With the weather expected to take a turn for the worst, this week we take a look at something which is more in tune with cold water carping… the Preston Innovations Banjo Feeder!
Find out more on the Banjo Feeder... watch the video and check out the step by step pictures by clicking the link below...
Since the inception of commercial fisheries there has been one man who has arguably come up with more fish-catching devices than any other… Andy Findlay!
Andy has revolutionized feeder fishing and his previous three creations – the flat Method feeder, pellet feeder and pellet cone – are responsible for taking some huge weights of carp every year. But, Fin being Fin, he couldn’t stop there, hence his latest creation: the banjo feeder.
The banjo came about a couple of years ago when many of the fishery pellets were of a spongy consistency. Andy was getting fed up of not knowing whether his pellets had come off his feeder or not, so he decided to invent something – and the banjo was born!
This new feeder offers an even better form of presentation than the Method. It encapsulates the bait, allowing the moulded feed to reach the bottom intact. This is a great feature because, when using a Method feeder in deep water with pellets, the pellets often fall off without the angler realizing.
Once this banjo feeder reaches the bottom, the bait then breaks down into a lovely neat pile where your hook bait sits perfectly in among the small pile of pellets just waiting for Mr Carp to slurp them up!
Well, that’s the theory out of the way. Preston has taken Fin’s original design and tweaked it so that it can be loaded via new purposely designed moulds. The arrival of the Method mould has changed feeder fishing for carp and made the approach more accessible to every angler; the banjo moulds are the same and make using this awesome feeder effortless.
One of the main benefits of this feeder is how well it casts. It’s available in two sizes – small and large – with both types having quite long stems and weight-forward designs, so they cast extremely straight and true; like a dream in fact!
This feeder is primarily designed for use with pellets of 4mm or less but it will work with groundbait too. I have used this feeder quite a lot recently and have had plenty of success by using dusted 2mm pellets and a small 4mm pellet hook bait. I believe this is perfect and suits the delicate presentation that the banjo offers.
The feeder is available in small and large sizes in both inline and elasticated versions. There are three weights available too, with 15g, 30g and 45g allowing just about every distance to be covered.
To sum up then, banjos won’t replace the Method feeders in my box – they aren’t meant to – but I will always carry a set for when I want to offer a different kind of presentation to the carp. Yet again, Preston, and Andy Findlay, has come up with a winner and I am sure that there will be countless matches won on this fiendishly clever feeder.