Feeder Fishing at Woodland View

FEEDER FISHING BY ANDY FINDLAY - THE FINN

After fishing a Drennan knockout match at Woodland View and finishing a creditable 3rd overall I was delighted when the 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 favourite lakes are at Woodlands, many are surprised 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. This is because in the warmer month's fish prefer to feed in depths up to around 6 feet deep. However, on the odd occasion where any lake is pegged on one bank only, then the feeder rod should be the first thing out of the holdall.

Arles and 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 5lbs and you’re ready for the terminal gear.

Before tying the rig the Fishery rules must be understood. Woodlands operate a 4" 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 4" 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 similar set up.

I aim to keep to the 4" hook length 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 seat box and then forming a twizzle in the last 2" of the hook length. Finally securing the twizzled loop with four turn water knot. The hook length is then lassoed 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 preparing. 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 minutes. 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 - 150lbs of fish for the 5 hours if prepared correctly using a small or medium feeder.

HOOK BAITS:

I have three favourite hook baits 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 similar to the weight 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 hook length in that order.

Casting accurately is essential to feeder success 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 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!