GARBOLINO

£2.59
Available in mini (15 gr), small (15 or 28 gr) and large (20 or 35 gr) sizes, these flatbed feeders have slightly squared off, low standing vanes. They are also marketed in elasticated form and in packs with relevant size Method moulds. The vanes have quite large openings in them, which buried hooks could snag in, resulting in a wasted cast. Apart from this these feeders work well, hugging and gripping bottom well when fishing tight to sloping features. The bodies are an unobtrusive brown colour and the in-line versions have plastic central tubes with quite bulky tail rubbers installed.
SCORE: 26/30

MAVER

£1.80
One size was supplied for testing and this came with 20 or 30 gr base weight options (elasticated versions are also available). These low set feeders have a unique dip in their central vanes, designed for tucking hook baits inside the feed when loading with groundbait or soft pellets. There were a few rough moulded edges but generally these black flatbeds performed very well. The vane openings didn’t tend to snag buried hooks, which is especially important when hair-rigging baits. Quite small swivels are required to form a bolt effect and there were no rubber grommets to anchor these.
SCORE: 26/30

KORUM

£1.99
Small, medium and large sizes having increasingly heavier weights set in their keel shaped bases. These clear plastic feeders blend in well with groundbait mixes and have a nice aerodynamic shape. The central vanes have large openings underneath, which buried hook offerings might occasionally snag in; otherwise these bottom hugging flatbeds perform very well. They have soft rubber grommets set in their bases that accept size 10 to 14 swivels, ideal for creating a bolt effect. The central plastic tubes are fitted with neat clear tail rubbers and the overall finish is superb.
SCORE: 27/30

GURU

£2.99
Small (24 gr) and medium (28 gr) in-line sizes, also available in ‘X-Safe’ elasticated versions. These uniquely shaped feeders feature special hook bait platforms designed for accurately positioning buried hook offerings. The groundbait anchoring vanes are also shaped differently in a cross format. Finished in a matt pale brown colour and supplied with neatly fitting swivels for a semi-bolt effect, these cleverly designed feeders have no potential hook snagging openings. The base leads were prone to coming adrift on early versions I tried out, but these more recent samples were fine.
SCORE: 27/30

PRESTON INNOVATIONS

£1.99
Available in small and large sizes, each with 15, 30 and 45 gr weight options (elasticated versions are available at the same price). These dull brown feeders have low profiles and hug the bottom nicely, having versatile weight options to suit a good span of casting distances. Small size has three evenly spaced vanes, while larger size has four – with a pronounced gap in the middle. This is obviously aimed at burying hook baits, although large openings in the vanes might occasionally snag exposed hooks. These feeders have a compact shape and fit Preston’s Method moulds for neat loading.
SCORE: 27/30

BEST BUY

FOX

£2.99
Dull green/brown colour blends in perfectly with groundbait and bottom terrain on these small and large feeders, both coming with 20 or 28 gr weight options. They feature low-slung vanes and well-formed tail rubbers, along with neat rubber base grommets. The latter take a size 10 swivel perfectly for a bolt effect (five swivels are also supplied). No hook snagging problems with the small size but quite large openings in the vanes on the large size might catch up small baits or exposed hooks occasionally. But generally these are the best made feeders of the bunch and they perform superbly.
SCORE: 28/30

NOTE: All products tested March 2010. All prices correct at the time of going to Press. Angler’s Mail do not take responsibility for price or product changes or current availability.

BROWNING UK WIRE

£1.30-£2.40 each
Three sizes of wire cage feeders, each with four side weight options. The weights range from 10 gr on the smallest feeder, right up to 100 gr loading on the biggest! As wire cage feeders go, this design is above average in the way the mesh is anchored to the side weights, plus everything is coated in a robust shiny black finish. The disappointing aspect is the overlong and thick powergum links, which house big silver swivel links. These links are tangle prone and can’t be modified because they are permanently built into the side weights.
SCORE: 23/30

FOX MESH FINNED

£1.50 each
Offers small, medium and large sizes, along with five different side weights that cover short to long range casting requirements. The plastic square mesh bodies are pretty strong but these groundbait feeders also have plastic fins, which are fragile. The fins are designed to improve in-flight stability and prevent rolling. The interchangeable base weights are a nice touch, allowing anglers to customise these feeders, although I couldn’t slide the weight off the largest size. The excellent moulded links have tangle-free semi-encased swivels.
SCORE: 25/30

