Yellowfin bream

A silver sea bream with an olive-bronze back, a dark spot at the base of the pectoral fin and bright yellow pelvic and anal fins and lower tail.

10–14 in and about 1 lb.

About 2 ft and 10 lb (4.5 kg).

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

Found around every jetty, rock wall and oyster lease in eastern estuaries; moves to surf bars and ocean beaches to spawn in winter.

Found from Queensland & the Great Barrier Reef and South-East Australia & Tasmania. Estuaries, coastal lakes, canals, rock walls and surf beaches from Townsville (Queensland) to the Gippsland Lakes (Victoria).

Estuaries, coastal lakes, canals, rock walls and surf beaches from Townsville (Queensland) to the Gippsland Lakes (Victoria).

1–100 ft; mostly 2–20 ft.

2–15 ft.

All year; winter spawning runs to the river mouths (June–August) are excellent.

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.

Prawns, yabbies, worms, mullet strips and bread with berley.

Small soft plastics, blades, small crankbaits and surface walkers in summer.

7 ft light spinning rod (2–4 kg).

Size 4–1/0 hooks.

4–8 lb braid.

6–10 lb fluorocarbon.

Cast small plastics or crankbaits to jetty pylons, rock walls and oyster racks, or float unweighted baits down a berley trail.

Bream are the perfect fish to learn lure fishing on: light line, small lures and patience.

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, sweet white meat; pan-fry or bake whole.

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

Queensland and NSW set minimum sizes (around 25 cm) and bag limits. 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.

Keep only what you'll eat and release the big breeders; wet your hands, support the fish's belly and get it back in the water fast.