Bread is one of the earliest known fish baits to be used, and is still widely regarded as being a good bait in the world of carp fishing today.
Crust, flake, punch or paste
Floating Crust is covered in the buyer's guide 'General Carp Baits', in which we discuss the general use of surface baits in carp fishing. However, there is another option for which buoyant bait is required to keep both hook and bait off the bottom. This is useful for circumstances in which the bottom of the river or lake is uneven or there's a layer of very soft weed or silt into which a denser bait would sink, thereby rendering it unfishable. This is when you're ledgering, or 'float-fishing', crust for that extra buoyancy down river or when there's a heavy pull on the lake. Use a round-bend hook and follow the curve as you push the point in the crust side and leave it so that it rests in the soft bread.
Flakes
Flakes are breadcrumbs which have been folded around the shank of the hook and squeezed so that it grips under its own strength. Feed the hook through the fluffy un-squeezed edge of the bread; if it's done right it should sink slowly under the weight of the hook.
Paste
Paste is stale breadcrumb kneaded into soft dough with a little water. It's perfect for adding flavour to something like strong blue cheese, or a sweet taste. Ideal method of use is ledgering the bait.
Punch
Using a tool called a 'bread punch', a pellet of compressed bread is punched out of a slice. An alternative to floater fishing bread is Dog chum mixers, check out Natural Carp Food and Pro-Match ready prepared carp floaters.