Abramis is a genus of freshwater fish in family family Cyprinidae of order Cypriniformes, containing the typical breams. The type species is A. brama, the carp bream. Native to the Palearctic ecozone, the Abramis species are widespread throughout northern Europe from France to the Caspian Sea.

These fishes reach maximum overall lengths of 35–82 cm (14–33 in) and maximum recorded weights of about 1–6 kg (2–13 lb). Possessed of laterally-flattened lozenge-shaped bodies, the Abramis species range in coloration from brownish to silver-grey.

Omnivorous, these fishes are bottom dwellers and feed on plant matter, invertebrates, and occasionally on smaller fish species, and they serve as prey for larger fishes, including pikes.

The generic name Abramis derives from the Greek αβραμίς (mullet or bream).

Fishing

They are fished both commercially and for sport, especially the economically important carp bream.

However bream do not often fight as hard as some other species native to the UK, and owing to their flat disc shaped profile, once tilted to one side are relatively easy to bring to the bank. Common baits for bream include;

• Sweetcorn - 2 or 3 grains hair-rigged is an effective method.
• Maggot - Again hair rigging maggots can produce bream, or 2 to 3 maggot straight on the hook.
• Boilies - these can produce bream as long as the boiles are smaller, in a variety of flavours.

All three methods can be fished using a paternoster rig, and cage feeder with the bait, for example sweetcorn fixed inside using groundbait plugs, or maggot feeder when fishing maggots.

Species

Species include:

• Abramis ballerus – zope
• Abramis bjoerkna – silver bream
• Abramis brama – carp bream
• Abramis sapa – white-eye bream

References