Tiger and Panther Feeders

Hi Folks,

I've been asked to write a short piece about fishing the Tiger and Panther Feeders; so here's the skinny on how to get the best out of them. But first, a shameless plug!

Both Tiger and Panther Feeders retail at $4 apiece, including postage & packing; please ask me if you want a dozen or more, as bulk order discounts are always given! The feeders are the result of two years design and trial, with several anglers fishing a wide variety of venues; here's a few of the highlights:

1. I just had my best season ever in terms of the percentage of 20 pound plus fish to total carp caught. I ended up with a Twenty Plus percentage of 23%... and I had over 500 fish again this year! During that time, I lost, trashed or otherwise demolished just 11 feeders, all in the rocks on rivers... these puppies are TOUGH!

2. Larry Kirchner caught his personal best carp on his first Tiger Feeder session... nuff said.

3. Eric and I fished Tiger and Panther feeders exclusively on our first ever Hoosier Carp Tournament, on the St. Joe River in Elkhart, IN. I had the third biggest fish, and Eric was unlucky to lose a fish that would probably have won the big fish of the year award, and would definitely have won the tournament... all this on a day when only 6 carp were caught.

The feeders come in three standard weights; light at 1.7oz (good for method mixes and pay-laking), medium at 2.9oz (all-rounder, for heavy method mixes, lake and river fishing), and heavy at 5.8oz (deep, fast-flowing rivers).


So, what's the best way to fish them? At close to medium range (0 - 75 yards), I recommend a standard Safety Lead Clip & Tail Rubber rig (Tiger Feeder in the pic), as this ensures a great bolt effect with a standard hair-rig, using both soft and stiff links.

If you are going for distance (75 yards+), I prefer to set up the Helicopter rig (Panther Feeder in the pic), as this is totally tangle-free and allows you to really punch the feeder out. It's also creates a fairly good bolt effect, whichever direction the carp moves after it takes your bait!

For either basic rig, you can fill the feeder in a variety of ways. If you want to mix up a specialist groundbait, or one of your own secret concoctions, you can fill the feeder completely, or plug one end of the feeder with groundbait, fill the remainder of the feeder with some samples of your hookbait, then plug the open end. This works really well for bigger, hungry fish, here's a video of me showing this method of fishing. And here's a link to a great groundbait that works really well with the Tiger and Panther Feeders, this stuff is awesome!

You can also fish either Feeder "method style"; although I recommend a twist on the usual procedure! I make up two mixes, one very dry and highly flavored mix; this goes inside the feeder, with a wet, sticky mix squeezed over the top and outside of the feeder, make sure you have plenty covering the lead "ears" of the feeder on either side!

The method mix is most effective in relatively shallow water; once you are fishing more than about 8-12 feet deep, it's probably best to go to a stickier groundbait mix, inside the feeder. Otherwise you will either lose too much method mix on the way down, or if you mix it really hard, you'll be playing fish with lumps of method still attached to the feeder... not good for collecting fish in one place! An alternative, and something that works well even in shallow water, is to use a pay-laker style pack-bait; grits mixes are especially popular in the springtime.

Finally, both feeders are very effective when used with a PVA bag; simply stick a bag inside a dry feeder, fill it with your chosen dry ingredients and attractors, seal the bag and cast it out! The Safety Clips really come into their own here, as you can make up a batch of PVA bags in dry feeders, and just swap feeders each cast. Of course, you will probably want to have about a dozen feeder if fishing three rods... so you can have three feeders out in the water, and three drying off, while you are re-bagging the other six! Here's a link for PVA bags, Safety Clips and Helicopter Rig bits; here's another link for PVA bags, and Safety Clips.

If you have any other questions, don't be afraid to ask! I'll be publishing more information on Tiger and Panther Feeders in the near future, including links to shops that stock them. I'm also working on a variety of new colors and sizes of Feeder... so if you just have to have a Camouflaged Feeder that weighs 6 ounces, won't bounce in the flow of a fast-running river AND is snag resistant, then let me know and I'll be happy to give you a cost-effective quote!

Larry & Josef Win Third Place!

