Winter feeder info

[fishermensfriend]

Hello my names jeff and i started fishing summer just gone so this is my first winter fishing, what can i say im hooked lol addmittedly i dont have the best rod and reels etc but they catch me fish and thats all that matters to me. when i go fishing i tend to go out to catch any species not just one. Started off on the float then moved to using a method feeder(which so far ive really enjoyed esp trying and mixing different baits with good and not so good results ) i went out yesterday to my local lake and tried the cage feeder for the first time with no success but hasn't put me off using it just means ive got to put time into mastering it. Ive looked on the net, youtube and stuff but can't really find what im lookong for but rulling out venue etc is there a general rule of the thumb on how often you should cast your feeder out in the winter, like for example at first every 10mins for the first hour if that makes sense. All the help would be greatfully received

 

[eyelburm8]

Hi Jeff, as we get into winter I think some fish aren't so active. It depends on which species are in the lake you fish. Be prepared to wait longer for bites. I don't think you need to build up a bed of feed as much as in the warmer months. I would tend to stick with a small method feeder and leave it out for say 10 to 15 mins. If no response check your bait to see if it has been got at or broken down as some pellets can be. I would suggest looking on youtube for Steve Ringer's skill school videos. I learned a lot from that guy. Don't be in a hurry to swap and change methods as well, get to know how the method feeder works at different times of the year. Hope you have a good end to the year....

 

[wanderer]

Jeff, during the colder months location is everything, the fish bunch very tightly in certain areas, you may approach a very prolific day ticket commercial in the summer where fish are everywhere, in the winter this is not the case. Look for where the matches are won regularly, two or three pegs or forget it, method feeder, perfect on these types for winter, groundbait mix, Van Den Eynde red method mix, split 50/50 with vitalin, add birdseed and hempseed and drinking chocolate boiled with chillies, bait , maggot, pellet, or sweetcorn, or try something different, small slivers of raw steak on the hook, 14 or 12, and add a little mince beef to the mix, . Your groundbait, liquid molasses and water with cloves added will do the trick, cast six balls and shake them loose whilst clipped up and then the baited hook.

 

[The bad one]

Remember fish are cold-blooded creatures. As the water cools down they move about less. Movement = energy, Energy needs replacement = the need to feed. Less movement because of colder water = less need to feed. Less need to feed = less food you need to give them, so you don’t over feed them and that energy gets replaced before they find the hookbait. Therefore smaller quantities regular over a longer time period gives you the best chance of catching in colder water as a general rule.
The other secret key to success is working out when they feed and for how long in these conditions. That feeding spell varies from water to water, but the most consistent time of catching a few fish is the last hour of daylight.
Personally I’d rather go late, lunchtime onwards, and stay until the last dregs of daylight are drawn out, than go first light and leave at 2-3 in the afternoon for anything other than sight predators.

 

[fishermensfriend]

Thank you all for your help taking it all on board

 

[robtherake]

Jeff, during the colder months location is everything, the fish bunch very tightly in certain areas, you may approach a very prolific day ticket commercial in the summer where fish are everywhere, in the winter this is not the case. Look for where the matches are won regularly, two or three pegs or forget it, method feeder, perfect on these types for winter, groundbait mix, Van Den Eynde red method mix, split 50/50 with vitalin, add birdseed and hempseed and drinking chocolate boiled with chillies, bait , maggot, pellet, or sweetcorn, or try something different, small slivers of raw steak on the hook, 14 or 12, and add a little mince beef to the mix, . Your groundbait, liquid molasses and water with cloves added will do the trick, cast six balls and shake them loose whilst clipped up and then the baited hook.

You must have been an alchemist in a previous life

 

[iannate]

Jeff, during the colder months location is everything, the fish bunch very tightly in certain areas, you may approach a very prolific day ticket commercial in the summer where fish are everywhere, in the winter this is not the case. Look for where the matches are won regularly, two or three pegs or forget it, method feeder, perfect on these types for winter, groundbait mix, Van Den Eynde red method mix, split 50/50 with vitalin, add birdseed and hempseed and drinking chocolate boiled with chillies, bait , maggot, pellet, or sweetcorn, or try something different, small slivers of raw steak on the hook, 14 or 12, and add a little mince beef to the mix, . Your groundbait, liquid molasses and water with cloves added will do the trick, cast six balls and shake them loose whilst clipped up and then the baited hook.

This is more for carp isn't it wanderer?

Also I think Jeff was looking more at cage feeders, eyelburm8 has given good advice on this

There are several sizes of cage feeder available from tiny to much bigger (sorry that's the best description I can find :doh: ).

Jeff Welcome to the forum, what groundbait have you been using?

 

[wanderer]

Yes mate, frankly if you are fishing a still water, its more than likely been stocked with them and if you lighten up to target other species, the inevitable will happen. Cage feeders are for me , a tool for flowing water only, where the flow empties and disperses the bait in the direction of the hook, on a lake, liable to come back full.

 

[no-one in particular]

Nothing wrong with carrying on trying the float in the winter Fisherman, close in and a little ground bait in the winter can be effective; up against some reed beds or near a feature of some sort or a deep hole where the fish may hole up. And maybe if the fish are less active in the colder water exploring a few likely spots with the float instead of concentrating all your feed in one area could lead to a few fish.
I understand your into feeder fishing now and want to get that mastered and I am sure you will have some very good days on it as it is a very successful way to fish. I would be tempted with a very light feeder and try a few casts into several spots in the winter rather than trying to lay a heavy ground bait in one area. Pick up a nice roach or two. A lot of lake species are going to become very inactive in the next few months, tench, rudd and bream to a point.
Carp vary with the waters, some commercials are better for winter than others so I am told, I am not a carp expert but, I imagine similar tactics could apply.
Try and winkle a fish out , carp, tench anything really instead of getting them on the feed ravenously would be a better winter tactic maybe. A little cage feeder with a few nice samples cast near or under their noses is more likely to tempt them than getting them searching out a big feeding area, same tactic with the float. Add some of the previous advice to that, Wanderer is right, having a feeder empty in cold still water is not so easy but a small one with some loose feed in it and a few hook samples might work better. Not my area of expertise but wanderer knows a thing or two but I think more of a specialist
However, like you I am a pleasure angler who likes to just pick up a few fish and these would be my winter tactics. Mind you I mainly fish rivers in the winter for Chub these days.
I dunno know really, just some general thoughts on winter fishing. .

 

[peter crabtree]

I appreciate your question was about cage feeders but as the water gets colder in the depths of winter personally I wouldn't use one. The fish will be concentrated in certain spots on the lake. I'd use a bomb instead. 3/4 ounce is my fave and a single bait. Grain of corn, single dead maggot, banded 4mil pellet or caster. This way you can chuck it all round your swim and hopefully locate the shoals without spreading unwanted bait all over the place. Most species are more likely to take a single bait whereas filling it in with elaborate ground baits may well spook them.

 

[dorsetandchub]

Good advice that. I have an ancient MAP picker rod that's ideal for this. Single grain of corn is a great approach and will pick up any odd carp that might show amongst the skimmers and roach at my local commercial.