PB Barbel

[watatoad]

I know waters where you'll have blanks no matter how much you try to catch even at this time of year when most fish are obliging and then on the very same water you can have a bumper session when everything goes to plan. It's sods law that if you go fishing often enough you'll blank and that goes for the most determined and knowlageable anglers anywhere...simples. It's like fishing this Winter just gone...no matter what method you tried on many still or running waters you simply where not going to catch.

To fish regularly over a period of 57yrs and never have a day when you catch nowt just doesn't seem possible. Just curious...do you do a lot of fishing ? I'm not pickin at'cha m8 but come on...never blanked in 57yrs. All I can say is you should be in the guiness book of records !

 

That's o.k. I didn't take it as a knock. I have long accepted that some angler's will find it hard to believe, but yes it is true 1 blank in 57 years and yes I do go fishing a lot bit less now than it used to be. At one time I fished every day of the week when in England sometimes in the morning sometimes in the evening. Before I became disabled I was lucky in that I design building interiors and exterior landscapes so I could always slip away for a few hours. Then because my work has taken me all over the world I have been fortunate enough to have fished in just about every country in the world and yes I am self employed. These days my health limits me to maybe 3 to 5 short sessions a week I would have real difficulty in fishing a long session (I recently fished a long session with my friend Clive a Carp angler there were about a dozen other fishing the Puddle - we were the only two catching and we caught all day constantly - it almost got boring) - (the problem was it took me a week to recover from the session) but 3 or 4 hours is fine last winter I only managed 2 to 3 hours for a session.

 

To try to explain my attitude to fishing is hard but I go for a general float fishing session I go expecting to catch at least one fish every 10 minutes (and I don't mean fish under 12" excetp when dace bashing) and I do begin to get concerned if I am not catching every 3 to 5 mins mins when knocking out dace or medium sized Roach. If I am not catching about that rate I am doing something wrong, over the years I have had many anglers watch me fish and then ask how do you keep catching (on a venue where they openly admit to regularly blanking) Last September I fished a floodgates pool out of desperation (I could not walk any further) and 2 tackle shop owners had told me not to expect to catch much, so somewhat downcast I accepted my fate and fished it in the short one and a half hour session that I could manage I had over 30 Roach the smallest was 2lb 3oz., and yes it was witnessed and photos were taken even the couple of fellow angler I was with could not believe it, nor would the tackle shop owners even when they saw the photo's...but I didn't care as I fish for me nobody else. I have since fished the same pool many times and one evening had a nice 4lb 6oz Perch from a pool that does not have any fish in it, my friend weighed it as usual I could not be bothered.

 

Example last week Tuesday evening to be exact I fished the Suffolk Stour at Sudbury Suffolk Freemans meadow the bottom of Ballingdon hill. I fished from 8:15 to 10:15pm a dozen Roach around a pound (no scales with me) and 10 Bream to about 4lb roughly the weight of two bags of sugar. I was not alone in fact I seldom fish alone these days.

 

I don't consider myself a great fisherman just an angler if I am not catching I am doing something wrong for that particular venue at that time under whatever conditions are prevailing so I change how I am fishing and I will keep changing until I get it right...I do not copiously groundbait as I would sooner fish without using groundbait as I consider it unnatural and its more weight to cart to the waterside.

 

I am also willing to go fishing with anyone so they can see how I fish, maybe they can spot what I do differently to others, I do know other anglers who have watched me fish say I use shotting patterns they have never seen and I fish very very light...perhaps that is it...maybe I am just lucky maybe I have fair watercraft skills I don't know what I do know is I go out to catch fish and that's what I do...I refuse to accept failure or the idea that the fish are smarter than me.

 

I do fish very light maybe that is what works for me, I cant tell anyone what helps me catch fish regularly when they are not...maybe its because I say the, magic charm to my maggots go do your job and get me a fish... :bigemo_harabe_net-163:

 

I would never consider myself a better angler than anyone else, maybe a just a little more impatient and the constant pain can make me very irritable and explosive at times...hehehe

 

But I will gladly go fishing with you or anyone just to show you how easy it is to regularly catch fish anywhere, I am just limited on travel and my ability (although I don't always use a wheelchair) to get to the waterside. anyone can PM me at any time no problem.

