Feeder Fishing Tips | 5 tips for bream on the feeder
Milder weather means one thing – bream! There’s no better way to catch them than on the feeder!
Vary the feed
Once you start fishing, try to judge how many fish are in the peg by the bites or indications you’re getting. If that’s not very many, it may be worth cutting back on the number of freebies going in through the feeder. There’s no point piling in more and more bait when there aren’t many fish there in the first place.
Let the fish tell you how much to feed
Big hits of bait
Making several quick casts at the start of the match will get some bait into the peg, but don’t bother doing it with the feeder you’re going to be fishing with – these are too small and will take too long. Instead, invest in a baiting-up feeder with a much bigger capacity. Between six and eight loads of bait are ample, using groundbait and a scattering of casters, dead maggots and pinkies, finely-chopped worm and a few bits of corn.
Baiting up feeders are a good way to kick off the swim
Watch the clock
Top bream anglers will always have a stopwatch by their side to time how long each cast is left out in the water. This is to try and work out when a bite is likely to come – if, for instance, you are getting most of your bites within 10 minutes, there’s little point in leaving the feeder out for longer than this.
Time how long you leave the feeder in
Redworms are autumn kings
Worms will still work their magic at this time of year, but on tricky venues it’s worth sourcing some redworms for the hook. These tiny worms are loved by bream, especially skimmers, despite their smaller size. Two or three fished on the hook make a brilliant bait, tipped off with a dead red maggot.
Redworms are a deadly bream bait
Add some colour
In clearing water, certain colours of bait and feed work really well for bream, with yellow the best of them all. Corn or a small yellow wafter or boilie catch loads of fish and you can also pep up your groundbait by adding Pastoncino. These small pieces of biscuit come in bright yellows and reds and just a handful stirred into mixed groundbait puts lots of little flecks through the feed for the fish to pick out when feeding.
Adding some colour can really boost results
River Fishing Tips | Six tips to make river fishing easy with Lee Kerry
Tackling flowing water is one of the most exciting challenges in fishing.
The way that fish behave in moving water is totally different to how they behave in still water. On a river, they will generally sit in line with the flow and compete for food, and there are a number of ways that you can go about trying to catch them from this line.
Choose your species
When a river is low and the water clear, target smaller fish like roach, dace and perch. If the river is carrying extra water and colour, skimmers, bream and barbel can all switch on.
Have feeder options
Use an open-end feeder with SonuBaits Black River groundbait if the river is coloured. Alternatively, to kick off a peg, use a blockend with hemp, maggots or casters.
Use sturdy tackle
I use an Extremity 520 reel paired with a 12ft 6ins Supera rod – a great balance for many fast-flowing rivers using feeders to 2oz. Mainline is 6lb Sinking Feeder Mono.
Balance the rig
Fish with a bow in the line and the rod pointing downstream towards it. Balance the weight of the feeder with the flow, so as a fish picks up the bait, the bite shows as a drop-back.
Cast regularly
Early in the session, I’ll cast every minute to get a steady stream of bait in the swim and attract the fish. Later, I’ll lengthen the gap between casts to around three minutes.
Don’t go too short
Long hooklengths are best as the bait will sit downstream of the feeder and be the first thing the fish finds as it moves up to the feed. A size 16 to 0.15mm mono is a good all-round choice.
River Fishing Tips | Running or fixed feeder for chub? - Hadrian Whittle
My rig actually works on both principles – it’s a hybrid of a running and fixed set-up. The feeder slides on the line and is stopped above a short length of twisted line via a float stop or bead.
The black-cap feeder rig
Above the feeder is another stop that can be slid up and down to increase or decrease the gap between the stops and, thus, how far the feeder can move.
By leaving just an inch gap and having the feeder balanced to just hold bottom, anything taking the bait moves the feeder, which then hits the stop and helps to hook the fish.
There are days when lengthening this gap works, others when shortening it right up catches more.
A cracking river chub
Commercial Fishing Tips - How close should you fish to islands? - Tommy Pickering
How close you should fish to islands all depends on the fish.
Islands are a great holding feature for fish, but you don’t always have to fish tight to them
F1s like around 18ins of water and I normally catch them by casting just short of the island.
Carp prefer 12ins of depth and can be attacked by chucking tight. Late in the day the carp may well end up almost hugging the island, moving into the really shallow water.
To find this depth, cast out with a bomb and try to get a feel of things. You won’t have a count, as the water is too shallow, but if it’s a foot deep, the lead should hit bottom immediately. If it’s a bit deeper, it’ll take a fraction longer to settle.
