Bread

My local lake had banned floating bread and baits because of the ducks and swans.
But noticed yesterday it now reads "No Bread allowed".

What's the problem with bread does it harm the fish or poison the water ?

Thanks

Bread, in reasonable quantities does little harm, BUT many waters I know also ban it simply because mindless idiots don't use common sense when using it as a floating bait. Large lumps of crust floating on the surface is an absolute magnet for all forms of water life that spend every day searching for such morsels. It also attracts land gulls which appear out of the blue!

Using bread as a surface bait just needs a bit of thought and it can be perfectly safe if you follow a few simple rules. What you don't do is cast it out and then forget about it which I see from time to time. It needs watching constantly !! Ducks, among others will eventually search it out and if you are not paying attention they will make off with it and the hook !

Personally, I have never seen the need to cast miles out into a lake which attracts ducks almost immediately, but rather fish it close in were ducks etc will not venture. I also fish it under trees close in and in both cases it can be fished perfectly safely...

A more exciting way of fishing is hard to find - seeing a large carp cruise up and suck in a large crust is breath taking - BUT as with all forms of fishing common sense MUST prevail.............

Your sign post saying ' No bread allowed ' sounds like a total ban but I could be wrong. Best you check before fishing..


ps If you are fishing a very small water some clubs will ban bread as many folk, for some reason, find it necessary to load piles of ground bait it over the season and this will do little good for the water. Think about it ; Piles of bread sitting on the bottom with no fish interested - not difficult to work out the water must suffer over time !!

As they say ; USE YOUR LOAF AND THINK BEFORE YOU CAST..............and don't go upsetting other anglers with wayward casting of chunks of bread !!!

Good luck !!

I agree with Tee-Cee above, as if you think about it, any bait used in abundance can have a negative effect on venue.

That said, I do have a problem with authorities who instigate a ban (on fishing with bread) and then turn a totally blind eye to those who turn up to "feed the ducks" and chuck in half a baker's shop window of the bloody stuff . . . . .

So, come on, let's see one rule to cover everyone . . . or is that too much to ask, eh?

Where you are allowed to use floating bread, and there is an abundance of feathered life, try colouring the bread with green cake/food colouring (comes in small bottles from supermarkets, etc.) The fish will still take it as usual but the feathered ones tend to ignore it as it no longer stands out for what it is..............

If you go to Aldi,they have some matchbox sized marshmallows which are superb. They look exactly like breadcrust and their weight allows for freelining at a reasonable distance but, of course, a bubble float or controller can always be employed.

The only downside is I often get tempted to eat the pink ones myself!!

I know of a couple of waters were bread is banned not just on the surface but all together

I've been told that in some cases swans feed of the bread underwater and get hooked - but I've never seen it myself

Lord Paul of Sheffield said:

I know of a couple of waters were bread is banned not just on the surface but all together

I've been told that in some cases swans feed of the bread underwater and get hooked - but I've never seen it myself

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In my almost 60 years of actively fishing I can honestly say that I have never seen, or even ever heard of an event like this.

neither have I Peter but its what was put forward as an excuse

The sign at Birkwood Fisheries in Wakefield Yorks says "No Bread" so I presume any sort of bread.

There must be a good reason for this as the owner and family are really decent and not just doing this for any gain ie...no bait shop or anything.

The problem was I'd only taken bread, cheese, and some pellets and as I couldn't get the cheese to stay on the hook I stuck with pellets on bands.

Anything in a average kichen worth taking as bait and what will stay on a hook ?

Tin of sweet corn? Luncheon meat?

dorsetandchub said:

If you go to Aldi,they have some matchbox sized marshmallows which are superb. They look exactly like breadcrust and their weight allows for freelining at a reasonable distance but, of course, a bubble float or controller can always be employed.

The only downside is I often get tempted to eat the pink ones myself!!

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Don't they do green ones....................

dorsetandchub said:

Tin of sweet corn? Luncheon meat?

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yes
a couple of tins of each are always in my tackle bag

Just had a look on Birkwood Fisheries site and bread is defiantly banned.
The reason given is "damage to carp".

yorkieman said:

Just had a look on Birkwood Fisheries site and bread is defiantly banned.
The reason given is "damage to carp".

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Maybe some guys have been loading bread in the water in massive amounts that have been interpreted by the owners as a step to far.
I sometimes walk around a lake which is popular with folks who bring bags n bags of bread and feed the ducks n swans but such is the amount that large quantities are totally ignored by the feathered inhabitants.
Some anglers do exactly the same when fishing, you can often see the unwanted evidence in the windward corner of a pond or lake that resembles a white carpet.
Who can blame the owners if this is happening on your lake?.

If they have banned bread then you can always add some extra sodium cassienate and a couple of extra eggs to a boiley mix and then put the sloppy mix into the oven on a tray until it starts to rise and firm up a bit.

It comes out like a firmish sponge cake which floats well and casts further than bread and lasts longer on the hook too, and we used to catch loads of Carp using it. Plus it was very nutritious and flavoursome Lol.

You are not using bread then are you?

Keith

Does this lake also ban dog biscuits?