British Fishery Bans White Bread as Bait Amid 'Fat Fish' Claims

The Bible preaches "cast thy bread upon the waters" -- but if you’re planning on doing so at a British fishery, better be sure it’s not white bread.

A fishery in England has become the first in the country to veto white bread amid fears it's unhealthy for the fish, the Telegraph reports.

Some experts say white bread lacks the protein contained in other varieties and too much of it leaves fish bloated and lethargic.

Graham Mabey, whose company FLE Angling owns Greenridge Farm Fishery near Romsey, Hampshire, defended the ban, saying they did not want to "discourage the tactic of using a surface bait."

"But we found that people were turning up with up to eight loaves of white bread, which is an extraordinary amount," he told the newspaper. "People leave whole discarded slices floating on the water as well as on the banks, which can attract rats. The salt and sugar levels in white and brown loaves are similar but in a typical white sliced loaf there is 3.5 grams of protein per slice compared to the 5.6 grams in brown bread."

White bread, which has been commonly used as bait for centuries, is referenced in the seminal fishing book, "The Complete Angler" by Izaak Walton in 1653, the Telegraph reports.

Mabey continued: "We have put a note on our website and on our board of rules that no white bread is allowed. We'd rather baits that are better for the fish and will give them a normal healthy gut were used."

Click here for more on this report from The Telegraph.