Tommy Pickering’s tip choices
FEEDER fishing has stepped up in popularity in recent months as more people cotton on to the fact that it’s just as exciting as watching a float disappear.
Lots of attention is paid to the size and type of feeder that will be used and the baits that will complement it best, but there is one vital element that doesn’t get the consideration it needs.
The type of tip that you use in your rod will play a big part in how successful your session is, and this week I reveal what you should be using.
TOP ALL-ROUNDER
I have tried all manner of different tips over the years but I am convinced that a 1oz version will cover the vast majority of commercial venues I visit.
This size tip allows me to work out what is going on under the water as it shows little knocks and line bites that will help me see whether there are many fish in the swim.
If I went any heavier, the tip would only go round whenever I got a bite and I wouldn’t know if the fish was a loner that had turned up or part of a shoal that had been grubbing around my feeder for a while.
BIG WATERS
There are times when you do need to step up the size of tip, usually when long-distance casting is involved.
If you need to chuck over 60 yards you’ll struggle to get the required accuracy with a 1oz tip, as it won’t be very stiff. I’d go to 1.5oz or even 2oz to help me hit the spot consistently.
GLASS OR CARBON?
Until a few years ago I always advocated glass tips. I believed that unlike carbon they bent right from the very end and helped give the rod a good action. This led to more fish going in the net because the rod performed how it should when big fish were hooked.
Recently I have switched to carbon tips, which have come on leaps and bounds and now bend from the very end rather than a few inches down the tip.
Carbon tips also allow you to use thinner, lighter rods, which are far more manageable.