Natural Water Feeder Fishing Help

[matiny2k]

As a feeder fishing novice I'm looking for some advice please.

I'm wanting to try some feeder fishing on the local River Ouse at Littleport in Cambs. I guess it's about 30 to 40 metres maximum across and 12ft to 15ft in depth. I'll be fishing for anything that moves - hopefully skimmers and if any proper Bream come along then great.

My question is about which type of rig to use. I read about so many variations. What's a simple rig that can cope with what I'm trying to do ? I'm seeing twisted loops, paternosters, river rigs etc - not sure where to start.

Thanks

 

[Poacher Pat Felstead]

The rig my dad taught me has always worked and I've never changed it. Put a swivel on your line make a loop about 8 inches with the swivel in the loop then at the end of the loop make another loop about 2 inches. You should have a 6 inch loop with a swivel and a 2 inch loop. Attach your feeder/bomb to the swivel and your hook link to the small loop.

 

[ukzero1]

Depends on what's allowed, but I use inline/free-running. Some places don't allow paternoster, fixed feeders etc. so check.

 

[Poacher Pat Felstead]

As a feeder fishing novice I'm looking for some advice please.

I'm wanting to try some feeder fishing on the local River Ouse at Littleport in Cambs. I guess it's about 30 to 40 metres maximum across and 12ft to 15ft in depth. I'll be fishing for anything that moves - hopefully skimmers and if any proper Bream come along then great.

My question is about which type of rig to use. I read about so many variations. What's a simple rig that can cope with what I'm trying to do ? I'm seeing twisted loops, paternosters, river rigs etc - not sure where to start.

Thanks

 

[NoCarpPlease]

Littlesport in summer conditions barely moves so it's basically a stillwater with some tow.
Historically a starting option of fixed paternoster with a 4-6 inch link to open end feeder and 3ft to the hook would have been standard - and still works.
Other than odd tench there's not really a justification for "safe" rigs on that venue.

Obviously more modern methods have made shorter hook links more popular.

 

[Anglingman]

Poacher Pats rig is my Goto for the river especially if it is flowing as its virtually tangle free. I tend to have my loop a bit longer (12") and tie in at least 2 smaller loops for attaching the hooklength as this create a stiffer boom that keeps the hook length away from the loop. I also tend to incorporate a very small swivel in the hook length loop and attach via this to help prevent twisting

 

[smiffy]

A straightforward sliding feeder rig is all you need. So mine is,going towards the hook,feeder on a feeder link,rubber bead,swivel and hooklength. Dead easy.
It’s worth going a bit further downstream and fishing on the 10 mile bank proper. I used to get there just as dawn was breaking. Drive along Ten mile bank lane,which is on the opposite side of the river to the A10. Keep parking up and looking over the floodbank. As soon as you see Bream rolling that’s where you fish. If you don’t see them,sit on a bend or near where a river or drain join. I would often be away by ten o’clock as the sun will kill the fishing.
Try going midweek as there can be a bit of flow on it that you don’t get at weekends. You normally catch them down the middle whereas in a match the bank side commotion would push them against the far bank or to the end pegs.
If you can only fish sociable hours then I’d advise picking the most miserable day you can,cloudy and windy?
I’ve had some great catches of Bream from there but they’ve nearly all come early doors.

 

[Simon R]

Poacher Pats rig is my Goto for the river especially if it is flowing as its virtually tangle free. I tend to have my loop a bit longer (12") and tie in at least 2 smaller loops for attaching the hooklength as this create a stiffer boom that keeps the hook length away from the loop. I also tend to incorporate a very small swivel in the hook length loop and attach via this to help prevent twisting

That would be mine for a river too - with the slightly longer loop as described above.
If there's little or no flow the bog standard paternoster is tangle free, casts well and gives good bite indication..
Tie a big loop in the end of your reel line, cut it so you've one leg about 4" long and the other 12" or so - tie the feeder to the short leg and your hook-length to the longer one. The exact lengths aren't important just ensure that your feeder is clear of the hooklength.

The more bits of tubing, beads and swivels you have the more tangles you'll get - keep it simple.

Simon

 

[Arch]

Isn't the "two loop" method frowned upon nowadays ?? If the line breaks above the big loop the fish could get tethered and not be able to get rid of the feeder.

 

[smiffy]

Whilst I agree that the simpler a rig is the better,in this case a swivel is almost a must. The bait is normally any sort of cocktail involving a worm and has a tendency to spin,either on the cast or retrieve,unless fishing a bigger diameter hook length. In clear water you sometimes need to fish a bit finer to get the skimmers if the Bream aren’t having it.

