Picking the right feeder for fishing with Jamie Hughes
Feeder fishing has become all the rage in recent years, with more people than ever choosing to watch the tip fly round instead of reacting to the float shooting under.
As a result of this boom, the variety of feeders that can be found in your local tackle shop has rocketed, leading to confusion when picking which is best for the job in hand.
Jamie Hughes relies on four different types of feeder for his action, and this week he reveals the deadly quartet and when to turn to each.
Maggot feeder
“If you want to fish for silvers on the feeder then this is the ultimate tool. Simply fill the feeder with maggots, chuck out and wait for them to escape slowly.
“You can moderate how quickly the maggots escape, piercing more holes in the feeder if you want a fast release when the fish are feeding well or using masking task to cover a few of them when the action is slow.
“I will start off using a hooklength around 2ft long, with a size 18 hook at the business end. If I am missing bites I will shorten my hooklength by 6ins, as these are likely to be line bites as the fish gorge close to the feeder itself, but if I can’t get any action I will extend the hooklength by 6ins.”
Cage feeder
“This is a great feeder for introducing lots of bait, as it will release the contents quickly.
“Packing it with groundbait is the best attack, especially when fishing for bream, although dampened micro pellets can be used in it if you are fishing for carp.
“When bream fishing I start the session with a large cage feeder, cast it out fully loaded and then leave it for 20 seconds before twitching it to release the contents and winding in.
“I then repeat that process several times to get down a big bed of bait for the shoal to sit over.
“For the fishing itself I will switch to a smaller feeder so that less commotion is caused.”
Pellet feeder
“This is a brilliant feeder for when carp and F1s are my primary target.
“If I am chucking a fair distance then I am confident that the bait packed inside will still be there when it reaches the final destination – that is really important.
“I also believe that a pellet feeder releases the bait at a slow pace. This is ideal for days when you are having to wait for bites as opposed to bagging one every chuck.
“Tuck a bright hookbait such as a Bag‘em Matchbaits Tuffit inside with the dampened micro pellet loosefeed and the rod tip will soon arch round.”
Method feeder
“Without doubt the Method feeder is the one I use the most. It has helped me win a lot of matches over the years.
“Groundbait or dampened 2mm micro pellets can be moulded around the frame and will crumble off once they reach the bottom.
“The fish will dive in and attack the ball of bait and will suck up your hookbait at the same time.
“Use a 4ins hooklength so that within a split-second of them attacking the feeder, they inhale the hookbait and then feel the weight of the feeder.
“The fish will now bolt and hook itself against the feeder. It is a deadly tactic that will catch you an awful lot of fish.”