Feeder Fishing - How to Pick the Perfect Feeder ?

When it comes to fishing a feeder, the modern angler has got it made, unlike the 60s and 70s when you had little choice other than to make your own!

These days, tackle shop shelves creak under the weight of diferent shapes, sizes and types of feeder that guarantee almost any angler can expect to cast and catch.

Flatbed Methods, pellet, cage, blockend and open-end are the main types you will find, but having so much choice is not always a good thing. Especially if you are a newcomer to the sport. But if you learn the basics of what each diferent feeder does it makes selection choice a lot easier.

Feeder advantages

In this era of poles, the feeder often ends up playing second fiddle. But it does ofer a number of distinct benefits. Firstly, if the fish are beyond pole/waggler range, as they often are early season on big lakes, it enables you to cast a hookbait to where the fish are. Also, unlike float fishing, you very rarely foul-hook fish on the feeder.

If you see fish fizzing but are struggling to get a bite, even on the pole line, a small feeder flicked over the top will often see you catching those previously uncatchable fish, It’s a little trick that can make a massive diference to the day.

If the weather is poor, very windy for example, the feeder creates a much better presentation. Finally, as it needs packing with bait prior to casting, it forces you to loosefeed, so you top up the swim with every cast.

The blockend (maggot) feeder

Usually the preserve of the river angler, maggot feeders are making a comeback on stillwaters.

In the winter, a maggot feeder is ideal. They love maggots, but to catch, you also need to feed maggots. A maggot feeder is the best way to do this. The one place I find it works very well is on snake lakes that are wider than you can fish with a pole. Maggot feeders can create small-fish problems in the warmer months, but during winter and early season, they are excellent.

Cage or open-ended feeder ?

When fishing groundbait, knowing whether to pick a cage or open-end feeder can be confusing. They look fairly similar so does it even matter ?

The only diference between these two types is how quickly they are able to release their Payloads, If I am looking to create a cloud in the water, with a bit of bait coming out on-the-drop to spread a carpet of feed, I’ll opt for a cage. Conversely, if I want to create a tighter patch of loosefeed, I use an open-end, that is open at one end only.

When using chopped worm or other particles, he often tapes up the holes around the body of the feeder to create a cylinder. This acts like a baitdropper, only releasing its payload once on  the lakebed. To eat, the fish have to come to the feeder itself, so they are easier to catch because the hookbait is close by.

One trick I use is to pack a taped-up feeder with compacted, neat crumb, this produces plenty of attraction with nothing to eat but the hookbait. It’s a great edge that I have kept up my sleeve for many years now.”

To set up his groundbait feeders, a snaplink swivel on to the mainline, followed by a very small bead, then ties a couple of loops in the end to form a boom to help prevent the hooklink tangling. It is also important that the bead can’t slip over the loop knots.

I use 5lb-6lb mainline with hooklinks of 3lb-4lb (depending on the target species) and starting around 12 inches long.

The modern pellet feeder

Pellet feeders have been around for a decade or so and have enjoyed storming success. They are very easy to load, catch well in both open water and up to features, such as islands, and the way they are designed means the fish can only get to the loosefeed from one direction.

This means that they are forced to come into contact with the hookbait if they want to eat the loosefeed, which makes these feeders highly efective fish-catchers.

The only downside is that you must use pellets in them because pure groundbait will clog the feeder, although Des tops of his pellet payload with a smear of crumb to create a cloud in the water to produce much quicker bites on certain days.

I recommend a rod of 10ft-11ft, 8lb mainline and a 4in hooklink. A Preston Innovations PR36 hook is perfect for side-hooking or hair-rigging baits. Feeder size and weight depends on the range you are looking to fish and whether the feed area is flat or sloped. Further out or more sloped, the heavier you use.

“If you only use one feeder, make  sure it’s a Method with a mould”

The Method

Unarguably one of the greatest inventions to grace the banks, the Method feeder has come a long way since its conception in the 1990s. Previously rock-hard cricket balls of particle-laced groundbait have now given way to the flatbed feeder, which can be fished with moist micro pellets, fine groundbait or a mix of both.

These days you want the payload to melt as soon as the feeder hits the deck. I prefer either Sonubaits Sticky Method pellets or Match Method Mix groundbait. It is important that the groundbait is not made too wet because it clogs and doesn’t break down well in the swim.”

Similar to the pellet feeder, i adopt a similar set-up for the Method with Preston Innovations 8lb Power Max for the mainline and either 0.17mm (6lb 12oz) or 0.19mm (7lb 6oz) Powerline for the 4in hooklink. Again, the hook is a PR36.

“For hookbaits, I use all sorts. Meat, dyed with the new Sonubaits Larva, Band ’Ums, pellets, boilies or even dead maggots. Every day is diferent with what they want on the hook.” Every feeder difers slightly, making it better for certain species, certain conditions and certain venues. Understanding why you have made your choice will see you catching so much more.