It’s fair to say that feeder fishing for bream has changed an awful lot over the past decade.
We’ve gone from spotting shy bites with target boards and fishing squatts on small hooks to almost carp fishing using inline feeders, wafter hookbaits and waiting for the rod to get towed in. But does that mean there’s no place for the way we used to fish?
I’d say there is, and on many bream venues I fish at home and abroad, the old school is still the best school to go to, here's how I do it...
Ease off the fishmeal
A strong fishmeal groundbait can be too powerful – instead use a sweet fishmeal mix like Ringer Baits F1 Black. If there are bigger fish about, add a little Ringers Original.
Give them a taster
Using too much chopped worm can be the kiss of death, so go easy at the start with just a pinch of minced-up worms in the feeder to see how the fish react to it.
Go light with feeders
The best feeder to use is a light Nisa Rocket Cage, typically 16g or 22g. This makes little noise when hitting the water and also doesn’t stick into any silt.
Try fluorocarbon
I use fluoro hooklengths, and I’m confident they catch me more. Start with a 50cm-long hooklength, going shorter if you get indications but no proper bites.
Beat small silvers
Experimenting with hookbaits is best, but my go-to bait is four dead red maggots. This helps cut down on the number of bites from small roach and perch.
Work out the feeding
To start, I’ll use a big baiting feeder with groundbait, casters, dead maggots and a little chopped worm. One load is enough, but you can top up if you’re catching well.
