Skimmer and bream mix

[jononcb]

Im not 100% but I'm sure I got told that the original thatchers mix was a mix of sensas lake or sensas magic with some pre digested LT94 fishmeal of the day and another ground bait from the sillybaits range that they stopped making.
The new mix is a completely different pellet based mix now and nothing like the original so I'm told.

Not sure about that.
Spoke to Lee Kerry myself and he told me Sonubaits got the list of old ingredients for the Thatchers stuff - why would they alter a winning formula?

 

[Fugley-fisher]

Thatchers is a recipe from the thatchers shop from Mr thatchers, when he retired from the shop and the team migrated to preston they kept the name preston thatchers, and Mr thatcher finally give/sold the recipe to sonu it was under the condition it kept the name, the recipe for the original thatchers is unchanged, the green and black are variations. That is the story from the preston thatchers team a certain des shipp also said the same

 

[Silverfisher]

Had often wondered where the name came from (no idea why as never used it) bit disappointing to hear it’s nothing to do with cider

 

[Pole-Fisher-90]

Well that certainly worked then well done! What size or how many skimmers? Sounds like a lot or big ones!

Thanks! Bream to 2/3lb and plenty of smaller ones ended up catching them shalla

 

[smiffy]

Used thatchers dark and F1 original today for a match win of skimmers 58lb thanks all

Top man

 

[Silverfisher]

Thanks! Bream to 2/3lb and plenty of smaller ones ended up catching them shalla

Ah nice! Was it a deep lake? Have caught a few this year up in the water in 10ft plus swims

 

[smiffy]

Could never get my head round skimmers or blades coming up in the water but it was a regular occurrence on one shallow lake I used to fish. I’m talking about natural waters. Always took me by surprise as I was so reluctant to try shallow. But they can come up in the water with enough competition for food.
I can count on the fingers of one hand the times I’ve caught proper Bream up in the water though. Then it’s only odd fish.
I can well remember getting frustrated as a kid casting at basking Bream and failing, time after time, to catch. They were enormous fish for us at the time
I‘m often amazed at how shallow you can catch Roach/Bream hybrids. The Bream genes must be very weak.

 

[Silverfisher]

I had a pair of 4 pounders virtually off the top from a commercial about 4 years ago but tbf the difference between top and bottom was only about 2ft!

Had a few about this sort of size from a sandstone pit in 10–11ft of water fishing 4-5ft deep a few weeks ago though across a couple sessions. Taken on the drop though so possibly even shallower than that. Still skimmers really but getting close to bream.

 

[smiffy]

I had a pair of 4 pounders virtually off the top from a commercial about 4 years ago but tbf the difference between top and bottom was only about 2ft!

Had a few about this sort of size from a sandstone pit in 10–11ft of water fishing 4-5ft deep a few weeks ago though across a couple sessions. Taken on the drop though so possibly even shallower than that. Still skimmers really but getting close to bream.

Nicely done.
Im still a b****r for sticking to the lake bed, even now. However I will pop baits up if I feel it may catch me some.
I am reminded of Alton water, near Ipswich, sometimes needing a bait popped up zig rig style, 6-8ft of the bottom for proper Bream. Never got it to work myself. That was in the days when I was probably feeding nowhere near enough

 

[Silverfisher]

Nicely done.
Im still a b****r for sticking to the lake bed, even now. However I will pop baits up if I feel it may catch me some.
I am reminded of Alton water, near Ipswich, sometimes needing a bait popped up zig rig style, 6-8ft of the bottom for proper Bream. Never got it to work myself. That was in the days when I was probably feeding nowhere near enough

Tbf in that place everything comes up have caught roach, rudd, perch, crucian, skimmers and tench all within the top 3rd of 10ft swims. Must say the tench did throw me!

 

[Pole-Fisher-90]

Ah nice! Was it a deep lake? Have caught a few this year up in the water in 10ft plus swims

No it was around 4ft deep, find the clever bream bigger ones sit off bottom watching the bait fall or sitting half meter off your feed amazing what flicking a rig past your feed does

 

[Pole-Fisher-90]

Nicely done.
Im still a b****r for sticking to the lake bed, even now. However I will pop baits up if I feel it may catch me some.
I am reminded of Alton water, near Ipswich, sometimes needing a bait popped up zig rig style, 6-8ft of the bottom for proper Bream. Never got it to work myself. That was in the days when I was probably feeding nowhere near enough

You may find commercials the clever ones sit off or above the feed that’s what found out lately, and I fed about 3pts maggots in a 5hr match

 

[OldTaff]

If you are fishing a feeder is it worth popping a bomb on to go past the feed area or just cast a few turns further with the feeder ?

 

[smiffy]

If you are fishing a feeder is it worth popping a bomb on to go past the feed area or just cast a few turns further with the feeder ?

Absolutely. But this is the thing to try later in the session. You don’t want to be chasing them further out during the day. It was often a good practice in the last hour of a match on either the pole or feeder. Often the bigger lumps would sit just off the feed later in the day.
Just pull off a couple or three yards from the clip and give it a go.
On natural waters this is

 

[OldTaff]

Absolutely. But this is the thing to try later in the session. You don’t want to be chasing them further out during the day. It was often a good practice in the last hour of a match on either the pole or feeder. Often the bigger lumps would sit just off the feed later in the day.
Just pull off a couple or three yards from the clip and give it a go.
On natural waters this is

Is it not as effective on commercials?

 

[smiffy]

Is it not as effective on commercials?

It’s more that I don’t fish them nowadays.
I think it’s fair to say that fish behave differently in that sort of environment and it’s one that I’m not up to par on. What happens on a natural water is often different to what happens in commies

 

[Total]

Is it not as effective on commercials?

It is effective on commercials Karl.....Changing to a window type feeder, (cage or solid type). They cast truer and slightly further on a clipped up cast and allow you to fish out slightly further....

 

[OldTaff]

Great - I’m looking at the Preston in-line ICS cage & maggot feeders to compliment the method feeders & bombs we already have

Also been in touch with @Zerkalo about the mechanics of the maggot feeder heli rigs he uses and has great success with

 

[Zerkalo]

Great - I’m looking at the Preston in-line ICS cage & maggot feeders to compliment the method feeders & bombs we already have

Also been in touch with @Zerkalo about the mechanics of the maggot feeder heli rigs he uses and has great success with

I should mention...

If it's a commercial water you might have to check it's allowed as most will insist on free running rigs around here.

If for Bream, can always use a snap swivel on the end of the line and change your feeder and vary the length of the hooklength.

Sorry if stating the obvious but I generally use that rig on naturals for Tench. Always happy to explain how I do that rig though, which as I said is quite basic compared to some. I don't do much commercial fishing for Bream these days and on naturals just use a twizzled boom rig.

 

[OldTaff]

I should mention...

If it's a commercial water you might have to check it's allowed as most will insist on free running rigs around here.

If for Bream, can always use a snap swivel on the end of the line and change your feeder and vary the length of the hooklength.

Sorry if stating the obvious but I generally use that rig on naturals for Tench. Always happy to explain how I do that rig though, which as I said is quite basic compared to some. I don't do much commercial fishing for Bream these days and on naturals just use a twizzled boom rig.

Thanks Steve - not had chance to check out your links you sent me so was unaware of the “non-free running” status of the rig

Having been almost exclusively fishing for carp since returning to the sport (it’s all that’s in Neville Park) or float fishing the estate lake to avoid all the silt I acknowledge my feeder fishing knowledge stems from my match days well over 15yrs ago and technology has moved on considerably since

Lots of feeder fishing YouTube to catch up I think