Ledgering or now more commonly called feeder fishing is the method of fishing using a weight to keep a bait stationary on the river bed or on the bottom in a stillwater.
Float fishing allows the bait to drift or move in the current of water. Feeder fishing tends to hold the bait in the same area. However when used in large rivers the feeder or weight will shift downstream. This is called a rolling ledger and can be an effective method of catching fish.
Terminal Tackle
A feeder is a device used to present ground bait and hook bait offerings on the bottom of the river or lake. The weight inside the feeder so it can be used as a ledger. Maggots or other bait offerings are put into the feeder and attached to the line near the hook. Once in the water bait is released which will attract fish to the baited hook. There are numerous designs of feeders and all have a different function.
The size of hook used for feeder fishing normally depends on the size of bait and size of fish expected to be caught. Fishing for Carp with Corn, Bread or cubes of luncheon meat will require a hook of size from size 12 up to size 8. If maggots are being used then hooks of size 14 or size 16 are adequate. A typical feeder rig is shown below :
Rods
Feeder rods come in a variety of lengths and sizes (upto 4 meters) and have a quiver tip inserted into the top of the rod which are very sensitive and is used to show bite indication.
The most important thing for a feeder rod is to ensure that the rod you use is capable of casting the weight of the feeder that you are using. The heavier the feeder the stronger the rod needs to be.
Reels
Fishing reels are really a personnel choice and a line of upto 4 kilo breaking strain be suitable for most fishing conditions. A large number of coarse anglers prefer a Bait Runner type reel as some bites can be very aggressive and a bait runner does give you some protection against losing a rod and reel (but not always).
Feeder fishing although generally a coarse fishing technique can be a very effective method for catching some Australian estuary type fish such as Bream and Mullet. A feeder with small bait offerings on tidal rivers and estuaries can be a deadly method of catching fish. Many Australian fishing tackle shops do now stock rods which are based upon a Quiver Tip Feeder Rod and are called Nibble Tips. This just show one of the impacts that coarse angling has had on Australian fishing.
Video
To give you a better idea of how to go about feeder fishing please take the time to review the video included below. This video has been made by Dennis Saunders a member of the AFCAA and provide a great introduction to feeder fishing.
Dennis has set up a terrific YouTube Channel and has a large number of different videos to help introduce you to all the various methods of coarse angling and even has several videos on how to make tackle and prepare bait. Feel free to subscribe to his channel as he regularly releases new materials for you to watch.
Australian Federation of Coarse Anglers Association 