HOW TO TIE | THE SLOW SINKING FEEDER

During summer fish will often be stationed well up in the water, especially on deeper lakes where they will find a depth where the light-levels and temperature suit them.

At short range this situation is ideal for fishing a waggler rig with the shot well spread so that the hookbait falls at a slow rate, matching that of the free offerings.

But what if you are fishing beyond float range? On big rivers, reservoirs and large gravel pits, roach, rudd and bream will often not come within 30 metres of the bank. This is where the on-the-drop feeder comes into its own.

By using a long hooklength and a lightweight feeder the time it takes the rig to settle is extended, giving fish plenty of time to intercept the hookbait on the drop.

Bites can be expected at any time. It is not uncommon for the quivertip to never signal the feeder touching down, as a fish intercepts the bait in mid-water. Also, bites can be expected within seconds if the feeder does hit the bottom. There is no point in leaving the feeder once the rig has settled on the bottom.

Within a minute or so of casting, wind in, rebait and recast to keep a constant cloud of attractive bait falling through the water column.

Thread a Medium Grip Mesh feeder on to your mainline. Choose a feeder weight of around 14g-28g

Step2.jpg

Follow the feeder with two small rubber beads. These act as a shock-absorber cushioning the feeder on the cast

Fold over the last 30cm ofmainline and tie a large loop. Next, tie four further loops inside the large loop at regular intervals

Ensure that the beads and feeders come to rest on the uppermost knot. If they slide over, tie a second knot over the first

Cut off a 120cm length of hooklength. Use hooklengths of 90cm-180cm to vary the sinking speed of the hookbait

Tie on the hook using a spade-end knot where the hooklength line has been first passed through the eye of the hook

Once you’ve attached the hook, tie a figure-of-eight loop knot in the other end of the hooklength

To complete the rig, simply attach the hooklength to the mainline using a loop-to-loop knot