Feeder: nuances and subtleties. Part 1

Some little-known tricks and unusual techniques that can increase your catches when fishing with a feeder.

Something new and unexplored seems unreal, but when you see it with your own eyes in action on another fisherman, dragging one tail after another, you really believe it! I’ll share some tricky tricks and tricks I’ve learned from other experienced fishermen; I didn’t come up with them myself, so I don’t mind giving them up...

Feeder alarm

An interesting signaling device - I saw a ratchet last summer on the river - I tried it and really liked it. To do this, you will need a plastic tube with an internal diameter greater than the thickness of the nod between the tulip and the subsequent ring. A lollipop stick 8 cm long came up. Using a sharp knife, I cut it lengthwise, carefully spread the slit and put it on the nod behind the tulip. The result is an excellent “bell” that crackles, signaling a bite when you inadvertently distract yourself from watching the nod. At the same time, the alarm does not interfere with casting or fishing at all and significantly enhances the visibility of the nod against different backgrounds, especially dark ones.

Feeder advantages

An important advantage of feeder gear is its ability to catch fish of different sizes.

Among other advantages of feeder fishing, the following stand out:

• the tackle is used for fishing in reservoirs of any type;
• she is distinguished by enviable performance in short sessions;
• the costs of purchasing accessories for the manufacture of feeder gear are relatively small;
• you can experiment with different types of feeders and bait;
• no need for additional bite alarms.

Fishing with a feeder near snags

Finding a spot of clean bottom among snags is a big deal! But how many feeders will you tear off before you find that cool penny! About three years ago, one experienced fisherman demonstrated a simple search pattern. Let's say there were some holds at an interesting point on the edge. First of all, we throw at the same distance, but with a lateral shift downstream, first half a meter to the side, a meter, in some cases up to five - until the hooks stop. The fisherman assured that half a meter is usually enough, a maximum of a meter, that is, fishing is carried out practically at the chosen point, the displacement is minimal, and there are no snags. If you can’t get rid of them, then he throws them a little closer, or rather to the same point, but in the process of moving the feeder towards the bottom he makes one or two turns of the reel. If it catches, then it makes 3-4 turns, but at the same time makes sure that the feeder does not completely go over the edge, leaving the place that is interesting to the fish. If this happens, then he throws in the opposite direction - further than the place of the hooks. This technique can also help out when the snag is not very large and spreading. Then all that remains is not to smear it on the found spot.

Which feeder should a beginner fisherman choose?

Vyacheslav Redkin aka tanai will help us understand this fundamental issue and give practical advice . He began to get involved in feeder fishing professionally 5 years ago, and already in 2021, when bottom fishing competitions began to be held in Novosibirsk, he decided to try his hand at the sport. In the same year, he became the champion of the Novosibirsk region as part of the team, and then took 2nd place at the championship of the Kemerovo region. I missed 2021 due to being busy, and in 2021 at the City Championship I continued to take prizes - 3rd team place as part of the “I Know Fishing” team.

Quote: “Which feeder to choose? Before you go to the store, you need to know what you want, since in 90% of stores, when asked to sell a feeder, you will be offered a so-called “crocodile”. In order to decide what you want, you need to answer several questions.

• The first and perhaps most important is your budget. One good thing is that now there are a lot of decent fishing rods for reasonable money.
• The second is the body of water where you are going to fish.

If you want to fish on the country pond on weekends and go to the Ob River on weekdays in the evenings, then I will disappoint you, there are no universal rods .

And so, we’ve decided on a budget and a reservoir, and we begin to choose. If you prefer small ponds, rivers with a very slow flow, where the fishing distance will be up to 30 meters, you should purchase a so-called picker rod with a height of 3 - 3.3 meters and with a test weight of 25-50 grams. If the distance increases to 50+ meters, then you will need a rod with a height of 3.6 m. The test can be selected up to 70 g if you are fishing in a reservoir without a current. If this is a reservoir with moderate heat, then you should choose a more powerful rod - up to 90-110 g. With such a rod you can already catch carp on the platform, go to Ugryumka, and even go fishing here and there on the Ob. Next comes heavy and extra heavy. These are rods with heights of 3.9, 4.2, and 4.5 meters. I have never caught 4.5 m and have not yet understood whether I need it, but 3.9 and 4.2 - yes, I do. Especially for those who prefer fast-flowing rivers and need a long cast. Using a 4.2 m rod with the correct size 6000 reel, with the proper skill you can “place” the feeder at a point at a distance of up to 100 meters. And with a rod with a dough of 140-180 g, you can throw heavy feeders of 100, 120 g plus food, and they will calmly lie on the bottom of a river like the Ob. For a 3.9 rod, the comfortable distance is 70-80 meters.