Carp prefer 12ins of depth near islands
Feeder Fishing Tips - Knowing the depth on the bomb or feeder - Mick Vials
A rule of thumb states that a 1oz leger bomb will sink around 2ft 6ins for every second you count, so a count of eight means that point you’ve cast to is around 20ft deep. The trick is to start short at, say, 30 yards, then work your way out by a few yards at a time.This way, you will soon work out the contours of the lake and identify where it is shallower, where it deepens off and where there are any ledges or plateaux.
I believe it’s not so important to find the depth, more to find how the bottom of the lake varies and where the fish will be.
To get a count, I clip up on my reel, cast the bomb to the clip then, with the quivertip still bent, begin counting as soon as the bomb hits the water. When the tip springs back slack the bomb has hit bottom and you can stop the count.
A rule of thumb states that a 1oz leger bomb will sink around 2ft 6ins for every second you count
Commercial Fishing Tips | Running or inline bomb? - Phil Ringer
More and more anglers fish a bomb running freely on the line. This is much safer because if the line breaks, a hooked fish can pull free of the bomb.
However, an elasticated set-up has advantages, these being that the elastic acts as a shock absorber when playing a fish under the rod tip.
It also makes the rig self-hooking as a carp taking the bait pulls against the elastic. However, many fisheries don’t allow elasticated bombs or feeders so make sure to check the rules first!
Commercial Fishing Tips | Hybrid feeder tips with Steve Ringer
There are actually five sizes of Hybrid feeder, and the ones I use the most are Mini, Medium and Large.
Mini Hybrid
This is my winter feeder for venues like Barston, where I’m casting about trying to find a group of fish – ‘dobbing with a feeder’ I call it. I can cast a 30g Hybrid a long way with very little splash on impact, and I’m convinced this makes a big difference when the water is cold and clear. I also carry the Mini Hybrid in 18g and 24g versions for shorter-range work.
Medium Hybrid
This is for ‘standard’ work in both 32g and 42g. The 42g version is used for long-range work, as when launched it really will go the distance because it’s relatively small and compact.
Large Hybrid
These get the most use, and I carry them in 28g, 45g and 60g. The 28g Large is my favourite summer feeder when I want to feed a bit of bait on venues like Barston and Larford. It’s heavy enough to get the distance, but not so heavy that it will sink into any soft silt that might be present. The 45g Large is my feeder for Boddington, where even in winter a big feeder produces more bites. I can only assume the carp find it easier to home in on a larger amount of bait, even in the cold.
The 45g of weight is needed to get the distance, as 100m casts aren’t unusual on there in the cold.
I also carry the 60g Large Hybrid for punching into a big wind with a 14ft rod.
How to load a hybrid feeder
Load the body of the Hybrid feeder with your mix – pellets, groundbait or a combination of the two.
Compress the feed with your finger. The tighter it’s packed, the slower it will break down.
Place your hookbait – here a pink wafter – in the centre of the feed already in the Hybrid.
Add more feed to make an aerodynamic load and you’re all ready to cast.
Baits for the Hybrid
Over the years the Hybrid feeder has become synonymous with pellets – anglers don’t realise it can be used with both pellets and groundbait, or even a mix of the two. I regularly use a Hybrid with groundbait when fishing for bream or skimmers.
FOR MORE GREAT TIPS FROM STEVE, PICK UP THE MAGAZINE OUT EVERY TUESDAY.
How to get more bites when fishing
Take a look at this new take on an old method from Steve Ringer that is guaranteed to get you more bites when fishing on your next match. Steve has managed to give his fishing that extra edge in the last few weeks by fishing this new method as it has allowed him to faster carp bites on the feeder take a look at this devastating new method and let us know what you think!
The straight lead and pellet has long been a deadly combination, but recently I’ve had a great run of results by feeding as if I was on the bomb, but fishing a huge, pellet-packed Hybrid feeder instead!
This way I have been getting much quicker bites. I can only think this is down to the carp finding the bait that bit quicker, as there’s a lot more to home in than just a single hookbait.
The other secret to this tactic has been to fish right on top of my loosefeed.
In the past I have caught lots of carp just off the back of the feed but just lately they have been bang on the loosefed pellets. Putting my feeder in the right place has made all the difference.
Here’s how to do it…
Feeding your swim
I like to feed as far out as I possibly can. If I can feed past those around me this gives me my own bit of water out of which to pull fish.
The next thing to consider is that I want the carp to stay on the bottom. The way I feed the swim has to reflect this.
