Dean’s rigs...

Hybrid feeder rig

Over the course of the show the Hybrid Method feeder rig, and adaptations of it, has been used probably more than anything else. It is a favourite of both presenters and has been put to good use on a variety of venues because it lends itself to the types of venues that they are typically fishing, many of which are commercial venues. But it also has been used to good effect for specimen sized fish of species such as tench, and Dean has particularly fond memories of scoring a victory using it on a very cold and slow day during the latest series. He and his partner, Dave Coldwell, might not exactly have emptied Newdigate’s Lodge Lake, but they certainly outfished Ali and Tony Bellew, who had opted for a different approach. Dean revealed: “The majority of the time the Hybrid feeder is my go-to rig on these shows and I use it in exactly the same way as I used to fish the old ‘coconut’ style of Method fishing years ago – with a short, braided hooklink (where permitted) because I like it to be supple. If braid is banned then I’m more than happy with one of the short Guru ready-rigs. “It is a great set-up for people who are novices – many of the celebs on the show have never fished before. It doesn’t really matter how badly you cast or feather it because it is still fishing effectively even if it goes in like a bag of spanners! You can pretty much fish it anywhere – islands, open water or even down the edge. “When we fished Newdigate I went straight on to it as the water was coloured and I wanted to be using something that would get fish grubbing around on the bottom. I used it along with a pellet-based groundbait which I mixed 50:50 with 2mm pellets. “This method definitely gave us the edge as Ali and Tony were fishing with a maggot feeder set-up, which I don’t think is as effective when the water isn’t clear. “We fished the Hybrid with a barrel-shaped wafter hookbait on a size 10 or 12 MWG hook to 4in of Supernatural braid (heavy but thin) and 8lb Drag-Line, because you are hitting the clip a lot when casting. It also means the celebs can make a mistake and not get broken. I mould a lump of putty around the line 18 inches up to help pin everything down, and I also fish a Korda Sinker halfway along the hooklink. “I always use as heavy a feeder as possible for the bolt effect, and it is less likely to move once it hits the bottom, especially as the guests aren’t always careful about avoiding doing that.”

A 4in hooklength leaves the hookbait sitting among the pellets A heavy feeder increases the bolt effect and is less likely to move once on the lakebed The mainline is attached to a small hook at the top of the feeder which enables you to change feeder...

The Hybrid feeder has been one of the show’s most prolific tactics