Maggot feeder float

[hammer_jamie]

Does anyone use one of these? Do they work well?

Stonfo maggot feeder floats Available in 2 sizes | eBay

 

[Peter Jacobs]

No idea, but then I prefer to fish and feed in the more traditional way; either feed then cast or cast and then feed, whichever produces the better results on the day . . . . .

 

[sam vimes]

I can't say that I've used anything quite as contemporary as that. However, I have tried feeder floats of the 80s. They were utter junk back then. To counter the effect of gradually losing some loading as the maggots trickled out, and the subsequent rise of the tip, they were pretty numb and lacking in sensitivity. That meant it took a reasonably sized fish to give you a reasonable indication. It also meant that tiddlers could leave a pathetic skin of a maggot without you having any hint of a bite.

If they are even close to that still, I wouldn't have a great deal of use for them. However, I could possibly see a use for them on a commercial with hordes of reasonably sized fish and not too many bits.

 

[robtherake]

I like the idea of these floats, but what happens if you get a quick bite and the fish ends up towing float and bait all over the shop? I bought a Middy one quite recently - mug that I am - but haven't used it. I thought it might be a good float for perch fishing, with a big prawn or lobworm on the business end and the maggots attracting potential prey fish which, hopefully, the perch would follow.

Somewhere in my tackle cave there's a Dave Thomas feeder float - similar idea, but with a single large exit hole at the float's base, so it empties as soon as it upends on landing. Unfortunately, it's a long discontinued product and I've not seen anything else like it on offer since. Used to use it for tench on one particular pond (with hemp over a corn hookbait) and it worked splendidly, especially on days where gusty winds meant that cattying bait out was hit and miss.

It may be possible to make a similar float with a slim, hard-bodied maggot feeder, suitably modified and attached to a stem. Can't find an image of the DT float on the net, so I'll dig mine out and upload a pic - if it can be found, that is.

 

[Keith M]

I've had one of these in the back of the shed since the early 80's and I certainly wouldn't care if it stayed there for another 30 years LOL.

I did have a play with it once and very quickly threw it in the back of the shed as it was far too big, clumsy and insensitive for me; plus other than in a gale force wind when I wouldn't be using a float anyway; I can't remember a time when I couldn't feed near to a more sensitive and more balanced float using either a catapult, by hand or with a throwing stick LOL.

That's not to say that someone else couldn't find a good use for one though, it's just my personal view of them LOL.

Keith

 

[lambert1]

I must confess to having one too and can only agree with Sam and Keith. The float is way too cumbersome for my liking.

 

[wanderer]

Agreed guys, total rubbish.

 

[hammer_jamie]

Going by what your all saying, Would a normal maggot feeder be better then?

 

[iannate]

They'll have their day, but when that will come is another story; imo it's no different (in principle) to the method feeders and I believe came before the so called method feeders.

 

[wanderer]

Going by what your all saying, Would a normal maggot feeder be better then?

i think the idea is that they are used when the fish are up in the water, if the fish are on the bottom, use the maggot feeder.

 

[trotter2]

Like others I tried them back in the 80s, thought they were absolute garbage.

 

[robtherake]

The idea that they're under-shotted when empty didn't apply to the Dave Thomas float if you were using hemp - shotted as per normal it almost sinks after landing then recovers as the hemp drops out in one go. The tip was a bit fat, but at 4 or 5 rods out in a ripple it was more of a bonus than a handicap. I liked it back then, but I confess that it hasn't been used for many a year.

 

[Lord Paul of Sheffield]

I've looked at these in tackle shops but never seen anyone using one

The idea that a steady trickle of maggots under you float will attract the fish to your hook bait is a good idea, but like others have said they don't look sensitive enough to me

 

[nick w]

If you think this is garbage, you should have seen the Newark Needle Floats that were about in the late 1970s! Basically, a modified pencil - I kid you not.

I'm not fussed over this float by any means but if you do have the need to get maggots out to surface feeding/shallow fish - the Nisa Chomper floating feeder does the job. You can get slow/fast feed versions and they trickle bait out to fish in the upper layer during warm weather. Takes are fast and fierce!

 

[Warden]

Very much horses for courses Terry smith master rod builder and inventor of the original polaris range of tackle used to empty one of my local venues with this method (caught a few myself with it) he widened the holes so that when the feeder hit the water the feed (caster and hemp)exploded out of it fished a 12 hook about 18 inches hook lenght casting about 30 M to the far bank would do 80 to 120 lbs of Ide Carp etc a session,very much a summer method

 

[robtherake]

I've read an article from the same bloke describing the technique and construction of the floats themselves. Apparently the guy was/is deadly accurate with the method depite never owning a reel with a line clip and emptied venues everywhere he tried it. Always meant to make some - it shouldn't be too difficult.

 

[derwentbob]

I used to fish a feeder float for carp in my local lake a while back. When it worked it could be great, either feeding maggots or seeds/grains but the biggest problem I had was trapped bubbles. On a bad day every other cast had the float sticking right out of the water and leaning at an angle due to a bubble at the top of the feeder, not that it stopped the method working as you don't want any shot down the line so you don't get lift bites, but it was annoying.

 

[robtherake]

Very much horses for courses Terry smith master rod builder and inventor of the original polaris range of tackle used to empty one of my local venues with this method (caught a few myself with it) he widened the holes so that when the feeder hit the water the feed (caster and hemp)exploded out of it fished a 12 hook about 18 inches hook lenght casting about 30 M to the far bank would do 80 to 120 lbs of Ide Carp etc a session,very much a summer method

Did you make these? I wouldn't mind some close-ups and/or construction tips for the DIY floatmaker. If tha can be bothered, that is.

 

[Warden]

If you right click on the photo then copy and paste into something like "Paint"you will be able to enlarge them and get a better look,These were made by Terry smith he is still around but getting on a bit and does not do them now,Its like making anything its getting the items required to make them the bottom body is just Balsa 5/8" dowl machined to size the Ball weight can be bought I would think from shops the feeder is just a round one (tubular)piece of 3/16th dowl for the shaft a piece of hollow plastic tubing glued into the body through the feeder with a split pin inside holding a ball on the end,

 

[john step]

If you think this is garbage, you should have seen the Newark Needle Floats that were about in the late 1970s! Basically, a modified pencil - I kid you not.

I seem to remember that Angling Times had an offer on these floats if you collected a number of tokens. They should have know better. They were rubbish...I should know....I admit buying some. mg:mg: