I recently had one of the most enjoyable nights fishing I have had in years. I was fishing on the Dorset Stour on the Blandford Angling clubs stretch 'The crown meadows' I caught no fewer than 21 Bream all over 6lbs with the biggest slab weighing a hefty 8lb 6oz. The fish came in 8 hours of mad action and were great fun to catch. All caught on a simple feeder set up that any one can use. Here are a few tips to get you started.
Bream can congregate in huge shoals, they are predominantly bottom feeders and a shoal can sweep up a huge amount of bait very quickly. A great way to attract a shoal of Bream and then to hold them in the swim is by using an open end or cage feeder.
For those new to Feeder fishing all you need is a ledger or feeder rod, a fixed spool reel with 4-6lb line, a swivel, a buffer bead and of course your hook.
Here is a drawing of a simple feeder rig sourced from www.pleasurefishing .com that shows how to arrange your end tackle.
As you can see the feeder is free running on this rig which allows the fish to confidently take the bait giving clear bite indication, There are many other rigs that can be used with a feeder such as bolt rigs but for the beginner this rig is easy and adequate for most scenario's.
The beauty of the open end feeder is that it allows you to present a bed of feed to attract and hold the fish. This is done using groundbait. I generally use simple brown crumb groundbait with a good helping of particles such as sweetcorn and maggots. Though this could vary depending on my hookbait. I also add some liquid additives such as scopex to give it an extra kick.
The key to being successful with your feeder is accuracy. Once you have chosen your spot in the swim you must insure that you cast accurately so that the feeder lands in the same area. This is key as it allows you to build up a bed of groundbait and insures your bait is on that bed. The last thing you want is feed all over the swim. A good tip is to pick a tree or bush on the far bank and cast to it, if you are unable to control the range of your cast simply use the line clip on your reel, by doing these simple things you should hit the mark every time.
There are many ways to detect bites when feeder fishing the simplest being by watching the quivertip that is the tip of your feeder/ledger rod. But when fishing for Bream I prefer my Delkim alarms and a fox bobbin this allows you to fish with more than one rod and at night you can be totally confident that you will see the bites.
Feeder fishing is a very simple method to master and can give great rewards. If you have never tried it before give it a go. Here are my top tips
- Use a hooklength to avoid losing tackle if you get broken off
- At the start of the session cast regularly to build a bed of feed
- Accuracy is everything, use a line clip
- Let bites develop when fishing for Bream, Don't strike to quickly
- Insure you can cast easily to your target area to avoid mistakes
- Bream love cocktail baits i.e sweetcorn and worm
- Bream feed more confidently at night
Feeder fishing is great fun, click this link to find everything you need and more
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