Home Made Plastic Feeders

[Nicepix 5,650]

A while back I made some feeders out of plastic mesh sold for cooking. It is called BBQ Grill Grid  and I got it from the poundshop. There is enough in one sheet to make 12 medium sized feeders. Weight is from some lead flasing used for roofing and the feeders are reinforced using a cable tie woven through the holes. A short loop of 60lb mono is looped through where the lead is folded over. For bigger feeders I used two cable ties, one each end. 

They were made to use in a snag pit expecting them  to get trashed or lost, but they turned out to be more robust than I imagined and are a lot easier and to make than metal cage feeders. 

[Daniel cain 42,836]

Have to keep my eyes out for some of that mesh...got buckets of lead I collect off site

[Nicepix 5,650]

On 04/10/2021 at 21:29, Daniel cain said:

Have to keep my eyes out for some of that mesh...got buckets of lead I collect off site

A guy on the barbel forum found some netting used to protect young trees that was ideal to make feeders. Another option to consider.

[Nicepix 5,650]

That's the beauty of using plastic mesh. You can cut it with scissors. Lead can be bought on rolls in different widths and that can be cut using scissors. I can knock up a dozen in an hour and they are perfectly useable if not fashionable. They all end up stuck under a rock in the river eventually so no point spending a fortune on feeders.

[Nicepix 5,650]

BBQ season means the grill mesh is back in stock at the shops. Been busy again....

 

They store flat. All 6 feeders are in that compartment and there is room for another 3 or 4. On average they cost me about 25p sach so no crying when one gets stuck on the river bed.

[comanche 2,799]

On 07/10/2021 at 20:23, Nicepix said:

That's the beauty of using plastic mesh. You can cut it with scissors. Lead can be bought on rolls in different widths and that can be cut using scissors. I can knock up a dozen in an hour and they are perfectly useable if not fashionable. They all end up stuck under a rock in the river eventually so no point spending a fortune on feeders.

 I've some left  that l made a couple of years ago. As you  say ; easy to make  and cheap enough to be lost without tears.

Apart from those taken as offerings by the River Gods l had to scrap a few because the mesh had been torn open by fish . I suspect trout or  ,less likely chub. Both have the teeth for it.

For real economy though l still like my old bamboo cane off cuts for feeders

Note the chunk missing from the front front feeder   . Don't the fish realise these  things cost money! 

These don't

[Nicepix 5,650]

7 hours ago, comanche said:

 I've some left  that l made a couple of years ago. As you  say ; easy to make  and cheap enough to be lost without tears.

Apart from those taken as offerings by the River Gods l had to scrap a few because the mesh had been torn open by fish . I suspect trout or  ,less likely chub. Both have the teeth for it.

For real economy though l still like my old bamboo cane off cuts for feeders

Note the chunk missing from the front front feeder   . Don't the fish realise these  things cost money! 

These don't

Could the damage have been done by crayfish? 

I never thought of using bamboo sections. That is genius!  

[comanche 2,799]

3 hours ago, Nicepix said:

Could the damage have been done by crayfish? 

I never thought of using bamboo sections. That is genius!  

It was in Winter in mid flow  . Not that l know if that really makes a difference as far as crayfish go. 

I've never seen one but there must be crayfish in the the river though because a big fuss was made because illegal crayfish trappers are said to have salted the river with Signal breeding stock.  They didn't  know it held native crayfish and was being  monitored. 

Or perhaps didn't  care.

I am fond of the bamboo feeders.  Each section of cane gives you  a couple of block ends  if you use the nodes  and  open enders from the rest. 

Mostly l am fond of them because l caught my first barbel using one. Then another on my next cast!

Ok , the barbel were only babies about a foot long but  l'd never even seen a barbel, let alone caught one at the time!

[Nicepix 5,650]

8 minutes ago, comanche said:

It was in Winter in mid flow  . Not that l know if that really makes a difference as far as crayfish go. 

I've never seen one but there must be crayfish in the the river though because a big fuss was made because illegal crayfish trappers are said to have salted the river with Signal breeding stock.  They didn't  know it held native crayfish and was being  monitored. 

Or perhaps didn't  care.

I am fond of the bamboo feeders.  Each section of cane gives you  a couple of block ends  if you use the nodes  and  open enders from the rest. 

Mostly l am fond of them because l caught my first barbel using one. Then another on my next cast!

Ok , the barbel were only babies about a foot long but  l'd never even seen a barbel, let alone caught one at the time!

Do you dry or bake the cane first or use it raw? I baked a section in our gas bbq to make a handle for a rod and it lost around a third of its weight. 

btw - Cruella has become dog legged. She has an area of delamination in the tip section. 

[comanche 2,799]

12 hours ago, Nicepix said:

Do you dry or bake the cane first or use it raw? I baked a section in our gas bbq to make a handle for a rod and it lost around a third of its weight. 

btw - Cruella has become dog legged. She has an area of delamination in the tip section. 

I just use the cane for feeders as it is,  mainly through laziness

Cruella,delaminating?    

Can she......be...saved?

[Nicepix 5,650]

On 11/05/2022 at 08:47, comanche said:

I just use the cane for feeders as it is,  mainly through laziness

Cruella,delaminating?    

Can she......be...saved?

Not by me. There is a split between the faces of the cane about 18" from the tip. I understand that to fix it requires the six sections to be split apart, cleaned up and re-glued together. Way beyond my skill set. I could take the ferrule and guides off and replace them, but the dismantling cane thing is several steps too far. The rod only cost twenty quid. If you want it to have a go at I will post it to you FOC as and when I am next in the UK. No chance of cheap international postage these days. 

The Silver Monarch will be on catfish duty next week. I have no doubt the cane will stand it, but the guides might pop off like Barabara Windsor's bra on Carry on Camping  

[comanche 2,799]

3 hours ago, Nicepix said:

Not by me. There is a split between the faces of the cane about 18" from the tip. I understand that to fix it requires the six sections to be split apart, cleaned up and re-glued together. Way beyond my skill set. I could take the ferrule and guides off and replace them, but the dismantling cane thing is several steps too far. The rod only cost twenty quid. If you want it to have a go at I will post it to you FOC as and when I am next in the UK. No chance of cheap international postage these days. 

The Silver Monarch will be on catfish duty next week. I have no doubt the cane will stand it, but the guides might pop off like Barabara Windsor's bra on Carry on Camping  

I have  done the splitting of cane ,araldite and lashings of whipping thing on a delaminated rod thing ; not pretty but functional . But maybe Cruella better stay with you Clive. If only as a source of spare line guides for The Silver Monarch

Good luck with the

[Nicepix 5,650]

That is a point. It might be worth more in spare parts than it was as a whole. My old Rover 2600 was