Improve Your Coarse Fishing (UK)
MODERN TAKE ON A CLASSIC TACTIC
MARK POLLARD EXPLAINS WHY TRADITIONAL FEEDER TACTICS STILL SCORE FOR BREAM
THE interest in feeder fishing has reached an all-time high in recent years thanks to countless innovations. Pellet, Banjo and Method feeders have all captured the imagination of UK anglers, with the thrill of the tip flying round now seen by many as more exciting than watching the flfloat bury. While these modern devices have shown their worth on literally thousands of occasions, there is still a time and a place where a more traditional feeder approach will score best. Back in the 1980s and 1990s, greats such as Bob Nudd, Ian Heaps and Ivan Marks caught more fifish than many of us could imagine on an old-fashioned groundbait feeder set-up and another star of that era believes you are missing a trick by not keeping this approach in your armoury. Dynamite Baits and Matrix-backed angler Mark Pollard has forged a reputation as one of the most consistent all-round match anglers around. Although he has caught countless big bags using modern feeder tactics, he can’t resist taking a trip down memory lane and believes his results don’t suffer one bit. “The groundbait feeder seems to have been forgotten by so many anglers but it offers a completely different option and it is every bit as deadly now as it used to be,” explained Mark. “When it comes to catching quality bream and skimmers at this time of year, it is absolutely brilliant and rarely fails. It has developed a little over time but the modern tweaks I apply keep the fish coming on even the chilliest of days.”
Versatile attack
Set up a pole or waggler rig and you are spoilt for choice with how to present it. How much bristle you have showing, the positioning of shot and depth it is fished at can be adjusted in an instant. Use a Method or pellet feeder and very little can be amended – but the groundbait feeder is a very different animal. “Most modern feeder fishing techniques require a very short hooklength to work effectively, but the groundbait feeder is extremely versatile,” said Mark. “I’ll often start the session with an 18in hooklength so that the hookbait is sat just off the main pile of feed. “If I start to get indications but no proper takes then I will shorten it slightly. On the flip side, if I am not getting any bites, I will make it slightly longer in case the fish are sat further away from the feeder.” When bream are the main quarry, 4lb reel mainline is more than up to the job when combined with a 0.12mm Matrix Power Micron hooklength and a size 18 SW Feeder hook.
Patient approach
Bream fishing during the warmer months almost always involves piling in the bait at the start, but such antics now would probably wipe out your chances of success in an instant. “Like any species, bream are slowing down their feeding for winter and the chances of them being attracted by a huge bed of bait are very slim. “I take a very cautious stance and I will chuck out at the beginning and only recast every 15-20 minutes. Three or four feeders every hour is more than enough to gain the desired response.”