A comfortable distance is the distance to which, with some skill, you can easily send the feeder while sitting on a chair. It’s unlikely that you’ll be able to throw it so successfully the first time; everything will come with training and experience.

• Seminar No. 1 is devoted to feeder rods and reels, their classification and selection.

I said that there are no universal rods, but perhaps a rod with a height of 3.6 and a weight of about 120 grams can be called such. But how universal is it? It will not be very comfortable to fish with such a rod at short distances due to frequent recasts and the weight of the rod - all the excitement from fishing will quickly be replaced by fatigue. You will also have to fully invest in long-distance casting. First of all, we go fishing for pleasure, and I would recommend choosing a fishing rod so as not to puff up, but to catch fish comfortably.

Another very important criterion when choosing a fishing rod for a novice fisherman is the availability of spare parts for sale. I know many people who have been fishing with feeders for a long time and still break their quivertips from time to time. They break in 99% of cases only because of a fisherman’s mistake. And, of course, a beginner is not immune from these mistakes. In the city, of course, the number of stores selling correct feeder rods is growing, but spare parts can also be bought through online stores, sometimes even cheaper than here. Keep this in mind when choosing your first feeder rod.”

• Seminar No. 1 is devoted to feeder rods and reels, their classification and selection.

Fishing on the rapids

A riffle can even be a bream one - I didn’t know about this before, but a couple of years ago I became convinced that on river riffles, even small ones, bream bite well at night and at dawn. Without hiding, one of my acquaintances told me about this, unloading excellent bream caught at night from a cage. He advised fishing not on the crest of the riffle, where the water swirls, forming a noticeable strip almost across the river, but a little further upstream, where deeper, the coastal longitudinal drop running along the riffle is also interesting. He also said that the riffle is good as a visual reference for searching for holes located above and below fifty meters; bream bites in these depressions during the day; large silver bream and ide are mixed in

Anti-twist

More and more anglers are switching to loop rigs, and if you are not one of them, I advise you to use loops as well. When using an anti-twist, the casting range is significantly reduced due to the windage of this equipment. Such installations also scare away fish.

If you don’t believe it, try an experiment: lower such a setup into a strong current so that it can be seen, and watch how this tube oscillates from side to side, it becomes scary for you, but not for the fish.

Well, we’ve looked at some of the tricks and features of feeder fishing. If you have your own secrets or recommendations, be sure to write them in the comments. I will definitely add them to the article and indicate the author.

Fishing off the capes

The high spring bank is good for catching bream, especially where the soil collapses into the river. Large coastal blocks, undermined by spring floods, slide into the water, forming coastal and underwater capes. They are especially promising at river bends, where the cape pushes the current away from the shore - a rip current is clearly visible at the top, and behind it there is a headwater with a return stream. Such places had caressed my gaze before, but I had no idea how to fish here with a feeder. It’s very close to the shore, there are always enough hooks along the breaker stream, and the current is very strong, and at the beginning of the tide the water is finely twisted, twisting even the leash - no swivel can handle it. In general, I knew that it was a good place, but only for a half-bottom or a float rod. But somehow at a similar place I met a fisherman who, with the help of a feeder, got four excellent bream with me. He settled on the same river, but cast just below the border of direct and reverse currents, the cast did not exceed ten meters. Now I don’t miss such points, and I already consider them very feeder.

Feeder accessories

The equipment can have several varieties:

1. Paternoster - this type is used in almost all types of reservoirs and is well suited for beginners in fishing. This equipment is mounted to the main fishing line and is used for self-hooking fish.
2. The loop is asymmetrical - mounted using swivels to the main fishing line. A feeder is mounted to the swivel. Used for fishing, where cautious fish are predominantly found.
3. A symmetrical loop is considered the most popular among fishing enthusiasts. It is characterized by high sensitivity to bites and is suitable for almost all types of reservoirs. The material used to make this type is rigid fishing line.
4. Anti-twist - has the form of a tube to which the feeder should be attached. The main fishing line is inserted into the tube, and a small loop is made for the leash.

