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 catch big fish on the pole - Steve Harwood
RIVERS are full of all kinds of obstacles that make many anglers nervous when fishing for larger species such as bream, tench, chub and perch. Weed is the most common of these snags but there's no need to put the pole away when fishing around the green stuff. Here are six of my top tips to beat it…
Big river fish can be caught on the pole
Use heavy floats
Get the bait down fast with a float from 1.5g to 2g and all the weight down the line.
Big floats help get the baits down fast
Big baits rule
Two halves of dendra worm are best for Thames bream and perch, fished overdepth.
Try fishing big baits over depth
Get the feed down
Roughly chopped worms are packed into crumb with casters and dead maggots.
Pack your ground bait full of feed
Don’t go too light
I use a 14-16 Gamakatsu 2210B hook with 0.15mm hooklength and 0.18mm mainline.
Don’t go too small with hooks
Soft & strong elastic
You’ll lose fish in the weed if your elastic is too light. I fish white or grey grade Hydrolastic: soft yet powerful.
Light elastic will see you lose more fish
Prime the swim
A baitdropper delivers choppy without spillage, allowing me to put the rig directly on top of where those worms are.
Bait droppers are great for delivering bait into a river swim
Match Fishing Tips | 5 tips to win big with bream
Stillwater fishing for bream has changed a good deal since the days of squatts, swingtips and target boards. Here are some top tips to help you put a big net of slabs together…
Vary your hooklengths
This can vary throughout a match, but the agreed starting point for many anglers is between 50cm and 75cm. You will rarely need to go longer than this, unless the fish are showing signs of feeding well off bottom. Shortening the hooklength can pay off if you are missing bites, because putting the hookbait nearer the feeder can result in a more positive indication on the tip.
Shortening your hooklength can really pay off
Twitch the bait
Sit on your hands and wait for the tip to go round. That’s the rule from the old school bream fishing handbook, but today things are a little different. By moving the hookbait slightly, you can tempt a bream into taking the bait, but will also be pulling the bait closer to the area your feeder has dropped its goodies. Half a turn of the reel handle is usually enough movement.
Moving the bait can pick up extra bites
Use braid
Swapping from mono line to braid on your reel will bring many advantages. Being thinner in diameter, braid casts a lot further and adds accuracy. Also, when a fish takes the bait, the bite is magnified tenfold as a very positive pull on the quivertip. Using a length of shockleader makes casting completely safe – just remember not to strike hard when you get a bite. Simply pick the rod up and pull into the fish.
Braid is the best line for bite indication
Cast accurately
There’s no point in getting your rig and feed right, only to undo that hard work with haphazard casting. Accuracy is king here and using the line clip on the reel and working with a marker on the horizon as an aiming point will help no end. Having a big enough feeder to hit the mark each time is advisable. If you do make a bad cast, wind in and cast again. Leaving out a feeder that’s miles away from the feed area is a waste of time.
Accuracy is key in all fishing
Go for fishmeal
Even on natural lakes, fishmeal is having a big impact. That’s not to say that you need to go down the 100 per cent fish route, as this might be a bit too strong. Instead, balance out a classic sweet groundbait with a helping of fishmeal or, better still, go for a sweet fishmeal blend that’s already mixed. Adding a few dampened micro pellets to the mix along with the usual casters, dead maggots and chopped worm will further increase the pulling power of your groundbait.
Bream love fishmeal groundbait
Canal Fishing Tips | Target the wides for canal bream with Alan Donnelly
Canals are generally narrow, with not much more than 13m of water to go at. But dotted along the length of most of them are wider parts.
These are turning points for boats or, in some cases, they were widened out when the canals were first dug back in the 1800s. From a fishing point of view, these wides act as a magnet to fish and anglers.
Boats don’t have too much of an impact on the waggler line because it’s tucked well away from the boat channel
Some wides can have 30m-plus of water while others can be incredibly shallow and are not all that they seem. Given a good depth and some cover, though, they’re brilliant and the ideal sort of swim to banish any thoughts that canals are all about tiny fish and battles with barges and mountain bikes.
Bream, especially, like these wider sections, but there’s a problem. Often the pole won’t be long enough to get to the fish. The answer is very much old-school, ditching the pole for rod and line tactics with a little waggler. This approach was the norm on canals back in the 1970s before the pole took over. We’re talking short rods, stumpy light floats and loosefeeding – a lovely way to catch fish.
