Blockend Feeders

The blockend feeder was original developed to enable the angler to deliver a compact amount of feed to otherwise inaccessible areas of a swim. It enabled the angler to put feed at the far side of a river that was too wide for effective catapulting of feed, or to place feed alongside the hookbait in deeper stretches of the river where getting loose feed was difficult.

Today they are used on both rivers and still waters and come in a wide variety of designs to combat the differing situations in which they are employed.

It may come as a surprise to discover that the very first blockend feeders came onto the market as far back as 1956. These were marketed by a company called Pegley Davis, who initially applied for a patent on their idea, but abandoned the patent because they thought the idea would not catch on! Ooops!

It was not until the late sixties that the blockend feeder was revived by Thamesly Tackle, who still market them today and whose feeders can be found in most tackle boxes.

This "new" technique became so successful that in the late seventies it was banned in some river matches and several River Severn angling clubs began to hold "float only" matches. Need I say more about the potential for success of using the blockend feeder?

Various loose feeds can be utilised in the blockend feeder, the most obvious being maggots, but it can also be used to deliver hemp and casters, or sweetcorn or tares, or even pellets. For some of the loose feed just mentioned the feeder's holes need to be enlarged to facilitate easier emptying of the feeder. This can be achieved with a special tool designed for the job and available in tackle shops, or with a pair of scissors.

There are probably as many feeder rigs as there are anglers, and everyone has their own preference. Below are some of the tried and tested rigs that are known to get results.

Running Blockend Rig

The Running Blockend Rig is without doubt the simplest of rigs to set up. This should not be allowed to detract from its effectiveness, it gives an excellent presentation for reading bites. As a fish moves off with the bait it immediately comes in contact with the rod tip.

As can be seen from the illustration above, a snap link is threaded onto the mainline, followed by a rubber bead and the mainline then tied to a No 12 swivel, to which the hooklength is tied. The snap link provides for easily changing to a different size feeder, the rubber bead protects the knot at the swivel.

Helicopter Blockend Rig

The Helicopter rig is sometimes considered a better choice when fishing at long range on still waters, and for the specimen hunter. This is effectively a bolt rig because, as can be seen from the illustration above, when a fish takes the bait it will come into contact with the weight of the feeder before any indication is seen at the rod tip.

To set up this rig first thread a float stop onto the mainline, followed by a rubber bead, followed by a swivel to which the hooklength will be attached, followed by a second rubber bead, then attach the mainline to a second swivel that is attached to the feeder. Pull the bottom bead down over the feeder swivel then pull down the float stop so that the hooklength swivel is trapped between the two beads.

Paternoster Blockend Rig

The Paternoster Blockend Rig can be considered a semi-bolt rig, in that there will be a limited amount of free play at the paternoster length before the resistance of the feeders weight is felt by a fish taking the bait. For this reason the fish will be in contact with the rod tip before it is in contact with the feeder's weight, thereby giving good bite indication.

To attach the paternoster use a four turn water knot as shown in the illustration insert above. Note the short length of shrink tube around the feeder swivel that protects the hooklength.

This rig is a good choice when fishing in fast water with a flat profile feeder, due to the use of a heavy bottom gripping feeder all resistance will be at the rod tip.

If you are using maggots in the feeder and the wriggly critters escape too quickly, dip the feeder into the water to chill the maggots.
To restrict the escape of feed into the swim use insulating tape to close off some of the holes in the feeder.
Always attach feeders using a snap link - so you can quickly change to a different size or type of feeder.
Try filling a feeder with chopped pieces of lobworm. The pieces cannot leave the feeder but the scent of them will attract some choice fish to your swim.
Adding a small amount of groundbait to the maggots in a feeder can work wonders. the groundbait attracts fish and the maggots trigger feeding.
When fishing at long range choose a feeder with the weight on one end rather than on the side. This type of feeder will cast a greater distance and with more accuracy.
Accuracy is vital in all types of feeder fishing. You need to be feeding the same spot on each cast. Cast to a distant marker and use the reel's line clip to ensure the same distance on each cast.

Blockend Feeders

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