Believe or not trout eat bread, and it is actually quite easy to catch them on it.
My first experience with catching trout on bread was in a small park near where I grew up. There was a small stream, with several deep pools where a few wild brown trout use to live. All I had to do was lower a baited hook over the side of the bridge and allow the bread to slowly drift downstream. It took a while, and several attempts but I was usually able to hook a trout or two.
Where to catch trout on bread?
To have a reasonable chance of catching a trout on bread, you must target trout which already know what bread is. That is usually trout which live in urban environments where people feed bread to the ducks and other birds.
Trout in parks, have learnt to eat bread, and this is one of the best places to catch trout on it.
Bread also works quite well to catch recently stock trout. This is because stock trout are use to eating fish pellets which contain a high percentage of grain. So for a hungry stock trout, a little piece of bread does not look that dissimilar from a pellet.
I advise against using bread to catch trout in a truly wild fishery. While a wild trout might take bread out of curiosity you will have much better luck using a natural looking bait such as a worm.
Do not fish bread when there are hungry ducks nearby!
If there are hungry ducks, they will race to grab any bread they see on the surface. Some might even dive under the water to get it. It is not a good idea to hook a duck by mistake. If too many waterfowl get hook, and people complain fishing can even be banned in some parks.
So use common sense before casting out some tasty bread.
How to present bread when targeting trout?
I like to present bread in two main ones. The first is to float it on the surface, and try to target raising trout. The other is to roll it into a ball and try to fish the depths.
When fishing the surface, I pinch off a small chunk of bread and thread it gently onto the hook. I want to keep it light and fluffy so it will float will on the surface. It is impossible to cast way, so I usually try and flick it out a few meters or lower it down from a bridge. Then it is up to the current to do the rest. I never use this technique if there are ducks or seagulls nearby
When fishing below the surface, I again pinch of a small chunk of bread. But this time I roll it into a tight little ball. The firmer the ball, the better it stays on the hook. When targeting stock trout, I sometimes roll it into a little tube to better resemble a fish pellet.
This tight little bread ball, usually works better than bread on the surface. I believe this is the case for several reason. Not only does it still represent bread, but trout can also mistake it for pellets and in some cases fish eggs.
If you manage to catch a truly wild trout on bread, It probably mistook the bread ball for an egg.
How to cast out a bread ball?
I like to use two different techniques to cast out bread.
The first is to fish it beneath a float or bobber. The small clear plastic balls seem to work best for trout. I attach the bobber about two feet above the hook, and if using the clear plastic ball I half full them with water. This gives enough weight to cast out a reasonable distance.
The second technique is to pinch on several pieces of split shot a few inches above the bread. The split shot gives enough weight to cast the bread out several yards. When fishing with split shot, you must pay close attention to the line. Sometimes trout take the bait very gently. If you suspect a fish might be eaten the bait strike gently to set the hook.
Chum with bread to get the trouts attention!
If you find the fishing is a bit slow, it can be a good idea to start chumming with bread. That is to throw a lot of small pieces of bread into the water to create a food trail. Now, chumming is not always legal so it is worth checking the local regulations.
Chumming can also upset other nearby fishermen. Not only can it steal fish from surrounding areas, it can create quite a mess on the surface.
How to chum with bread
Some fishermen mix up buckets of chum the day before, then throw a cup full of it into the water every few minutes.
Alternatively, just bring a bag of bread and throw a steady streams of chunks into the water.
What type of bread is best for trout fishing?
I do not believe trout have a preference. I do like using a soft white bread because it seems to stick together a bit better than wholemeal. In saying that, if you are planning to chum, white bread is not that healthy for trout due to the lack of protein. Some places have even banned its use. So probably a good idea to use a wholegrain bread for chumming.