By : Des Shipp
1 – Get Your Pellets Right!
The best bait to use for feed with the Banjo XR (or Method feeder) is undoubtedly 2mm pellets. They work well year-round and the carp love them. I have a simple approach to prepare them and use the Pellet Wetter to get the best results:
Step One – Pour some lake water into the EVA bowl followed by a small glug of Bait Booster. This sticky liquid gives the pellets a nice tacky feel.
Step Two – Add half a bag of 2mm pellets into the Pellet Wetter pouch.
Step Three – Submerge the pellets into the water/Bait Booster combination. Leave them in the water for 20seconds in high summer and 60seconds in the winter.
Step Four – Remove the Pellet Wetter pouch, shake off the excess water and allow to stand for one hour.
Step Five – The finished product.
2 – Use The Mould!
It is fair to say the Method mould transformed Method feeder fishing well over 15 years ago and allowed anglers to produce a consistently perfect feeder every single time.
The mould for the Banjo XR is just as good and creates a beautiful, streamlined feeder that casts perfectly and ensures an even breakdown of your pellets. If you like the consistency afforded to you by a mould, then give it a go!
3 – Try A Lighter Feeder
The most popular feeder weight is 30g and with good reason, it is a superb all-round weight that can be used for a variety of situations. But there are times when dropping to a 20g size can be fantastic.
If you are fishing in open water where there is likely to be some silt, then the 20g feeder can be better as it doesn’t dive quite so deep as a 30g or even 45g feeder does. The light feeder can also be beneficial when casting into shallower swims on calm days where fish are spooky. The 20g feeder can provide a quieter entry and provide a bit of stealth to your game.
4 – Maggots Are Great
Wafters and Band Ums are the first-choice hook baits for most match anglers and with good reason. They are fantastic.
But on some days, fish can be wary of such a blatant hook bait and something more discreet can score well. One or two dead red maggots hooked onto a size 16 hook can be deadly, even for big carp!
Never ever go Banjo fishing without a handful of dead maggots!
5 – Cast Short
When faced with an island, it can be tempting (and effective) to cast as tight as possible to the island. This works brilliantly in the height of summer when the fish are feeding well. But in the Autumn, Winter and Spring, the fish will often prefer to feed in slightly deeper water.
Dropping back from the island by a few metres will get you into three or four feet of water which can be a more effective catching zone when the temperatures drop.
