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Catching carp on a feeder is somewhat different from traditional carp tackle. However, catching it this way is no less effective. Given that feeder gear is more versatile and most anglers planning to fish for carp have it, it is worth describing the features of catching this fish on a feeder.
Carp and feeder fishing: similarities and differences
Carp fishing with traditional Carpfishing and feeder methods are bottom fishing methods. They have a lot in common – a nozzle fixedly attached to the bottom with the help of a sinker, a feeder load, ways to find a place to catch. However, carp fishing on a feeder and carp fishing have differences.
- Carp fishing involves the use of equipment rigidly attached to the feeder. The fish, when biting, meets the resistance of the sinker. In feeder fishing, the rig has free movement relative to the sinker, which ensures bite registration using a quiver tip.
- Feeder gear involves, in most cases, catching fish as a result of hooking performed by the angler. In carp fishing, only control hooking is practiced, which in itself is not necessary to catch fish.
- Carp anglers use three types of rods to explore the bottom, feed fish and directly catch – a working rod, a spod and a marker rod. In feeder fishing, one rod for a specific reservoir is dispensed with, which performs all three functions.
- Typically, a feeder rod is designed to catch fish weighing up to 10 kg. Carp rods allow you to confidently deal with much larger trophies.
- Among the carp blanks you will not find a fast sonorous system. Only averages and parabolics are used. In feeder fishing, there is a class of fast rods designed for tempo fishing of small fish and accurate casts in competitions.
- Carp fishing is carried out on several rods, allowing you to cover several control points. Feeder fishing traditionally uses one, rarely two rods.
- Both carp and feeder fishing use a flat feeder and a hair rig for boilies. However, usually only it is used in carp fishing, and in feeder fishing there is a place for other methods.
- Carp fishing is designed specifically for catching one type of fish and is poorly applicable to some other fish. You can catch carp, bream, crucian carp, and any peaceful fish with a feeder. If the carp does not bite, you can switch to other fish if they are found in the reservoir and not be left without a catch at all.
In general, fishing for carp in the traditional way will require significant financial costs, a lot of time spent on the reservoir and allows you to catch trophy carp weighing more than ten kilograms – this is the goal of this fishing, and not to catch a lot of small carps. Feeder fishing does not involve a multi-day study of the reservoir, studying the habits of fish and catching many points in a few days to catch a trophy, although it does not exclude this. Usually the whole cycle of feeder fishing, from laying out gear to catching the last fish, takes several hours and is more suitable for a busy modern person.
Tackle selection
Carp is a fairly large and strong fish that can live at a considerable distance from the coast. Especially on large wild reservoirs, estuaries of southern rivers, where carp, also known as carp, is a traditional inhabitant. A characteristic feature of these places is the weak slope of the bottom and its siltiness. In such places there are many underwater crustaceans and insects, which are the natural food of carp. Therefore, tackle is needed for long-distance casting, which allows you to catch at a great distance from the coast.
However, the majority does not fish in such places, but on private ponds and pay sites. These ponds are modest in size, often with artificial banks and a sharp drop in depth. It does not require a long cast in order to reach a large fish. In addition, to attract fish from a small area, you will need much less bait. Feeder tackle here has many advantages, as it involves less long-range rods and a smaller amount of bait compared to carp.
Rod selection
A fishing rod is selected with a medium or parabolic action. However, there are places where you need a particularly accurate casting of the feeder, and there you can not do without medium-fast and even fast rods. The length of the rod should be between 3 and 4.2 meters. Usually, for carp rods, a casting test and a line test are indicated. For feeder rods, the latter characteristic is rarely marked. You need to focus on relatively powerful blanks with a dough of 80-90 grams, which can throw a weighty feeder and fight with a big fish and not break.
If it is known that the carp in the habitat is not large, then you can get by with the same rod as for catching bream. In general, it is worth taking mediums and heviks of medium and large growth. On overgrown reservoirs, where, in addition to fish, you will also have to drag a bunch of algae, which the trophy will wind on the fishing line, you need to take a rather rough rod, like Kaida Spirado and other unkillable models.
When fishing, a fishing line is traditionally used, as it allows you to soften the jerks of the fish. Ordinary carp fishing line is soft and quite extensible. The very specificity of carp fishing is such that hooking during it is not required, so the elasticity of the fishing line is not a critical factor here. In feeder fishing, when fishing with a regular rig, given the long casting distances, you can use a braided line and a shock leader. However, if a hair rig with boilies is used, it is possible and necessary to count on self-notching, therefore it is permissible to put a fishing line instead of a cord. A shock leader is still needed here to achieve a casting distance, and you can do without it only on not very large paid ponds.
