How to catch fish on the mini method feeder
There are some really annoying swims in fishing. You know the ones – swims where there’s a really fishy-looking far bank or island that’s just too far away for pole fishing.
In some cases you can opt for a long line on the pole and flick the rig out into the right spot, but on windy days you can forget that as it’s a recipe for broken sections and tangles in the vegetation.
For me it’s far better to fish a feeder and just recently I’ve been using some really tiny – £1 coin-sized – Mini Method feeders from Guru.
Crashing a big feeder into shallow water is definitely a big ‘no-no’ and so a mini feeder is perfect. Not only do you get to fish the right areas, but you can deliver a small mouthful of feed.
While it can be used for longer chucks, for me these mini feeders are at their best when fished at 17m-25m, and are perfect for those awkward casts which can’t be reached on the pole.
Provided you feather the rig during the cast any disturbance it creates is minimal, and you can also get your rod low and out of the wind.
To prove just how good this tactic is I headed out with Angling Times photographer Lloyd Rogers just as the tail-end of Hurricane Ophelia was raging across the country – not the time to be waving around 16m of carbon pole…
It’s got to be pellets!
While you can use groundbait or pellets on the mini Method, for me, it’s all about pellets.
Carp love pellets and, in my opinion, they are a much safer option than using groundbait as this can be a bit ‘Marmite’ to the fish on some days.
The type of pellets you use is down to personal preference but today on Meadowlands’ Warren Pool I’m using the 2mm fishery pellets, which are basically a good quality coarse pellet.
Just to give them a little boost and make them stand out from everyone else’s baits I like to give them a squirt of Ringers Chocolate Orange liquid.
Pellet prep depends on the type of pellets, but I like to cover the pellets with cold water for 45 seconds, then drain and leave to stand for at least 30 minutes when they should be ready to use.
Beware though, the pellets will dry out during your session so it’s important to keep adding water to them throughout the day to keep them at their best.
weight is important
The feeders I use come in one mini size but in two weights – 20g and 30g – and the one I use depends on the situation I’m faced with.
Today it’s roughly a 21m cast tight to the bushes on the far bank and I’ve found there’s no real slope coming away from the bank, so for this reason I’ve opted for the 20g feeder as it will make less disturbance on the cast and still stay in place in the swim.
Had there been a big slope, however, I would have opted for the 30g feeder so that once it hit the bottom there was no danger of it moving. The feeders I use are elasticated and the elastic choice depends on fish size. While I always like to stick to the short, X-safe stems due to the feeder size, I will vary the elastic.
For example, if the average carp is 5lb-plus I’ll use the heavy black elastic but, if I’m targeting F1s and small carp, I opt for the white light elastic.
Bearing in mind the size of fish on Warren Pool is 5lb-plus, my hooklength is 4ins of 0.17mm N-Gauge line and the hook is a size 14 QM1.
Wafters are winners
As far as hookbaits go it will come as no surprise that it’s all about using wafters.
Quite simply I just don’t think there is a better hookbait option, hence I now use them for nearly all my Method or Hybrid feeder work.
It’s really important when using wafters on the Mini Method that you drop down the size of the baits, and I’ve found 6mm wafters are the perfect match for the small feeder.
Of course, wafters are semi -buoyant and so a size 14 QM1 just sinks a 6mm wafter, leaving you with the ultimate in critically-balanced hookbaits to fool even the wariest of carp.
Regarding colour, if the water is clear then I will look to start off on a light, bright colour such as yellow or even white.
If your lake is holding a bit of colour, a fluoro pink or even a pellet-coloured wafter are better.
Where to cast
When faced with a swim like I am today which looks like a jungle, I always look for a slight cutback where I can get the feeder close in to the bank.
The fish tend to like being under cover so the closer I can get to the bank the better. Instead of fishing on the front of the tree line, I’ve found a small gap that probably enables me to get a good 2m closer to the bank than would normally be the case.
In an ideal world, I like a swim with several of these cut-outs so if bites dry up in one I can then switch to the other. This isn’t always possible, but when it is I will always look at it.
Keep it slack
One of the most important parts of using the Method feeder is making sure that once it hits the bottom it doesn’t move.
When fishing at such short range I like to fish as slack a line as possible as this helps to minimise the chances of the feeder moving should a fish bump into the line.
Bites can still easily be seen because, invariably, a take is signalled by the rod tip heading for the water or, on occasion, a drop-back as the fish picks up the feeder and runs towards you.
Even with a slack tip, a drop-back is easily distinguished as the line falls back towards you from the point it hits the water.
HOW TO LOAD THE MINI FEEDER
1) Start by adding a pinch of pellets to the base of the mould and then put the hookbait on top.
2) Next, fill the mould with pellets covering the hookbait in the process. Once the mould is full, place the feeder on the top and apply firm pressure when pushing the feeder into the mould.
3) Finally, to release the feeder you can either tap the base of the mould or squeeze the sides. All I then like to do is to give the pellets on the feeder a squeeze prior to casting so they stay on when it hits the water.
