The holy flake

Graham Whatmore · Jul 13, 2009

I, like many other anglers have an affinity with bread flake, it is one of the best all round fish catchers in the anglers bait armoury yet there are less and less anglers using it. I see todays anglers preferring to use more "modern" bait such as pellets or highly expensive boilies from the mini to the football size which do have the benefit if remaining on the hook a long time but are they necessarily better I wonder. (I am not talking fishing for big carp here)

On canals, river or on a lake bread flake is very effective as is the punched bread which is normally associated with match angling but is just as effective on a river for roach and chub. I know that many anglers have no confidence in flake remaining on the hook especially on a flowing river but with a little perseverance catching a few fish will soon dispel that idea. Yes it is hard work having to rebait every couple of minutes or every swim down on a river but the rewards can be astonishing.

For those that do have little confidence in flake remaining on the hook and prefer not to try it for that reason alone maybe a look at this video of the new magic bread will inspire them to give it a go and I am absolutely positive that you will come to appreciate why users of flake always sing its praises.

David Rogers 3 · Jul 13, 2009

So long as you make sure the loaf is today's (i.e. as fresh as possible) there shouldn't be a problem with it sticking to the hook. Brands do vary in their stickiness, though - I've found Warburtons to be the best at staying on.

Ben Haigh · Jul 13, 2009

i must admit, i never really use flake, as such, but large punches of bread threaded onto the hook work a treat.
i've hair-rigged punch as well, with good results, and on a hair you can really launch it, which is the main problem i've had with bread in the past.
quite keen to try magic bread, but nowhere near me stocks it yet, and i can't be bothered to order it online. i'm not that keen, and i'll end up ordering more stuff i don't need.

john conway (CSG - ACA) · Jul 13, 2009

Out of 13,271 4lb plus chub caught by CSG members between 1972 & 2008 the top four baits were: -
1,938 Bread Flake
1,800 Cheese Paste
1,342 Cheese
766 Crust

Total number of baits used counting various cocktails 414

rookie_fly_guy · Jul 13, 2009

I must admit I've been wary of using flake due to worries about it coming off, and compressing it into a hard ball just doesnt seem as... appealing. The video was quite impressive though, I think I'll give it a go if the local tackle shop gets any in. The only negative I can see is because of the way it expands you can't pinch it on to your hook, you have to attach it with something.

Maybe I'll try supergluing some onto a bit of stocking

I wonder how it stands up to repeated drying and rehydration.. Either that or finally learn how to tie a hair rig and knotless knot.

Alan Tyler · Jul 13, 2009

If you're stuck with unfresh bread, you can fish a "mini bread roll in bondage": roll a suitable bit of bread up, wrap it up a few times with thread, reef-knotting the ends together, then attach to the hook with a baiting needle ( quick-change bead/clips and looped hooklengths help here).

Rodney Wrestt · Jul 13, 2009

I like to use bread punch on the pole, wherever people feed the birds on a venue the punch always works.

Chris Season32 · Jul 13, 2009

Fish are wierd, I fished a lake next to a local swimming baths last week where the kids feed whole loafs to the ducks. Fished breadflake right from the off thinking it would be a killer on this water, not a touch till I swaped to expander. Even swapped back to breadflake mid-session, same result. maybe they were sick of it.

Nice stats on the chub catches BTW John, very interesting.

Rodney Wrestt · Jul 13, 2009

Chris Season32 said:
Fish are wierd, I fished a lake next to a local swimming baths last week where the kids feed whole loafs to the ducks. Fished breadflake right from the off thinking it would be a killer on this water, not a touch till I swaped to expander. Even swapped back to breadflake mid-session, same result. maybe they were sick of it.

Nice stats on the chub catches BTW John, very interesting.