Instead of feeding little and often, as I would normally do, I have had a lot more success by what I call ‘double pouching’. As the name suggests, this involves feeding two big pouchfuls of bait one after the other.
My theory is that the carp are tuned into noise. They hear the first pouchful of pellets hitting the water and then, when the second lot hit, they follow them down to the bottom where the feeder is.
Feeding double pouchfuls also means you’re putting a lot of bait in. This helps to keep the fish on the bottom, which is obviously where you need them when you’re fishing the feeder.
One key element when fishing in this manner is to keep feeding. I’ll fire out a double pouchful over the feeder every two minutes to try and draw more and more carp into the swim.
Accuracy is crucial
A little trick I use to ensure my feeder is right in among my loosefed pellets is to feed first and then cast right on top of the loose offerings.
I like to clip my loaded feeder on so it’s ready to cast, feed twice in quick succession, and cast right into the rings the loosefed pellets have made.
I’m not a fan of casting and leaving the feeder out for ages, as most bites will come within two minutes when the carp are really having it. There’s no point sitting waiting for the tip to go round.
Fish a slack line
I like to fish a slack line with virtually no bend in the quivertip. This helps to reduce line bites, which lessens the chance of spooking fish out of the swim.
When a fish bumps into the mainline there’s every chance it will leave the swim, especially if that line is bowstring-taut.
Don’t worry about fishing slack and not spotting bites. When you get a fish the rod will bend in half!
Of course, if you get a drop-back bite, which is unlikely at such short range, you can still tell. The line falls totally slack between the tip and where it meets the water.
My Hybrid rig for big fish
My set-up couldn’t be much simpler. For waters like Barston and Boddington, feeder choice is the large, 28g Hybrid – I’m targeting decent-sized carp, and what better way to do it than with a big feeder?
The only change I make to the feeder is to remove the inline stem and replace it with the long, X-Safe stem loaded with black elastic.
I feel I lose fewer fish when using elastic, and when the hooked carp are 8lb-10lb this can make a huge difference to my final weight.
Moving down, the hooklength is 4ins of 0.19mm N-Gauge and the hook is a size 10 QM1.
Just recently I have been using size 10s for all my big-carp work and I haven’t found anything not to like about them. It might look like a big hook, but if you look at the size of an 8lb carp’s mouth then it suddenly begins to seem somewhat small by comparison!
Washed out hookbaits
It will be no surprise to anyone reading this to find that hookbaits are all about my favourite 10mm Wafters. The two colours I favour are the trusty orange and the washed-out yellow.
Over the last two years I’ve caught more carp on the Chocolate Orange Wafter than any other bait, so I’d be silly not to have it in my armoury.
However, when fishing the Hybrid feeder over loosefed pellets I have to admit if I had to choose just one colour it would be washed-out yellow.
Once in the water, this shade of Wafter actually looks very much like a loosefed pellet, and I think that’s why it has caught me so many carp on this tactic.
Six steps to casting feeders further
here’s little point in having the correct rig, lovingly-prepared bait and groundbait and a good peg to fish if you can’t cast your feeder far enough in the first place.
You may think that you can cast well and put a feeder out a long way, but there are always a few little things that can be added to your technique that’ll put 10 or 20 more yards on the cast. On many waters, where casting further than the anglers around you might be important, these little improvements will mean more fish.
Get the right ‘drop’
This is the length of line between feeder and rod-tip before you cast. If it is too short, then you won’t achieve the force to cast far enough – around 5ft of line is ideal, allowing you to really compress the rod.
use your other hand
Too many anglers cast using just the hand and arm holding the rod around the reel. This is wrong. Your other hand that’s on the bottom of the handle is just as important, as this should ‘pull’ on the rod as you cast, creating speed on the cast to propel the feeder further.
point where you cast
When the cast is finished, the rod should be pointing directly to the spot where the feeder has gone into the water. This will tell you that you’ve been accurate, and is achieved by following through with the rod in a straight line as the feeder flies through the air.
Release at the right point
When to release line from the spool mid-cast makes a big difference. It should happen when the rod is roughly pointing to 11 o’clock on an imaginary clock – 12 o’clock will be the point immediately above your head. Let go too early and the feeder will go in a more upward direction, while too late and it will crash into the water 20 yards out!
use the right type of rod
Modern feeder rods are designed for casting a long way, so don’t be afraid to put a lot of force into the chuck and fully compress the rod. It might look as though it’s bending alarmingly, but that’s what it’s built to do – the rod won’t break!
Stand to attention
For really long casts, you’ll have to stand up. This creates more clearance behind you to get the right ‘drop’ between feeder and rod, and also allows you to use the weight of your body to propel the cast.
