anywhere along the shoreline in about 2-3 feet of water. Once you find them, it is incredible fishing. In my ponds, every year they seem to be in a different spot, but once you find them, wow amazing fishing.

Often times they will give their location away....but you have to watch carefully for swirls in shallow water. If you see more than one, its probably them. Also, they tend to stay in the same location for the duration of the spawn which can last several months. Full moon periods are the best time to find them super active.

I use small nymph imitations to find them and catch them. Great fun!!

This time of year, I often throw UL crankbaits and tops most of the time and grubs and road runners to fill in the remainder when I throw artificials. When I throw bait, I like to throw leeches wherever I can find them. They are very tough and I usually catch about 5 keepers per leech. When i can't find them I throw a 'crawler under a bobber or free line a cricket or grasshopper. If you haven't caught a mess of Bream in the summer , you're missing a lot of fun!

what conditions have to be present for bream to spawn? also when to they stop spawning and where do they go after the spawn is over?

at the pond i go to, the bg are spawing. the water is really clear, so i can see them. if you're fishing clear water, you'll see their beds - and you'll also see a lot of swirls. they spawn in the spring/early summer, so this is prime time. i'll post a picture of what their beds look like... this is also a helpful website: http://www.iowadnr.gov/fish/iafish/blg-fish.html



the picture might turn out that big, but you can see the little craters they made in the dirt and rock for their beds.

I like to do a grasshopper test. Catch a handful of hoppers and pinch their wings so they don't fly. Toss one out about 10 ft from the bank. If it doesn't get hit within 10-15 seconds, move down 10-20 ft and try another. One they are getting hit pretty solid, start fishing. I also like to look for areas were the cattle water. Seems like the potholes they leave make great pre-made spawning beds. Hope that helps.