The Traditional Fisherman's Forum

In Confessions, Flt Lt Burton talks about using floating flake - I've tried this as a result, and I think that, at times it's better than crust. You just tear out a chunk from the heart of a loaf, run a hook through it or squeeze it round the shank, but only press hard near the eye otherwise, as Burton informs us, it sinks...
I find it casts further than a normal-sized hunk of crust, being heavier, especially with a quick dunk, and the pinch at the eye stops the crafty carp removing the bait from the hook; also, like an ice-berg, quite a lot of the bread sits below the surface, and this seems to give carp greater confidence to take it. The flake sits so firmly on the shank, last autumn I had a mirror suck the bait through a thick leaf and scum layer, and the bread still stayed on. In those cases, I usually dip the bread in scopex syrup or honey, to help the beasties find their prize...

Lovely mirror FB, the simplest of bait can sometime be the best. :thumb:

Cracker, long live the crust!!!! :thumb:

I think my favourite capture of all time was a beautiful 14lb common taken off the surface with freelined bread. I was using a 1.75lb tc rod and an old centrepin that I borrowed for the session. The vision of the big lips sucking in the bread followed by an amazing tussle is still vivid in my mind today. The fish was less than half that of my PB but still my favourite.

Thanks to all for the kind comments. I agree with Tony's sentiments entirely - who wouldn't? Catching carp off the top is so "alive" compared with sitting behind a buzzer. I like my heart to bounce when I'm fishing, and there's nothing like a carp under the rod top!