Making Your Own Dough Bait

If you want a cheap, plentiful, easy to use and highly effective fishing bait, try bread. The kids can make this bait which will make them feel that they contributed towards a fishing trip. Use a stale, thin-sliced white loaf to make the paste.

The first step is to remove the crust from the slices. Soak the trimmed slices in a bowl of cold water, making them soggy but not so wet that they disintegrate. Wrap the soaked slices in a clean cloth (such as a tea towel) and squeeze them firmly to remove all excess water. Take the bread out of the cloth and knead it until it becomes a firm, smooth non-sticky paste. You can add additives such as aniseed, brown sugar or custard powder into the paste. My father used to ask my mother for vanilla or almond essence. You can also colour the paste if you want with cake icing colour. When you put the paste on the hook you should mould it around the shank and bend of the hook, leaving the point exposed. So kids ask mum or dad for some stale bread and start making your own bait. Happy fishing at your local dam or river.