Method feeder newbie. help pls?

[funjodon]

Hi bit embarrassed asking but would it be possible for someone to give a quick explanation on the 'method feeder' ? [sorry if i sound stupid]

 

I am an old school angler but have recently dug out my tackle again as my young son is absolutely nuts about fishing so apologies for my lack of knowledge etc but he keeps pecking my head

 

I have bought a couple of Drennan Method feeders and some groundbait and basically know the general concept of it but could someone give a quick explanation of setting up the rig [fishing for carp]

 

As i understand it, i thread mainline through the feeder and tie it to the swivel.Do i push swivel back into feeder or do i leave the feeder free to slide up and down line? I then tie hooklength to other side of swivel and hey presto ! ?? also what is the best method of bite detection to use?

 

Any tips etc put simply would be appreciated.

 

Thank you.

[benacre]

buy a method feeder a bag of method groundbait and some boilies matched with a big hook and short hook length and you are away

[DavyR]

Most method feeders allow you to push the swivel back into the feeder to create a "semi-fixed" rig, i.e. if you're snapped up, the fish can get rid of the feeder pretty quickly. The feeders with flat bottoms are good as you can be confident that your hookbait isn't trapped under the feeder and it will also cling well to sloping bottoms.

 

As benacre says, they work best with short (3-4") hooklengths. You can either hair rig the bait (boilies, pellets, luncheon meat, corn, etc.) or side-hook it, and either bury it in the groundbait or leave it free, whichever you decide works best.

 

Don't worry about bite detection - the fish will normally hook themselves and pull the rod round (or in, if you're not holding it or using a baitrunner). Ignore any small knocks and taps, as these are fish attacking the groundbait on the feeder - striking at these will either result in missing entirely or worse still, foul-hooking a fish.

 

You may need a bit of experimentation to get the right groundbait mix - it needs to be sticky enough not to fly off the feeder on the cast. The best way of casting is a nice, controlled, overhead lob, starting with at least 3' of line between the end of the rod and the feeder.

 

Good luck!

[Andy Macfarlane]

Make up your groundbait before you do anything else, like setting up rods and banksticks etc. because your mixture will need a short time to 'come together'.

 

I have a collapsible groundbait box but a small basin will do.

 

Get all your dry groundmix ingredients and then mix in whatever freebies you wish, like corn, pellets, cooked pulses, casters etc. and make sure it's all throughly mixed.

 

If you use corn of any description, open the can slightly and pour the liquid into the groundmix and then mix that thoroughly and evenly. Your mix should still be very dry at this point.

 

I normally use a plastic mug or the corn tin itself for making up my liquid. I normally use about a 3rd of the corn in my groundmix and the rest goes into a plastic container for loosefeed, cattying or hookbait.

 

Take your can or your mug and mix some water from the venue and any additives you might want in there, like Scopex, Liquid Corn, Strawberry or whatever.

 

Start dribbling the liquid into your groundmix and keep mixing with your fingers opened like a crab. Mix, mix, mix, quickly now.....don't pour your liquid right in or you'll end up making dough/slop.

 

When you have a moist texture, try taking a handful and give it a squeeze in your hand. It should form a ball quite easily and hold itself together. If you can form a ball and hold it together, now crumble it in your hands. It should fall apart quite easily back into it's loose form, like the rest of your groundbait.

 

Now set up your gear and get everything at hand, where you want it for ease and comfort.

 

Now go back to your groundbait. It's had say, 10 minutes to 'come together' and absorb the liquid properly. It might feel a little dry again and it might not form a ball quite so easily. At this point you might wish to add a little more liquid, so it forms balls easily but crumbles easily. A bit like a snowball.

 

You want to whole mix to be nice and even. You don't want wet lumps here ad dry bits there. It should be consistent throughout.

 

I always have my tub of mix between my feet, so I can swing my feeder to hand and lower it into the container. This not only stops you getting up from your seat but it stops your rig lying about in gravel, sharp blades of grass or whatever.

 

Lie the method feeder in your mix and gather up roughly a handful of mixture and compress it round your feeder. Not too hard but with enough force that it stays in place.

 

At this point you might wish to take the hook and bait with a little more groundbait and stick it to the side of your groundbait ball*, which should still be a little rough looking.

 

*This means when your feeder hits the bottom, your bait is right among your feed. I don't find it that important because I normally fish a short 4" hooklength but if you have go longer, you might want to incorporate the hookbait into the ball.

