HOW MUCH BAIT FOR THE FEEDER?

Q How do you work out how much bait to put into a feeder when targeting carp? I’m never sure when to use a small or large feeder. Darren Fell, Stockport

Steve says: If in doubt, start small and work your way up if the need arises. As a rule of thumb, though, mini and small feeders are king in the cold. It’s a case of casting about looking for fish, rather than trying to build a peg up.

The only real exception to this is somewhere like Boddington, which is a big reservoir holding big carp. On there, it is very much a case of ‘big is best’ as far as feeder size goes, and there are two reasons why I feel this to be the case.

Q Does the distance that the shots are spaced when pole fishing strung bulks depend on the type of fish you are after? Clive Dawson, Atherstone

Steve says: Yes, although it depends on the presentation you are looking to achieve. For big carp I am always quite happy with a loosely strung bulk, as carp tend to feed very positively and missed bites aren’t normally an issue.

If I’m fishing for F1s and even silvers, though, and missed bites are proving a problem, I will often tighten the bulk to make the rig more positive in terms of magnifying bites.

This is what I love about a strung bulk – it’s very versatile, and you can quickly change it to take pretty much any situation into account.

First, it’s a big water and the fish seem to be on the move a lot, so a greater amount of bait on the feeder increases the chances of a carp finding the bait.

Second, at Boddington it’s normally the case of 30 to 45-minute casts in winter, and in this situation a bigger feeder again makes sense.

A small feeder is more suited to more regular casting when you are searching for the fish and trying not to spook them in the process.

Q Does feeding groundbait ever play a part in your plan for carp on the pole at this time of year? Richard Brown, Uttoxeter

Steve says: Very rarely at this time of the year, if I’m honest, will I feed groundbait for carp. There is perhaps only one exception and that is when a venue has a lot of new small stockie carp. Quite often when this is the case you catch well using groundbait and maggots but as carp get bigger, they just don’t seem to respond to groundbait in the cold, preferring pellets instead.

That said, I do believe that if pellets weren’t allowed and we all fed groundbait the carp would eat it – the problem, of course, is that when you give them a choice they will always opt for pellets!