This winter

[tiddlertamer]

Think about what you are fishing for, consider what the fish might be thinking (food wise) then offer the food to the fish in a place that looks likely.

 

Best tips I can give anyone is read the Mr. Crabtree books, study the river and let the uppermost thought in your mind be (as a fish) minimum expense of effort (food store) maximum intake of food, fish light - very light. Forget about chasing the Specimen and the record until you can guarantee you will catch every time you go fishing. Consider your venues - if you are not catching, Why not?

 

Are you you crashing around the bankside?

 

Are you fishing too heavy?

 

Are you shotting up properly?

 

Have you plumbed the swim?

 

Did you remember to put the bait on the hook?

 

Are you fishing silhouetted against the skyline?

 

Is your ipod or whatever turned up too loud?

 

Are you spending too much time sending texts?

 

When throwing in loose feed are you throwing it in far enough up steam to do you good where you are fishing?

 

When throwing in groundbait are you throwing it in far enough up steam to do you good where you are fishing?

 

Are you casting so that a; your hook length and line does not tangle. - and - b; your float and cast gently land on the water

- and - c; your hookbait has time to sink to the chosen depth for your loose feed and/or groundbait.

 

Is your float right for the venue and the prevailing conditions?

 

Have you got too much float tip showing?

 

Is your set up balanced?

 

Are you really watching your float they don't always go under? Sometimes they just move differently to the flow or slower or faster.

 

EDIT:

Start loose feeding as soon as you arrive at the waterside,

 

Tackle up away from the fishes line of sight.

 

I am willing (health permitting) to go fishing with anyone if they think it will help them and I don't charge.

END EDIT:

 

 

Good advice Watatoad and those that read your words of wisdom will undoubtedly become better anglers.

 

But do you still stand by your claim in an earlier post that you have never blanked?

 

I'm sure you are an expert angler, certainly far better and more experienced than me, but surely everyone blanks on occasion...

 

Time to come clean on the issue methinks.

[watatoad]

Good advice Watatoad and those that read your words of wisdom will undoubtedly become better anglers.

 

But do you still stand by your claim in an earlier post that you have never blanked?

 

I'm sure you are an expert angler, certainly far better and more experienced than me, but surely everyone blanks on occasion...

 

Time to come clean on the issue methinks.

 

Yes with the one exception when I fished a floodgates pool in flood conditions with all four gates open and snow on the ground last winter.

 

But I am not saying its specimen size every time I fish but it is fish and not 2" minnows.

 

To be honest I have a problem believing anglers blanking so often, it must be something silly and probably simple that is being overlooked, I just cant think what it might be.

[tiddlertamer]

Yes with the one exception when I fished a floodgates pool in flood conditions with all four gates open and snow on the ground last winter.

 

But I am not saying its specimen size every time I fish but it is fish and not 2" minnows.

 

To be honest I have a problem believing anglers blanking so often, it must be something silly and probably simple that is being overlooked, I just cant think what it might be.

 

 

How long have you been fishing?

[watatoad]

Problem is Rod, there are days when whatever I've done the fish just ain't feeding. The only possible method that I can think of catching them with a rod and line when it's like that is to foul hook them.

I know there are waters that I could take you to during the cold months and I'd guarantee you'd have your first ever blank . These waters are very hard during the summer months and totally fishless in the colder ones, they just shut down.

 

Maybe I am just lucky in the area I fish being a bit South of you, although I hear of anglers complaining of blanks around here Clive who will be back on as soon as his son fits a new motherboard to his computer is like me and my son for that matter how can you blank. The rivers have fish in waiting to be caught it seems so simple the fish want to eat I make an offering and they take it. Sometimes you don't catch so many but you still catch. I think if I don't get a bite in the first 30 mins I am doing something wrong. Maybe the fish are feeding higher/lower, maybe I need more length between hook and first weight maybe less.

 

What I have noticed when going for a walk around the various rivers near me and watching other anglers is many anglers do not even notice half the bites they are getting and lots of them have more float showing when they are fishing say one or two rod lengths out than I have when fishing a 70/80 yard trott. (that is the nearest I can get to fish under a bridge (John Weddup will know which bridge) Large Roach just lay under the bridge in a massive shoal but seldom come out from the bridge very far.

