The Traditional Fisherman's Forum

Reflecting back, I was considering how often my Dad and I only used either worms (from the old Holborn tin naturally) or bread paste he’d moulded up and squeezed out using an old cloth.
It’s that which he’d generally use to pinch a blob on the line just off the rod tip. It would swing in any breeze and jerk or twitch with the interest of inevitable gudgeon having a nibble.

As a kid when I used to say “can we get maggots?”, he’d look a bit put out. 40 pence worth would suffice in the efgeeco tub, but he’d rarely use any...”i’m after the big stuff on the bottom” he’d say.... another gudgeon would generally follow

Cheers, I'd forgotten about the old bread paste indicator!

I did this near the reel in the Mr.Crabtree manner a few years ago. I caught a carp!

All 10 ounces of him.......

When my interest in using vintage tackle was piqued, mainly by this website, I dug out my oldest reels which had remained unused for decades.
My mainstay for carp fishing had been a pair of Abu Cardinal 55 reels.
On one of them was evidence of the last time I had used it. Mummified under about 30 yards of line was the bread bite indicator I had used, and failed to remove after my final cast.

As a lad I used to use just a bit of bread folded over and squeezed onto the line, between butt and second ring. Didn't do a great deal of legering, but it seemed sensitive.

I've never not used them, far quicker than setting up another rod just to see if anything's prowling around after a static bait. Note depth, remove float, add big shot on a loop of stringsorrymono, clip on a bigger hook on a stronger hooklength "and awaaay!".
Edit - not forgetting to bait up said big 'ook first, natch!

I remember using bread folded on the line between the reel and butt ring. A good indicator, should use it again. I remember my first night fishing trip, having a water vole eating the bread off the line!

I put it between the butt ring and second ring, as if it was between reel and butt ring, I always ended up with it going onto the reel, like Banksy!

Initially the bread ball was hung in front of the tip ring according to the gents - 60/70 years my senior - when I first started fishing the Tidal Thames. It was then easier to move the bait by pushing the bread ball down the line with the tip ring and pulling/winding the slack. I also saw the bobbins dyed pink or yellow, some made of leftover pastry!

Only when it came to fishing stillwater some years later did I move the dough bobbin to nearer the butt/reel end.

I was doing a spot of carp fishing at a very special place a couple of weeks ago and took this pic.
I sent it to some modern carp angler friends with the caption
Delkimdoughs batteries not included