There’s a massive misconception in fishing that as soon as the weather begins to cool down, the feeder stops working... I reckon that's nonsense!
I’ll admit that fishing a bomb and single hookbait catches well in winter, but we’re not there yet and that means there’s no reason to shy away from the feeder. The fish will still respond to a bit of bait. All that needs to change is the addition of a little refinement to your approach.
As it gets cooler, it’s more and more likely with each week that passes that one or two fish at a time will move in to investigate, and that means less bait to be fed via the feeder.
USING THE BEST FEEDER FISHING RODS WILL MAKE YOU MUCH MORE ACCURATE AND EFFICIENT, HELPING YOU GET BITES EVEN WHEN ITS DIFFICULT.
The smaller the better
When the water is losing its colour, there’s nothing worse than crashing a big feeder out! This is the time for small feeders such as the Guru Mini Hybrid. Not only is this a very small feeder in terms of bait capacity, but it also won’t make a big impact as it lands.
FEEDER CHOICE IS CRUCIAL IN THE COLDER MONTHS, CHECK OUT OUR BUYERS GUIDE TO MAKE SURE YOU'RE USING THE BEST FEEDERS AVAILABLE.
Vary your casting times
To keep the noise to a minimum, you need to rein back on the casting times. Regular recasting just for the sake of it is a sure-fire way to spook fish. I could leave the feeder out for as long as 20 minutes – it’s all to do with how quickly bites are coming.
Reduce the feed
I’d always fish pellets on a Mini Hybrid because they’re a safer bet. Ideally, it’s a mix of plain brown, micros and some yellow ones to stand out. A loaded mini feeder’s capacity should be no bigger than a £1 coin, carrying just enough pellets to keep a fish happy.
GET THE BEST PELLETS FOR YOUR FISHING IN THIS BAIT BUYER'S GUIDE.
Visual hookbaits are key
When it comes to hookbaits it’s all about colour. In clearing water, carp will begin to feed on sight, and I want to give them a hookbait they can spot easily. An orange or fluoro pink 6mm wafter is a good choice, wafters behaving in a more natural manner.
