Best maggot feeders for river and natural still waters

[richox12]

I do that a lot with maggot feeders to stop as much bait coming off on the drop like you can get with cage feeders as that just creates a nice trail for the flipping bleak to follow down

Doesn't it ever.......

Fill the feeder with just maggots and then quickly dunk it in the water before casting

 

[Zerkalo]

I'm your translator though!......Even Nicky don't understand what your on about!

Brilliant on a helicopter rig....(On my ressy's).

Are these any good for helicopter rigs with a short 4" hooklength? Been considering them for Tench but wonder about how they will sit in the water with that rig.

 

[Dropon]

Never enough weight on those for my liking......

Put a drilled bullet in them,increases weight.

 

[Silverfisher]

Doesn't it ever.......

Fill the feeder with just maggots and then quickly dunk it in the water before casting

Yeah that’s what I do for straight maggots but when groundbait is required I find black caps are more anti bleak than cages.

 

[Total]

Are these any good for helicopter rigs with a short 4" hooklength? Been considering them for Tench but wonder about how they will sit in the water with that rig.

^^ That's a good point, but my results say it's not a problem and if it worries you, you could push the hook length up a bit but that kind of defeats part of the object of the method.....

Longer hook lengths, can/may help too, but any kind of bullet nosed feeder type, window, rocket, etc etc would also have the same problem and I catch a load of silvers using those all too...

 

[Zerkalo]

^^ That's a good point, but my results say it's not a problem and if it worries you, you could push the hook length up a bit but that kind of defeats part of the object of the method.....

Longer hook lengths, can/may help too, but any kind of bullet nosed feeder type, window, rocket, etc etc would also have the same problem and I catch a load of silvers using those all too...

Cheers mate, I think I will give them a try.

 

[Total]

Cheers mate, I think I will give them a try.

Steve, It's good to see you're thinking about the reasoning behind your fishing methods and their application.

 

[Total]

Put a drilled bullet in them,increases weight.

I agree it does, but a faff one shouldn't have to do and every chance of the drilled bullet damaging the thin nature of the material of these feeders or indeed popping the top cap of during casting...

 

[smiffy]

I use the black caps on my rivers on the rare occasion I use a maggot feeder. Dead cows are always worth having in your box for when a bit more weight is needed

Anchor Dead Cow Leads - £1.10

These universal feeder weights are designed to clip onto feeders to add weight to help anchor them to the river bed in strong flowing rivers or can be

www.tackleuk.co.uk

I have some Browning feeders for heavier work on the Trent and Wye. They haven’t seen the light of day for a few years but can’t find them online now.
NISA do some.

 

[Ken the Pacman]

If the water is cold the maggots will be fairly inactive so will take longer to crawl out of the feeder.
A better option for stillwaters might be a window feeder or a normal open end with a bit of groundbait were they will fall out easier and you can use dead maggots if you wish.

 

[Silverfisher]

I’m surprised side weighted window feeders haven’t been invented yet for rivers (unless I’ve missed them) as they could be quite useful at times.

 

[Ken the Pacman]

They tend to roll in any sort of flow but you can make your own by cutting out existing feeders.

 

[squimp]

Are these any good for helicopter rigs with a short 4" hooklength? Been considering them for Tench but wonder about how they will sit in the water with that rig.

That's why I use black caps for that rig - they sit flat on the bottom. And I can easily alter the way they dispense bait by cutting bigger holes or tapping them up (again).

Some of the others eg window feeders and those Drennan ones (feeder bombs ?) sit with the ring end off the bottom. That means the hook might be in a funny place if you fish a very short hook link very close to the feeder. Furthermore the feeder will pivot on the take because it isn't sitting flat on the bottom - which makes the hooking potential of the rig less efficient.

 

[Zerkalo]

That's why I use black caps for that rig - they sit flat on the bottom. And I can easily alter the way they dispense bait by cutting bigger holes or tapping them up (again).

Some of the others eg window feeders and those Drennan ones (feeder bombs ?) sit with the ring end off the bottom. That means the hook might be in a funny place if you fish a very short hook link very close to the feeder. Furthermore the feeder will pivot on the take because it isn't sitting flat on the bottom - which makes the hooking potential of the rig less efficient.

Yeah that's what I was thinking. I use Black Caps too, so was thinking if it's not broke don't fix it, as much as those nice looking Drennan feeders tempted me.

 

[Total]

That's why I use black caps for that rig - they sit flat on the bottom. And I can easily alter the way they dispense bait by cutting bigger holes or tapping them up (again).

Some of the others eg window feeders and those Drennan ones (feeder bombs ?) sit with the ring end off the bottom. That means the hook might be in a funny place if you fish a very short hook link very close to the feeder. Furthermore the feeder will pivot on the take because it isn't sitting flat on the bottom - which makes the hooking potential of the rig less efficient.

^^ .......Did you make that up as your sitting there?.....Some of our most successful, prolific feeder anglers and even more ordinary Joes like myself have caught hundreds/thousands of fish on such a rig and it's variants with similar end weighted maggot/bait feeders....So I've/they've been doing it all wrong then?

 

[RMNDIL]

Bottoms of rivers & lakes etc are not going to be flat as snooker tables, most far from being flat. Just look at photos of lakes after draining etc.

I don't use Black Caps - nothing wrong with them but as virtually every other angler seems to use them I swear the Thames chub know what they look like !!

Carp Feeders when on a lake or river with no or minimal flow because they cast so well (end weight, obvious really). Vari-Weights otherwise as I can trim or add weight many times. Black Caps in very heavy sizes if I really, really have to.

 

[squimp]

^^ .......Did you make that up as your sitting there?.....Some of our most successful, prolific feeder anglers and even more ordinary Joes like myself have caught hundreds/thousands of fish on such a rig and it's variants with similar end weighted maggot/bait feeders....So I've/they've been doing it all wrong then?

Like many things in fishing it is about what works for you (or me). It's also about confidence.

Just for the record one of my regular fishing mates makes/made underwater fishing videos for several mainstream fishing tackle manufacturers so I've been involved first hand in more real life tackle and rig testing than most. It also helps that I run a fishery so we often use that for 'experimental' fishing.

To that end, you might be surprised at some of the unusual set ups we use. But we use them because they work; very well.

 

[Total]

Like many things in fishing it is about what works for you (or me). It's also about confidence.

Just for the record one of my regular fishing mates makes/made underwater fishing videos for several mainstream fishing tackle manufacturers so I've been involved first hand in more real life tackle and rig testing than most. It also helps that I run a fishery so we often use that for 'experimental' fishing.

To that end, you might be surprised at some of the unusual set ups we use. But we use them because they work; very well.

^^ Oh for the life of a 'specialist' angler eh?.........You crack on lad and good luck to you...

 

[Scribe]

I just wish they made Black Cap Feeders in heavier weights, I know you can add a dead cow, but it presents a bigger area that can get snagged, so 9 times out of 10 I prefer the Korum Combi Feeders or the Korum V2 River Feeders. Must admit I do like the look of the Drennan ones.

 

[jononcb]

I’m fortunate to have a supply of the small Thamesly jobs, which I bought in bulk before they were discontinued. Very popular on the Trent back in the day when the method worked very well for chub and silver bream. I think the closet modern equivalent would be the Kamasan black caps.

Nearly out of my last few Thamesley maggot feeders Dave.
Had to resort to buying some Kamasan Black caps as the next best things.
I used to give the Thamesley's the black marker pen treatment and change the black link to powergum.