Moistening the bait

I used to think that soaking bait was a simple matter, something that had been worked out for a long time, and I had not conducted any experiments in this field. I used classic moderate soaking, thanks to which I got a fairly dense mixture, which began to work slowly - to blur when the feeder was at the bottom. But having become interested in catching crucian carp in the reservoir, I saw that in stagnant water, particularly successful crucian fishermen prepare feeder bait differently. One advanced crucian fisher assured me that soaking methods are as important as the complementary feeding recipes themselves, and in some cases even more important. After all, depending on the amount of water added, baits that are completely different in properties are obtained. That day, this fisherman fed, from my point of view, absolutely inappropriate food, which he called “soup” - a highly moistened mixture, more like a thick porridge. But, unlike real porridge, such a mixture, when the feeder hits the water, immediately forms a thick cloud that gradually settles to the bottom. Thus feeding regularly, the fisherman dragged crucian carp after crucian carp, assuring that in the summer the fish often stand half-water and do not want to sink to the bottom, and you need to catch with a fairly large foam ball, which floats up, thanks to a meter-long leash, to the same height. He also said that such bait works great for crucian carp and tench when fishing from a soft, muddy bottom, into which nothing falls through, and all food particles remain accessible to the fish. Finally, I made a reservation that such a soup for fishing is not suitable for the river - it will instantly be carried away by the current. I listened to him, but did it my way, which I am very glad about, since it was on the river current that I managed to get the bites back when nothing else helped, and it already seemed that the bite was over for today!

And yet, I spied on the same fisherman: he was stirring the bait mixture with his fingers spread wide. I tried this trick myself - it mixes perfectly, thins out the mixture, much better than with cramped fingers, it seems like a trifle, but it turned out to be an effective little discovery. How simple are the solutions to feeder problems? It’s a shame – how could I not have guessed that!?

Choosing a rod for a feeder

When choosing a feeder, great importance must be given to the rod. The effectiveness of fishing depends on the correct type of fishing rod. The structural features of the fishing rod are the main criterion that distinguishes the feeder from the spinning rod.

Feeder rods are divided according to the following criteria:

• By class.
• By lenght.
• In order.

Rod classes

Feeder rods can be of several classes, namely:

• Ultralight - its length is up to three meters and has two sections. Designed for a casting weight of no more than 40 grams. If the load is heavier, it may lead to a fracture. Most often the rod is used for short casts with little current.
• Light class - designed for a maximum weight of no more than 80 grams. The length of the rod is up to 3.6 meters. Designed for a casting distance of up to 40 meters. Used in fishing areas where there is an average current.
• Medium - the length of the sections reaches 4 meters, the intended load is a test load of up to 100 grams. Designed for long casting up to 50 meters. Designed for fishing where there is an average current
• Heavy class - test weight is 120 grams, with available lengths up to 4 meters. Most often used with an additional elbow.
• Extra-heavy class - this class can use a feeder weighing up to 300 grams. Used for long casts and large currents. Most often used for catching large fish.

Length

Most often, the rod consists of three or four sections, and can be from two to four meters long. The length is selected individually depending on the area in which fishing will take place.

If you plan to fish in a large body of water, where long-distance casting is required, then it is advisable to use a long rod.

Note! The most commonly used length is from 3 to 3.5 meters. Some models have an additional function that can be used to increase the length, this allows the feeder to be used for several types of reservoirs.

Build

The system can be of several types and depends on the length and class of the feeder:

• Fast action - characterized by rigidity and is most often used for hooking.
• Slow - this type of action is much softer than the previous one, and allows you to reduce the load on the fishing rod.
• Complex - this type of system is used less often than others. It consists of gradually distributing the load along the entire length of the rod.

Most often, fishermen use the fast type. Which allows you to fish more efficiently and feel the bites perfectly.