 

EDIT:

If there is something I am doing that will help anyone I am more than willing to share it...but not if it is luck as I need all the luck I can get just to keep on fishing...hehehe

 

I was taught to fish by gamekeepers and poachers and luckily by some very good anglers perhaps that helps sorry I just don't know.

END EDIT:

 

2nd EDIT:

I posted the info of Clive and me fishing on here I think I put some photo's on a few weeks ago.

END 2nd EDIT:

Edited July 16, 2010 by watatoad

[Tigger]

I was taught to fish by gamekeepers and poachers

 

 

 

I've been both of those

 

All I can say is ...your a better angler than me because I'm afraid I do blank from time to time.

Maybe you'll have to take me out one day and show me your secret

[watatoad]

I've been both of those

 

All I can say is ...your a better angler than me because I'm afraid I do blank from time to time.

Maybe you'll have to take me out one day and show me your secret

 

I doubt that, perhaps it is the lightness of my fishing tackle, perhaps my baits which I am very careful about, I don't know but you know where I am (which part of the country) so you can always p.m. me for more details. If you are going to be in the area. I do move around the country at odd times and always take my fishing tackle with me.

 

Maybe I am more desperate...there is one thing I have noticed recently most people buy maggots in (whey I think) flour I only ever buy maggots (when I buy them as opposed to bred my own) in sawdust.

 

I also know my local rivers and lakes fairly well, although I also know some other rivers and lakes around the country very well.

Edited July 16, 2010 by watatoad

[Christy]

Regarding my dad, I did actually report him to social services - I honestly didn't want to. However I'm pretty sure he's a sociopath (he possess a superficial charm and is a very convincing compulsive liar, which in combination with his behaviour and history is heavily indicative of sociopathy.) When the man from social services came down I explained to him everything that my father had done, my father simply sat there calmly and told him that everything I had described was a lie, whilst simultaneously fabricating things which I had supposedly done to him, sitting there seeing the man from social services believe him was the most painful experience in my life.

 

The man left and filed a report a week later stating that he could take no further action as there was no proof of the things that I had claimed my father had done to me - when he hits me he is usually very careful to not leave any marks - almost drowning me in my bath, etc. On a few occasions he has left me with bruises (including a black eye) which has seen me severely bullied at school however on these occasions I lied to my teachers when they showed concern, usually claiming that I had fallen over or been messing around with friends - I did this because I mistakenly believed that my father loved me , I was naive, and I didn't want to split my family up as he was paying for my brother's education; which my mother definitely wouldn't have been able to afford on her own.

 

A few months after this event he attacked me quite brutally during a row, which resulted in me being temporarily concussed. I called the police, they came and took statements from me, my mother and father. My mother and I both told the truth: that my father and I had engaged in a row and he had physically attacked me. He lied and claimed that I had in fact initiated the physical violence and he had only defended himself - despite the fact he's considerably taller and superior in strength, he also denied concussing me.

 

Despite the fact that I had never been in trouble with the law in my life and my father had previously been arrested for punching my mother in face - resulting in a bloody nose (my mother didn't press charges) - the police put me in cuffs and took us both down to the station. This is where my absolute despise for the police and their infinite stupidity began. I was forced to spend the night in a tiny prison cell, with no food, a small toilet with no sink, water or soap and a camera perpetually watching me - when I was guilty of nothing!

 

I didn't want to tell you this, but I consider a lot of the people on this forum close friends and I thought that you better know...

Edited July 16, 2010 by Christy

[tiddlertamer]

Regarding my dad, I did actually report him to social services - I honestly didn't want to. However I'm pretty sure he's a sociopath (he possess a superficial charm and is a very convincing compulsive liar, which in combination with his behaviour and history is heavily indicative of sociopathy.) When the man from social services came down I explained to him everything that my father had done, my father simply sat there calmly and told him that everything I had described was a lie, whilst simultaneously fabricating things which I had supposedly done to him, sitting there seeing the man from social services believe him was the most painful experience in my life.

