Method feeder advice

[clutch]

Hello,

With the close season in effect, I have been looking for still water venues to fish. I have access to a small pool (more of a pond really), that contains slivers and carp. My experience fishing still waters is limited and could use some advice.

I have decided to use a method/pellet feeder. Its not something that I have done much of and I have a few questions.

1. Rod position. How should I have it set up, straight forward? to my left/right? I don't have a box, so I shall be using bank sticks.

2. Where to fish too. This pond is small and has no obvious features. How should I approach this? Cast around and try and find the fish? Just pick a spot and build up a swim?

3. Wind. No, not a side effect of my curry last night. ha. But this pool is a bit exposed. How does the wind effect the fishing? Should I be casting in sheltered areas or do the fish follow the wind?

4. Feed/bait. How much feed should I be chucking in at this time of year? I was thinking 4mm pellets on the feeder with a banded 8mm?

Any help would be great.

Thanks.

 

[mikench]

I shall attempt to reply to your questions in reverse order;

4. Use micros just in your feeder! That's the point!

3. Forget the wind.

2. If it's small cast around! If you get a bite bingo!

1. Set up your bank sticks to give an angle to your line or cast accordingly to the left or right, whichever you prefer. As long as you can see a bite on your tip whether it's a twitch/ dropback/ full blown swing either left or right!

The fun of fishing is experimenting. Try it.

 

[rich66]

I try to keep my line at 90 degrees to my rod tip, or a little less never more. I think you get better bite indication.

Wind: depends how deep it is and the pool itself. The ones I normally fish are only 5 foot deep so I tend to fish in the sheltered areas of the pool. Tried following the wind and always blanked.

 

[Another Dave]

I don't understand why you want to fish a feeder in a pond.

 

[clutch]

I don't understand why you want to fish a feeder in a pond.

Well...because I want to.

I have limited experience fishing a feeder on a still water, I want to give it a try.

 

[Another Dave]

Fair enough mate, tight lines.

 

[markcw]

Don’t forget to try in the margins as well, keep your rod along the bank out of site, lower the feeder into the water and fish it on a slack line,

 

[Jeff Woodhouse]

It sounds to me like this is a shallow pond, less than 5ft deep, in which case the wind won't have a great deal of affect on it with regards to temperature. What's in the pond? Because hopefully it's carp as this is where the method works best, yes it will catch other species like bream and the odd roach or tench, but it was really designed for carp. Try maybe three spots, three casts to each then repeat. Don't leave the feeder in too long, about 3-5 minutes at most before reloading.

As someone has said, micro pellets of 2-3mm with an 8mm dumbbell or pellet on the hook, you can up the main feed to 4mm pellets when the hook bait is around 10mm or more or mix them, a few 4mm amongst mostly 2-3mm. This is what I do.

The angle your rod should be at is perhaps around 30-45° to the area you're casting to. If it's carp you're after you will need no telling when you have a bite, just keep a hold of your rod.

 

[Jim Crosskey 2]

Loads of good advice here, the only thing I would add if this is your first time fishing the method is that you really want to sit on your hands until the tip really goes round. The mechanics of a method feeder rig (bolt rigged on a short hooklength) are designed to be self-hooking. However, because there's every chance you could have fish bashing in to the feeder as they take the squashed on micros, the tip of you rod might bounce around quite a lot whilst this is happening. Don't worry, this is a good sign! (I get more anxious when this doesn't happen, as that tends to mean that nothings interested). But unlike maggot feeder fishing, when I might try to strike at pretty small tip movements, with method fishing i'd really wait for the tip to go round before I pick the rod up - and even then i'll just wind in, I wouldn't strike as such as the fish should already be hooked.

Just one other thing - I would still be inclined to use a bit of groundbait in the mix as the water is still warming up at the moment. In another month or two then i'd definitely be happy just to fish damp micros on the feeder, but right now i'd want the amount of real feed just cut back a bit. Half and half micros and groundbait would be about right for me, and then as it warms up i'd start dropping the amount of groundbait in the mix.

Good luck, and let us know how you get on?

 

[clutch]

Thanks for the advice, some really useful tips.

I have have fished the method taking your comments on board. Catching 4 carp in my first trip out. Very happy with it, a new technique for me.

Thanks

 

[Brianw999]

There are several very good YouTube tutorials on fishing the method feeder.

 

[mikench]

I must have every type of method feeder ranging in weight from 15g to 28g. I like Guru hybrid feeders best for their ease of use and change! They do heavier ones but I rarely use them! Latterly I have been using the small ones to good effect- well for me.