Fishing With Bread
By Alex Clayton · Updated 23 October 2026
One cheap sliced white loaf gives you five baits: punch, flake, floating crust, liquidised feed and mashed feed. It also keeps catching in icy water, when many tackle-shop baits stop working.
Bread punch fishing is the small-fish method for canals, drains and still water: a compressed disc of bread on a size 18 to 22 hook, according to the Canal & River Trust. Flake and crust are the bigger baits for chub and carp. Liquidised and mashed bread are the feed that goes with them.
What follows covers which bread to use for which fish, how to prepare each form, which hook goes with which bait, and the bank rules that apply to all bread fishing.
Which Bread for Which Fish: A Quick-Pick Table
If you only read one part of this page, read this table. Pick the form of bread by species, water and season.
| Bread form | Best for | Water | Hook size | When it shines |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Punch (4 to 8mm discs, up to 10mm) | Roach, plus F1s and carp on commercials | Canals, drains, still water, commercials | 18 to 22 for small punch; 14 for a 10mm punch | Cooler months and winter |
| Flake | Chub, plus tench and carp | Rivers and still water | 10 to 12 | When you want a bigger bait for bigger fish |
| Floating crust | Carp and chub | Surface, near weed and overhanging cover | Match to crust size | Summer |
| Liquidised | Feed for punch | Still and slow water | n/a | Wherever you fish punch |
| Mashed | Feed for flake | Rivers, deeper or faster water with a binder | n/a | Chub swims |
Bread punch is the classic canal bait for roach fishing. Angling Times also recommends dobbing punch on commercials for carp and F1s in the cooler months. Bread flake fishing sits at the big-bait end of the scale and is a mainstay of chub fishing on rivers.
The seasons split the forms. In cold water, fish a small punch over a light dusting of liquidised bread. In warm weather, with fish cruising near the top, switch to floating crust.
Rudd and crucian carp take small bread baits too. For their tactics, see our rudd fishing guide and crucian carp fishing guide.
Bread Punch Fishing: Preparing the Bread, Punch Sizes and Hooks
You strike at a bite, reel in and find a bare hook. With bread punch fishing, the cause is usually the bread, not the bite. Loose, airy bread soon fluffs off a tiny hook, while properly compressed bread stays put through the cast and the pecks.
Preparing punch bread
- Start with a fresh loaf of medium sliced white.
- Cut the crusts off.
- Warm the slices in a microwave for 15 to 30 seconds, or steam them. The Canal & River Trust notes that steaming and then bagging the bread makes it stickier.
- Roll each slice hard and flat with a rolling pin. A hard, flat slice is what keeps the punch on the hook.
- Seal the slices in a bag or punch box so they don’t dry out. Ade Kiddell, writing for Angling Direct, stresses keeping the bread fresh in an airtight bag.
Punch sizes and hooks
| Punch size | Hook | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| 4 to 6mm | 20 to 22 | Small roach, cold canals |
| 8mm | 18 | General canal roach |
| 10mm | 14 | Bigger fish on commercials |
The first two rows sit inside the Canal & River Trust’s 18 to 22 range, with the smaller punch at the smaller end. The 10mm and size 14 pairing comes from Angling Times.
Carry several bread punch sizes and change up or down until the bites come. Kiddell also advises the most delicate rig the swim allows: a float of up to 0.5g suits shallow canals, while very deep water may need 2g to 5g.
Compression is also why punch often outfishes flake on commercials. Jonathan Longden explains in Angling Times that a compressed pellet of bread stays on a light hookhold. For carp, you can stack two or three 10mm pieces on a hair.
On a canal in winter, start with a small punch on a size 20. Then feed it, because punch works best over a cloud of liquidised bread.
Liquidised and Mashed Bread: Feed That Pulls Fish to the Hookbait
A ball of bread feed can draw fish into your swim or fill them up before they find your hookbait. The type of feed, and where and how much you throw, decides which.
Liquidised bread
Liquidised bread is a fine, light cloud that hangs in the water and pulls fish towards a punch hookbait. The Canal & River Trust method:
- Liquidise 4 or 5 fresh loaves, crusts included.
- Freeze it a loaf’s worth at a time in bags.
- On the bank, grate or push the frozen block through a fine riddle, repeating as you need more.
- Add white crumb if you need the feed stickier or heavier.