Bream love to hang around in wide sections
My local Grand Union Canal around Tring has plenty of wides and they’re all home to bream that can be caught on the float. It’s easy to find a wide swim. The hard work is in deciding where to fish in the peg and how best to approach it. Groundbait can play a part, but loosefeeding can be better on some days.
The waggler is a great option to get the best out of a wide peg, letting you fish places you can’t reach with the pole and catch the fish that may have backed off to the other side of the canal.
I use specially-made floats by Graham Welton
It’s also a lot easier to fish than the long pole. Not everyone can manage 16m of pole, especially if the wind is blowing, then there’s the hassle of unshipping back on to narrow towpaths with bikes, joggers and dog walkers filing past.
The waggler does away with all of that. It’s an efficient method too, in fact when you’re catching well on it, it’s miles faster than fishing the pole.
Tackle doesn’t need to be specialised, you may well already have a lot of what’s needed in the shed. Base your attack around short, light floats, small hooks and minimal shotting down the line. A good through-actioned match rod is just the job. Add a few pints of casters as bait and a catapult and you’re more or less there!
An 11ft rod gives you the control for relatively short casts and is easier to use than a 13ft model. I use an 11ft Drennan Ultralight Matchpro.
Commercial Fishing Tips | 4 tips for a big weight of silvers - Steve Ringer
One of the joys of fishing is never knowing what you’re going to hook next.
Even on commercial fisheries this is the case. Aside from the big mirrors and commons, you’ll find masses of F1s, barbel, skimmers, tench and roach which, when targeted correctly, can give you a brilliant day’s sport.
To catch them consistently, though, and to try and avoid the carp, you need a different approach. Light rigs fished through the water, small natural baits and regular feeding – plus trying to target areas away from the carp – are the key factors. Once you get these right, the bites will be quick in coming and you can really start bagging.
Amount to feed
Feed a dozen casters at a time, upping this if small fish are a problem. Casters make a noise hitting the water, bringing fish off the bottom.
Hookbaits
A single caster will get bites at the start, but switch to double if you want to catch something a bit better. Use the dark-coloured shells.
Elastics and floats
A Blue Hydrolastic is soft enough for silvers, but has enough power to tame F1s. Use a light float such as a 4x10 or 4x12 F1 Slim pattern.
Terminal tackle
A size 16 Guru F1 Pellet Barbless hook is the ideal hook, matched to a 6ins hooklength of 0.12mm or 0.14mm Guru N-Gauge line.
River Fishing Tips | Six tricks to catch the bigger river fish - Darren Cox
Hungry as the big specimens may be, the appetites of their smaller brethren will be just as keen, and a day can be soured by a never-ending stream of tiddlers and nothing substantial to put a bend in the rod.
On a river, it’s not that easy to single out the chub and bream when there are hordes of tiny bleak and dace to wade through. You will have to put up with catching some of these smaller fish, because that’s just the way it is, but there are plenty of tricks you can try to sort out the proper big boys!
“It’s not that easy to single out the chub and bream when there are hordes of tiny bleak”
Find the fast water
Find swims with faster water that will be well-oxygenated. Most species will have finished spawning and will move into gravel runs in fast water. You’ll still find little fish there, but that’s where the chub will be.
Fast well-oxygenated water is best for big fish early in the season
Use big baits
Maggots will be a waste of time. Casters are a favourite and tend to sort out the chub and big roach. If you’re still getting pestered by bleak and dace, though, use tares or a kernel of corn.
Bigger baits for bigger fish - don’t waste time with maggots!
Tackle up properly!
Big hooks and stronger lines will make sure you land chub and even barbel and will also put the smaller fish off. Try a size 16 hook to a 0.12mm or 0.14mm hooklength.
Use bigger hooks and stronger line
Up the feed
Feed hemp and caster in a ratio of 50/50. Begin by feeding sensibly to work out how many bigger fish are there. If small fish are a problem, double the feed.
Keep the feed going in and double the ratio if small fish are becoming a problem.
Go shallow
Fish will be very active in early season and may be feeding off bottom. This is especially true of chub. A small stumpy waggler fished at half-depth is a super way to catch chub darting about up in the water.
Try a small waggler fished at half-depth for chub
Fishmeal groundbait
Bream are the main target on slower rivers, but even on the feeder, little fish can dominate. Use a fishmeal groundbait, which dace and roach aren’t so keen on. Add inert particles like hemp and casters.
