ref pva mesh
- Thread starter 11alan111
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laguna
Well-known member
...and a size that suits the venue/size and type of fish you intend to catch.
Also consider, if you're intending on fishing through winter; it takes longer for PVA to break down in colder conditions. Go with ultra fast breakdown times if you can find some otherwise stick to a small feeder Alan.
Also consider, if you're intending on fishing through winter; it takes longer for PVA to break down in colder conditions. Go with ultra fast breakdown times if you can find some otherwise stick to a small feeder Alan.
wanderer
Well-known member
Why not solid PVA bags mate, problem solved, feeder, big method, with a 2 foot plus tail.Other than that big flat bottomed open end sledge, why do you want an alternative, which river and do you have a problem.
i fish the wye a lot and its very snaggy im getting fed up of losing feeders and getting caught up so i tried a ledger and it wasnt as bad so i thought if i attatched a pva bag to the ledger it might be better
wanderer
Well-known member
Little trick, I got from someone else, try plasticine instead of lead, mould it around a swivel, drops off a treat when it hits a snag, but stays on perfect otherwise, used it for carp in heavy lilies and weed, but it is a Barbell method.
Jim Crosskey 2
Well-known member
Another tip around this is don't clip the pva mesh to the hook, try to attach it to the lead. I use a running rig where i have a swivel link on the line which is what i attached the lead or feeder to, you can then use the same clip on the link to attach the pva mesh. I make sure i use one of the knots to attach it.
The problem with this method in any significant flow is that the mesh bag can become unattached from the hook and then bounce off downstream with losing it's integrity (thus your pellets just bounce off downstream in one go). Attaching them to the link tends to mean that the mesh bag will burst properly - distributing your freebies just a little upstream of your hook.
Something else i've found is that by making homemade feeders out of gutter mesh, i end up with a flexible feeder that has considerably more give in it which i think helps it get out of snags more regularly. I fished side by side with a mate on stretch of the wye where he was loosing feeders and i was retrieving them, casting in to pretty much the same areas.
All of that said, i think some tackle loss is inevitable fishing that particular river. Never mind feeders, i get through loads of hooks - which seem to go blunt or have their points turned very regularly too.
Just curious, what mainline and hooklenght are you using?
The problem with this method in any significant flow is that the mesh bag can become unattached from the hook and then bounce off downstream with losing it's integrity (thus your pellets just bounce off downstream in one go). Attaching them to the link tends to mean that the mesh bag will burst properly - distributing your freebies just a little upstream of your hook.
Something else i've found is that by making homemade feeders out of gutter mesh, i end up with a flexible feeder that has considerably more give in it which i think helps it get out of snags more regularly. I fished side by side with a mate on stretch of the wye where he was loosing feeders and i was retrieving them, casting in to pretty much the same areas.
All of that said, i think some tackle loss is inevitable fishing that particular river. Never mind feeders, i get through loads of hooks - which seem to go blunt or have their points turned very regularly too.
Just curious, what mainline and hooklenght are you using?
wanderer
Well-known member
Mould groundbait ball with hemp and halibuts around pebbles , tennis ball sized and freeze, introduce well upstream, , keep in cool bag with freezer blocks until required, hookbait, halibut, 12 mill, soaked in salmon oil, hell why I am telling you all the tricks from the Ouse.
im using 15lb mainline (maxima) and 10lb flouro hooklink
Jim Crosskey 2
Well-known member
Fair enough on the line strength... i've heard of people turning up on the wye with 6lb line wondering why they're loosing so much tackle 
rich4930
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But PVA isn't exactly cheap. OK if your only casting out once every few hours, but casting regularly you could end up getting through a lot in one day? Will it still be cheaper than a couple of feeders? I've never fished for barbel though, not to even mention the Wye, so can't really judge, but it might be a thought worth considering?
some of the stretches of the wye that i fish you can lose 4 or 5 feeders a day when you think that feeders are approx £2 each surely it must be cheaper using pva
geoffmaynard
Content Editor
On the snaggy swims on my stretch of the Wye, I now use a link leger but instead of a lead weight I'm using a large stone from the river bed/beach. The link leger ends in a loop with a bunch of rubber bands tied into it.
geoffmaynard
Content Editor
I also dislike playing a fish with a damn great feeder hanging off it. I don't have the same reservations with a big lead however so it's probably a bit hypocritical.
In the deeper 12 to 15ft barbel swims I don't mind putting a PVA bag on the hook because the flow on the bottom is going to be much less than it is on the top.
In shallow swims I think it's best attached to the link. I just tie a slipknot in the link and attach the bag - but you do need to use much heavier BS links when doing this. I use the mainline, relying on the elastic bands to give first when it gets snagged. Seems to work okay.
In the deeper 12 to 15ft barbel swims I don't mind putting a PVA bag on the hook because the flow on the bottom is going to be much less than it is on the top.
In shallow swims I think it's best attached to the link. I just tie a slipknot in the link and attach the bag - but you do need to use much heavier BS links when doing this. I use the mainline, relying on the elastic bands to give first when it gets snagged. Seems to work okay.