On flowing water, add a few pebbles to the feed so it sinks quickly. Kiddell adds that the feed must sink before it breaks up, or the cloud forms on the surface and drifts away from your hookbait.
Top up little and often. The main drawback of liquidised bread is how easy it is to overfeed.
Mashed bread
Mashed bread is the heavier, chunkier option. Angling Times suggests tearing the bread up, soaking it for about 10 minutes and then squeezing out the water. Add brown crumb or a binder for deeper or faster water so it gets down before it breaks apart.
Chub like mashed bread. On rivers, the current carries bits of mash downstream and draws fish up towards a flake hookbait.
| Feed | Texture | Pairs with | Best water |
|---|---|---|---|
| Liquidised | Fine, light cloud | Punch | Still and slow water |
| Mashed | Heavier lumps | Flake | Rivers, chub swims |
Whichever you use, start small. You can always add more, but you can’t take it out.
Bread Flake Fishing for Chub, Tench and Carp
Flake that flies off on the cast, or gets pecked to nothing by small fish, is a familiar complaint about bread. Bread flake fishing still earns its place, because flake is a big, visible bait aimed at bigger fish.
Flake is a piece torn from the middle of a fresh slice. Pinch it firmly round the hook shank and leave the rest fluffy over the point and bend, so it stays on but still looks soft and natural.
- Size: on rivers, about the size of a 50p coin (Angling Times).
- Hooks: size 10 to 12 for larger flake.
- Target fish: chub, tench and carp.
- Upkeep: check and replace the flake regularly, as it softens and breaks up in the water.
On rivers, fish flake over the mash covered above, so the feed trickling downstream leads chub to the hookbait.
Flake has an honest weakness. In current, or in a swim full of small fish, it washes off or gets stripped quickly. That’s when compressed punch is the better bait.
Best for: chub on rivers and bigger fish on still waters. Skip it if: small roach keep stripping it. Switch to punch.
Floating Crust for Surface Carp and Chub
No float, no weight and no feeder. Floating crust needs a hook, line and a piece of crust, on a warm day when fish are cruising near the top.
It is a summer method for surface carp and chub, fished free-lined on the surface. Bread’s textures let it float, sink slowly or sink fast, as Angling Times points out, and crust is the floating end of that range.
Cut a cube of crust with some soft bread still attached, as that soft side is what holds on the hook. Fish it near weed beds and overhanging cover, where fish patrol, and expect to wait. Watch for fish taking from the surface before you cast, then drop the crust in their path.
Match the hook to the size of the crust and the fish you expect. For tackle, see the species guides, starting with our chub fishing guide. For fish beyond free-lining range, a controller float adds casting weight.
Crust is the right call in warm, calm conditions with fish visible on top. The catch is that ducks see it too.
Bread, Ducks and Fishery Rules
The Canal & River Trust advises people not to feed bread to ducks. It describes bread as junk food for waterfowl, and says leftover bread encourages rats, spreads disease and feeds algae. The Trust suggests sweetcorn, defrosted peas, oats, lettuce or seeds instead.
For anglers, that means:
- Feed accurately, little and often, so fish eat the bread rather than leaving it to rot.
- Don’t throw spare slices in at the end of a session.
- Keep floating crust away from ducks where you can.
- Take leftover bread and bags home.
Bait rules vary by venue, so check the fishery’s rules or ask the bailiff before you go. You’ll also need a rod licence to fish for freshwater fish in England.
Bring what you’ll use, take home what you don’t.
For more hookbaits and feeds, browse our bait guides.
Frequently asked questions
What hook size for bread punch?
Use a size 18 to 22 hook for small punch on canals, according to the Canal & River Trust. Step up to a size 14 for a 10mm punch on commercials, as Angling Times recommends. See the punch sizes table above for pairings.
What is the best bread for fishing?
Fresh medium sliced white suits both punch and flake. Compress it hard for punch and keep it fluffy for flake. For feed, liquidise fresh loaves with the crusts included, as the Canal & River Trust recommends.
How do you make liquidised bread for fishing?
Liquidise 4 or 5 fresh loaves, crusts included, then freeze a loaf's worth at a time. On the bank, push the frozen block through a fine riddle. Add pebbles on flowing water so it sinks. See the feed section above.
Is bread bad for ducks?
Yes. The Canal & River Trust advises against feeding bread to ducks and suggests sweetcorn, defrosted peas, oats, lettuce or seeds instead. Leftover bread also encourages rats and algae, so never throw spare bait in.