Congratulations to Larry & Josef, who battled through the 72-hour Tournament of Champions (Hartford, CT), to win a hard-earned 3rd Place. All the competitors had a tough time, with colder temperatures and the fish not willing to feed much during the day-time; this certainly was an endurance event!

Here's the link to the competition page, with articles and video clips.

Way to go guys, this was a great result!

ACS Tournament of Champions; October 14-18

The ACS Tournament of Champions is just about to start; and I'm going to be following it closely this year. This is one of the major catch-and-release carp-fishing events of the year; the 2008 competition is being held on the Connecticut River, at East Hartford, CT.

Yep, it's a long way away, but I just wish I was there, and I hope everyone catches a few good Carp. Entrants this year include my buddies and the 2007 & 2008 WI Carp Championship "spectators favorites", fishing as pair teams:

Josef Settele ('08 WI Carp Champ & '07 WI CC 3rd Place) & Larry Kirchner ('08 WI CC 3rd Place)

Ernest Kolodziejczk ('07 WI Carp Champion) & Chris Motwicki ('07 WI CC Mirror Carp Winner)

Andrzej Burnagiel ('08 WI CC Mirror Carp Winner) & Michal Brada ('07 WI CC Tony Safranski Award Winner).

Best of luck Guys, I hope you claim the top 3 places! Here's an article on the event.

YouTube Video on Fishing the Tiger Feeder

Hi Folks!

A number of people have asked me about where they can see Tiger Feeders in action. Well... Eric has worked an awesome job on the video footage he took earlier in the year, while we were field-testing the prototype Tiger Feeders.

This was a short session at Two Rivers, WI; on a new stretch that we hadn't fished or pre-baited before. It was a really cold and very windy day; so windy in fact that this was one of the few areas we could find where it was possible to film without our gear being blown away!

The video is split into two parts, here's part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LOLt3I0tuYc
This puts you straight into the action, with a couple of twenties and a big teen, then there's part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LMQwG61tjm8
In part 2, I try to show the Tiger Feeder and rig, but am very nicely interrupted by a near-thirty. I do finally get the message across... the Tiger Feeder works with most standard carp rigs AND it helps you catch the bigger ones.

Let me know what you think; feedback is welcome!

Larry and the Twenties

Larry (2008 WI Carp Championship 3rd place) and I fished one of my favorite venue's recently. We were using the new Tiger Feeders and an attractor that Larry's been perfecting, and the fishing gods smiled upon us. Larry had four twenties during the day, topped with a Personal Best fish of just over 29 pounds.

Way to go Larry, looks like my Tiger Feeders helped with the bigger fish!

2008 WI Carp Championship Results

Well Folks, I've been really busy at work, trying to catch up from the few days I took off to run the Championship. However, Tony Safranski has kindly come to the rescue; here's his report, thanks Tony!

The 2008 Wisconsin Carp Championship is in the books. After two weeks of cold, windy and unsettled weather this year’s competitors arrived in Menasha on Friday, May 30, just in time to enjoy a weekend of sunshine and mild temperatures. Steady incoming winds brought in the carp and kept them within casting distance all along the Jefferson Park seawall both Saturday and Sunday.

Saturday morning started with competitors drawing their day’s pegs. Fishing began at 10:00 a.m. Within five minutes we heard the first “fish on” and the weigh stewards quickly got into the action. Three competitors took the early lead, Bobby Chokdee, Josef Settele and Larry Kirchner. Each found their individual rhythm and caught fish after fish all day long.

Every angler relied upon his own ‘Super Secret, No Peeking, Don’t Even Ask for the Recipe,’ ground bait mix to attract carp to their peg. And the carp came to the pegs all day long. Despite an apparent need to feed, upon feeling a sharp metal object in their mouths, the carp proved less than willing to give themselves up without trying all means of possible escape. Many fish found their sanctuary in the Fox River’s multiple weed beds and used the weeds as a great source of leverage. Much to the chagrin of various competitors the carp proved that it’s not just fishing but catching that counts in the end.
Bobby got into the lead early Saturday and held it all day long. We are not sure if his unique fish-fighting dance gave him some mystical edge over the fish or his competition, but it drew a spectator crowd most of the day. Even the girl’s softball team stopped to watch Bobby go through his gyrations. We will assess the possible need for a carp angler ‘Entertainer of the Year,” award.

