Winkle picker?

I have a decent feeder rod that has done me very well. It has a 1,2 and 3 oz tips. Ive heard convos about winkle pickers would it be more beneficial investing in one? And would it be much different in using my 1st tip?

Winkle Pickers were originally intended for short(ish) range stillwater fishing for the smaller species (roach, rudd, skimmers etc). Whether that's still the case for more modern Winkle Picker rods might be another matter. I've seen the odd description of modern Winkle Pickers talking about handling big carp, not something you'd have wanted on the early types.

Whether a modern Winkle Picker is right for you will depend on the venues you fish, the fish you target and the specific rod.

I'd say 90% of my feeder work is in the margins. I don't fish big lakes just commercial ponds but I end up getting started lot of double figure carp even they ain't the target

I still have a winkle picker rod that I won in a pairs match back in the 80's but i only used it twice, it is too light to handle any feeder other than the tiniest holding at most a dozen pinkies.

The original winkle picker rods are probably a far cry from the winkle pickers of today.

I have the ron thompson winkle picker, I think i purchased it from go outdoors last year and I still use it today for small rivers. I have used it on my local pond and caught an 8lb Carp on it using an inline pellet feeder in the margin.

The fight lasted around 5 minutes and I literally had to wait for the fish to tire because the rod would of snapped. In those 5 minutes that fish kicked up a stink in 2 other anglers swims making them retrieve there lines to avoid tangles.

They were ok about it luckily, after that Fish I immediately moved on to the match lake and was catching carp too 5lb and it was great fun.


Crazy thing is the angler to my right side moved into my swim when I left the main lake and caught a 22lb common.......I would of been screwed.

Imagine the scrap that would of been. Would of been amazing

mike87 said:

Imagine the scrap that would of been. Would of been amazing

Click to expand...

Haha, fish would of busted me off easily. Lots of reeds in the margins and a huge island full of lilly pads, every carp in that pond bolt for them. Only one outcome in my eyes