Improve Your Coarse Fishing (UK)
Shannon Swallow
Mini marvel – feeder size matters
STRICT rules of feeding are generally obeyed when fishing the float. It’s widely accepted that the days of piling in the loosefeed have finished for 2019 by those fishing the pole, with the gung- ho approach of summer being replaced by a much more cautious mindset.
The large dump pots of bait and big pouches of pellets are no longer in play, with a tiny pole cup filled with a pinch of micro pellets or maggots getting the nod instead.
But the same can rarely be said of fishing the feeder. This style of angling seems to receive much less focus on moderating the amount of bait being introduced, with many anglers using the same feeders they cast out in the high temperatures of summer.
But if cutting back is key when fishing the pole, then surely it should be the same case when fishing with rod and line? You bet, asserts Shannon Swallow!
The Suffolk- based match angler has enjoyed the benefits of relying on tiny feeders at this time of year and is confident you’ll do exactly the same if you follow suit.
“I see so many anglers feed a tiny quantity of bait when fishing the pole, but as soon as they switch to the feeder they cram it with 10 times more bait and chuck it out,” she said.
“No matter where in your swim you are fishing and what tactic you decide to go with, you really need to cut back on bait to make the most of your day on the bank.”
Less is more
If you’re new to fishing you could be tempted to introduce more bait in winter to try to force a few extra fish into your peg. Stop right there if that is your current way of thinking!
Fish of all species will only pick up the odd mouthful at this time of year due to a reduced appetite. The more bait they have in front of them, the less chance there is of them taking your hookbait. Shannon gives the fish one mouthful at a time and relies on the smallest feeder she can get her hands on.
“My favourite feeder in autumn and winter is the Guru Hybrid. The loosefeed within it breaks down at a really slow pace, which is ideal for this time of year.
“I use a 24g mini version when fishing up to 40m and bury my hookbait in the middle. When a fish finds the neat pile of bait it can inhale the majority of that bait, including the hookbait.”
Regular casting to build up the amount of bait in the swim is pivotal in summer. Once that season has passed, though, Shannon starts her sessions by recasting no more than six times an hour – about every 10 minutes.
She will alter this timing if she notices a pattern and relies on a stopwatch for this.
“I start the stopwatch the moment the feeder hits the deck and, when I get a bite, I make a mental note of how long it took.
“The chances are you’ll soon spot a pattern and that dictates how you adjust. For example, if most bites come within eight minutes, there is no point leaving it out any longer.”
Work your way up
A lot of feeder fishing on commercials involves casting tight to features. The temptation to chuck as close to the island or far bank as possible will definitely linger, but Shannon believes you need to resist that temptation.
“You might catch a few fish close to the island initially, but once they tire of the commotion they’ll swim left or right and go out of your peg and out of range,” said Shannon.
“I prefer to start casting a few metres short of the island. Once bites dry up, the fish will push up the slope towards the island. It is then just a case of taking line from the clip, peeling off a couple of feet and going a tad closer.
“Repeat this small movement every time sport slows to keep the tip going round,” she added.
Mix and match
There are usually only two options for what goes into the feeder – micro pellets and groundbait. And you’ll find both baits on Shannon’s sidetray. It’s simply a matter of trial and error to find out which is working best on any given day.
“You never know what mood the fish will be in, so you need to have both options to hand. More often than not, it is a case of chopping and changing throughout the session to keep regular bites coming.
“Using micros and groundbait on their own will produce, but using a 50/ 50 blend should not be dismissed either.”
Shannon’s favourite groundbait is Mainline Match Method Mix, which has a pungent flavour and a relatively low food content which won’t fill up the fish too quickly.
When it comes to hookbaits a 6mm banded pellet is her opening gambit but, as with loosefeed, it is important to give other baits a try throughout the day. As such, she always carries a couple of tubs of bright wafters as a back- up option.
“reducing the size of my feeder and therefore the amount of bait i give them has definitely helped make this catch possible”
Minimal magic
Armed with less than a pint of both micro pellets and groundbait, Shannon set about getting among the shoals of carp at Cambridgeshire day- ticket complex, Rookery Waters.
With an island at 20m on Magpie Lake, she clipped up to fish on the edge of the gap in the reeds, leaving her 4m off and with plenty of room to push closer as the day progressed.
No bites came on the first two casts, but the third produced a series of liners before the tip wrapped round after six minutes of the payload being sat on the deck.
The next two casts also produced fish within a similar time frame and that determined her next move.
“Even if I don’t gets bites on the next few casts, I’m only going to leave the feeder in for a maximum of seven minutes,” she said.
“It’s hard to explain why these patterns develop, but it’s likely to be related to the breakdown of loosefeed and the fish preferring a certain consistency.”
Rotating both what went into the feeder and the hookbait kept bites coming, as did casting a touch tighter to the island whenever the fish seemingly disappeared.
More than 70lb went into her keepnets during the day, with both her bait tubs still half full at the close of play.
“I’ve had to work hard to get bites today and reducing the size of my feeder and therefore the amount of bait I give them has definitely helped make this catch possible.
“Give your feeding strategy for the feeder just as much thought as you do when pole fishing to keep the fast paced bagging up this month,” concluded Shannon.