Feeder reels

When choosing a reel, you should follow some tips from experienced anglers:

• Cost of the reel - the reel must be reliable and last a certain time. As practice proves, cheap models cannot cope with these types of tasks. Therefore, it is better not to skimp on such a detail.
• Number of possible revolutions - this criterion characterizes the ability to make a certain number of revolutions with the spool. There are medium, high-speed and universal. Experts recommend using a universal type reel, which has a medium speed and allows you to confidently cast with heavy fish feeders.
• The material from which the spool is made and its size - the most suitable material for the spool is metal or graphite. In terms of size, you must choose the average value, namely classification 3000. This is the most suitable size for the feeder coil
• Friction brake type - there is a difference between rear and front type. The front one significantly lightens the overall weight of the reel, the rear one is well suited for long-term fishing for fish. In this case, each fisherman chooses at his own discretion.
• Bearings - the most suitable reel model is the one that has 5 to 6 bearings.

Good to know! For feeder fishing, it is necessary to use a spinning reel type; this allows you to use thin fishing line and fish at a fast pace.

Feeder psychology

Among other things, the fisherman’s psychology also fights against feeder bitelessness, acting in different directions. My partner and I are an eloquent example. My friend is calm, thorough, loves to cover a rich “clearing” for fish, believing that fish will come from afar for good bait, and you need to sit where it is convenient for the fisherman to cast, land and use “killing” techniques. My friend has a lot of them, let’s take, for example, such a cunning trick as a “gas attack” . It is capable of quickly retrieving fish, especially in still water: on the first two or three casts, the feeder is clogged in a special way, and a couple of pinches of concentrated dry powder flavoring are placed between two layers of regular moistened bait. Having reached the bottom, the lure is washed away, and a powerful aromatic explosion occurs, quickly collecting fish or... scaring away everything around, here a lot depends on the choice of a specific aroma, how the local fish treats it, that is, it’s either hit or miss.

Feeder secrets

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AlexS

Recently, the feeder has gained significant popularity and, it should be noted, well-deserved popularity, because against the backdrop of a general very significant rise in prices for tackle and bait, it remains, perhaps, one of the most budget-friendly and technically simplest ways of catching peaceful fish. The feeder has access to all fishing points to which he can throw the feeder. Bad weather, inconvenient shores, and strong currents are not a hindrance. The bait consumption is small, the rigs are knitted independently, and there is nothing complicated in making feeders with your own hands. Many bottom fishers willingly switch to feeder fishing, especially after watching the success of their advanced colleagues in the hobby. But, as I and most of my comrades have repeatedly seen, not all novice fishermen have a clear understanding of the specifics and features of feeder fishing. At the Moscow Open Feeder Championship, held in August last year in Dubna, we talked a lot about this with Rostov and Moscow athletes.

First, let's look at the main points that make feeder fishing so effective, and then we'll talk about the mistakes that can prevent this efficiency from being achieved.

At first glance, everything is simple. A fishing rod, several interchangeable tips of different hardness that serve as bite alarms, a fishing line, an inertia-free reel, equipment and a feeder. But in order to tune this ensemble and make it perform as you intended, you will need to put in a lot of effort.

Let's turn to modern float fishing, as the most common type of fishing sport. Why has the plug replaced fly fishing rods almost everywhere, even though it is a more technically complex and expensive piece of equipment? Because it gave the angler almost unlimited possibilities to control the equipment, and, consequently, the bait, at the selected fishing point. Including on currents and in difficult weather conditions. Plus made it possible to significantly lighten the equipment, which led to a significant increase in their sensitivity.

The basis of successful float fishing is the use of bait. Feeding techniques and tactics may vary. One thing is common - there should be quite a lot of bait, it should be present at the fishing site constantly and located at the selected point as compactly as possible. Plug fishermen use special bait cups to achieve maximum accuracy. Among athletes, when fishing with long-casting tackle (match fishing), the real master is considered to be the one who is able to place balls of bait from a slingshot in a circle with a diameter of one meter at a distance of 30 - 50 meters from the shore. All this is done with one purpose - the fish should stand on the bait as tightly as possible. The more precise the feeding, the greater the concentration of fish and the faster the bite will follow.

Let's try to highlight the main thing from the above. And the main thing is to attract fish to the chosen point thanks to a sufficient amount of bait, high sensitivity of the gear and the constant presence of the bait in the fishing zone. And all these tasks can be accomplished using a feeder. Moreover, it allows you to fish at a considerable distance from the shore, where the fish are less careful.