DINSMORES BLACK

65p-95p each
Three sizes are available with 4, 5 or 6 rows of square metal mesh, along with side weights ranging from 15 to 28 gr. These robust cage feeders have basic plastic links and no attachment swivels, although it is possible to fix a swivel link to them. The cage bodies have a tough matt black finish and cast well thanks to their substantial side weights. It’s the semi rigid plastic links that let this product down. It’s tricky to install a swivel link for quick change purposes, while the links are overlong and slightly tangle prone. I remove these and fit rubber ‘O’ rings in combination with swivel links.
SCORE: 25/30

KORUM MESH

£1.50-£2.25 each
Classed as ‘Super Heavy Specimen Feeders’, this new plastic mesh design comes in small, medium and large sizes, carrying 1 oz to 5 oz loadings. The square mesh bodies are tough and flattened off underneath, where the side leads are firmly riveted to them. The side leads also have gripper style feet to hold bottom better. They are an unobtrusive pale brown and have neat, tangle-proof links with swivels moulded in. In situations where quick bait-release and extra casting or holding weight are required, this design will be hard to beat.
SCORE: 27/30

DRENNAN GRIPMESH

90p each
Four sizes of these sturdy plastic mesh groundbait feeders are available, carrying 15, 20, 25 and 30 gr side weights. The body is camouflaged in a mixture of green and brown colours and has tiny spikes inside to grip groundbait and soft pellets. These feeders have well-judged loadings in relation to their body sizes, so they cast good distances. They’re finished off with neat twisted powergum links, which provide simple swivel attachment. Gripmesh feeders are very popular, although I’m not a great fan, disliking the way they prick your fingers when pushing groundbait inside!
SCORE: 27/30

BEST BUY

DRENNAN STAINLESS

£1.20-£1.25
Great span of tiny to large wire mesh feeders, carrying 10, 14, 17, 20 and 23 gr side weights as they increase in size. The base weights have four anchoring clasps to hold the black coated stainless mesh bodies together, also locking in twisted powergum links, which are neatly finished with attachment swivels. Although not as robust as some of the plastic versions, these are about as unobtrusive as you can get, offering a versatile range of sizes and loadings. This covers everything from delicate feeding to attacking with much bigger loads that need to be released quickly.
SCORE: 28/30

NOTE: All products tested February 2010. All prices correct at the time of going to Press. Angler’s Mail do not take responsibility for price or product changes or current availability.

BROWNING WINDOW

99p
Brown coloured block-ends available in small (10, 20, 30 gr) medium (20, 35, 50 gr) and large (20, 35, 50 gr). The good choice of weighty base loadings offers great long-range casting potential. Filling takes place by swivelling the outer body to reveal an unusual square shaped side opening. The idea is to cram baits such as maggot inside and seal them in with some groundbait. Closing the opening doesn‘t work because the body perforations rather oddly close up, too! The internal wire link is also a bit strange, having a rather crude, twisted attachment eye, which looks tangle prone.
SCORE: 23/30

FOX SWIVEL FINNED

£1.50
Available in medium or large body sizes, each offering weight choices of 0.5, 1, 1.5, 2 or 3 oz. These base weight feeders cast serious distances, also featuring large bait escape holes and side fins designed to improve inflight stability. The latter are meant to prevent rolling in flowing water, too. The filler cap is anchored with an internal powergum link, flipping over easily for fast loading. The base weight struggles to hold in powerful rivers.
SCORE: 25/30

NISA RIVER

£1.45
These sturdy brown block-ends come in small, medium and large – all with a choice of 28, 44, 60, 90 or 120 gr loadings. They have neat, unobtrusive internal powergum links with a moulded external attachment eye, to which a swivel link can be attached easily. The bodies have big perforations, which help release their contents quickly. The substantial flat base weights are riveted on and grip the bottom well in fast currents, also allowing good casting distances.
SCORE: 27/30

DRENNAN FEEDERBOMB

£1.10
Streamlined feeders available in 12, 16, 22 and 30 gr sizes – in muted green or brown colours. These have swivels protruding from their leading ends, which are fixed to internal powergum links that also anchor on the base weight/filler caps. The latter flip over easily for filling and provide most of the casting weight, while there is a less weighty stabilising side weight. Feederbombs are probably the neatest and least complicated block-ends, which in turn results in trouble-free rigs. They suit stillwaters and slow-to-medium paced rivers.
SCORE: 27/30

