Commercial Fishing Tips - Mix your method feed and catch more carp with Bob Nudd

At this time of year, you need to think a little more carefully about your approach to keeping the bites coming on commercial fisheries.

This applies as much to the feeder as it does to the pole and waggler… especially when it comes to the feed you put around it.

I’ll still use a Method feeder now, simply because it puts your hookbait right on top of your feed. I’ll lean towards a small feeder, although I’ll always make sure there’s enough weight on it to allow an easy cast to my chosen spot – that’s normally 20g-30g.

The feeder itself is always an inline flatbed-type, which I know will settle exactly as I want it on the lake bed. The set-up is simple, with the feeder running on the main line and stopped by a buffer bead attaching the main line to the 4ins hooklength.

Cold-weather feed

When it comes to what feed to put around the feeder, this seems to go in cycles. A few years ago, fishmeal groundbait was all the rage, but more recently dampened micro-pellets have taken over.

These days, I like a 60:40 mix of micros and groundbait at the start of a session when I’m not sure just the carp are going to feed.

If bites come thick and fast, the carp are clearly feeding well and in this instance I will try feeding just micros and eliminating the groundbait.

However, if it becomes apparent that it’s going to be a tough day, it might be worth easing back on the pellets and feeding only groundbait instead. This will attract fish without feeding them too much. The answer is to have a small bowl of dampened pellets and another one of mixed groundbait so can change the proportions as the day progresses.

The beauty of a Method feeder is that you can use a mould to ensure you feed exactly the same amount every cast, but it’s more than that. With every loaded feeder being the same shape and weight, your casts will be much more consistent, especially if you use the reel’s line clip to ensure accurate distance every time.

What hookbaits

As far as hookbaits are concerned, my ‘banker’ starting offering will always be a hard 6mm pellet attached to band on a hair rig with the help of a pellet bander.

Other hookbait options at this time of year include sweetcorn, three or four dead red maggots, or a brightly-coloured wafter.

It’s amazing how a change from of hookbait to another can bring an instant result.