Salted bread hook bait is an old idea which I believe was used by Roach anglers on the Thames years ago. They found that the Roach seemed to hold on to the bread just a little longer, giving an extra second or two to strike.
Salted Bread hook bait
How to make salted bread hook bait with the ends off the bread
- Put some warm water in to a bait box
- Add 2 to 6 tea spoons of salt and make sure it’s all dissolved
- Submerge the ends of bread in the water, squeeze air out and leave to soak all day
- In the evening, put the lid on and turn the bait box over to drain the water for half an hour
- Once drained, get an old newspaper and lay the bread in the middle of the paper, close the paper around them
- Place something flat and heavy on top and leave overnight
- Next day, the news paper has soaked up any extra water and the weight has flattened the bread
- Store the slices in separate sandwich bags
Salted bread is very soft bait that will expand and float in water. I like to use it for crusting, especially on those days when the Carp seem uninterested. Because it so soft I sandwich the salted bread between pieces of fresh bread to support the salted bread on the cast. For the hook, I use punched salted bread for the pole or stick float fishing. Neither of which requires much of a cast. Put the point of the hook through the white side and out through the crust, then push it round the bend. In the water the bread will expand along the shank. To get salted punched bread to sink, give it a little squeeze under water to remove any air. Bread is a tried and tested bait, but adding salt may just give it a little extra edge.
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Surface fishing with a Bubble float