Experts Guide to Feeder Choice

Feeder fishing has seen a huge increase in popularity over the last few years across Europe and in the UK. This trend I expect has come with the advent of international events such as the Feeder World Championships and national events like Feedermasters and Feeder King to name but a few.

This popularity increase has seen anglers looking to trusted Brands such as Browning to innovate in tackle, rigs and baits to help give them the edge on the bank and it’s more than fair to say that Browning have been on the forefront of tackle innovation for this area of our sport.

The vast range of feeder rods in the Browning rage offer something to complement everyone’s style and budget, from the high end competition Sphere range built on the slimmest, lightest and high-modulus carbon blanks available, the Black Viper range of rods for distance casting giving the angler both strength and sensitivity, the Argon & Black Magic ranges bringing quality, performance and versatility at a very affordable price point and finally the Commercial King range of rods to target the many carp focused venues.

However, the items of tackle I want to talk through are some of the feeders from the extensive Browning range.

Long gone are the days when you would simply clip on a feeder from your box, normally the first to hand and fish with it for the duration of your session with minimal thought or understanding of its application or design. Advances in feeder fishing tactics, methods and results have shown us the importance of thinking about getting the most from our fishing with considerations such as;

• Size of feeder – to regulate the amount of feed going into your peg each cast.
• Type of feeder – to match what you are trying to achieve, by example a cage feeder to release a column of bait or a window feeder to concentrate bait on the deck.
• Weight of feeder – ability to cast and hit the same spot all day in changing conditions, or to regulate how long it takes your feeder to settle or to hold in a current on flowing venues.

Careful thought needs to be applied in reading your venue, your intended quarry, the time of year and most importantly the feeding response of the fish, all of which will help you to understand what feeder to use and when to change your feeder during a session. A couple of examples of this would be, do I start with a big feeder to put down a volume of feed and then change to a smaller feeder when the fish arrive to help them target your hook bait rather than have them occupied by large volumes of bait going in each cast? Or do I start with a small feeder with regular casts to feel my way into a session?

Similarly it’s important to read the weather conditions like, you have the fish feeding at a range then during the session find you are suddenly struggling to hit this due to a change in wind strength or direction, you then need to step up feeder weight or design (from a standard to a Pro Cast shape) to enable you to achieve the original distance where you have the fish feeding.

Window feeders allow you to precisely control the speed of bait release.

Big Pit Mini Feeders, great for feeling your way into a match.

Pellet Feeders, great for a quick bite and when you are regularly casting.

All of these things are to be considered when feeder fishing, however the good news is that there is a feeder in the Browning range to help with each and every situation you will face as a feeder angler and below are some of the most common feeders I use in my fishing situations.

Browning Xenos Wire Specialist Feeder (20, 30, 40, 50, 60 & 80grm in the rage) – This range of feeders are your typical wire 5 hole cage feeder ideal for use on medium depth venues where you want to create a column of feed through the water to attract fish into your swim from far and wide.

Browning Xenos Landi Wire Feeder (5, 8, 10, 15 & 20grm) – Again a cage style feeder 4 hole feeder with a slimmer profile as the Specialist feeder carrying less bait each cast but again for medium depth venues.

Browning Xenos Wire Pro Cast (30, 40, 50, 60 & 70grm) – A 5 hole cage feeder with a bullet weight at the bottom of the feeder, again for the same application as the Specialist and Landi but this feeder will help greatly with casting in a cross or head wind where accuracy is vital

Browning Big Pit Mini Feeder (15, 20, 25, 30, 40grm) – This small profile plastic 3 hole feeder is perfect for shallow venues and indeed in cooler weather where the fish only want a small amount of feed as an attractor rather than to feed them. These feeders are also ideal on venues with silty bottoms where the more robust Xenos wire feeders may dig in.

Browning Window and Streamline Window Feeders (15, 20, 35, 50 & 70grm) – These feeders are unique in design and for medium to deep venues where you want to concentrate fish on the bottom. The plastic feeder has a unique window that allows you to fill it with particles and cap it off with a smear of groundbait. With the feeder weighted at the base it casts like an arrow in all conditions and can be fished with unparalleled accuracy.

Browning Pellet Feeder (15, 20, 30 & 50grm) – This inline feeder allows you to use in conjunction with short 4-6” hooklengths with micro pellets, the idea is to enable you to push your hook bait into the feeder, cap it off with micro pellets which will on emptying on the lake bed push your hook bait out into the attractive pile of pellet feed.

Browning Hydrus Metal Method Feeder (30, 40 & 60grm) – In line method feeder built in a solid metal material which adds strength and durability when repeatedly casting tight to islands or features. Again to be fished with 4-6” hooklengths with groundbait or pellets moulded around the feeder frame.

Tim Bruce