What feeder to choose with Tommy Pickering
Take a look around your local tackle shop and you will see that there are dozens of different feeder patterns available. Each one serves a purpose, but you need to pick the right pattern for the job in hand. This week I reveal three feeders that have a proven track record for silver fish on natural and commercial waters.
Maggots are a brilliant bait for a variety of species, especially roach and chub. This type of feeder should be packed with maggots that will slowly crawl out once it hits the bottom, drawing fish into the swim. You can cut extra holes with scissors if you want the bait to escape quicker, or tape up some holes if you want the maggots to get away at a slower pace. Preston Innovations Clik Cap feeders fit the bill, as they cast accurately and release the bait at the ideal rate.
When you want to put down a bed of groundbait a completely different feeder is required. It needs to have open ends so that the groundbait can trickle out into the swim. Of the two different kinds of open end feeder – wire and plastic – I prefer the latter. This is because they have fewer holes, and they prevent any of the bait falling out on the way to the bottom. I rarely use less than 30g feeders and these will easily chuck distances up to 50 yards.
On big and open waters where bream dominate you may have to cast a long way to get in touch with the shoals. You could try and hit the mark with a standard open-end feeder but you would probably fall short of your target. The answer is to use a feeder where the lead is mounted at the bottom. This makes the feeder fly better and also improves casting accuracy.
Tommy Pickering's greatest tips revealed!
When it comes to boosting your catches in early-spring, there’s no one more qualified to help than Tommy Pickering. The former world champion andcurrent Preston Innovations England feeder team boss is one of the world’s best all-round anglers, and this week he reveals a boxful of tips that will bring more fish your net.
Bait
LIght Groundbait
A light-coloured groundbait mix will always outscore a darker version when roach are the main target. The species tends to feed more confidently over a light blend, and a very fine product that has minimal feed content should be used to prevent overfeeding the shoal. Sonubaits Super Crumb Lake ticks all the boxes.
Pinkies for big fish
Worms, casters and maggots may seem like three deadly baits for skimmers, but pinkies go top of my list when fishing for the species on natural venues. Mix plenty of them into your groundbait, use two or three on the hook and you’ll find you are picking out much bigger stamp fish than other anglers around you.
Try a binding agent
If you are struggling to get your pellets to cling to the Method feeder then add a binding agent. Dampen your 2mm pellets as usual and then add one spoonful of Sonubaits Stiki Pellet to a pint of bait. This will make sure the pellets stick when casting and as the feeder falls, but also ensure they start to break down slowly once the feeder hits the deck.
Which goes first?
Add groundbait to the water when making paste but add water to the groundbait when making groundbait. This subtle change is may seem unimportant but it is essential, and will make sure your bait takes on the consistency that you require for the job
How to hook casters
There are two different ways to hook a caster, and how the day is going will dictate the best way to do it. The first is to bury as much of the hook inside the shell as possible. This produces more action when silvers are cagey. When they drop their guard, have the hookpoint fully exposed so you reduce the number of missed bites
Vary your pellets
Pellets are the staple diet of most commercial fish but the fish can wise up to them at times. In order to give yourself an edge, feed standard coarse pellets but use a flavoured or coloured pellet over the top to fool bites from wary specimens.
Cylinders V Cubes
Punched cylinders of meat are stacks better than cubes when fishing on the feeder. This is because the shape of cubed meat leads to twists occurring in the hooklength when you reel in.
Try pop-up boilies
The bomb and popped-up bread can be fantastic for carp and F1s on commercials right now but don’t neglect boilies. An 8mm or 10mm pop-up can be a better option if you are getting lots of little plucks that you can’t hit – small silverfish are often the culprits. Pop-ups are also better when you are waiting long periods, as you can be a lot more confident that the hookbait is still on the hair and hasn’t disintegrated.
Floats
Which float stem
The type of stem that your stick float has should be dictated by the conditions you are fishing in. Cane is best when trying to catch silvers on the drop, alloy versions are more stable in unpredictable, boiling swims and plastic-stemmed floats stand upright as soon as they hit the water. They are therefore real winners in turbulent and pacey swims.
Quick Change Swivel
Always use a snap link swivel with any kind of waggler. This will enable you to quickly change the size or pattern of the float at any stage of the day.
Overcast and windback
Sink the line when using the waggler so that the float stays in the same place for longer. In order to achieve this, cast five yards beyond your target zone, before winding the float back to your spot with the rod tip underwater. A small amount of line may still be floating and this can be sunk by sharply flicking the rod tip upwards.
