Should I TAPE uP MY CAGE FEEdER?
QI can remember taping up the holes on feeders to slow the rate at which the bait comes out – do you still do this? Chas, via email
Steve says: A lot of anglers still tape up cage feeders in deep water to try and stop the bait coming out on the way down. Personally, though, this is something I’ve never done. I prefer instead to mix my groundbait to the right consistency to fish in deep water.
It’s no secret that I love a cage feeder, so when I’m fishing in deep water I will just mix my groundbait so it’s slightly over-wetted. This makes it heavier and a little bit claggy in terms of consistency.
Of course, as a result it is totally unsuitable for shallow water work, but absolutely perfect for fishing a cage feeder in deep water.
To be frank, I’m not worried if a little bit of bait comes out of the cage on the way down. Provided your groundbait has been mixed correctly, it will sink quickly and the fish will follow it down.
QCan you tell me how to set up your running paternoster rig I read about recently? Paul Tetly, via email
Steve says: Setting up a running paternoster is far easier than some would have you believe.
The first job is to thread a feeder link on to the mainline. I use the Guru Links and prefer the short two-inch version. With the link in place I then thread a small Guru Line Stop on to the line.
With the link and line stop in place I give myself some line to work with and tie a four-inch twizzled loop. The line stop is slid down so that it rests against the loop knot and basically acts as a buffer. Then I like to a tie a small overhand loop at the end of the twizzled loop.
To this I attach my hooklength via the loop-to-loop method.
QHow much feed should I introduce at the start of a session for carp on the pole? Iain Brandon, Rugeley
Steve says: When fishing on commercials in winter you can put bait in, but you can’t take it out again. So I’d much rather start off softly, softly, and let the fish tell me if they want more bait. That way I won’t risk ruining my peg in the first five minutes of a session.
To judge whether the fish want more bait, see if you get an instant response every time you feed. If so, try upping the amount a little.
A little trick of mine is to put in a big pot of bait well out of the way of your other lines. If this is wrong I won’t have damaged any of my main lines. If this ploy works I can then start to feed my other lines more heavily, knowing that it’s a day when the fish want some bait.