Compact placement of bait at the selected fishing point is achieved primarily by high throwing accuracy. This technique cannot be mastered without regular training. However, it was often possible to observe fishermen casting tackle “by eye” on a reservoir. I dare to assure you that this technique will allow you not to be left without fish only if there is a widespread and unconditional bite, called “zhor” and which befalls the average fisherman no more than a couple of times a year.

To significantly reduce the spread on the sides (left - right), it is enough to select a noticeable landmark on the opposite bank, remember it well and try to cast strictly along the intended line. To fix the range, the fishing line is placed in a special clamp on the reel spool. During the flight of the feeder, the feeder is held almost vertically, slightly deflecting it towards the point of fall. Having selected the entire line up to the clamp on the spool, the feeder, smoothly slowed down by the flexible rod, will fall into the water quietly and neatly, and the leash will not get tangled. At the moment the feeder touches the water, you can slightly move the feeder forward to further soften the fall.

By the way, I recommend that you remember the number of turns of the reel handle required to completely reel in the rig. If the feeder breaks or the rod is replaced, you can easily continue fishing in the fed area. But accurate casting is only half the battle. It is important that the feeder always falls to the bottom in one place, and precisely in the one that was intended after measuring the depth. Surprises can also await a newcomer here.

At the very beginning of fishing, some kind of starting feeding is usually performed through a series of casts with a feeder of increased volume. And very often an angler feeds one point, and then fishes at a completely different point, without even knowing it. How does this happen? Yes, very simple. If, when feeding, the angler holds the rod pointed towards the reservoir, and during fishing, places it parallel to the shoreline, then the fishing point moves towards the shore from the previously baited place by approximately the length of the rod. To prevent this from happening, when feeding, it is better to follow the same algorithm as during fishing - after casting, put the rod on the stands. And remember that a similar mistake can be made when measuring the depth. Closing the line handle after casting, many people, by inertia, make two or three turns with the reel handle. Two revolutions on a modern inertia-free machine is about one and a half meters. The fishing distance has decreased once again. Add all these mistakes together and here is the result - when measuring, we found the lower edge, fed the drop, and we caught it on the upper edge. And we are surprised that it doesn’t bite well.

I hope everything is more or less clear with accuracy. Now let's talk about bait. In general, there are not many differences from float fishing. Dry mixtures from domestic and foreign manufacturers are widely used, as well as highly nutritious components of plant and animal origin.

The main mistake beginners make is over-wetting the bait. A plasticine-like mixture stuffed into a feeder can somehow work and attract fish only in a current like Niagara Falls. Meanwhile, the criteria for the humidity of working bait are quite simple. It should not fly out of the feeder even with a powerful cast and should not return to the shore in the feeder after the next hook.

Very rarely, earth or clay is used to prepare feeder bait. In a float, the main purpose of the soil is to make the mixture heavier, increase the time of erosion in the current and deplete the bait. The feeder will deliver the lightest mixture to the bottom, and the time for washing out the bait during the current can be easily varied by the shape of the feeder and the density of filling it with bait. Leaning the mixture in the feeder may be necessary extremely rarely. And then, to achieve this goal, it is enough to simply reduce the size of the feeder. Much more often you have to solve the opposite problem - to maintain a high enough rate of feeding so as not to miss the active fish.

The feederist’s most important weapon in the fight to increase the sensitivity of the tackle is the use of braided fishing line. Braid has many advantages: low elongation, high strength, wear resistance. Due to its low elongation, it is able to transmit the slightest touch of the fish to the nozzle to the tip. But you should always remember some features of its use.

I often had to observe such a picture. The angler froze over the feeder, hypnotizing the tip in anticipation of a bite. And then it happened. A sharp throw of the body, a rod in the hands, a powerful wide hook - bang! And then a disappointed exhalation - a cliff! All that remains is to shrug your shoulders, telling your neighbors about the expected size of the trophy. But the braid perfectly transmits force in both directions and strong cutting is not needed with it. As experienced feeders sometimes joke, it’s enough just to remove the rod from the stand. Perhaps, for close distances and standing water, this joke is not far from the truth.

