Maggot Feeder Help!

[Arkie]

Good morning fellow piscatorians..

 

Yesterday I had the opportunity to fish a new water which has a reputation for good roach and bream. I decided to try a maggott feeder as the pond was a bit exposed and the wind had got up. I've never used a maggot feeder before, though I do use groundbait and particle feeders quite regularly.

 

I was using a light feeder rod, middy inline feeder, 4lb mainline, 2lb 12oz hook length and a 16 hook with single or double red maggot depending on my mood.

 

Almost instantly I started to get bites, but missed everyone when I struck. I tried sitting on my hands to let the bites develop further, but they didn't. Every bite was a really good knock of the light quiver tip, but I simply couldn't set the hook.

 

It became very frsutrating, because I had obviously done enough to attract a good head of fish into my swim, I just couldn't hook them.

 

I ended the day with a small common and a decent tench, both of which hooked themselves.

 

So here's my question..... WHAT WAS I DOING WRONG???

 

Any help would be much appreciated as I quite like the idea of using a maggot feeder, it seem to create interest in my swim very quickly and had I not been such a crap angler I would probably have had a good days fishing.

 

Cheers

Arkie....

[poledark]

Try hooking the maggots crossways.................

 

Den

[benacre]

Thread the maggot up the hook like you would a Lug worm. This works well on my local river.

I use an 18 Finewire Barbless Mustad seem to be the best.

[cobra]

Good morning fellow piscatorians..

 

Yesterday I had the opportunity to fish a new water which has a reputation for good roach and bream. I decided to try a maggott feeder as the pond was a bit exposed and the wind had got up. I've never used a maggot feeder before, though I do use groundbait and particle feeders quite regularly.

 

I was using a light feeder rod, middy inline feeder, 4lb mainline, 2lb 12oz hook length and a 16 hook with single or double red maggot depending on my mood.

 

Almost instantly I started to get bites, but missed everyone when I struck. I tried sitting on my hands to let the bites develop further, but they didn't. Every bite was a really good knock of the light quiver tip, but I simply couldn't set the hook.

 

It became very frsutrating, because I had obviously done enough to attract a good head of fish into my swim, I just couldn't hook them.

 

I ended the day with a small common and a decent tench, both of which hooked themselves.

 

So here's my question..... WHAT WAS I DOING WRONG???

 

Any help would be much appreciated as I quite like the idea of using a maggot feeder, it seem to create interest in my swim very quickly and had I not been such a crap angler I would probably have had a good days fishing.

 

Cheers

Arkie....

sometimes shortening the hooklength can help try going down to about 6 inches

[mjbarnes12]

you have a few options in my eyes:

 

- shorten the hooklength

- use a smaller hook/bigger hookbait, a lot of it may be tiddlers nibbling the maggot violently

- use a heavier feeder to increase the bolt rig effect

- don't strike too hard/at all you may be pulling out the hook, you may be striking at line bites, look for a positive registration on the tip, i.e. that it has been pulled around and stayed around or that the tip drops right back and the line goes slack!!

- wind in a little more line once the feeder has settled to increase the resistance (be careful though as this may scare fish off altogether)

 

glad to see you are using inline feeders, they are unriveled in my opinion as feeders, made the switch after using the method inline and then thinking why would you have the feeder anywhere else but inline!!

hope this helps!!

[benacre]

I would increase the hook length and have a small bolt rig.

[Arkie]

you have a few options in my eyes:

 

- shorten the hooklength

- use a smaller hook/bigger hookbait, a lot of it may be tiddlers nibbling the maggot violently

- use a heavier feeder to increase the bolt rig effect

- don't strike too hard/at all you may be pulling out the hook, you may be striking at line bites, look for a positive registration on the tip, i.e. that it has been pulled around and stayed around or that the tip drops right back and the line goes slack!!

- wind in a little more line once the feeder has settled to increase the resistance (be careful though as this may scare fish off altogether)

 

glad to see you are using inline feeders, they are unriveled in my opinion as feeders, made the switch after using the method inline and then thinking why would you have the feeder anywhere else but inline!!

hope this helps!!

 

Thanks for all the replies guys...

 

I'll try them all next time out. The one I'm not sure about is the suggestion to shorten the hook length. Can't see how that would make a difference when using a free running rig. Surely the line would pull through the feeder in the same way no matter what hook length I was using?

Also, wouldn't putting the hook so close to the feeder scare the fish?

 

With regard to the inline feeder, I have never used anything else. Can't see why anyone would use any other type. Virtually tangle free and very rarely snags.

[Anderoo]

Hi Arkie, welcome to AN

 

Are there any specific species you want to catch (e.g. decent tench or carp)? If so, you'd be better off using fake maggots on the hook and using the feeder as a bolt rig.

 

I've never fished an inline feeder as anything but a bolt rig, I don't see how they can be that effective as free-running. If you're trying to catch anything that comes along with a running feder rig, I can suggest a good tangle-free alternative that should provide better bites.

[mjbarnes12]

the shorter hooklength means that there is less line (therefore time) for when the bait is picked up to the bolt effect happening with the weight of the feeder setting the hook. If you have a longer hooklength then the fish has time to eject the bait before the rig has had time to 'bolt'.

 

In answer to if the fish get scared, it is difficult to say as you have to guage how well they are feeding, if they are feeding nervously - often occurs with bream then a long hooklength will allow the wary fish to pick up a single bait on the outside fo the 'feeding area'. However if the fish are really on the feed then a shorter hooklength is better as you will get a quicker bite as occasionally the fiah actually attack the feeder load and therefore you need to fish as clos to the feeded area as possible - on the method feeder i have got away with 2 1/2 inches frequently in the summer months!!