Problem when I swimfeed

[TrevBoy]

I fish on a stretch of the Trent near Nottingham and have recently started trying the swimfeeder on a quiver tip. I am using a groundbait mix designed for feeders and a simple rig. What I find is that I get bites (and fish) quite quickly and for perhaps half an hour, but then the bites tail off completely. Its as if something has spooked them but I dont think its me as such as this pattern seems to happen most days.

 

As I sit at my desk now I am wondering if maybe I should gradually fish further downstream - perhaps the fish are following the bait down current.

 

Any ideas? Anyone else experienced this behaviour?

[Andy Macfarlane]

Normally it's a Pike that's moved in and spooked the shoal but another plan of action is to take the feeder off and swap it for a lead. Sometimes, you can give the fish too much of a good thing and while they're mopping up all your groundbait, your bait is completely ignored.

I tend to find it's a Pike that's moved in though. When it happens again, try flicking a medium sinking Salmo Slider through the shoal and see if it gets nabbed. If it does, you've answered your question.

[Dick Dastardly]

- perhaps the fish are following the bait down current.

 

Any ideas? Anyone else experienced this behaviour?

 

 

Yes its quite normal.The usual answer is the opposite to what you suspect! The fish are actually moving upstream to intercept the bait comming from the feeder.Try shortening your hook length when you stop getting bites and this should see you getting bites again.

[ColinW]

It sounds to me like you are possibly catching the fish that were already in your swim and then, as they get fewer in numbers, waiting longer and longer for a bite before you reel in and recast. If you let this happen (and it is very tempting to do it) you are on a loser because the feed just doesn't go in quickly enough and the swim just dies off. Try and get into a rhythm of frequent, accurate casting, reeling in after a set time whether you get a bite or not. In some ways it's actually easier to do this in a swim that had no fish in it in the first place.

[Waveney One]

I agree with Budgie, shorten the tail. You need to cast very regularly as well, once every 2/3 minutes if you don't get a bite, but make sure that you keep hitting the same spot!

[chavender]

its a common occourance on the trent in the old days its exactly how budgie says ,one solution was a very short rig known as "The Dink Dink"

used years ago around nottingham embankment area :

Very easy to setup -

Connect your feeder to the main line. I normally tie on a clip & boot or a 2" loop in the end of the line and then the feeder can be changed easily. Next, get a piece of line and tie a 4 turn slider knot on the main line. Cut of the bottom tag and tie the hook to the line that comes off the top of the knot. Make the length of line about 2" only and the jobs done. Some important points are:

Make sure the main line and hooklength are the same and there is NO place for hi-tech supple lines. I use 4Lb-6lb Max for both as the hook link must spring away from the main line.

Start on something like a 14 strong hook - and weirdly, a single maggot!

The best feeder type is the ones with the lead at the bottom so it sits upright

Nail the feeder to the bottom - If 1/2oz holds bottom use at least 1oz.

Have the rod high in the air and do not have a bow.

Start with the hook 12" above the feeder and if weedy, move up further.

The bites are massive - Even a gudgeon will pull the tip right over.

The dink name comes from the fact that you get a couple of dinks before the wrap round.

 

very good for chub as its a confidence rig as the fish start to feed way down stream and work their way upstream taking all the free offerings and by the time they reach your feeder they're feeding confidently and competeing for the bait.

 

as a alternative leave the hooklength long (3ft+) and start fishing right downstream and slowly move your casts upstream to make the fish chase the bait as the shoal moves closer to intersept the bait just keep moving up as the bites slow down.braid may help as a main line with a short mono leeder tied as a loop type feeder rig

 

 

with a small loop at the other end that you use a loop-2-loop connection between mainline and the mono loop rig by passing the empty rig back through the mainline loop,and as in the pic above use a swivel clip for connecting your feeder that runs inside the loop and a couple of small loops to form a anti-tangle boom terminating in another loop for loop-2-loop connecting of hooklinks.

 

 

 

i hope some of this is of help

Edited September 27, 2006 by chavender

[Waveney One]

I don't like the loop method any more. I have seen too many crack offs not to realise that there is a risk of leaving a fish tethered to a feeder. For that reason, I will never use it. To see a good, safe rig follow this link:-

http://www.nisafeeders.co.uk/open_end_feed...ic_feeders.html and check out the rig diagram at the bottom. The only thing I would change is that I use a swivel to stop the feeder instead of the 2 shot shown.

[Bob Bradford]

I will tell you what I know of the Trent, a few years ago me and my team-mates were practicing for a forthcoming National championship and we suffered the very same thing, initially we caught some "idiot" fish on the swimfeeder and then the bites tailed off, the answer was to change the way we fed the swim, instead of using cereal groundbait in the feeder, we used crushed ,boiled hemp,whole hemp and some pinkies crammed into an open ended feeder with a longish tail (about 3/4 ft) and could catch for far longer periods, the Trent runs clear these days and GB spooks the fish.......obviously if the river is coloured after heavy rain GB will work better, I hope this has helped.

[TrevBoy]

Great - thanks for all the tips. I'll try 'em all!

 

If gb spooks fish in clear water how would I introduce corn or similar non-wriggly bait? An open-ended feeder needs to be plugged with summat.

[chavender]

if using particle baits as feed use a small amount of liquidised bread to plug the ends off the feeder.