Guide to Feeder Fishing

In the evolution of coarse fishing, the swim feeder must be one of the all-time greatest angling gadgets. In a nutshell, the feeder attracts fish to your hook, helping you to land real net-fillers.

But what exactly is a swim feeder (often shortened to just “feeder”)? The original swim feeder was simply a plastic capsule filled with holes, designed to release free bait down near the fish as efficiently as possible. Feeders are also used to overcome challenges such as ugly weather and deep or distant swims, where throwing in bait accurately or fishing a float are impossible. 

Let’s start our guide by looking at the types of swimfeeder and what they are designed for. 

Basic types of Swim Feeder  

FEEDER PELLET BAIT CAGE (long-cast)

THE PELLET/GROUNNDBAIT METAL BASKET IS AN INDISPENSABLE TOOL FOR FISHING WITH LARGER PELLETS,GRAINS,GROUNDBAIT OR THE MIXTURE OF THEM . THE THREE LARGE RIBS HOLD THE GROUNDBAIT OR GRAINS PRESSED INTO THE BASKET, WHICH ARE QUICKLY RELEASED ONCE IN THE WATER. THE SHORT TUBE UNDER THE BASKET ENSURES THAT THE HOOK LEADER CANNOT ACCIDENTALLY GET TANGLED OR ROLL OVER THE BASKET DURING CASTING. THE LONG TUBE ABOVE THE BASKET IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE STRAIGHT, STABLE FLIGHT OF THE BASKET.

FEATURES:

• PERFECT, STREAMLINED SHAPE FOR LONG CAST.
• WHEN LOADED, IT FLIES LIKE A CANNONBALL!
• THANKS TO ITS INCREASED, EXPANDED WIRING, IT HAS A LARGER THAN AVERAGE STORAGE CAPACITY.
• THE THREE LARGE RIBS HOLD THE PELLET OR GRAIN BAIT MIXED WITH THE BAIT PRESSED IN, WHICH IS QUICKLY RELEASED ONCE IN THE WATER.
• SPECIAL, THICKENED, HEAT-RESISTANT TUBING.
• A 4 CM LONG TUBE UNDER THE BASKET ENSURES THAT THE HOOK LEADER (10-14 CM LONG) CANNOT ACCIDENTALLY GET TANGLED OR ROLLED OVER THE BASKET DURING CASTING.
• THE 12-13 CM LONG TUBE ABOVE THE BASKET ACTS AS A GUIDE ROD TO ENSURE THE BASKET FLIES STRAIGHT AND STABLE.
• EXTREMELY ROBUST, DURABLE ALL SIZES, UNBREAKABLE BY HAND.
• SPECIAL SURFACE TREATMENT TO ACHIEVE A PARTICULARLY BEAUTIFUL COLOUR.
• EACH PACKAGE CONTAINS 2 BASKETS (GREEN, BLACK OR STONE)
• AVAILABLE IN 2 SIZES 35, 45 g

FEEDER PELLET BAIT CAGE 35g, 45g

4 RIBBED BAIT CAGE (long-cast)

FEATURES: 

• THANKS TO THE ECCENTRIC DESIGN OF THE FOUR-RIB METAL BASKET, IT WILL STAND FIRMLY ON ANY BOTTOM, AND THE OFFSET WEIGHTING ENSURES THAT YOUR BAIT NEVER LANDS FACE-FIRST ON THE BOTTOM. (LIKE METHOD FEEDER CAGE), FILL THE BASKET SO THAT THE LARGER SCOOP IS ON THE BOTTOM, AND FILL THE TOP ONLY TO THE HORIZONTAL LEVEL, INTO WHICH YOU CAN REINSERT YOUR BAITED HOOK.
• WHEN FILLED, IT FLIES LIKE A CANNONBALL!
• THE FOUR RIBS MAKE IT EASY TO GET THE BAIT OUT OF THE BASKET, SO YOU CAN GET A LARGE AMOUNT OF BAIT INTO THE AREA YOU WANT TO FISH IN A SHORT TIME.
• SPECIAL, THICKENED, HEAT-RESISTANT TUBING.
• A 4 CM LONG TUBE UNDER THE BASKET ENSURES THAT THE HOOK LEADER (10-14 CM LONG) CANNOT ACCIDENTALLY GET TANGLED OR ROLLED OVER THE BASKET DURING CASTING.
• THE 12-13 CM LONG TUBE ABOVE THE BASKET ACTS AS A GUIDE ROD TO ENSURE THE BASKET FLIES STRAIGHT AND STABLE.
• EXTREMELY ROBUST, IT IS UNBREAKABLE WITH A STRONG HAND.
• SPECIAL SURFACE TREATMENT FOR A PARTICULARLY BEAUTIFUL COLOUR.
• AVAILABLE IN GREEN AND STONE.
• AVAILABLE IN 40G SIZE.

