associatedmatt
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that wont help i was fishing with a loaf and kept eating pieces of it 
Wet bread
- Thread starter mikench
- Start date
Jim Crosskey 2
Well-known member
I'm going to say something a bit controversial here so watch it!......
Having used bread a lot over the winter - generally liquidised for the feeder and flake on the hook - I've actually found it slightly easier to fish small pieces of flake on bigger hooks. Sounds like I've lost it, right?
Ok, hold on. It goes like this... if you're using a size 16 or 18, as you might first reach for when roach fishing, you've got almost nothing to go at in terms of hook shank, so out of necessity you end up really squeezing bread on in order to make it stay on.
Whereas if you went up to a size 12 say.... you've got more shank to play with, to get the presentation just right. If you're careful, you can now engineer a much more careful presentation that only just covers the hook (remember the fluffy bit will swell anyway) that's still a roach sized morsel. The other thing I've found with this is that a) you tend to catch slightly bigger fish and b) it also tends to hook-up better, rather than giving you an endless stream of un-hittable tips and taps.
And whilst you've gone up to a bigger hook, don't be tempted to increase the line strain, stick with 2lb (3lb at most), the same as you would fishing an 18 or 20. So your presentation is still nice and fine.
All that said, I really do love this time of year... when an afternoon's bait only costs 50p!! I will happily use the cheapest bread I can find in the supermarket (and I shop at Aldi....) but I will spend a few minutes looking for the freshest bread possible.
Having used bread a lot over the winter - generally liquidised for the feeder and flake on the hook - I've actually found it slightly easier to fish small pieces of flake on bigger hooks. Sounds like I've lost it, right?
Ok, hold on. It goes like this... if you're using a size 16 or 18, as you might first reach for when roach fishing, you've got almost nothing to go at in terms of hook shank, so out of necessity you end up really squeezing bread on in order to make it stay on.
Whereas if you went up to a size 12 say.... you've got more shank to play with, to get the presentation just right. If you're careful, you can now engineer a much more careful presentation that only just covers the hook (remember the fluffy bit will swell anyway) that's still a roach sized morsel. The other thing I've found with this is that a) you tend to catch slightly bigger fish and b) it also tends to hook-up better, rather than giving you an endless stream of un-hittable tips and taps.
And whilst you've gone up to a bigger hook, don't be tempted to increase the line strain, stick with 2lb (3lb at most), the same as you would fishing an 18 or 20. So your presentation is still nice and fine.
All that said, I really do love this time of year... when an afternoon's bait only costs 50p!! I will happily use the cheapest bread I can find in the supermarket (and I shop at Aldi....) but I will spend a few minutes looking for the freshest bread possible.
mikench
Well-known member
You make a valid point and one i have adopted when i am struggling with a 16 or 18. I use 4lb line but with a 3lb hooklength. I have a slice of pressed wet bread which resembles a piece of lino all ready for later in the week weather permitting!
Alan Tyler
Well-known member
I never pinch wet bread on, just pull/rub a strip off, cut (thumbnail) it to the desired length, and hook it through the nipped end like a maggot. Several hooklengths of different sizes and a quick-change bead or swivel is no bad idea, because although Jim's right about trying a big hook, sometimes they only want a tiny, maggot-sized sliver - on a tiny, maggot-sized hook.
Do try a few test baits to see how much they swell, and adjust your hook size accordingly, and don't forget you can hide a big hook in a few separate tiny bits of wet bread to really optimise the hooking power. Especially if you're laying-on, where there's no flow trying to force it all into the middle of the hook's bend.
Pinching bread on the shank works best for fresh, gluey flake.
Do try a few test baits to see how much they swell, and adjust your hook size accordingly, and don't forget you can hide a big hook in a few separate tiny bits of wet bread to really optimise the hooking power. Especially if you're laying-on, where there's no flow trying to force it all into the middle of the hook's bend.
Pinching bread on the shank works best for fresh, gluey flake.
mikench
Well-known member
Do you use this technique ie a small swivel/quick change bead when float fishing or just on the feeder/bomb Alan?
Alan Tyler
Well-known member
Float, mostly, but only if I'm feeling organised.
Usually I'm to be found in a blaspheming muddle, "resting the swim" (ahem) as I tie up a new hook... or just missing out on a chance.
Usually I'm to be found in a blaspheming muddle, "resting the swim" (ahem) as I tie up a new hook... or just missing out on a chance.
mikench
Well-known member
Sounds like me Alan!
Mark Wintle
Well-known member
When I fish flake on the Thames on the moving feeder for roach I use a size 10 Kamasan B511 and still catch some small roach as well as the ones I'm really after.