I have to admit that when window feeders first burst on to the scene a few years back I was more than a little sceptical.
After all, I was catching plenty of fish on conventional cage feeders, so if it wasn’t broken, why did I need to fix it? But my opinion changed once I started fishing in Ireland, where it soon became apparent that window feeders were something that I needed to have in my armoury. They added another dimension to my fishing!
Compared to a cage feeder, a window feeder makes it very hard to release the bulk of its contents, often only happening when you reel in or hook a fish. This means that any fish in the swim will be attracted to the tiny amount of feed, but only find your hookbait. The result is quicker bites.
Another big advantage of a window is for settling the fish down. Skimmers can soon come off bottom when using a cage or open-end feeder, and that’s a recipe for liners. Changing to a window and that lack of released feed will calm them down, get them back on the deck, and make them much easier to catch.
Make the switch
A window feeder pins the fish on the bottom. I’d start fishing with a cage to draw fish in and then change to a window to catch them.
Fill the feeder
I fill the window with a mix of particles and groundbait, but for bigger fish I’ll use casters or choppie and cap it with a little groundbait.
Change the weight
Unlike an open-end feeder, you can quickly change the weight of a window to let you cast further or deal with a strong wind.
Create a cloud
The window’s versatility means that you can use a very sloppy groundbait in shallow swims to create a cloud in the water.
