Day-Ticket Carp Tips
Steve Coe wants to put the much underused and almost forgotten Method feeder tactic firmly back on the carp fishing map...
Method feeder for big carp with Steve Coe
IT’S safe to say that Method feeder fishing for big carp has fallen out of fashion in recent years, with PVA bags having rendered it almost redundant.
But I still use the Method a great deal on a whole range of waters. It’s not the ‘small fish tactic’ many people believe it to be. I’ve had countless twenties on it down the years and banked a 33lb carp from Linear Fisheries Brasenose 2.
loads of advantages
The Method creates a different presentation compared to PVA bags or Spombing out big beds of bait. When the payload breaks down off the frame, it creates a mini dinner plate of food, completely covering the feeder, with the hookbait bang in the centre. With PVA bag, the hookbait will be at the end of the loosefeed and the lead is always visible.
Also, you can use just about anything on a Method feeder, whereas with PVA you are limited to ‘PVA-friendly’ items. I like to use ‘wet baits’, like corn, as well as loads of different liquids, to produce a huge flavour and taste trail in the water. You can play around and adjust the breakdown time of the baits you use, whereas PVA will melt quicker or slower depending on water temperature.
You can cast a Method almost anywhere, safe in the knowledge that it will still be presented well. This makes it ideal for casting to showing fish.
Finally, it’s so much quicker, and cheaper, to load and recast the Method than it is to tie up a new solid PVA bag. On well-stocked day-ticket waters where the fish travel in shoals, the faster you can recast, the more you will catch.
feeder types
In the old days Method feeders were three-pronged affairs. They worked to a degree, but could roll down bars or marginal slopes, and didn’t always sit flush, often poking in the air from the base up. The larger flatbed feeders don’t have any such issues, and even come with a mould to make loading them quick and easy. Still, a large flatbed when fully loaded can weigh a fair amount, so look to use a strong mainline. If you go really big, pair that with a shockleader of some sort.
I carry a range of sizes up to about 100g, the bigger ones being great for tight line fishing.
My chosen hooklink is 4ins of 20lb supple braid tied to a size 6 wide gape hook. My hookbaits are normally a hair-rigged dumbell wafter or a kernel of fake corn.
LOADING THE FEEDER
You can use just about anything to load the feeder, but my preference is for Dynamite Baits’ Green Swim Stim groundbait, along with a combination of 1mm to 4mm pellets of dfferent types and flavours.
A small number of larger pellets also go into the mix, just to vary the breakdown rate, although not too many, as they will affect the binding on the frame.
The pellets need to be moistened so that they turn sticky and will adhere to the feeder.
I add the liquids to the soaking water, not directly on to the pellets, to give a better flavour distribution. Experiment with different liquids to see what works best for you on your local water.
One final difference between the Method and PVA bag fishing is the frequency with which you should cast. Typically, with the Method I will make three to four casts an hour – more than most carpers make in 48 hours! This enables me to slowly build up the swim, but still leaves enough time for the fish to find the hookbait without being spooked by disturbance.
So if you, like many others, have dismissed Method feeders as a relic of the past, it’s perhaps time to think again!