DRENNAN OVAL

£1.45
Available in green with 1, 1.5 and 2 oz loadings, also in brown with heavier 1.5, 2 and 2.5 oz side weights. Both sets come in small, medium and large body sizes. Oval shaped, they have tapering base weights and smooth body contours that hug the bottom in flowing water. The bodies are well perforated, to make sure baits such as maggot and caster release fast, the filler caps swivel over easily for fast filling, and the silicone covered semi-rigid links have quick change swivel links installed.
SCORE: 28/30

BEST BUY

KAMASAN BLACKCAPS

£1 – £1.10
Mini, small and large sizes of these clear bodied block-ends, with their distinctive black caps, offer lots of different side weight choices – ranging from 10 to 50 gr. The soft plastic black caps pop open when side pressure is applied to their bodies, being anchored by internal powergum links. Only a small swivel is set outside for attaching to rigs. The flat side weights are integrated neatly into recesses in the bodies, keeping everything nicely streamlined. Blackcaps have been around for a long time; they are pretty basic, but still outperform all other designs when it comes to river fishing!
SCORE: 29/30

NOTE: All products tested January 2010. All prices correct at the time of going to Press. Angler’s Mail do not take responsibility for price or product changes or current availability.

KAMASAN

90p
Available in light (10 gr, 15 gr, 20 gr) and heavy (20 gr, 25 gr and 30 gr) these short bodied open-enders have slightly enlarged diameters, taking good loadings for their sizes. With plenty of side weight options they cover short to medium range casting well enough. The weights are partly integrated into the plastic bodies and flattened to help prevent rolling. There are plenty of perforations to release groundbait and freebies quickly and these feeders are easy to tape up to get baits like chopped worm hard on the deck. The plastic links are old fashioned looking but work quite well.
SCORE: 24/30

FOX SOLID FINNED

£1.50
These tough brown open-enders have no body perforations, being designed to get live baits like squatt, maggot, caster and chopped worm hard on the bottom. Such baits can be plugged in with groundbait or mixed with it and compressed hard. Available in small, medium and large, these feeders take the same interchangeable base weights as Fox’s mesh design, giving comprehensive weight options for various casting ranges and depths of water being fished. I’m not convinced the body fins provide any advantage, the captive swivels on the moulded links are anti-tangle.
SCORE: 26/30

NISA

95p
Mini, small, medium and large body sizes come with up to six different loadings, ranging from 12 gr to a meaty 120 gr. This covers all groundbait applications on both stillwaters and rivers. NISA’s pale brown open-end feeders are very popular with their simple strapped-on side weights, which also anchor ‘O’ ring shock absorbers and a basic swivel link attachment facility. These feeders are extremely robust and allow quick changes, also providing enough weight options for each size to critically balance them, which is important in flowing water when looking for drop-back bites.
SCORE: 28/30

KORUM

£1.50 – £2.25
These new businesslike feeders from Korum have a slightly flattened body shape so they hug the bottom well, being combined with extra heavy side weights. Sizes are small (30 gr), medium (30 gr, 60 gr) and large (90 gr, 150 gr). This adds up to groundbait feeders suited to a positive approach when fishing deeper stillwaters and faster flowing rivers. They have slow-release perforations and neat moulded plastic links with semi-encased swivels, which help to prevent tangles. This is a very well made and designed product that immediately makes you want to give it a serious go.
SCORE: 28/30

BEST BUY

DRENNAN GROUNDBAIT

85p
A classic open-end design, with simple clamped-on side leads and neat twisted powergum links – plus small swivels. The standard range offers four body sizes with 12 gr, 16 gr, 20 gr and 30 gr loadings, while there is a heavyweight range utilising the same perforated plastic bodies with 20 gr, 30 gr, 40 gr and 50 gr side weights (all 5p dearer). This covers just about every demand from stillwater to rivers. The green bodies have a slight camouflaged effect and elongated perforations for fast bait release. The side leads are easy to open up, allowing fast changes of body and leads.
SCORE: 29/30

NOTE: All products tested January 2009. All prices correct at the time of going to Press. Angler’s Mail do not take responsibility for price or product changes or current availability.