Braiding also places increased demands on gear. Recasts in feeder fishing are performed frequently, and the weight of the feeders can be quite significant. Therefore, the rod rings and reel roller must have increased wear resistance, and the clutch must have a large range of adjustment and the ability to work flawlessly. When fishing for prey, braided line, unlike regular monofilament, does not absorb the jerks of the fish. The entire load falls on the rod and the clutch. And the weakest link is the leash. Most often he can’t stand it. Therefore, during the fishing process, the clutch must be loosened so that when the fish jerks, the reel gives up the line without subjecting the leash to critical loads. But before casting, the clutch should be tightened. After all, if during a powerful force throw the spool turns and gives up the line, the braid can cut through your finger to the bone. That is why experienced feeders advise purchasing reels with a quick adjustment flag for the clutch, and sealing your index finger with a plaster when fishing with heavy feeders at long distances in the place where the fishing line rests on it when casting.

The use of special anti-twist tubes in feeder rigs is not a mistake, but it significantly impairs sensitivity and in some cases scares away fish. And in general, in a modern feeder, equipment options in which the fishing line runs inside a tube or feeder have somehow not taken root. Many experienced feeder operators I know are convinced that the fewer parts in the equipment, the better and more stable it works.

That is why the paternoster (Steve Gardner’s equipment), as well as symmetrical and asymmetrical loops, are most widespread. In addition to the simplicity of the design, they have one more similarity - the end point of all these rigs is the feeder, and the leash is attached a little higher. At the same time, even cautious bites are easily transmitted to the rod tip. But only if it is chosen correctly.

The rigidity of the tip should correspond to the weight of the feeder and the general fishing conditions. Using either an overly rough or too soft tip will lead to a deterioration in the sensitivity of the tackle. In the case when fishing is carried out in reservoirs with standing water, the tip in the working position should be only slightly curved. In a decent current, this situation will most likely not be achieved. But it shouldn’t be folded into an arc along with the rod. The weight of the feeder is selected in such a way that casting to the desired distance can be performed without excessive stress, and the equipment is clearly fixed at the fishing point. A feeder that is too heavy will lie like an anchor on the bottom, and a feeder that is too light will constantly move from the feeding place.

It would not be the right decision to start mastering a new gear in too difficult conditions - on reservoirs with strong or variable currents, difficult terrain, a large layer of silt on the bottom, as well as in places that require very long casting. For this purpose, it is better to choose a standing reservoir with a clean, gently sloping shore, a flat bottom and a sufficient amount of fish.

Separately, I would like to dwell on the mistakes typical of anglers who came to feeder fishing using classic bottom gear. The biggest misconception is that you can catch a lot more fish by using multiple rods. This is wrong. The design of feeder equipment is not designed for self-cutting. The angler must stay close to the rod at all times and strike immediately. And it’s unlikely that a beginner will be able to effectively feed several points, even if he places all the rods on one stand.

There will be no benefit from using two or more leashes in the feeder equipment. And there will be constant overlaps, empty bites and, as a result, loss of precious time. Often, out of habit, many continue to use too thick fishing line. There is only one harm from it in the feeder. The sensitivity of the gear decreases and the casting distance decreases. In the current, the high windage of a large-diameter fishing line forces the use of heavier feeders.

The most common mistake in tactical terms is to throw the tackle into the water, sit next to it and patiently wait for a bite. Any negative result - lack of bites, unnoticed bait, empty hooks - should immediately prompt the fisherman to take active action to find solutions. Even minor changes in equipment, bait, groundbait, and fishing distance can radically change the situation. Constant work with gear, searching and experimenting not only helps to improve the bite, but also allows you to gain invaluable personal experience.

I don’t want readers to get the impression that I am against donks in principle. In the skillful hands of a knowledgeable person, it turns into an effective weapon. Moreover, I will say that there have been cases when doners significantly caught feeders. In the middle zone, such facts were most often observed in crucian carp and carp reservoirs. However, it is worth considering that fishing in such conditions by feeder lovers has not yet been studied well. But in the very near future the situation will change. Rich foreign experience and the pace of development of feeder sports allow us to speak about this with great confidence.

In conclusion, some advice from famous feeders.

Advice from Mikhail Dolgikh

Take your time to cast, pay more attention to preparing the place and equipment. This will make fishing much more efficient and help you avoid wasting time during the fishing process.

Advice from Dmitry Salapin

Choose a feeder of such weight that it barely stays in the current and moves with the slightest additional force. There will be much fewer empty bites.

Cast smoothly, not at all like you would with a spinning tackle. Remember, you have a lot more weight on your line. Just move the rod a little and the feeder itself will fly further than you think.