When competition ended at 8:00 p.m. Saturday, Bobby held the lead with a catch of 26 fish and a total weight of 233 pounds. Larry finished in second place with 22 fish for a total weight of 180 pounds. Josef came in third with 24 fish for a total weight of 156 pounds. Overall, the three leaders and the remaining 11 anglers caught 96 fish for a total weight of 914 pounds. The average fish weighed 9.5 pounds.

Sunday morning competition started at 9:00 a.m. The three leaders immediately picked up where they left off on Saturday. Bobby started the day’s entertainment with a full-blown carp dance while Weigh Stewards Eric Glazewski and Ulee Vang responded to the ‘fish-on’ call. Both Josef and Larry quickly found hungry carp in their swims.

In a fishing sense of ‘what a difference a day makes,’ competitors all along the seawall found hungry and cooperative carp and started to cash in soon after the start. Pegs that produced few willing carp on Saturday kept their anglers busy all day Sunday. Tommy Riley, Paul Pezalla and Wayne Boon all added nicely to their Saturday totals. Wayne Boon hooked and landed the match’s biggest fish. His carp pulled the scale down until the arrow showed it weighed 29 pounds 9 ounces. Tommy Riley landed two 21 pound fish one after the other.

Questions of who held the lead started early in the afternoon. Bobby still held the lead but Josef found his rhythm with a few hours to go and started to catch more fish than Bobby. We didn’t know it at first but around 4 in the afternoon Bobby started running short of bait. This forced him to change tactics. The carp didn’t like the new presentation and his peg grew quiet. Josef kept landing carp right up to the final minute. He managed a come from behind win with 13 more pounds than Bobby. Larry finished in third place.

The final standings for the two days competition are:

2008 Wisconsin Carp Champion:
Josef Settele, with 65 fish for 483 pounds 3 ounces

Runner-up: Bobby Chokdee, 48 fish, 470 pounds 9 ounces

Third: Larry Kirchner, 45 fish, 394 pounds 8 ounces

Largest Carp: Wayne Boon, 29 pounds 9 ounces

Totals for the competition: 272 fish, 2,656 pounds 7 ounces

2008 WI Carp Championship!

2008 WI Carp Championship - May 31/June 1

Jefferson Park, Kargus Drive, Menasha, WI

Yes Folks, we are only a few days away from the 2008 Wisconsin Carp Championship! This is THE WI-based catch-and-release competition of the year, with internationally-known carp anglers fighting it out for a big cash payout, ultra-modern carp gear prizes, trophies and the prestige of winning the title: Wisconsin Carp Champion for 2008!

Last year was an awesome event, with plenty of large, hard-fighting fish caught right in front of the spectators, throughout both days. This year the Championship is back at the same venue; Jefferson Park in Menasha, where the spectators can see all the action as the competitors are fishing from the shore. The fishing starts at 10.00am on Saturday May 31st, and everyone will be back for more carp-catching fun on Sunday June 1st. All fishing is from the shoreline at the park, so spectators get a ring-side view of one of the most exciting angling events in the calendar; those Big Carp really do fight!

I'm hopeful that the 2007 records will be blown away this year:
Top Weight (both days): 450lb
Top Weight (1 day): 329lb
Biggest Carp: 25lb 10 oz

Competitors for this years Championship include:
Ernest Kolodziejczk (2007 WI Carp Champion), Event Sponsorship by WorldClassicBaits
Josef Settele (3rd in the 2007 WI Carp Championship & Largest Carp)
Wayne Boon (English Carp Angling Guru, now residing in California), representing American Carp Society
Paul Pezalla (American Carp Scientist), Event Sponsorship by Wacker Bait & Tackle

Come and see the competitors and their ultra-modern European Carp-Fishing gear, their different methods of bank fishing, and let's not forget the fish themselves! Last year, over 2,200 pounds of Carp were caught, weighed and safely released; this year's event promises to be even better!

For more details, or if you'd like to help by being a weigh steward at this event, please post a comment on this blog, with you contact information.

Trivers Twenties Trio

The Trivers ABC (Two Rivers All Big Carp) Friendly Fish-in produced some small fish, but enough good carp were also caught to make it interesting.