FOUR RIBBED FEEDER BAIT CAGE 40g

RIBBED BASKET LONG CAST COATED

FEATURES:

• LARGER THAN AVERAGE STORAGE CAPACITY DUE TO ITS INCREASED, EXTENDED WIRING.
• THE FIVE RIBS HOLD TOGETHER THE BAIT MIXED WITH THE SMALLER BAITS, WHICH ARE QUICKLY RELEASED ONCE IN THE WATER.
• PERFECT STREAMLINED SHAPE FOR BIG CASTS.
• WHEN LOADED, FLIES LIKE A CANNONBALL!
• SPECIAL SURFACE TREATMENT FOR A PARTICULARLY BEAUTIFUL COLOURING.
• EACH PACKAGE CONTAINS 2 BASKETS, ONE IN SEAWEED GREEN, THE OTHER IN MATTE CAMOU.
• AVAILABLE IN 60G GRAMS.

RIBBED BASKET LONG CAST COATED 60g

THE CAGE FEEDER 

QUITE SIMPLY, THIS IS A GROUNDBAIT FEEDER WITH BIGGER HOLES. WHEN WOULD YOU USE IT? WELL, THERE ARE TIMES WHEN IT IS AN ADVANTAGE TO RELEASE YOUR FREE BAIT MORE QUICKLY, RATHER THAN HARD ON THE BOTTOM. THIS FEEDER WILL DO JUST THAT, CREATING AN ATTRACTIVE CLOUD TO DRAW THE FISH IN. IDEAL FOR SHALLOWER SWIMS AND SUMMER FISHING, THESE WORK BEAUTIFULLY WITH MASHED BREAD AS WELL AS CRUMB TYPE GROUNDBAIT.

FEATURES:

• ALPOLE DESIGN
• REINFORCED, METAL CORD EYE
• A BIG GUN IN RIVERS, IT WILL STAND UP TO THE BIGGEST CURRENTS!
• BLACK COLOUR
• AVAILABLE IN 60G GRAMS.

M6 DEEPWATER FEEDER BASKET 60g

Always use fishmeal

Using the right groundbait is essential when open-end feeder fishing on stillwaters. In my eyes, no matter what time of year it is, you need a fishmeal-based groundbait mix.

GROUNDBAITS

Feeder fishing Rods

FEEDER RODS (QUIVER RODS) ARE A VERY USEFUL TOOL EITHER FOR LAKE, RIVER OR ESTUARY FISHING. THEY CAN BE ALSO USED FOR SURF FISHING IF YOU ARE TARGETING BREAM, WHITING, FLATHEAD, DART ETC. FOR SURF FISHING 100G+ CASTING WEIGHT ROD IS RECOMENDED.  FEEDER RODS ARE MARKED WITH SEVERAL DIFFERENT SYMBOLS TO INDICATE THEIR STRENGTH. THE MOST COMMON ARE LIGHT, MEDIUM, MEDIUM/HEAVY, HEAVY AND EXTRA HEAVY. RECENTLY YOU CAN ALSO SEE EXTRA-EXTRA HEAVY (XXH) AND SUPER HEAVY (SH). IT IS DIFFICULT TO UNDERSTAND THESE MARKINGS, BECAUSE DIFFERENT MANUFACTURERS, AND EVEN DIFFERENT SERIES FROM THE SAME MANUFACTURER, CAN USE THE SAME MARKING FOR RODS OF VERY DIFFERENT STRENGTH AND CHARACTERISTICS. OFTEN, THE WEIGHT OF THE ROD IS SHOWN ALONGSIDE THESE MARKINGS. THE CATEGORIES DO NOT CORRESPOND EXACTLY TO THE WEIGHT, BUT THE TABLE BELOW CAN GIVE YOU SOME INDICATION:

THE LIGHT FEEDER OR “PICKER” ROD 

9 or 11ft (2,7m-3,3m) – throwing distance: 30-50m

At the lighter end of the spectrum there are some neat little rods of 7-10ft with nice fine tips. These are spot on for shorter range fishing, on both commercial pools and natural venues. Recommended Feeder basket size: 20-25g

MEDIUM/HEAVY FEEDER ROD

12 or 13ft (3,6m or 3,9m) – throwing distance: 30-80m

Next up, we have a longer all rounder. This could be a fair bit longer, say 12 or 13ft, if you’re aiming for the horizon on a big lake or river. Recommended Feeder basket size: 25-35g

HEAVY OR METHOD FEEDER ROD

12 or 14ft (3,6m or 4,2m) – throwing distance: 50-120m

If you’re going to smash out a beefy method feeder or an extra large helping of groundbait, this is the rod for you. It can cast weights that would smash lighter tips, not to mention coping with those savage bites you get from carp as they bolt against the weight of a feeder. Recommended Feeder basket size: 35g-60g

You wouldn’t think twice about combining one of these with a bigger reel loaded with lines from 8-10lbs. Heck, if you’re casting big payloads a long way, you may want a shock leader – a thicker last few yards of line to handle the strain of casting big weights without the dreaded crack-off (not a city in Poland but that horrible moment when your line breaks on the cast.) 

WHICH QUIVER TIP?