You should've tried chips

---------- Post added at 08:08 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:03 PM ----------

I use bread punchrather than flake because after the birds start devouring the bread the only bits that get through are the mulch they can't lift, so in my head it makes sense to use tiny pieces? Bread's one of those baits that's almost instant or not at all and in true fishy fashion, it'll all change tomorrow

slime monster · Jul 13, 2009

Not being a fan of artificial bait I was sceptical until he said it is really made from bread

would I buy it ? for a session off the top ...........YES

Mark Wintle · Jul 14, 2009

As a life long bread user for big roach, I've found that it is much better when it is a couple of days old. Very fresh bread turns 'doughy' all too easily. I try to hardly pinch it at all when using flake, almost just hooking a piece torn off on the the hook. I've used bread punch for many years and do the same; compressing it is unnecessary. One method I've tried successfully is Bill Rushmer's 'wet bread' which is prepared soaked slices. I've never had problems with bread falling off unless the bread really is much too old but matching the hook to the bait is very important with bread.

Interesting stats from John but I suspect that many of CSG members use(d) bread so extensively that it is hardly surprising. When I met a group of them about 20 years ago they were staggered when I demonstrated caster fishing to them on the Stour, getting 5 over 4lbs in 20 minutes. My own figures for big chub are only 1 on bread over 4lbs, many on casters, plenty on maggots (one last night of 5-08), and in recent years plenty on pellets and boilies.

Graham Whatmore · Jul 14, 2009

Mark's comment "Interesting stats from John but I suspect that many of CSG members use(d) bread so extensively that it is hardly surprising." maybe that is because they target the chub solely Mark and they have decided it is the most likely approach. I think the general angler spending a few hours on the river is fishing for bites rather than a target and a nice big roach, dace or chub goes most of the way to satisfying his needs, I know it does mine and bread is a known catcher of all three.

Most of the fish caught on bread flake are likely to be the larger fish of the species, its comparitively cheap and it is easy to fish once you become a bit experienced. It is easy to prepare liquidised bread for feed which can be stored in a freezer or bread mashed on the bank which is even better. I am not suggesting bread is the only bait that will get you some big fish but the likes of maggots and certainly caster are becoming a wee bitty expensive and bread can be equally as effective if not better.

My other old favourite chub bait that I have sadly neglected over recent years (because I can't always fish in the cold weather now due to heart problems) is cheesepaste and I know at least one well known angler on here that has had some clonking chub fishing that particular bait over the winters. Roach too will fall to cheesepaste but maybe not in the quantity that breadflake will take and cheese on its own is no mean fish catcher either.

peter crabtree · Jul 14, 2009

For the hook bait I buy a fresh bloomer loaf,and use the flake from inside.The crust at the base of the loaf is usually a bit tough and sandpapery,this is great for folding a piece in half and sticking a big hook through the middle,or banding on a hair.

john conway (CSG - ACA) · Jul 14, 2009

If you add up the cheese paste and cheese, then that's the top bait for chub in the CSG, however, pellets and boilies are moving up fast and I would think that in the next 5 to 10 years they'll be in the top five. This however, depends on cost, bread is pretty cheap and easily available.

Chris Season32 · Jul 14, 2009

I may well try a block of magic bread if I can find it locally, mainly to avoid the slices of mouldy bread in my kit that I didn't take out thinking I'd use it for surface bait on my next session.

A bit off topic, does anyone use my favourite bait for big chub, slugs? I hate the blighters anyway and get a sadistic kick from using them as bait, but I found freelined or trotted slug sorts out the bigger fish quite well.

john conway (CSG - ACA) · Jul 14, 2009

Slugs come 12th in the CSG bait league table at 224
I've not really tried them on smaller rivers, mainly because I don't fish small rivers very often, where they should do? On the Ribble, when I have tried them, all the chub have been small.

Chris Season32 · Jul 14, 2009

I doubt a small chub could get it's choppers round the slugs that live in my back garden. Having one pop through your toes while walking barefoot is a sensation you never forget.

Chris Hammond ( RSPB ACA PAC} · Jul 14, 2009

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I'm on a mission to catch some huge rudd from a drain. They take floating crust well enough, and that will be my first line of attack.

I tried an experiment today. I made a white loaf up in my bread making machine, but made it strawberry flavoured. It has worked perfectly, with a good rugged crust, with a full on strawberry smell, and paste that kneads into a lovely textured flake bait.

Chris Season32 · Jul 14, 2009

What did you use for the strawberry flavouring in you loaf Chris?

do it my way ( phil ) · Jul 15, 2009

Bread

Simply the best.

The holy flake

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