MAGGOT METHOD TRICK IS A WINNER FOR WINTER F1S

SOMETHING has improved my winter fishing for F1s no end.

Let me introduce you to my maggot Method feeders. I’ve adapted these into a bolt rig setup identical to how the Method feeder works – and on fisheries where F1s, feeder fishing and maggots dominate it’s been a year-round revelation.

I’ve seen a lot of F1 fisheries become out-and-out maggot waters where you won’t get a bite on pellets. That made chucking a pellet or Method feeder a bit pointless and got me thinking: ‘what if you could make a maggot feeder inline to produce the same self-hooking bolt-rig effect you get with a Method?’

I take a standard maggot feeder, get to work with a drill bit to allow the feeder to take a long Guru inline stem and there you have it, a maggot feeder that can be used inline. It results in more bites converted into fish in the net and, in winter especially, when F1s can be funny about their feeding, it’s deadly.

The arrival of the Guru stem was the missing link to the feeder. Before, I used stiff rig tubing through the middle and felt this was never quite right. The Guru stem is more rigid and lets you use elastic, turning it into the ultimate self-hooking rig.

WHEN TO USE IT

The maggot feeder traditionally lends itself to winter fishing, but if your venue responds well to maggots in warmer weather it will work then as well.

I’d turn to it in colder weather when pellets won’t be as effective, and it really produces when the fish are in a feeding mood. This is when the shorter hooklink that the maggot Method lets you use comes into play. I’d begin with a 10ins link, but once I begin to get regular bites, this will be shortened back to six or even four inches .

A short link is also handy when fishing up to an island with vegetation on it, as there’s less chance of the hook snagging as the feeder lands.

Tackle consists of 5lb mainline, a hooklink of 0.14mm Silstar