WHACKING out a feeder into the middle of next week isn’t everyone’s idea of fun.
But on spacious open-water venues, whether you’re using a cage feeder for a net of bream or chasing carp with its Hybridcousin, you’ll need a rod that can do just that.
Distance and accuracy rule the roost when it comes to long-range feeder fishing, especially in a match. Sitting between two anglers who are outdistancing you is unnerving, and if they’re catching more than you from the off, it tells you you’ve kicked off badly by fishing too short.
WANT SOME TIPS TO IMPROVE YOUR FEEDER FISHING? CHECK OUT THIS ARTICLE.
It’s much the same for carp anglers on big pits, where the fish nearly always gravitate towards the centre of the lake, and only those with the right rods to reach them can ever reap the rewards.
To achieve longer casting distances with a feeder rod, you’ll need to use a reasonably stiff model matched to a quivertip that won’t flap around on the cast. And, sure enough, help is at hand. Middy’s Quartix Zero Limits 13ft Distance Feeder has casting power to burn, and it comes with super-effective hollow spliced quivertips that will signal any interest, even at extreme range.
These quivertips, measuring a tad over 23ins long, feature a unique cross-weave strengthening that Middy calls ‘Spiratech’. They differ from all other quivers with the inclusion of an 8.5ins spliced-in section of solid carbon or glass.
This results in a tip that not only assists with smooth casts and accuracy at distance, but won’t shatter or split when stressed on the cast.
According to Middy, you’ll also enjoy “insanely sensitive bite registration”, especially when using the mega-light
0.5oz ‘Super Sense’ fibreglass spliced-in tip that can be purchased separately.
But it wasn’t really silvers – well, at least not little ’un’s – that I had in mind as I pulled into the day-ticket Bain Valley Fisheries.
This sprawling complex in the heart of rural Lincolnshire boasts seven lakes, all named after RAF planes of yesteryear. Nearly all of them are fishable on a day ticket and, with parking at your peg, you won’t be needing your barrow or trolley!
LOOKING FOR A GREAT FEEDER FISHING WATER? CHECK OUT THIS WHERE TO FISH ARTICLE.
However, be warned – if you turn up here midweek, your peaceful rural idyll is likely to be shattered by RAF fighter planes wheeling sub-sonic sorties across the skies.
Despite the nerve-shredding noise, these masterful RAF aerobatic displays can be quite an interesting distraction on a clear, cloud-free day, especially when bites are hard to come by.
That said, I I’ve never had a fishless day at Bain Valley. It’s a bit like buying a day ticket to fish and then having an air show thrown in for free!
Lightning-fast as the overhead jets are, though, they’d have a job to keep pace with the 40g cage feeder that the 13ft Middy Quartix Zero Limits Distance Feeder rod had just propelled across Hurricane Lake.
The feeder, packed full of casters, chopped worm and groundbait, sped bullet-like toward the centre of the lake. And after a dozen or so quick casts to get some snap down for the big bream population it was eyes down and look in for the first bite. Sadly, the Bingo moment just didn’t happen!
After a fruitless hour gazing at a motionless tip it was obvious that a change of tactic was called for, since my early morning bait bombardment had failed to impress those slimy denizens.
Instead, every retrieve resulted in a weed-covered hook and bait, which isn’t exactly helpful when targeting big slabs. In my opinion they much prefer a nice clean bait to one that involves getting a gobful of weed as the veggie course!
My next move was to tie on a Method/Hybrid feeder packed with micro pellets, with a wafter or pop-up on the hook.
I also needed to have a cast around to see if I could find an area that was a little less weedy, and after a few long chucks I found it around 100 yards out – a fair cast in anyone’s book.
After recent trips out making videos with a certain Mr Ringer, impatience when feeder fishing is something I seem to have in abundance.
“Just leave it alone until the tip goes round,” I was being constantly told, so I did – well, for up to 20 minutes at a time.
Seven minutes before the deadline (I’ve invested in a stopwatch) the tip ripped round. To be fair, it was a winsome looking specimen that gave a great account of itself, putting a proper bend in the 13ft Quartix Distance Feeder. Three more casts produced three more fish that all fought like tigers in the crystal-clear water.
The quality carbon three-piece blank with its Spiratech reinforcing at critical stress points produces a perfect fighting curve, free of flat spots, when put under pressure. There’s also more than enough mid-section cushioning to cope with softer-mouthed bream and skimmers at range, as well as the ever-eager carp.
On the technical front, the special reinforcement toward the end of the carrier section and across the quivertips does provide added insurance when you’re winding up the rod for big chuck and, with a bit of steel pushing through from the butt section, there’s abundant power in reserve.
Add to that oversized forward-facing anti-frap guides and a great selection of unique hollow and spliced quivertips, and you have Middy’s top-distance feeder rod, a tool that does everything that you’d expect from a flagship model, and a little more for good measure!
Bankside test verdict
+ Multiple graded hollow spliced quivers of 1oz, 2oz, 3oz and 4oz offer tactical flexibility
+ Spiratech reinforcement on the butt section, the top of the carrier section and along the quivertips adds strength and inspires confidence
+ Classy forward-facing enlarged C-Pulse Cast Assist guides reduce tangles and snap-offs even with shockleaders
+ As much at home with bream and skimmers as it is with carp, and it would also make a great big-river ro
-You’ll need to get used to how the cut-away end of the handle feels when first using the rod
-Obviously, its weighty price tag will limit its appeal
Tech spec
-1oz, 2oz, 3oz, and 4oz quivers
-Revolutionary hollow spliced construction
-Hooklengths up to 8lb, reel lines up to 12lb
-Three-section True Cast design
-C-Pulse Cast Assist guides
-Full True Crank cork handle
-Maximum casting weight 90g
-Spiratech carbon technology at critical stress points
-Four-layer carbon construction
-Super-long true-cast muscle spine
Price: £350 (but shop around), www.middytackle.com