Advice from Sergei Markov

The choice of nozzle often requires an individual approach to the pond. But according to statistics, bait of animal origin (bloodworm, maggot, worm) is more often used in feeder fishing than bait of plant origin (barley, wheat, corn, pasta).

Advice from Igor Mitrokhin

Remember that plastic feeders, especially large ones, float up much faster than metal ones. This is important when fishing in places with steep clayey or snagged edges.

In windy weather, it is better to install the rod so that its tip is in the water. Then it will be much easier to monitor the bites.

Advice from Evgeny Syshchikov

When starting to fish with a feeder in an unfamiliar place, carefully familiarize yourself with the bottom topography, identify what you think are promising points, and note the direction and distance for each of them.

The article is presented in the author's version. The editorial version was published in “Fishing Journal” No. 3/08

Tags: feeder secrets

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"Laxative for fish"

He also has his own trump card - “laxative for fish.” A certain additive to the bait actually has some laxative effect, after which the fish’s feeding activity increases, which significantly activates the bite. It works best in the summer heat. Garlic works great as such additives, but you need to work with it carefully, in some places it can scare away fish with its strong aroma, it all depends on the specific body of water. Not very strong pepper is good, for example, I quite successfully tried barbecue seasoning on bream, although this thing can work in two ways, because the fish itself may not like the aroma today, in any case, it’s not worth plopping a lot of seasoning into complementary foods, at most one percent of the total volume. Ordinary wood ash works most reliably, which also has a laxative effect, and it can be added in a decent amount, as long as the necessary mechanical properties of the bait are maintained. A comrade sprinkles two or three handfuls of ash onto half a bucket of moistened, already swollen bait.

I can’t help but admit the benefits of “laxative” additives, but I believe that there should be a system of proven compounds - recklessly pouring all sorts of nonsense into the bait, in a passionate desire to cause “diarrhea” in the fish. You can ruin the entire bait mixture, besides, in my opinion, this is a little tactless in relation to the opponent. My partner just chuckles, assuring that diarrhea is better than constipation...

Feeder bait

Proper preparation of bait for the feeder plays a decisive role in the effectiveness of fishing. The bait should be compacted tightly into the feeder, but when immersed in water, create a cloud of turbidity that attracts fish.

The bait cannot look like plasticine, but it should mold into the feeder without any problems, so that the tackle does not crumble when casting.

Current dependence

When fishing with feeder gear in the current, the bait becomes stickier. Once on the bottom, such bait will remain in the feeder for a long time, presenting interest to the fish and provoking it to bite. To cast gear, powerful feeders and heavy, large-capacity feeders are used.

Using a sticky bait mixture, you can recast less frequently, every 20-30 minutes.

Bottom dependence

The choice of bait consistency also depends on the type of bottom. After all, when landing on a silted area, a feeder with sticky bait will not provide a dusting effect that attracts fish.

On muddy bottoms they fish with crumbly bait; in hard areas, especially in the current, the density of the bait mixture should be higher. The feeder is effective on any type of bottom surface, but it is important to maintain the correct ratio of moisture and dry mixture.

"Worm puncture"

There is another effective technique - “worm puncture”. My friend’s dung worm works better than others always and everywhere, or so he assures, baiting the dung worm in a special way so that the vigorous liquid of the worm is released evenly little by little, attracting fish for a long time. First, the thick end is pierced, but not all the way through. The hook unfolds and passes along, but not in the center, but closer to the skin, so as not to damage the vital insides of the worm - it will retain mobility longer. The sting is brought out in the center of the body, the worm bends slightly, and the sting is inserted closer to the tail. That's it, the hook is well camouflaged, and at the same time ready to reliably hook the fish if hooked in a timely manner.

Feeder for beginners from A to Z.

Mistake #1 – Fishing location.

There are a lot of people on the pond and everything is busy. But you have found a wonderful cozy beach where you can comfortably sit and place your gear.

Choosing the wrong fishing spot is the first mistake!

Wrong fishing place
Why is this so? The place seems to be nice, but no one fishes there, although the reservoir is actually “pressed in.” Usually, local fishermen fish in reservoirs located near populated areas. And they know exactly which place is baited and where it bites well.