Coil
For carp fishing, it is imperative to use reels with a baitrunner, sufficiently powerful and with a small gear ratio. The baitrunner is necessary because fishing is practiced with many rods placed along the shore and equipped with a signaling device, usually electric. A strong carp is quite capable of dragging the rod to the depth, and the baitrunner will allow the angler to reach the bite and start playing.
For feeder fishing, when fishing with a single rod, the baitrunner is not so important. However, there is still a requirement for power. The reel must be large enough, have a low gear ratio and have a maximum power of at least 8 kg. Usually these are rather large feeder coils with sizes from 4000 and above. Rear or front clutch? As a rule, the front clutch is more reliable, but less convenient to use. To tighten it while catching a large fish or slightly loosen it, skill is required. The rear clutch, although it does not provide such smooth adjustment and reliability, is easier to use when the angler’s hands tremble when catching a precious large carp and it can be difficult to find the adjustment knob in front without catching on the fishing line and not accidentally folding the bow. Both types of coils have the right to exist.
Feeder cord and hooks
The feeder line, if used for carp fishing, must have a significant breaking load. Usually they use a four-thread with a diameter of 0.13, and put a fishing line from 0.3 on the shock leader. The fishing line allows you to at least soften the jerks when using the cord. If you put a line, you can follow the tradition of carp classics and use from 0.3 for a shock leader and from 0.25 for a regular line. You can also set thinner diameters, if the size of the fish caught allows it. Usually, you can ask about the size of trophies on the paysite before buying a ticket and prepare in advance, while making an adjustment to the smaller side, as breeders usually tuck a little. Fishing usually takes place in places with no current or with a weak current, so the thickness of the fishing line is not critical here.
Hooks for fishing are set quite large, from the tenth number and below. Carp classic – hook with a claw bend. It allows you to hook well in the fleshy mouth and not get off the fish during the fight, when it somersaults and rests with its whole body. However, in feeder fishing, such a hook does not give very good hooking, if fishing is carried out with the expectation of hooking fish. Therefore, hooks with a relatively straight point can be recommended. Definitely the main requirement for hooks – they must be sharp.
Feeders when fishing use conventional feeder cages, rockets and a flat method. Fishing with the method allows you to use carp rigs with hairline boilies. They have an extended area between the ribs, where you can attach a hook and even a large boilie. If, in addition to a large carp, there is a small thing on the pond that actively pulls any nozzles and baits, it is guaranteed and forever possible to get rid of its bite only if you use a sufficiently large boilie. Rockets have the advantage of being slightly further away than normal cells, and are better at longer ranges. The method feeder itself flies normally, as it has a relatively rounded shape and gives little resistance in the air when casting. For starting feeding, it is best to use a traditional carp rocket, which differs from a conventional feeder rocket in volume and design.
Lure
For fishing, you can use different types of bait. It should be quite plentiful and plays a role rather than attracting fish to the point, but so that the carp, passing by, lingers and has the opportunity to swallow the bait. It is not in the habits of this fish to stand still for a long time to find food, especially in a large flock. Therefore, it is worth highlighting two types of bait – for starter food, in order to create a feeding spot, and for the feeder, in order to create a small point with a source of smell. For the method, these two compositions also differ in consistency – for starter feed it is more loose, for the feeder it is more viscous. You can use both purchased and do-it-yourself bait formulations.
In general, carp respond very well to both smell and tactile impulses. This is evidenced by his antennae, which help him look for food in nature. Therefore, we must try to add not only odorous components, but also animals that will create vibrations that attract fish and move at the bottom. Bloodworms, maggots and worms are used as an animal component. Worms, according to the author of the article, will be much better than all the others. They live longer under water than maggots, and are distinguishable by fish from a greater distance than bloodworms. They are easier to get. For large carp, they are more attractive than a whole spot of bloodworms, since they themselves are larger. You don’t need to chop them into bait, but you should lay them whole and then mix them so that they move at the bottom.
In view of this specificity, it is advisable to use worms only for starter feeding with a carp rocket, since it will be a problem to put several whole worms into a small feeder or method feeder. However, bloodworms and maggots can be used as an animal component for them separately from the starting feed.
Fishing for a fee
So, the fisherman collected his gear, prepared the bait, bought a ticket for a paid pond, where there are solid carps. And so he comes ashore, explores the bottom, finds a promising area with harder ground, feeds it, casts a bait and waits for a bite. And she is not.
