Recent lucky catches

[rob4310]

 

Hi all.

 

I consider myself a "lucky" angler. I have had some great sessions since I started back fishing a three of years ago. Un-expected Barbel, Chub, Grayling and even bass when fishing unknown waters when I haven't got a clue what I'm doing. However, the last 18 months I have been getting down because I have been disappointed with what I've been catching ( or not sometimes). I've only been catching small stuff and not many of those.

So I decided to change my outlook. Let's go out and catch as many fish as possible whether they're big or small. Just get lots of bites. I have done alot better, still small stuff but more action and I'm happier for it.

I recently got out to the local canal which is only about 1km away from home, one evening for a couple of hours. On my bike so I just took my son's 9ft light telescopic (5g - 20g). Light setup catching roach, skimmers etc. Good fun. Just before it was too dark to carry on I hooked a 3lb 3oz tench (New PB). I actually cast to the wrong place and was 3 or 4 yards nearer to the rod tip than I had been feeding. Lucky or what. Then next cast I hooked a bigger fish. Great fun and very lucky on this little spinning rod. A 4lb 11oz tench. Which I think isn't bad for a canal.

Whith a new enthusiasm I was desperate to go and catch more fish. So I had an afternoon at a commercial near work. Again lots of little fish. Some I have never caught before. I'm not big on commercials so I have not really fished for carp. I caught some brown goldfish, a crucian carp and a 4lb 8oz common carp. Again I was lucky because I was fishing for the smaller species on a short pole with 4-6 elastic. Trying to play the carp on a 6M pole with the elastic fully extended for 15 mins was quite a heart stopping experience. But luckily I managed to land it.

So it would appear my luck has changed and I am enjoying my fishing again. I'm not trying to be too clever and keeping it simple.

Anyone had similar lean spells and was there a moment when it all turned around

 

Regards

 

Rob

[mant01]

Congrats

 

Ive had a very lean patch with all the cold weather and blanked the last 5 times I went but thankfully on my 6th within 10 minutes of being set up a caught a Rudd that was probably around a pound then 4 skimmers straight after. For the rest of the day only caught one more skimmer which was a shame but really thankfully to get some in the net. I was starting to get a complex

[Andy Macfarlane]

Unless I deliberately set out speed fish for numbers, I'm always trying to sort out the better fish. Perhaps that's the piker in me. I don't mind sitting for 12 hours waiting on a fish. I know how to catch numbers of fish but that rarely leads to the better individuals IMO.

[essox_lucius]

its horses for courses im afraid a comercial is my idea of hell and you could not pay me to fish one.The piker in me is used to sitting waiting lol but there is 1 lake i fish that has a tiny amount of pike in you can fish 20 times for 1 run latley i have been doing very well there and caught in the last 5 trips but alas its time to move on as the weeds set in and its not viable to fish

[Andy Macfarlane]

That sounds like a pike water near me. I caught 5 fish (all jacks) in 4 years!!

 

...and then one day I fluked a little perch. I put a trace on my lure rd and wobbled this little perch and promptly caught a 14, a 15 and a 16, within 9 casts.

 

I've since missed possibly 2 different fish I reckon must be 30+.

 

Hard water but I know a few folk who've had fish to 27 and I've seen a few corkers but it's expected to blank.

 

I only go back because the trout are huge, the perch population is massive and the pike are very low in number, which leads me to believe there's a very natural hierarchy of pike, which should mean there's some proper clonkers in it.