SHORELINES

20 a p c s hor e l i n e s.c om | 2016 Vol :2 "If you've got that natural grub action, squirming in the water, they can't stand it," he said. In addition to trees, bream like the shade of boathouses and docks, any place where insects and other small creatures might fall into the water. They are opportunistic feeders and their strike instinct is triggered by sight. "That's what they think the cricket is, something that fell out of a tree," he said. "They attack anything that hits the water. They may be small but they have big appetites." In addition to being predators, bream are also prey. Keel has to move quietly to avoid spooking them. "They're nervous fish," he said. "They're not on the bottom of the food chain but they are close to it." Keel casts toward brush in the water and takes the slack out of his line. Then he eases the bait slowly back toward the boat in small intervals, pausing for a few seconds along the way. Keel usually fishes the east bank early in the morning, with the rising sun casting shadows onto the water. As the sun shifts to the west in the afternoon, he fishes the west bank. On a good morning or afternoon of fishing, he believes it's reasonable to expect a stringer of 20 keepers – more if he hits a good bed. That's more than enough for a meal for most families. While bream are small – some grow up to a pound on Yates – and bony, they are good table fare. Keel scales, heads and guts them, coats them in a little cornmeal and deep-fries them whole. Then he just picks the meat away from the bones and enjoys the sweet, white flesh. "It's a relaxing kind of fishing," Keel said. "It's not a have-to-catch-them tournament type thing. You just take the kids, go fishing and enjoy." — ROBERT DEWITT Above: Photo by WynteR ByRd – Keel brings crickets and worms along for the trip to attract bream that prey on bugs and various grubs and worms that fall from the trees into the water.

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