You can sit for an hour, and two, and three. You can even see the coveted carp right next to the shore, in the reeds. On attempts to throw him bait or bait under his nose, he does not react in any way. If the feeder hits him on the forehead, he reluctantly turns around and leaves. Many, in despair, leave, others even try to catch such fish on a summer mormyshka. When the owner of the payer leaves, you can climb into the water and catch it with a net. Why did this happen?
The fact is that on the paysite the fish is overfed. The owners, taking care of the weight gain of the fish, give it enough compound feed for growth and development. Incoming fishermen throw dozens of kilograms of purchased bait, cereals, bloodworms and maggots into the reservoir. The fish ceases to show interest in food, because there is so much of it at hand, and cares more about peace of mind.
How to be in such a situation? The first rule is to come fishing long before dawn and wait for the fish by dusk. The carp is a diurnal creature and usually sleeps at night. Moreover, at night the water is usually cool and slightly saturated with oxygen, which plants consume from the water during photosynthesis in the dark. With the first rays of the sun, they begin not to consume, but to release oxygen. The water warms up a little, everything becomes clearly visible. The fish wants to eat and it passes through the places of its usual feeding. Find them – and success in fishing is guaranteed.
There is an exit here. In the evening, they feed several points where carp can be. The main thing is to remember the landmarks along which the feeders were thrown, or better, write down and sketch them. Until dawn, they are fed a little with an animal component. After that, they begin to catch, move from one place to another. Of course, there is less chance of catching a fish this way than if the bait were on each of the points continuously. But it’s more likely to catch at least something if you move from one place to another, because it’s not a fact that an interesting area for fishing is generally on the way of the fish.
Feeders with boilies
Here it is worth saying a few words in favor of method feeders with boilies. Carp are somewhat blind fish. And he does not see the boilie that sticks out above the ground, even at a distance of 4-5 meters. But he hears it clearly when he is freed from the method feeder, from a great distance. Therefore, when fishing on a feeder, this moment can help out. They fill the method feeder and determine in advance when the boilie is released from it, when the feed breaks down. After they make a cast, they wait this time plus another five minutes if the carp approached the bait and examines it. If there is no bite, it makes sense to simply re-throw it there or to another place, so that the moment of releasing the boilie comes again. It is worth mentioning the bite of this fish. You should never rush into hooking, especially if you put a hair rig! The carp swallows the bait, sucks on it and swallows it, simultaneously grabbing the hook. He tries to spit it out, and at that moment it catches on his lip. In carp fishing, this does not happen on the first try, and only the moment when the fish has already landed on the hook is recorded. In the feeder, you can speed up the process somewhat. If sensitive tackle is used, the bite is expressed in several good bends of the signaling device with a certain period. After waiting for the time between periods, you can guess the hooking somewhere in the middle in time between them. Then the fish will be detected and it will be possible to fish it out.
Carp hauling is unlike any other fish. It is not for nothing that this fish in China and Japan is considered a symbol of male strength and perseverance. Carp break lines, drag fishing rods, kukan along with stakes, even the anglers themselves, if they are not very stable on the shore or in the boat, they can overturn into the water with a jerk. Not even the largest individuals weighing from 3 kg are capable of this. It is necessary to prepare in advance for a stubborn struggle and prepare a large sack. In order not to injure the fish, you can use a net with a nylon cover.
Fishing in the wild
Wild carp is not only strong and tenacious. It is also a very cautious fish. Carp fishing should be done with great care. That is why long-range tackle is used, since large carps rarely come close to the shore in nature. Catching carp on a feeder purposefully in wild waters is quite difficult. Here, the classic carp tackle will be more effective, which uses rods with a more elastic tip, allowing you to cast far. However, if a fish feeding point was found in advance and caught on it, it was marked, you can fish from it with a feeder. However, more often carp bites occur on the feeder when catching other fish.
Wild conditions are not only rivers and bays, where this fish has traditionally lived for centuries. These may be abandoned collective farm ponds, where carp were once bred, former unprofitable payers. Usually, after allowing free fishing, they are occupied by anglers, often even with nets, and completely catch the majority of the population. After the pond is abandoned, a bunch of other inhabitants start up there, from crucian carp to pike and rotan. They do not have a very good effect on the survival of carps and compete with them for food. Carp in such conditions usually rarely breed, and more often just individual individuals live out their lives. They can be caught by the feeder, but the longer the pond is abandoned, the less likely it is. Fishing on such ponds is necessary in conditions of an abundance of aquatic vegetation, water lilies, mud, since no one cleans the pond and it quickly overgrows.