 

The man left and filed a report a week later stating that he could take no further action as there was no proof of the things that I had claimed my father had done to me - when he hits me he is usually very careful to not leave any marks - almost drowning me in my bath, etc. On a few occasions he has left me with bruises (including a black eye) which has seen me severely bullied at school however on these occasions I lied to my teachers when they showed concern, usually claiming that I had fallen over or been messing around with friends - I did this because I mistakenly believed that my father loved me , I was naive, and I didn't want to split my family up as he was paying for my brother's education; which my mother definitely wouldn't have been able to afford on her own.

 

A few months after this event he attacked me quite brutally during a row, which resulted in me being temporarily concussed. I called the police, they came and took statements from me, my mother and father. My mother and I both told the truth: that my father and I had engaged in a row and he had physically attacked me. He lied and claimed that I had in fact initiated the physical violence and he had only defended himself - despite the fact he's considerably taller and superior in strength, he also denied concussing me.

 

Despite the fact that I had never been in trouble with the law in my life and my father had previously been arrested for punching my mother in face - resulting in a bloody nose (my mother didn't press charges) - the police put me in cuffs and took us both down to the station. This is where my absolute despise for the police and their infinite stupidity began. I was forced to spend the night in a tiny prison cell, with no food, a small toilet with no sink, water or soap and a camera perpetually watching me - when I was guilty of nothing!

 

I didn't want to tell you this, but I consider a lot of the people on this forum close friends and I thought that you better know...

 

 

Worth checking out the Samaritans methinks. Better to talk it out there with people who can talk through the issues rather than the denizens of this board, who though no doubt fine and dandy fisherpeople, are pehaps no experts on counselling.

 

Tip top catch though mate - better than anything I had this season...

[watatoad]

That's so true. I have a friend who works for the Samaritans and we were chatting one day and I offered to have a go assisting, he declined on the grounds that he felt the suicide rate would soar as I was more likely to give advice on committing suicide efficiently and properly rather than helping those who simply needed someone to talk to and give them encouragement and guidance when they needed help.

 

Seriously your situation is far from funny and it is one that I believe you can get help and guidance on to resolve your difficulties and problems. It's all very well us anglers giving glib remarks and comments but you need someone who is an experienced professional to help you, the Samaritans are certainly a good starting place and there are several agencies who specialise in assisting young people with this very problem you must contact them.

[Christy]

That's so true. I have a friend who works for the Samaritans and we were chatting one day and I offered to have a go assisting, he declined on the grounds that he felt the suicide rate would soar as I was more likely to give advice on committing suicide efficiently and properly rather than helping those who simply needed someone to talk to and give them encouragement and guidance when they needed help.

 

Seriously your situation is far from funny and it is one that I believe you can get help and guidance on to resolve your difficulties and problems. It's all very well us anglers giving glib remarks and comments but you need someone who is an experienced professional to help you, the Samaritans are certainly a good starting place and there are several agencies who specialise in assisting young people with this very problem you must contact them.

The problem is, that the fault is not present in me! I'm nothing but amicable and amenable towards my father, yet he's nothing but rude, violent and condescending. The problem with sociopaths - and I've read a lot on the subject - is that there simply is no cure - or even palliative treatment for that matter, they are genetically predisposed to ruin the lives of others and I am forced to live under the same roof as him, here in London even the most humble of flats are £200 a week, and I only earn £5.75 an hour as a lifeguard...

 

What kind of things do the Samaritans do to help people? Besides persuading them to not jump of cliffs!

[poledark]

That's so true. I have a friend who works for the Samaritans and we were chatting one day and I offered to have a go assisting, he declined on the grounds that he felt the suicide rate would soar as I was more likely to give advice on committing suicide efficiently and properly rather than helping those who simply needed someone to talk to and give them encouragement and guidance when they needed help.

 

 

No further comment needed

 

Den

[Neil G]

Good result with the barbel, I haven't had one so far this season!