Eric and I fished the West Twin both days; for some reason Eric believed me when I told him I could smell fish! Anyway, I must have been right, because I managed to hook and land the biggest three; with all my fish coming on a new home-made boiled bait and my new Tiger Feeders. We both caught on the Tiger Feeders, with me just fishing boilies (boiled baits, it was the Big Fish challenge, after all!), and Eric fishing with Delmonte's finest and some commercial boilies.

On Day 2, I had a number of visitors stop by, and heard tell of some high singles being caught on the East Twin, but apparently no-one made it into double figures there. I met some new Carping buddies on the West Twin, and I think they will be coming to the 2008 WI Carp Championships, to watch and pick the brains of the Carping stars!

I had a fun day, watched some other folks catch a few fish, and finally "sorted out" my peg. I didn't break my Day 1 biggest fish catch, but managed a couple more twenties, five doubles, and the rest of the 13 fish total for the day were just under the 10lb barrier.

When I fished the peg on Day 1, I caught 2 good fish early on both sides of the channel, then one smaller fish late on the 90 yd mark. Day 2 couldn't have been more different, with a fresh breeze blowing almost behind me and across the river, I felt that it was just possible that the bigger fish could move up into the very shallow water on the far side (Eric and I had seen the occasional fish roll over there, the day before, but my casts there hadn't led to bites). After catching one good double in the deeper water, I started to get bites from smaller fish.

After a few of these smaller fish, I decided to wind up some big casts and started fishing at about 110 yds, in less than 2 foot of water. The water on my shoreline still felt cold to me, but the wind must have been warming it up over there, as it was like turning on the Carp Tap... one fish after the other.

It just goes to show, it's worth taking a risk sometimes and being prepared to change things around a little. Although I was still getting bites from small fish, by fishing over into the shallower water, I improved both my catch rate and size of the fish being caught.

A couple of firsts for me:
1. First time I haven't opened a can of Delmonte in 8 years fishing in WI
2. First time I've fished just boilies for a whole day in WI
3. First time I've fished and caught on the Tiger Feeders at 100 yds+

All in all, a fun two days, met some good new friends, and there were some priceless quotes from the locals, as ever... it must be something they put in the beer there. A favorite was from an old guy who snuck up behind Eric on Day 1 and asked him if he'd "caught any crabs?" Fortunately, we were able to clarify that he meant crayfish; kinda worried about what he was referring to for a moment there!

Lastly, an old guy on a bike stopped behind me to watch me hook and land a couple of fish, including the 25 pounder. He then asked me "Why do you cast so far, why don't you just go and fish from the public park opposite?" Truth to tell, he had a point there... sometimes, I'm not too bright!

Here are pics of the three biggest fish, 27lb 8oz, 25lb 14oz, and 21lb 15oz. The 25 pounder was a fantastic looking fish, like a golden Mahseer; a good example of the famous Trivers Golden Trout!

Great Waters Fly Fishing Expo - Chicago Feb 8 - 10

This years Great Waters Fly Fishing Expo looks like it's going to be a really interesting event; it's being hosted by the Renaissance Schaumburg Hotel & Convention Center, February 8th to the 10th.

I wish I could get there, but it looks unlikely at the moment. The guys from Tight Lines Fly Shop in De Pere will be there, and I believe Tim is presenting on Sunday; his topic is NEW Smallmouth!

Here's the link to the Expo Website (also includes details on the Minneapolis Expo in March), and here's the link to the presentations.

Check it out, it should be fun and informative.

Get Ready for the 2008 WI Carp Championship!

Yes Folks, it's official, there will be a 2008 WI Carp Championship. We are just starting to work out the details, but the venue is likely to be the same as last year; Jefferson Park in Menasha. Date is likely to be one of the weekends between mid-May and mid-June, which should catch the Carp in feeding mode!

Anyone who wants to help with weighing steward duties is welcome; this is a great opportunity to learn more about catch and release Carp-fishing; and I'm planning on small prizes for the Weigh Teams this year! For details on duties, and all anglers interested in competing, please let me know by adding a comment to this blog.

Pics on last years exciting 2007 event can be seen at:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/wi_carp_champs/?saved=1