Feeder Fishing at Woodland View
FEEDER FISHING BY ANDY FINDLAY.
THE FINN
Having recently fished the Drennan knockout match at Woodland View and finishing a creditable 3rd overall I was delighted when owner Mike Mason invited me to write this article on how I go about fishing a particular method at the fishery-The Feeder.
Although Woodlands is known for it's big weights mostly taken on the pole, I believe the feeder is massively overlooked just as a starter method to get a few quick fish in the net before the pole line settles down.
When people ask me what my favorite lakes are at Woodlands ,many are suprised when I answer Arles,closely followed by Hay & Barley.
All the lakes at Woodlands will respond to the feeder perhaps with the exception of the deeper High pool.Ths is because in the warmer month's fish prefer to feed in depths up to around 6 feet deep.However, on the odd occassion where any lake is pegged on one bank only, then the feeder rod should be the first thing out of the holdall!
Arles, Hay & Barley lakes lend themselves perfectly to feeder fishing and Woodlands is stuffed with carp of all sizes and these fish love the cover and shallow water a far bank and or island gives them.
TACKLE;
Tackle for the day on the feeder at Woodlands needs to be on the 'light side', ideally a soft to medium actioned 11' -12' Feeder rod.(I used the 12' Carbon Active C Series) with a small ,light reel with a smooth front drag (PXR 3000), match this with a main line of around 5LB and your'e ready for the terminal gear.
Before tying the rig the Fishery rules must be understood.Woodlands operate a 12" hook length rule which must be hanging outside the feeder,also braid is not allowed and there is a maximum hook size 12.
So with this mind I choose small to medium mesh/cage feeder with a weight around 15-20g, this again may seem light but with a casting range of around 20-35 yards is plenty heavy enough when loaded with damp fishery pellets.
This is clipped onto a snap swivel which is tied on to the end of a 12" loop at the end of the mainline.I prefer to use fixed set ups for all my fishing as I believe it increases the bite to fish ratio but a free running rig is equally effective and is a very simmilar set up.
I aim to keep to the 12" hooklength rule and pull off about 2' of line, my choice is 0.17 power line, to the end of this I tie on a Korum Quick stop for a meat hookbait or a 6mm pellet band for a 8mm pellet. Next a PR36 size 16 is knotted via a knot less knot making sure the correct length of hair matches both baits to be used.
Now the hook length is measured by placing it along the width of my x 3 seatbox and then forming a twizzle in the last 2" of the hooklength.Finally securing the twizzled loop with four turn water knot.The hooklength is then lassood to the snap swivel after the feeder has been clipped on.
BAIT;
To keep within the Fishery rules the Sonu Baits 4mm Competition Feed pellets are number 1 for the feeder and these need prepairing .This can be done at your peg by pre-soaking for around 5 minutes then drain off and left to stand for a further 5 - 10 munutes.By then they should be soft and damp and perfect to be lightly squeezed into the mesh feeder.
You are limited to 2 bags which is enough to catch around 100 - 150lb of fish for the 5 hours if prepaired correctly using a small or medium feeder.
HOOK BAITS;
I have three favorite hookbaits at Woodlands and I never feel the need to try anything else.An 8mm punch of Luncheon meat Quickstops to the hair and a 8mm competition feed pellet on the pellet band,also the new Woodlands soft hookers.
FISHING;
All my feeder fishing is done by clipping up and Woodlands is no exception.I use a bomb simmilar to the weigth of a loaded feeder and aim for a clear piece of the island or margin where it is possible to get tight in.When happy with the distance I clip up the line,reel in, attach the feeder to the snap swivel and then hooklength in that order.
Casting accurately is essential to feeder sucess combined with a smooth rhythm.Often the day will start well with fish of all sizes coming to the net followed by a slow down later.
It's important to stay on the method at these times and not be tempted to try other methods too soon.
By casting often and accurately you are leaving pellets behind that the fish will come back to when they are ready.Typically if you have kept up the rhythm the the last 2 hours or so of the match the peg will be improved and become solid.Sometimes with bites pulling the rod around before you've had chance to put the rod down!
KEYS;
1. Soft- medium action feeder rod, small reel.
2. 4- 5lb main line ,small mesh feeder,12" hooklength.
3. Correctly prepaired pellets, hookbaits meat & pellet .
4. Accurately clipped up, tight to the island or shallow margin.
5. Regularly casting, bites or not.
6. CONFIDENCE; Stick to what your doing without trying other methods too soon.
Have a Great Day Feeder Fishing @ Woodlands.
The Finn
