Once the first choice of many, there’s no denying that the maggot feeder has fallen out of favour with most river anglers these days. Quite why this is remains a bit of a mystery, as it is an incredibly effective tool on venues where barbel and chub are the main focus.
A maggot feeder can deliver a wide range of baits with unerring accuracy, and is versatile in that it can be used to target both species. So, if you want have your best river season yet, why not reel back the years and give the tactic a try? We asked river ace Hadrian Whittle to explain why you need to use the maggot feeder if you want to catch more barbel and chub.
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Build a casting routine
Start the session by casting every four minutes to build up a concentrated bed of loosefeed. If that routine doesn’t produce any bites, have a few casts where you leave the feeder in place for 10 minutes at a time. If that still doesn’t work, make a few casts leaving the feeder out for just one minute before recasting, to try to force the issue and attract fish.
THE BEST FEEDER RODS WILL HELP YOU CAST A HEAVY FEEDER AND CONTROL BIG FISH.
Find suitable swims
Areas with snags and cover nearby are always good starting points but, in their absence, look for spots where the flow differs from that in the remainder of the peg. That could be anything from the edge of the main flow to a slower crease. It can also be worth putting on a bomb at the start and casting around to find any deeper holes.
IF YOU NEED MORE ADVICE ON RIVER FISHING, OUR BEGINNERS GUIDE HAS SOME GREAT TIPS.
Use long hooklengths
Both barbel and chub can be wary of the feeder itself and will sit away from it, picking off any free morsels that drift towards them in the flow. You want to make your hookbait look like one of these, so use a 3ft-4ft hooklength in normal conditions. You can, though, go as long as 6ft if the water is clear and the fish may be a little more cagey.
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Tie a bulletproof rig
Both species fight hard, and so I like to use 10lb mainline and a 0.16mm-22mm hooklength, attached to a strongly forged size 14 hook. A twizzled loop is tied between the feeder and the hooklength to help to reduce tangles. Start with the thickest diameter hooklength, but be prepared to scale down if you are struggling to get bites.
THE BEST FEEDER LINES WILL ENSURE YOU LAND THE MAJORITY OF BARBEL THAT YOU WILL HOOK!