 

Once you have your feeder evenly covered, with your hookbait in place, mould your ball into a nice, short, fat sausage shape. Some people prefer a round ball, some oval...whatever. The shape often depends on the amount and distance.

 

The feeder should now stay together when you cast and depending on how damp your mix is and how hard you've compressed it, you can control how quickly it breaks up on the bottom. If you want it to break up quickly, use a drier mix and don't squeeze your ball together too hard. If you want it to lie there for a while, giving off little bits and pieces of groundbait or so that it stands up to little fish until a bigger fish comes along, make the mix damper and squeeze it harder.

 

I'm making this sound more difficult than it really is. Once you've made your mixture and tried to mould your first method ball, you should know when it feels right. You might fluff the first couple of casts.

 

The ball might break apart when you cast, which means the mix isn't damp enough or you haven't compressed it enough.

 

You might reel in your feeder and find there's still groundbait round your feeder. This means your mix is perhaps too damp or you've squeezed it too hard.

 

It's a 'feel' thing. It won't take long and you'll know when things need adjusting.

 

Even try making a little bit in the house, so you get an idea of what you're looking for. You can stick it in the fridge or freezer afterwards and incorporate it into a larger mixture when you go fishing.

 

When you're on the bank, keep something over your groundbait if it's raining and if it's quite hot or you're fishing for a long session, an atomiser spray bottle can be enough to adjust your mix, because it will start to dry as the day progresses.

 

It can be a deadly method and make sure you either have a baitrunner switch on, the anti-reverse off or your drag loosened so your rod doesn't take a swim.

 

Self-hooking method rig takes can be vicious as hell and even a small 3lb carp will take your rod for a swim. Whatever you do, just allow for the fish too hook itself and the reel to give line.

 

When you get a fish on, don't strike. Just lift the rod into a suitable position to play the fish and keep a pressure on the hook.

[funjodon]

Thx for humoring me and taking the time to explain things so simply.

 

Ive got the jist now and reckon it sounds pretty simple even for me, as for the groundbait, like you say it will more than likely take a bit of practice.

 

I reckon we can go out now and catch some carp

 

Thanks again , much appreciated.

[Dick Dastardly]

Hi fnjodon welcome to Anglers Net.I agree with all the above but have noticed no one has actually explained the theory or practice behind the method.

 

Originally used by match anglers targeting small carp on commercial fisheries.This came about because these waters are so overstocked and hungry that after a while the carp would be actually trying to eat the feed from a standard open end feeder as soon as it hit bottom! They would actually start to regard the splash of a feeder landing as a "dinner gong"!

So intent were they on trying to eat the feeder they would often ignore the hook bait ant the angler would be constantly striking at the "bite" he was getting as they jostled the feeder about!

 

So the true "method" was devised.A semi fixed cage feeder of enough weight (even empty) to supply a "bolt" effect used in conjunction with an ultra short hook link. Traditionally two mixes of groundbait were needed,first a really stiff mix that was moulded as firmly as possible to the feeder then a slightly softer more gently applied feed wrapped around this.The hook and bait being actually buried in this softer outer casing.When the feeder hit the water the outer layer would start to break off attracting fish and releasing the hook bait which due to the very shot link would stay close.When the fish started nudging the harder inner feed they would then come across the baited hook and Bobs your uncle! Great stuff but only really works in this way on waters where you can get the fish competing for food.

 

Specimen hunters have also taken up the method as well but in all probability it works slightly differently.Most Big fish waters just don't have a big enough head of fish to create this hyper competitive feeding that the true method works so well with.As such the big ball of feed on the feeder really just supplies a big ball of smell and attraction to draw any passing fish down to where the baited hook is.I still use a short hook length but don't bother with the soft outer layer of feed.Just squeeze it on as hard as possible to try and keep it on.I don't want it to all disperse and feed the fish but merely act as an attractor.

 

Hope thats of some interest/help.

[Andy Macfarlane]

Thx for humoring me and taking the time to explain things so simply.

 

Ive got the jist now and reckon it sounds pretty simple even for me, as for the groundbait, like you say it will more than likely take a bit of practice.

 

I reckon we can go out now and catch some carp

 

Thanks again , much appreciated.

 

It's not humouring anyone mate. If you don't know how to do something you have to ask or you'll never know. I'll help anyone, while at the same time, asking what might appear to be quite straightforward questions. It's only simple when you already know the answer.

 

Anyway, you'll be making your own groundbait, wrecking the blender and stinking out the house in no time.