 

[Silverfisher]

Mines the same as smiffy, feeder on a link/boom above a bead and swivel then the hooklength. Casts well, gets and registers bites well and doesn’t tend to tangle too much.

 

[Ken the Pacman]

Isn't the "two loop" method frowned upon nowadays ?? If the line breaks above the big loop the fish could get tethered and not be able to get rid of the feeder.

I have been using that rig for 30+ years and have never lost a feeder yet, been broken on the hook length yes but I don't fish snag pits with the feeder.
Having said that I would not use it on the OPs venue as there is not enough flow to make it work properly so it would be a simple running rig with the feeder on a short link stopped by whatever you want to use, float stop,swivel,twisted loop shot,ledger stop up to you they all do basically the same job.

 

[smiffy]

Just to spice things up a bit.
I’ve had some great fun running a slider over the top of the feeder line. It can often produce fish,especially if there is a bit of flow,when the feeder seems finished. You can add a little bit of finesse to the terminal tackle and a slightly different presentation. It’s often nice to be able to just trickle your bait through the swim.

 

[Arch]

I have been using that rig for 30+ years and have never lost a feeder yet, been broken on the hook length yes but I don't fish snag pits with the feeder.
Having said that I would not use it on the OPs venue as there is not enough flow to make it work properly so it would be a simple running rig with the feeder on a short link stopped by whatever you want to use, float stop,swivel,twisted loop shot,ledger stop up to you they all do basically the same job.

I've never lost an Elasticated feeder on the odd occasion I've fished a commercial, but they're banned at lots of them.

I've used the same rig as well, but I wouldn't now.

 

[The Roach]

Take a look at ‘Steve’s Fishing Channel’ on YouTube. Steve Cowley frequently posts videos of himself feeder fishing the Great Ouse at Littleport.

 

[Jonb]

I have been using that rig for 30+ years and have never lost a feeder yet, been broken on the hook length yes but I don't fish snag pits with the feeder.
Having said that I would not use it on the OPs venue as there is not enough flow to make it work properly so it would be a simple running rig with the feeder on a short link stopped by whatever you want to use, float stop,swivel,twisted loop shot,ledger stop up to you they all do basically the same job.

As a bit of a novice to feeder fishing could you explain what you mean by needing flow to make it work properly? I use the double loop for all my natural fishing, still and running and seems to work ok.

 

[Poacher Pat Felstead]

As a bit of a novice to feeder fishing could you explain what you mean by needing flow to make it work properly? I use the double loop for all my natural fishing, still and running and seems to work ok.

I use it that rig in still waters and rivers, there may be another rig but it works as an all rounder for me.

 

[Ken the Pacman]

The idea behind the loop rig is to cause drop back bites on a flowing river as the fish dislodges the feeder causing the rod tip to drop back rather than pull forward, simple in concept but it needs a little practice to get right, you need to think where your hook is in relation to the position of the feeder i.e downstream, it was developed to reduce the number of bites missed from Roach and Dace in flowing water.
Its not used generally on still waters because a fixed paternoster is superior in slack or still conditions for bite detection.
Its likely to be banned on most commercial fisheries as it would be considered a fixed rig and fisheries dont like them because inexperienced anglers fishing with unbalanced tackle tend to get broken a lot either casting or by fish and the problem like a fixed elasticated feeder, is that provided bait remains on the hook the rig can continue to fish unattached to the rod.
This is something that is so rare with barbless hooks its difficult to find anybody who has actually caught a fish trailing a feeder but it is possible so thats why it gets banned.
Pretty much all conventional feeder fishing on natural lakes or rivers the fixed method of loop or paternoster are perfectly ok. Its no good fishing for Barbel in a snag pit though as you will get problems.

 

[Arch]

Ken is spot on.

I'd just like to add this as well. It was also a sort of self hooking rig when used in conjunction with fishing a bow in your line. You would use a feeder that only just held bottom, if at all. To make sure it did, you payed out line until the feeder just held bottom. The line from rod tip to feeder was then in a downstream "Bow" The slightest bite would dislodge the feeder and give you a brilliant drop back bite. The feeder would catch the current, making it go off downstream and pull the hook with it, thus hooking the fish in the process. A very good way to fish a fast flowing river and not have to use a large weighted feeder to hold bottom.