 Just to confuse things even more, most quiver tip or feeder rods come with a selection of interchangeable tips(red, yellow and green). Like a full rod, they often have a test curve rating, in ounces. Obviously the higher the number, the stiffer the tip is. Use your common sense to pick the right one: a flat calm lake and shy biting fish would call for a slender, highly sensitive tip(green or yellow). A powerful river and heavy feeder would call for something much stiffer. (red one)

Feeder Rigs (Guide 1.)

1. SLIDING BAITCASTING RIG FOR LARGE-MESH BAIT FISHING

THIS IS ONE OF MY MOST EFFECTIVE AND VERY EASY TO ASSEMBLE LURES. NO DISTANCE IS OUT OF REACH, AS IT’S EASY TO CAST UP TO 100 METRES AWAY, AND I’VE CAUGHT MY BIGGEST FISH THANKS TO IT! BECAUSE OF THE LONG DISTANCES AND THE HIGHER THAN AVERAGE SWINGING POWER, IT IS HIGHLY RECOMMENDED TO USE A BRAIDED CASTING LEADER WHEN MAKING THIS TACKLE, AS MONOFILAMENT MAIN LINES OF 0.20-0.25MM CANNOT TAKE THE EXTRA STRAIN OR YOU NEED TO USE 0.27MM-030MM BRAID. THIS TYPE OF TACKLE IS SUITABLE FOR ANY PLACE, LAKE OR RIVER. FOR THIS TYPE OF TACKLE, A HEAVY FEEDER IS RECOMMENDED WITH A MAXIMUM CASTING WEIGHT OF 90G-150G. THE 35G BASKET IS SUITABLE FOR A MAXIMUM CASTING WEIGHT OF 90-120G, EVEN THE 45G CAGE FOR RODS WITH A MAXIMUM CASTING WEIGHT OF 120-150G.

FIRST THE SILICONE STOPPER IS PUT ON THE MAINLINE, THEN THE MAINLINE IS THREADED THROUGH THE BASKET TUBE, THEN THE RUBBER BEAD AND THE QUICK RELEASE (I PREFER THIS TYPE FOR QUICK REPLACEMENT) IS ATTACHED WITH THE PALOMAR FASTENER SHOWN IN THE PICTURE, BUT YOU CAN USE MORE THAN ONE TYPE, WHICHEVER YOU PREFER, I HAVE MARKED 4 DIFFERENT TYPES OF FASTENERS IN THE PICTURE. THE DISTANCE BETWEEN THE BASKET AND THE SILICONE STOPPER SHOULD BE 20 CM, THIS IS EXACTLY ENOUGH SO THAT WHEN THE FISH TAKES THE BAIT AND STARTS TO MOVE THE WEIGHT OF THE BASKET PULLS IT BACK, IT AUTOMATICALLY HOOKS THE HOOK INTO ITS MOUTH.

THE LENGTH OF THE SLIDE/HAIR RIG FOR THIS TYPE OF HAIR RIG IS 8CM, THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IS THAT WHEN YOU FOLD IT NEXT TO THE BASKET, IT DOES NOT REACH BEYOND THE MIDDLE POINT OF THE BASKET TO AVOID POSSIBLE TANGLING.

2. SLIDING RIVER FEEDER FISHING TACKLE

IF THE DISTANCE IS TOO GREAT OR THE WATER CURRENT IS PARTICULARLY STRONG, THEN ONLY SQUARE BASKETS CAN COMPETE WITH THE FORCE OF THE WATER. THE BAIT PRESSED INTO THE STABLE WIRE BASKET, TOGETHER WITH THE BASE POLES AND NAILS, GUARANTEE THAT THE BASKET WILL REMAIN IN PLACE ON THE BOTTOM AS LONG AS POSSIBLE, WHILE THE BAIT IS CONSTANTLY RELEASED. DUE TO THE HEAVY WEIGHT OF THE FILLED BASKETS (OFTEN OVER 100-200 !), THE USE OF A BRAIDED CASTING LINE IS ALSO RECOMMENDED WHEN MAKING THIS TYPE OF TACKLE, AS THE AVERAGE MONOFILAMENT MAIN LINE (0.20-0.25 MM DIAMETER) CANNOT WITHSTAND THE EXTRA STRESS.

FIRST THE SILICONE STOPPER IS ATTACHED TO THE MAIN LINE, THEN THE ANTI-TANGLE TUBE OR LEAD CLIP IS ATTACHED TO THE MAIN LINE, THEN THE RUBBER BEAD AND THE QUICK RELEASE SWIVEL(I PREFER THIS TYPE FOR QUICK LEADER REPLACEMENT) IS ATTACHED WITH THE PALOMAR TIE SHOWN IN THE PICTURE, BUT YOU CAN USE MORE THAN ONE TYPE, WHICHEVER YOU PREFER. THE DISTANCE BETWEEN THE BASKET AND THE SILICONE STOPPER SHOULD BE 20 CM, FOR THIS TERMINAL TACKLE IT IS RECOMMENDED TO USE A 10-15CM SLIDE/HAIR RIG.

GOOD LUCK! 🙂