Fishmeal groundbait is a great attractor for big bream
Specimen Fishing Tips | Areas to target for a personal best bream - Darren Goulder
Bream generally feed by grazing over a wide area, so look for somewhere that’s weed-free, with a smooth or firm silty bottom. The backs of gravel bars are good spots, if the lake has them, because fish often use these as transit routes to travel around a venue.
A feast of particles laid down in close proximity will stop them in their tracks. If the silt is soft and smelly, I’d advise you to fish on top of any gravel where it’s free of muck and rubbish.
Traditionally, bream are usually caught at range, but that is not always necessary as they can be caught down the marginal shelf too. Most importantly, keep your eyes on the water at dawn and dusk when bream can very often give away their presence by rolling on the surface.
Stay clear of weed for a big bream
Fish spawning - what to look out for
It is that time of year when the warm temperatures will be causing our most popular coarse species to start spawning. This will result in many fisheries closing to let the fish get this stressful process out of the way in peace.
Fishing for spawning fish is not only frowned upon, it is actually not that productive, as the last thing the fish will have on their mind during this period is food.
If you are thinking fish are beginning to spawn on your lake, the best thing to do, is move away from the area entirely, change your target species and let the lake owner know - so they can make plans to protect their stock.
Here are a few signs the fish may soon be spawning…
Carp, bream and tench
Currently the species likely to be getting close to spawning are carp, bream and tench. The time they do this will vary from water to water, as it is entirely dependent on water temperature.
Some may have spawned already, others will be a long way off. So, it really is just about judging the situation from the behaviour of your target fish.
Grouping together
Many species are naturally shoaled together throughout the year. But in the coming months, look out for groups of fish following each other quickly through weedbeds, close to marginal reeds or in shallow areas of the lake.
What you will initially start to see, is smaller male fish following the female and nudging at her to release her eggs. They will then frantically be looking to get in line to fertilise these once she has released.
For this reason, you will find male fish are far more active early on. These will usually be smaller fish, with a different shape and profile to the females. Males will be longer and leaner than the females, and particularly with carp, will have massive fins. With tench this is also true, but a male tench can also be spotted by a protruding muscle on its flank.
Males at this time of year will fight like crazy, so bare this in mind when you are fishing. Look out for signs of other fish following the one you are attached to, this is a clear sign spawning is on their minds.
Look out for big groups of fish
Spawning nodules
Another good indicator that carp and bream are close to spawning, is spawning nodules. These are small lumps or spots on the fish, which will make the fish very rough to touch. These nodules will cover the head and pectoral fins but do not worry they aren’t causing the fish any harm.
Thrashing
When the fish start spawning you will have no doubt about it. It is quite a spectacle to behold, particularly with carp. The fish will be thrashing through the weed and reeds at some pace, often obliterating everything in their path.
If you have lines in the water, you will get constant false runs, which may seem like screaming takes, until you strike into nothing.
The water will be churned to a mud bath pretty quickly too in some lakes. Take note of these trashed areas as it may not be caused by feeding fish like you first may think.
Carp will thrash through the weed when spawning
Let them rest
The vigorous spawning process can cause some damage to the fish as they thrash through the lakeside vegetation. Some unfortunately won’t even survive the process. It is therefore important to let the fish recover for a week or two once spawning is out the way.
If carp cannot release their eggs they can become spawn bound and die
They may spawn more than once
You may find that groups of fish on lakes around the country attempt the spawning process more that once. During these next few months, be prepared for them to start at any time and leave them to it when they do.
Get fish spotting
For carp anglers in particular, this is a great time of year to have a good look at the stock in your lake. Noted target fish will be easily visible in this period and you will get a good look at some of the less known characters too.
So, instead of an afternoon with the rods out, why not spend an afternoon watching the fish and let nature do its work?
Time to just observe
River Fishing Tips | Feeder fishing for river bream with Ed Warren
With the exception of barbel, no species appreciates coloured water more than bream.
That murky brown tinge is perfect for the fish to feed, and although the pole and, at times, the waggler can catch bream, nothing beats the feeder.
It puts your bait close to the feed and keeps everything still on the bottom, something bream demand. In a wind the feeder is a whole lot easier to fish than the long pole, and all in all it’s a very simple way of fishing, with easy-to-tie rigs and bites that are a doddle to spot.
