How to use the cage feeder for bream | Steve Ringer


by Richard Grange |
Published on

Feeder choice when bream fishing once amounted to a plastic open-end model, full stop! These worked, but casting a long way was hard going, and they never allowed us to change the way we fed or presented the bait.

However, since then our understanding of how bream feed has changed massively. We now know that these fish swim off-bottom regularly and, as such, a cage feeder is a better option than an open-ended version.

That’s because it allows us to create a small cloud of groundbait close to the deck that fish can see and follow down.

USING THE RIGHT FEEDER ROD WILL MAKE YOU FAR MORE SUCCESSFUL, CHECK OUT OUR BUYERS GUIDE FOR MORE.

Get your tactics right and you'll be on for a netful of bream.
Get your tactics right and you'll be on for a netful of bream.

Create a cloud

The real bonus of a cage feeder is the attraction levels it creates. With more holes in the body, groundbait and particles come out of the feeder as it sinks, which allows bigger bream and skimmerssitting off-bottom to home in on this cloud and follow it down to where the bait is.

WANT TO TARGET BREAM ON THE FEEDER BUT AREN'T SURE WHERE TO GO? OUR WHERE TO FISH GUIDE HAS YOU COVERED!

Bream can be attracted into the swim if you create a cloud.
Bream can be attracted into the swim if you create a cloud.

Plastic is fantastic

Years ago, cage feeders were made from wire, but now we have plastic models that are a big help. Plastic feeders come off the bottom quicker when you wind in or are playing a fish, which is essential when there’s weed or a ledge on the bottom that you’ll be winding back across.

HYBRID STYLE FEEDERS CAN ALSO BE GREAT TO USE WHEN TARGETING BREAM.

Plastic feeders are far more versatile nowadays.
Plastic feeders are far more versatile nowadays.

Change the consistency

One issue with the cage is deep water. The contents can empty too quickly, so it is important to alter the consistency of the groundbait. For shallow water, a dry mix is perfect, but for swims that are 10ft deep, a wetter, heavier mix that stays in the frame longer is needed.

USING THE BEST ADDITIVES, LIQUIDS AND BAIT BOOSTERS CAN HELP ADD MORE VISUAL ATTRACTION.

Keep changing the consistency to keep catching fish.
Keep changing the consistency to keep catching fish.

How many holes?

Look at the cage feeders in a tackle shop and you’ll quickly realise there are lots of different sizes, which match anglers refer to as ‘holes’ – for example, three-hole, five-hole or six-hole. This simply means that the more holes there are, the more bait the feeder will hold.

The holes in a feeder will dictate how quickly bait releases.
The holes in a feeder will dictate how quickly bait releases.

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