But you and I, going to an unfamiliar body of water, of course, cannot know this. However, a novice feeder must take into account the fact of the terrain. If you are going fishing in the spring, and the bottom of the place you recklessly chose has a sharp slope. Accordingly, you will cast to depth (And as you know in the spring, fish stay in shallower, warmer areas). Or you are fishing in the fall, and this place is shallow (Although the fish prefer to stay in deeper areas in the fall). Also, the possibility of getting caught on driftwood lying at the bottom cannot be ruled out. In addition, fish may not be found in this area of ​​the reservoir at all.

Mistake #2 – Wrong fishing point.

However, in addition to the wrong fishing location, it is very important to choose the right fishing POINT!

This is the second main mistake. When, even in a fishing spot, people choose the wrong fishing spot and are left without trophies. How to choose a fishing spot:

• You need to stand downstream, behind the snags.
• Place yourself on the edge or in front of a pronounced edge.
• If this is a lake where the bottom is flat and there are no obvious differences, then changing the muddy bottom to a harder bottom will help.

These are the main, always working points that you should choose when you try on, explore the place you have chosen.

If you do not measure the bottom correctly and stand on a steep slope, your bait will roll down. As a result, the fish will again leave the fishing point and nothing good will happen to you in this place.

If within an hour you haven’t seen a single bite or you break the equipment on every cast, GET YOUR THINGS UP AND CHANGE YOUR FISHING PLACE! This indicates that you have not chosen the right fishing location or point.

Feeder for beginners from A to Z.

Mistake #5 – Side casting.

This will be the next point in the article “Feeder for beginners from A to Z.” “Side casting” is a very common mistake of beginning feederists. I’m sure you know him well – he’s the one who came from the spinning rod.

SIDE CAST
Its most important drawback is that it is incredibly difficult to hit where you want with such a cast. As you remember, in a feeder it is very important to feed and catch from the same point and to hit the same place as accurately as possible. Of course, there are professionals who came from the “Neva reels” and they cast far and accurately with side casts. But believe me, doing this is very difficult and the likelihood of getting there and finding your way around is much less.

Most often, the feeder uses casting from behind the back. This is a vertical cast where your feeder acts as a casting guide. And in this case it will be easy for you to determine the direction.

THROWING FROM BEHIND THE BACK

Mistake #6 – Wrong bait.

I think you guessed from the title that the conversation will be about working with bait. When preparing bait, you can make a lot of mistakes. Such as flavorings, bait composition and bait moistening. You can mix a “light” composition into a reservoir with a strong current, which will simply be carried away by the current. Or add a little water to the “heavy” composition and it will wash off just the same. You can add a lot of aromatics to cold water and the fish will no longer come to your destination. Another option is to mix a “heavy” bottom composition into a not large and not deep reservoir with a medium current. In this case, your bait will simply fall into the silt and will not bring any noticeable results.

The choice of bait mixture and aromatics is a rather important aspect. Do not ignore the correct preparation of bait.

Everything should be clear, beautiful and tasty! You can find various methods of preparing bait, from simple to elite, in the section: SPORTS – FISHING AND HUNTING.

Tactics for requesting and using nozzles

Beginners are better off using one fishing rod. Until the casting technique is perfected, it is important to constantly train to hit the same point. You should always remember that success in feeder fishing comes to those who know how to cast tackle with an accuracy of 0.5 meters. This indicator comes with experience.

After we have found a place, we fix the fishing distance by clipping the cord on the spool. This can be done in different ways: either insert the fishing line into the clip, or wind a rubber band in the right place. The photo shows the methods:

We start feeding with 5 or 10 medium or large feeders. After this, we proceed to the actual fishing. The following tips are suitable for beginners at the first stage:

• maggot
• worms
• Styrofoam
• corn
• pearl barley

You can attach either one bait or several on one hook. Polystyrene foam has positive buoyancy. It is used in combination with maggots when catching fish in the water column - roach, sabrefish, and silver bream.

Here are the main options for attaching a worm or maggot in feeder fishing:

When using foam, it is threaded through the sting. If necessary, add a maggot or worm to it.

In warm weather, casts are made once every 5 minutes, in cold weather - once every 15 minutes. Accurate casts will allow you to set the feeding table and collect fish at the point. The main indicator of bites is the rod tip. For several bends in a row, make a light hook.