Decoy Lakes near Peterborough is one of my favourite venues, consisting of eleven lakes it’s the perfect place to fish the Pellet Feeder as every lake here is full of hungry fish.
Massive advantages
The Pellet Feeder has numerous benefits over the more conventional flat style feeders, the first being that the pellets don’t have to be perfectly mixed as they are compressed inside the feeder and the sides hold these in place when casting. This is also a massive advantage in a match as it saves so much time. Another advantage is that this type of feeder releases the pellets and the hookbait in just one direction, meaning any carp dropping down to feed will suck not only the micros up but the hookbait as well. These feeders also sit on the bottom better than flat-bed feeders which is especially good over a silty/choddy bottom, and don’t tend to bury when fishing a shallow swim. They also cast really well.
Inside or out
Bait wise I generally stick to three hookbaits, 6mm/8mm hard pellets, a stand out bait such as a bright yellow 6mm dumbell and dead maggots for the colder months or when the venue is fishing especially difficult and bites are hard to come by. To mix the micros I tend to dampen down a few at a time, maybe a quarter of a pint, which will go along way and simply soak these for ten seconds before draining off. You can leave the hookbait hanging but I prefer to press a small amount of micros into the feeder, followed by the hookbait before topping up with a covering of micros.
Keeping it short
The rod I use for this style of fishing when casting up to 35m is the brilliant Sphere 10’ Bomb, which is really soft and reduces hook pulls. This is teamed up with a Black Viper 845 Compact Reel loaded with Cenex 0.22mm Method Mono. The rig then consists of a free-running 30g Pellet Feeder with a Connector Bead that has a short three inch hook length made from Cenex 0.16mm Hybrid Power Mono attached. Finishing the rig off is a size 16 Sphere CPF LS barbless hook tied knotless-knot style with a hair containing a Latex Bait Band. I will also have a Jens Koschnick World Champion 11’ Feeder rod set up, just in case I need to cast further than 35m or find the fish in my swim are big and really on the feed, and in this case will beef my mainline and hook length up accordingly.
The Pellet Feeder loaded and ready to cast out.
A natural hard pellet is my first choice, but don’t ignore a stand-out bait!
These slots aid pellet release and are easy to retrieve.
"The Pellet Feeder has numerous benefits over the more conventional flat style feeders."
Once you have found some fish clip up to maintain accuracy.
Two sizes are available in a range of weights.
A nice few hours fishing the Pellet Feeder.
Clip up or cast around
Although the lakes at Decoy are brilliant pole venues, there are times when the pellet feeder will produce more. The first is when the fish are out of pole range, which they often are throughout winter and early spring. During this period I tend to cast around, trying to land my feeder right next to an opportunist fish as opposed to clipping up and casting to the same spot which works much better throughout the summer months. Another time when these tiny pellet feeders come into play is when the weather takes a turn for the worse, the wind gets up and pole fishing becomes problematic. This is when these feeders work in a similar way to feeding from a small Kinda Pot as it feeds just enough bait to get a bite. These feeders are also brilliant when you have a feature in front, such as an Island.
Oh so easy
When you do give these feeders a go then this is how I would approach the swim. Knowing that the fish will be well on the feed my first choice of hookbait will be a banded 6mm pellet and I would go for the bigger of the two feeder sizes available and a good all round weight of 30g. Whether I have a feature, such as an island or not in front of me I tend to clip the line in the reel seat and get into a routine of casting every couple of minutes to start off with. Knowing Decoy Lakes well, the chances of me having to wait two minutes is unlikely as once the swim is activated (maybe half a dozen casts) the carp will probably home in on the feeder much quicker and if so catching over 100lb in a few hours is easily achievable. If the swim goes quite its worth getting another distance line going, or better still have two going from the start, simply taking a couple of fish from each before switching over. Something else worth trying if the swim goes quiet is a bright stand-out hookbait and never ignore those dead red maggots, as their isn’t a fish that won’t eat them.
Wherever you head to, give this method a go, it will certainly keep you busy!
Jon’s Tackle
Sphere 10’ Bomb Feeder Rod
Black Viper Compact 845 Reel
Cenex 0.22mm Method Mono
Cenex 0.16mm Hybrid Power Mono
Size 16 Sphere CPF LS Barbless Hook
30g Pellet Feeder
Connector Bead
Band Aid Forceps
Latex Bait Bands
Jon’s Bait
2mm Micro Pellets
6mm/8mm Hard Pellets
Bright Dumbells
Dead Red Maggots