Pick the distance
Traditionally, bream favour the deepest water possible, but that’s not always the case. I’d have a few quid on them living towards the far bank, well out of the way. Water 4ft-plus deep is a good spot to base your attack around.
Find this depth by casting a leger bomb around the swim and counting how long it takes to hit bottom. A count of three or four is about right. This searching of the swim will also highlight any snags in the area. You need to be fishing on a clean riverbed, so bear this in mind.
Easy rig
For river bream, a simple rig is best. The feeder slides on the mainline, stopped by a couple of float stops and a bead, below which I twist around 6ins of line to create a stiff boom to eliminate rig tangles.
That leaves the hooklink, and how long it should be. I’d start at 1m and be happy with this, never making it longer and only shortening it if I were catching fish that had taken the bait well down. Going to a 50cm link will show bites up quicker and mean every bream is hooked in the lip.
All about feed
Chopped worm and caster is packed into a feeder capped off at each end with groundbait. The mix is 50:50 sweet and fishmeal, that pongy fish smell putting scent into the water to help the bream find the bait.
I make five quick casts to get some bait in, then rely on each cast to keep the swim on the simmer. Casts are five minutes apart. Bream won’t be eating a lot at this time of year so there’s no need to pile in the bait.
Fish direct
Some river anglers like to create a long bow in the line and rely on the quivertip dropping back to show a bite. I prefer to have a tight line from rod-tip to feeder to show every small indication from a fish taking the bait.
The Avon is fairly slow-flowing so the pressure on the line from the flow won’t move the feeder. This is why there’s no need to have a bow on the go.
How to catch a net of bream
March and April are historically the months when bream and tench really begin to feed in earnest.
The pages of Angling Times are filled with massive single fish or big nets of smaller specimens, and already bream have begun to figure heavily in readers’ catches. Every day that passes means longer daylight hours, combined with the clocks going forward at the weekend, and that means more sunshine and warmer water temperatures.
Combine this with preparations for spawning and it’s no wonder that early-spring is seen as a bit of a bonanza for catching bream. The feeder remains king of them all for catching a net of bream on natural waters, so if you’re a bit rusty when it comes to fishing the tip, here are six essential bits of advice to help you get stuck into a shoal of slimy slabs!
Step 1) Choose the right feeder!
Gone are the days of using a standard open-end feeder for bream if you want to cast a long way. A small open-end or cage is fine for a 30-yard chuck, but if you need to cast further then look to invest in some of the modern rocket or distance feeders (below) on the market.
These are wire cage feeder swith the weight built into one end. They cast smoothly in the wind and will fly a long way. What size you pick depends on how far you need to go, and the conditions, but don’t force the cast – it should be a comfortable one to ensure accuracy.
Step 2) Go the distance
The water will still be a little clear and that means the chances of catching bream at shorter ranges are slim. You need a decent cast of upwards of 50yds to find the fish.
In open water this should put you in a decent depth but it’s worth counting how long it takes the feeder to hit bottom so you can work out how deep the swim is. As a guide, every second that it takes to get down equates to around a foot of water if using a standard 30g feeder. Around 6ft should be the minimum depth you’re looking for.
Step 3) Try using braid
The water will still be a little clear and that means the chances of catching bream at shorter ranges are slim. You need a decent cast of upwards of 50yds to find the fish.
In open water this should put you in a decent depth but it’s worth counting how long it takes the feeder to hit bottom so you can work out how deep the swim is. As a guide, every second that it takes to get down equates to around a foot of water if using a standard 30g feeder. Around 6ft should be the minimum depth you’re looking for.
Step 4) Pick the right groundbait
Whether you use a fishmeal mix or a sweet one will depend on the venue you are fishing, as some waters respond to fish while on others it can be a turn off.
If you are unsure, go down the classic route with a sweet mix combined with brown crumb. On waters where fishmeal works, a 50/50 blend of fishmeal and sweet will do the job. Mix this on the damp side so it stays in the feeder on the cast, but riddle it off to ensure no large lumps are left when it’s time to fish. It is also worth including some dark groundbait somewhere along the line in clearish water.
Step 5) Give them lots of goodies
Although we’re not yet at the time of year when loading a feeder with chopped worm and caster will work, you still have to make sure that some freebies are included in the groundbait mix in order to keep the bream feeding actively. Chopped worm and caster remains number one, but remember to chop the worm quite finely to release as much scent into the water as you can.