Dot it right down
Never have any more than half the float bristle showing when pole fishing. When fishing for shy-biting species such as F1s, dot it down so only a few millimetres are showing. This can be done by adding tiny shot such as No12 Stotz to your rig in order to fine-tune it.
Accuracy every time and how to keep a short line
Pick a far-bank marker in order to fish in exactly the same spot all day. Line your swim up with an object that won’t move and make sure you are facing it when the rig goes in. Place your elbow on the same spot to get the same distance every time.
If you want to hit every carp and F1 bite on commercials you must keep a short line between pole-tip and float. Use a 6ins length in still conditions, 9ins if there is a ripple, and a foot if it is a bit windy.
Tackle
How long a rod?
Too many people don’t pay attention to the length of feeder rod they are using, but your choice will dictate how accurate your casting is. For fishing 30 yards out on a standard commercial, opt for a 10ft version, stepping up to a 12ft or 13ft rod when chucking beyond 50 yards on bigger waters.
Make yourself comfortable
Being comfortable when fishing from a box is incredibly important, or your mind will soon drift off the job. Make sure your side tray is as high as it can be so that you can reach bait with ease. Rig roosts and keepnets should also be easily accessible without having to over extend.
Positioning a pot
The positioning of your pole pot on the top kit will dictate how successful you are. Make sure it is only a few inches from the pole so that any loosefeed you drop in goes directly over the top of your hookbait.
Fail-safe shotting
Shotting patterns are rarely given the attention they deserve, and if you are after a mixed bag on commercials then one patterns always works well. Place a bulk of shot around 18ins to 2ft away from the hook and have three smaller dropper shot spread evenly between that and the hooklength loop. This will slow the fall of your hookbait and make it look natural as it nears the bottom.
Keep a short hair
The difference between an effective hair rig and one that doesn’t lead to many fish in the net is literally a few millimetres. The shorter the hair rig, the better and I find that hair rigs where there is only a tiny gap between the bait and the hook are most effective.
Control your area
On a busy commercial, think carefully about where you are going to fish. If all the anglers opposite are casting to the middle then the fish will probably avoid this commotion and go elsewhere. Look to fish in your own patch of water – even if that means coming shorter – and you’ll find more feeding fish.
Try a heavy plummet
We all know that plumbing the depth is important, but using the correct plummet is a must. If it is too light, you won’t be able to work out the contours of the bottom whereas a 20g-30g version will give you the precision that is required when using the pole.
Sensibly strong rigs
If a fishery states that the carp run up to 15lb, don’t set up a rig to catch only fish of that size. Using heavy lines and hooks you’ll miss out on bites from smaller fish, so compromise.
Feeder
longer hooklengths
On rivers I find an 18ins to 2ft hooklength best in coloured water. When bream fishing in normal conditions I will step up to 3ft, and 5ft for barbel, as they tend to sit well away from the feeder on big rivers like the Trent.
Don’t move a feeder
Once you have cast a feeder out don’t move it out of place. With a Method or pellet feeder you will only empty the frame and move your hookbait out of the pile of freebies. This will ultimately make the whole rig ineffective. When you cast out, make sure the feeder hits the water with the mainline still slack, so you can put a bend in the tip without moving the feeder.
Give it a chance
If your feeder is in the right place, leave it in the water for a long period of time. At this time of year you may only be fishing for 10 fish so don’t be afraid of leaving it be for up to 20 minutes.
Why plastic is best
I prefer a plastic open-end feeder to wire. This is because I am much more confident that all the bait stays in it until it gets to the bottom, and it also retrieves easier and doesn’t vibrate as much in the water.
Depth-Finder
To find the depth on bomb or feeder cast out a 1oz bomb. Once it hits the water start counting. A bomb of this size falls at a rate of a foot every half second, so you can work it out from there.
Fishing a light bomb
When fishing the bomb, the lightest lead you can get away with should be used at this time of year. Any excess commotion will spook any fish you have landed on and when fishing on commercials, a 3/8oz to ½oz bomb is about right.
Match feed to venue
Feeder groundbait when targeting bream depends on the water I am on. If it is a commercial that sees a lot of pellets than I will use a fishmeal-based product such as Sonubaits Bream Feeder, but if I am on a natural water I’ll turn to a cereal recipe such as Sonubaits Super Crumb Bream.
Half- Filled feeder
Half-filling a Banjo feeder is a fantastic way of getting extra bites in the cold. The reduced amount of food around the feeder forces the fish into taking the hookbait and it is often the bigger specimens that fall for this trick.
