Bread

Bread might be the most underrated bait ever, and it's already in your kitchen. A simple pinch of bread flake pressed onto a hook catches carp, bluegill, roach, and a surprising range of fish, while stale bread crushed and tossed in makes excellent free chum to draw fish to your spot. Generations of anglers, especially across Europe, have taken carp and panfish on nothing but bread. It costs almost nothing, needs no keeping, and on the right day it out-fishes far fancier offerings.

What it catches

Carp (a classic bread target), bluegill and other panfish, roach, chub, catfish, and mullet, among others. Surface-fished bread crust takes cruising carp off the top, while bread flake and paste on the bottom or under a float draw panfish and carp. It's a top choice for carp and panfish in ponds, lakes and slow rivers.

Getting & keeping it

It's in your pantry - fresh sliced bread for flake and paste, and stale bread or crusts for chum and surface baits. Keep a fresh slice or two in a bag so it stays soft and pinchable. No refrigeration or special care needed. Crush stale bread or soak it for groundbait to scatter around your hook.

How to rig it

For bottom or float fishing, pinch a piece of soft bread flake onto the hook, squeezing it at the shank so it stays on but leaves a fluffy, hook-hiding puff. For paste, knead bread into a dough and mold it around the hook. For surface carp, float a piece of crust on a free-lined or lightly-weighted hook. Use a hook small enough to bury in the bread.

When it shines

Carp fishing in ponds and lakes (especially surface-feeding carp in warm weather), panfish around docks and shallows, and any casual outing where a simple, free bait is all you need. It shines when carp are cruising and taking food off the top, and as a cheap, effective way to chum and catch panfish for kids and beginners.

Field tips

Chum lightly with crushed or torn bread to draw fish - after checking your state's rules, since chumming is banned or restricted in some states and on many trout waters - then present a hook piece in the same area. For surface carp, watch the floating crust and wait for the fish to fully take it before setting. Keep the bread soft and pinch it so it stays on the cast but pulls off easily on the bite. Use fresh bread for flake, stale for chum.

Common mistakes

Pressing the bread on so hard it becomes a tough lump that hides the hook point, using a hook too big to conceal in the flake, striking too soon on a surface-feeding carp before it has the bait, and forgetting to chum, which is half of what makes bread so effective.