A complete guide to open ended feeder choice on rivers

Introduction

This is my guide to feeder choice when river fishing.  As a beginner it is easy to walk into a tackle shop and be bewildered by the amount of feeders to choose from of all different shapes and sizes so I aim to make that choice a little easier by explaining the two types of feeders I use for all of my river fishing and how the fishing situation dictates my choice on the day.

 When feeder fishing it is important that we make the fish feed in a way that makes them easy to catch and feeder choice allows us to dictate how the fish feed on the day.

If you want to become a serious feeder angler then it is important to carry a large variety of feeders to suit all situations.

I carry my feeders in double sided tackle boxes as shown below allowing my to swap and change easily during a session.

The cage feeder

Overview

The cage feeder is made up of a plastic or wire mesh. The way a cage feeder is designed means that the groundbait inside is very exposed allowing the water to attack the contents from all sides meaning the bait will empty out very quickly. Small particles of groundbait with be washed off on impact with the water creating a cloud of bait slowly falling through the water column leaving the majority to be deposited on the bottom.

Pros

• Loads of attraction
• Bait empties quickly

Cons

• Less control over the speed the bait releases than with a conventional open ended feeder

When to use

The cage feeder is usually my go to feeder at the start of a session. The cloud it creates in the water is ideal for attracting fish in to the swim and making things happen early on.

In the event of the swim slowing down part way through a session I will often switch back to a cage feeder to try to attract more fish into the swim and kick start them into feeding.

I also like to use a cage when baiting up in situations where I want to create a large baited area for species like bream. The exsposed design means that the bait is deposited quickly and speeds up the process and also gives me confidence the bait is all being deposited in the swim and it's not sticking in the feeder and being deposited on the retrieve.

The open ended feeder

Overview

The open ended feeder is a solid plastic feeder with just a few holes in the body of the feeder itself.

Unlike a cage feeder when fishing with an open ended feeder the water can only attack the feeder from the ends resulting in a slower breakdown of its contents.

Due to its enclosed nature far less bait will be disturbed on impact and the entire contents will be deposited on the river or lakebed.

Pros

• All the bait gets down to the lake or river bed
• The speed of bait being released is easier to control

Cons

• Creates less of a cloud and less initial attraction.

When to use

After starting a session on the cage feeder the fish can become a bit scatty picking bait up mid water which then results in fast bites that can be almost impossible to connect with or foul hooked fish. In this instance I will change to the open ended feeder to pin my loose feed on the bottom.