Micro pellets are another good addition on waters that see a lot of pellets used. If this isn’t the case, then dead maggots are a good substitute and a few grains of corn won’t do any harm. For the hook, two or three dead maggots will let you feel your way in, but worm will always pick out the bigger bream.
Step 6) Patience pays
You rarely catch bream immediately even in the height of summer, so this is definitely the case in March and April, when the fish aren’t fully in the feeding groove.
It’s reckoned that no bites in the opening hour of a session is a good thing, as this will allow you to build up a feed area without spooking any fish by catching them too early. However, if you get two hours into the day and haven’t caught it’s time to rethink the plan.
Casting further can work, as can the odd cast closer to you. A great trick is to chop some worms into a mush and pile these into the swim, relying on the scent cloud to attract a few bream into the area.
Steve Ringer's guide to fishing for skimmer bream
Feeding loose micros into deep water can be the kiss of death when you’re fishing for F1s and carp, as it leads to lots of line bites and foul-hooked fish.
But for skimmers it’s a very different story. This is a method that I first came across a few years ago after making a trip up to Hayfield Lakes for a silverfish match.
My plan was to target skimmers over groundbait and dead maggots and pinkies. In theory it was a good plan, but despite trying lots of different ways of feeding the swim, after two-and-a-half hours I’d managed just one small skimmer.
With time running out I knew I had to try something different to pull fish into the swim. I’d been told that Kinder potting 2mm micro pellets worked well for the skimmers on there, but I had dismissed it – frankly, feeding loose micros into 10ft of water seemed like madness to me.
But with nothing to lose I decided to give it a go so I quickly attached a Kinder pot and filled it with micros. Two feeds later I had a bite, then another and another, and within 20 minutes I was getting a bite every put-in from small skimmers. The difference was quite simply amazing. I can only think that the micros falling through the water were pulling fish into the swim.
Since that day it’s an approach I’ve used a lot and it’s rarely let me down. Right now, on waters with a silverfish bias, it’s definitely worth trying. I have to admit, it still doesn’t seem right, but it certainly works!
Wetted-down 2mm coarse pellets and expanders for the hookbait
How many pellets?
When it comes to bait it really doesn’t get any simpler - all you need is a pint or so of wetted-down 2mm coarse pellets and a few expanders for the hook.
I always like to prepare my micros the night before, slightly overwetting them so they soak up as much water as possible and expand to their maximum size. In fact, if you have the right micro pellet it’s even possible to use them on the hook!
Coarse pellets are best for this type of fishing as they are light in colour and skimmers can spot them easily as they fall through the water. As I’ve said many times before, I’m convinced that when the water is clear fish feed by sight rather than by smell, so these falling pellets offer a high degree of attraction.
Feeding
Steve starts by sprinkling half a pot of pellets
To kick the swim off I like to feed a quarter of a small 100ml Drennan pot of loose micros.
After the initial feed I like to let the swim settle for at least 30 minutes – I’m not a fan of going straight in when fishing for skimmers as I feel they need time to feel confident enough to feed. When I do decide to have a look, though, I will first load up a small Guru pole pot full of wetted-down micro pellets.
I’ll sprinkle half out straight away and wait for a bite. If I don’t get one within two minutes I’ll sprinkle in the other half of the pellets. I’m totally convinced the reason this method works is bait falling through the water, hence even if I’m not getting bites I like to keep a bit of bait going in.
From this point on I’ll feed to bites, and once I start getting a few fish I will feed again. This is a busier than usual way of feeding for skimmers, but it works, believe me!
Start on an expander
Starting hookbait: A 4mm expander
When it comes to what to fish on the hook I will always start with a 4.5mm Ringers Coolwater Expander. Skimmers love a soft pellet, and an expander stands out well over a bed of micro pellets, giving the skimmers something they can easily home in on.
I also carry a variety of sizes and colours of expander, just so I can mix it up throughout a session. You’ll often find, for example, that you’ll catch well on a standard 4mm expander to begin with and then bites will go a little bit funny, even though there are still fish in your swim.
I think what happens is that the fish get used to feeding on the micros and start to ignore the bigger baits. When this happens I switch to a 3.5mm F1 Light expander pellet to match the feed and keep catching.
My Rig (click to open in full)
Follow my advice for a catch like this..