First Published in English.
If you spend much time feeder fishing on running water, particularly on big powerful rivers, such as the Trent, Wye or Severn, then you will know that feeder choice is absolutely critical. The Browning wire feeder has been the choice of a great many anglers over the years, thanks to their resilience and wide range of weights, making them useable without the addition of ‘dead cow’ weights. Well, now the range has been updated and the new Xenos wire feeders set a new benchmark in river feeders for me.
What I really like about the design of these feeders, is that they are very tangle-resistant, thanks to the integral lead and pre-formed attachment. These new feeders also have a tough plastic coating on the wire, that not only helps them blend in underwater, but also makes them even less likely to tangle. Attach them simply using a snap swivel or a short powergum boom to your main line
A wire cage feeder is really handy when the tackiness of what you’re feeding can vary. This particularly applies to chopped worms which can either make you groundbait mix very wet depending on how much you add. A wire feeder allows water to flow freely through it and while more enclosed plastic feeders might become clogged a wire feeder is still effective – this means you can easily adjust what you feeding without changing your feeder.
A useful tip when fishing deeper rivers, where you want the contents of the feeder to remain inside until the feeder settles on the bottom, is to wrap them in electrical tape, sealing up the mesh. This makes a massive difference to how the feeder empties and ensures that the bait is on the deck and not being washed downstream, taking the fish with it.
As with the originals, these are really tough feeders that take a lot of abuse. If you fish big rivers then they will be the perfect choice.
Available in 30mm and 50mm lengths with diameters of 2.5cm and 5cm respectively, they come in a wide range of weights from 20 grams (3/4 ounce) right up to 140 grams (5oz).
Kye Jerrom
The feeders come in a wide range of different weights for every situation.
The design is very tangle-resistant.
The simple set-up I use with the lighter versions of this feeder.