How to catch more bream on a feeder
The basic principles of groundbait feeder fishing for bream were laid down decades ago, but numerous tweaks have made it even more effective on the modern-day match circuit.
Mark Pollard was a big fan of the groundbait feeder ‘back in the day’ and has rekindled his love for it recently. This week he reveals exactly how he uses it to keep the slabs coming.
Versatile rig
“If you set a Method or pellet feeder rig up there is very little you can change without having to start from scratch. But that isn’t the case with a groundbait feeder – it can be adjusted to stay in touch with the fish.
“I will always use a feeder bead with a quick-change swivel so I can change the feeder whenever I like. Start the day with a bigger feeder to get some bait down and then switch to a smaller one for topping up as you fish.
“A lot of commercial fishing these days requires regular casting but I will leave the feeder in for at least 15 minutes before winding in and re-chucking it.
“I start with an 18ins hooklength but will extend this by 6ins if I’m not getting bites. I’ll keep doing this until I find the fish. On the flip side, I will shorten it if I am getting line bites that tell me the fish are near the feeder.
“I go with a 3.8m Matrix Horizon S-Class rod that will reach the required distance with ease when combined with a Matrix Super Feeder 5500 reel. Mainline is 4lb with a 30g Matrix Dome feeder run on it to a 0.12mm Matrix Power Micron hooklength and a size 18 Matrix SW Feeder hook.”
Bait choice
“The groundbait mix is very important. The wrong blend will not appeal to bream and you’ll struggle to put together the big catches that could be possible.
“I use three different products mixed together. Dynamite Baits Silver X Roach is packed with attractants, Frenzied Hemp Black Match darkens it off and brown crumb binds it all together.
“Cocktail baits are brilliant for bream fishing and I always have worms, red maggots, casters and pinkies on my side tray.
“Any combination of these can work, and it is a matter of trial and error on the day to see which is the most effective.
“On some waters where a lot of pellets are fed I will try a 6mm banded pellet or maybe even a mini boilie.”
Explore the swim
“You might start catching really well and think you’ve cracked it, but then bites could suddenly stop, leading you to think the bream have gone.
“But it is highly likely they have backed off ever so slightly. Unclip and go a few metres further out and your tip will often go round on the very next chuck.
“Although you want to keep the bait fairly tight, don’t be afraid of covering an area perhaps a metre across, as you want to create a table of feed that a big shoal of bream can graze over.”
