Method feeders in rivers

[Dave Slater]

Method feeders can be very effective in stillwaters. I have never tried them in rivers as I have tended to stick with methods that have worked well for me in the past. I am considering giving them a try during the coming season on my local rivers as I think they could be very effective for chub and barbel.
Does anybody have experience of using them in rivers?

 

[Jeff Woodhouse]

None whatsoever, Dave. However, this coming season I shall be trying some giant open end feeders with a specially heavy mix made so it bursts out, flows 1ft downstream to sit (hopefully) around my hookbait.

No reason why method feeders shouldn't work though. Let us know how you get on.

 

[sam vimes]

No reason why a method feeder won't work in a river provided your bait mix is stiff enough to withstand the flow until it gets to the riverbed. It's also unlikely that it'll work in the same manner as it does on a stillwater. A short hooklink is likely to see your hookbait presented in spendid isolation upstream of a trail of particles rather than the pile of bait that it would sit in on a stillwater.

 

[peter crabtree]

I can't see it being any more effective in a river than a cage feeder or PVA bag. As mentioned, the pellet/groundbait mix would wash away downstream in the same way as it does using conventional methods. The method feeder would simply be a vehicle for holding bottom. I hope you prove me wrong though Dave.

 

[tigger]

I've used a method feeder in the river for several years now when fishing for larger species and have had good results.

 

[guest61]

I've thought of using a method feeder in a river; what has put me off is the casting weight. The combined weight of a feeder to hold bottom plus the weight of the bait assuming that it remains as a method feeder 'pushes the envelope' of my gear.

Didn't Matt Hayes perform this whilst trying to catch Barbel in the Great Rod Race? Yes he did!....YouTube - ‪Great Rod Race: Barbel Part 1/2‬‏ approx (4:40mins in)

I might revisit this in the new season.

 

[William Pastuszka]

I've used a method feeder in the river for several years now when fishing for larger species and have had good results.

How did you prevent the method feeder from rolling around in the current/flow?

 

[alan whittington]

I believe its well used on the Trent,especially with scolded pellet,its far more effective than pva,especially if you've watched Bob Roberts and Stu Walker,but there you go.

 

[William Pastuszka]

I believe its well used on the Trent,especially with scolded pellet,its far more effective than pva,especially if you've watched Bob Roberts and Stu Walker,but there you go.

Not all of us have, yet, because the blockend swimfeeder is still more productive.

 

[alan whittington]

Not all of us have, yet, because the blockend swimfeeder is still more productive.

The thing with a blockend William is your limited to using small pellets,open end definitely feeds a mixture of sizes better.

 

[William Pastuszka]

The thing with a blockend William is your limited to using small pellets,open end definitely feeds a mixture of sizes better.

True, but there is always the option of enlarging the holes of a blockend.

Must give the method a bash in the new season.

 

[tigger]

How did you prevent the method feeder from rolling around in the current/flow?

I'd say that's pretty much impossible but it hasn't been a problem anyhow. As I said i've used it for a few years now and it's produced well for me. Remember to use a short hooklength... I use a hooklength of 2 to 6 inches.

 

[William Pastuszka]

I'd say that's pretty much impossible but it hasn't been a problem anyhow. As I said i've used it for a few years now and it's produced well for me. Remember to use a short hooklength... I use a hooklength of 2 to 6 inches.

Cheers, I'll be having a dabble in the new season.

 

[sam vimes]

Damned big cage feeders for me on the Trent. Generally speaking you need far bigger and heavier feeders than the commercially available flat bed method feeders I've encountered.

 

[tigger]

Cheers, I'll be having a dabble in the new season.

My method mix is just brown crumb, trout pellets, sweetcorn, hemp and maggots, also a few boilies or halibut pellets. I don't always put all those bits in, often it's just the crumb , corn and maggots etc. Sometimes I wrap/ squeeze the mix around a handfull of maggots so they crawl out through the mix slowly.

Good luck Bill

 

[geoffmaynard]

My method mix is just brown crumb, trout pellets, sweetcorn, hemp and maggots, also a few boilies or halibut pellets. I don't always put all those bits in, often it's just the crumb , corn and maggots etc. Sometimes I wrap/ squeeze the mix around a handfull of maggots so they crawl out through the mix slowly.

They say there's nothing new in fishing. Izzac Walton describes a similar barbel method as a clay ball full of worms and the hook bait and line all wrapped up in it.

 

[flightliner]

I was using it fairly often for Barbel on the Trent back in the mid nineties with varying degrees of success.
On one occasion I was using it when two guys arrived and began fishing opposite me using quivertips and link ledgers and when they saw me using groundbait they told me in no uncertain manner that I was spoiling their fishing (they didnt have to sit opposite me)as groundbait was the "kiss of death". After some half dozen barbel I think they got the message.

---------- Post added at 22:16 ---------- Previous post was at 22:12 ----------

They say there's nothing new in fishing. Izzac Walton describes a similar barbel method as a clay ball full of worms and the hook bait and line all wrapped up in it.

Same with luncheon meat geoff, Greaves was used as bait at least a century afore the yanks turned up with Spam.
Likewise with steak, anglers from Gainsboro were using it back in the mid-nineteenth century.

 

[William Pastuszka]

My method mix is just brown crumb, trout pellets, sweetcorn, hemp and maggots, also a few boilies or halibut pellets. I don't always put all those bits in, often it's just the crumb , corn and maggots etc. Sometimes I wrap/ squeeze the mix around a handfull of maggots so they crawl out through the mix slowly.

Good luck Bill

Thanks, tigger.

 

[tigger]

They say there's nothing new in fishing. Izzac Walton describes a similar barbel method as a clay ball full of worms and the hook bait and line all wrapped up in it.

Your right Geoff, there probaly isn't much if anything that hasn't already been tried in angling.

 

[Sean Meeghan]

The method feeder does work on rivers and it can be deadly on big rivers like the Trent. On smaller rivers I tend to squeeze the mix around my bait rather than around the feeder. This works fine for shorter casts but won't stand a big chuck. My mix for this method is a mix of small (4mm and 6mm) pellets of various types just covered by river water and left for a few minutes then dried off with dark method mix. This holds well around a hair rigged pellet or boilie and can be absolutely deadly.