Improve Your Coarse Fishing (UK)
Method feeder v the bomb – Mark Griffiths
Both are deadly at this time of year but you need to know when to swap between the two to maximise catches. Mark Griffiths has the answers
WALK around any commercial fishery and you will see feeder rods bent double as big fish do their best to shed the hook. Even if the rig remains out of your sight as the big carp makes a final lunge for freedom, you can watch on and pretty much guarantee that either a Method feeder or bomb will eventually break the surface. There’s no doubting that both are prolific tactics, but there are several factors that need to be taken into account before choosing which will work best on any given day. Guru’s Mark Griffiths knows a thing or two about the deadly duo and he hasn’t become a master of them by simply taking a lucky guess about which to use. “The bomb and Method feeder have caught me so many fish over the years but there is a time and a place for each,” explained Mark. “How the fish are feeding and behaving will dictate which one is going to get me the most bites at that moment in time.”
The big decision
At the start of any session Mark sets up rods for both the Method and the bomb. But at this time of year he always reaches for the bomb for the first chuck of the day when faced with a standard open-water swim. “When temperatures are high and there is colour in the water the fish are likely to be active. The bomb is a tactic that keeps them grubbing around the swim because of the way it is fed. “If I am fishing in water that is less than 5ft deep I feed five 8mm pellets by catapult every minute, making plenty of noise at the same time. “When doing this you are covering an area over maybe a couple of metres and the fish will get used to cruising around that zone, picking off the pellets. “The fact you are continuously topping up the amount of bait ensures the fish remain there and it won’t take long for them to trip up and take your hookbait.” If there are no signs of fish in the swim Mark increases the amount of pellets he lashes in to make even more noise in a bid to attract fish from elsewhere, stepping it up to 15 pellets every minute. In deeper water it is best to fire in a couple of full pouches of pellets, cast over the top and wait 10 minutes before repeating the process. This is because the noise has less effect due to the fish being well below the surface. All being well the tip will keep flying round but there are times when you will get twitches indicating the presence of fish but no matter what you do, you can’t get a proper bite. Frustration is likely to kick in but Mark knows exactly what to do when this annoyance crops up. “When this happens, it is time to pick up the Method feeder rod and cast over the same zone. “The Method is a tight ball of food and it gives the fish something to home in on. The line bites on the bomb are caused by fish darting around and not zoning in on anything in particular. The Method, however, gives them something much bigger and more visual to attack and it can
transform your session in an instant. Keep firing a few pellets over the top and if bites dry up on the Method, pick up the bomb again.” Rotating between the two is often the best policy, looking for the key signs as to when to make that all-important change.
No-nonsense tackle
Anglers seem to constantly have it drummed into them that scaling down your tackle is essential to getting more bites, but that isn’t the case when fishing the bomb or Method according to Mark. “If you are fishing the pole there is a lot of line running through the water column that fish can see and if it is too thick they will smell a rat and back away. “But the hooklength on the bomb lies on the bottom and is therefore disguised, while the on the Method it is tucked inside the pile of pellets and therefore completely out of sight. “With this in mind, you can afford to use heavy tackle that really does increase your chances of landing some of the very biggest fish in your favourite lake.” Mark uses 6lb Guru Drag Line mainline and an N-Gauge hooklength either in 9lb or 12lb depending on the size of fish he is targeting. The hook is either a size 10 or 12 Guru QM1.
“A bigger hook gives you a better chance of hooking every bite and it also reduces the number of fish you lose.” When fishing the bomb, Mark uses the lightest bomb he can get away with so that it enters the water with a ‘plop’ and makes a similar sound to the loosefeed pellets. A Guru inline X-Safe bomb is run on to the elasticated stems and this acts as a shock absorber when playing fish to reduce hookpulls. It isn’t uncommon to get a bite within seconds as a result of the fish homing in on where the noise came from and finding your pellet waiting. A Method feeder will always create a little more commotion upon entry due to its shape and size but using the smallest Guru elasticated X-Safe Method drastically reduces the chaos caused.
Pellets the prime bait choice
When it comes to fishing the Method feeder Mark always uses dampened 2mm micros that can be moulded around the frame with ease. It is a case of switching to bigger pellets when on the bomb and the size used depends on a couple of elements. If there are no nuisance fish present and you are fishing at a range of less than 25m, 6mm pellets will get the fish rummaging. But if you need a heavier bait that will fly further or you aren’t getting any bigger fish because their smaller siblings are beating them to the bait, then it is time to step up to 8mm. “I always start by using a banded 8mm pellet hookbait but there are times when switching to something that stands out from the crowd can pay dividends. “A Mainline Match Wafter is a great alternative and I carry a range of colours with me. It is then a matter of trial and error to see what works best on the day. One day it could be yellow and on another it could be pink.” A few hours of action at Worcestershire’s Larford Lakes at Stourport-on-Severn proved Mark’s theories were bang on. Starting on the bomb it took a while to get any signs, with the first bites coming after he had stepped up the feed. Several carp went into the net in quick succession before sport slowed. He continued to catch an occasional fish but it was clear something needed to change. “It’s time to pick up the Method and give them something to attack. This usually gets a quick run of fish in a very short space of time.” And so it proved, with four fish and a combined weight of over 25lb being banked before bites tailed off and it was back to the bomb for another flurry. “You can’t beat the bomb and the Method for big fish at this time of year, but it is all about working out which is best at that exact moment if you want to catch more than your mates,” concluded Mark.
“You can afford to use heavy tackle that increases your chances of landing the biggest fish”