Edited November 24, 2010 by watatoad

[poledark]

Yes with the one exception when I fished a floodgates pool in flood conditions with all four gates open and snow on the ground last winter.

 

But I am not saying its specimen size every time I fish but it is fish and not 2" minnows.

 

To be honest I have a problem believing anglers blanking so often, it must be something silly and probably simple that is being overlooked, I just cant think what it might be.

 

Toady..today I fished a lake that I know very well ( I spend half my life there). There were 11 other anglers there, we all used 3 rods and different baits and rigs and methods that DO CATCH FISH. 8 of those guys actually stayed for 48 hours. This 12 acre lake contains approx 300 large carp. weighing from low doubles up to the high 30's.

 

We all blanked, not a sniff, not a bleep, nothing moved.

 

No doubt if one of us had decided to try to save a blank by going for a small roach or rudd or perch or even pike, then something would have been caught. But that would defeat the whole reason we were there, which was to catch one of the big carp. Simply to state we must be doing something silly is, quite frankly, insulting.

 

I have not had a carp since the middle of October, and most of the other guys are in the same (or worse) situation.

 

I ask you a question..do you ever fish for specimens? what do you do if you are due home at (say) 6pm and you still haven't caught your target fish by 5pm? Do you decide to catch a tiddler or two "to save a blank"?

 

I ask you this because I can't begin to understand how you have managed to (a) fish for over 50 years without blanking, And ( at what time and date you actually became aware of the fact.

 

I once queried a well known barbel anglers claim to have caught "over 5000 barbel" when I asked him when he started to count them he was unable to supply any sort of answer.

 

 

 

Den

Edited November 24, 2010 by poledark

[watatoad]

How long have you been fishing?

 

Between 57 and 58 seasons.

 

Sorry I missed this out when replying to an earlier post. I did say that I had blanked at the floodgates pool previously.

 

Before asked I try to fish between 3 and 5 times a week...because of my health these days they are just short sessions say 2 to 4 hours.

[watatoad]

Toady..today I fished a lake that I know very well ( I spend half my life there). There were 11 other anglers there, we all used 3 rods and methods that DO CATCH FISH. 8 of those guys actually stayed for 48 hours.

 

We all blanked, not a sniff, not a bleep, nothing moved.

 

No doubt if one of us had decided to try to save a blank by going for a small roach or rudd or perch or even pike, then something would have been caught. But that would defeat the whole reason we were there, which was to catch one of the big carp. Simply to state we must be doing something silly is, quite frankly, insulting.

 

I have not had a carp since the middle of October, and most of the other guys are in the same (or worse) situation.

 

I ask you a question..do you ever fish for specimens? what do you do if you are due home at (say) 6pm and you still haven't caught your target fish by 5pm? Do you decide to catch a tiddler or two "to save a blank"?

 

I ask you this because I can't begin to understand how you have managed to (a) fish for over 50 years without blanking, And ( at what time and date you actually became aware of the fact.

 

I once queried a well known barbel anglers claim to have caught "over 5000 barbel" when I asked him when he started to count them he was unable to supply any sort of answer.

 

 

 

Den

 

Den

 

You have answered your own question, you are a specimen hunter I am a pleasure angler, it says so in my profile and always has. You chase the Mighty Carp I chase the crafty Roach, or perhaps the Dace and Chub and at times Perch, Bream and Tench.

 

Therefore I am at a great advantage to you, as you have said yourself you could have avoided a blank by fishing for a different species, but you choose not to and therefore as has always been the way with Carp anglers and specimen hunters blanks are inevitable.

 

I don't fish for Pike ever, I never chase big or for that matter small Carp except when testing a rod and except for Crucians.

 

Time and date not something I think about I just go and catch fish. I do know the date I did not catch fish though and the time, venue and conditions because it was such a memorable occasion and one I do not intend to repeat.

 

EDIT:

I was not talking about specimen hunting or Carp chasing I speak as a pleasure angler that is what I am and always will be. Therefore I was speaking in my mind at least to all the other pleasure anglers.

END EDIT:

Edited November 25, 2010 by watatoad

[poledark]

So you can remember what you caught on every one of those hundreds of outings , even 57 years ago?

 

Now if you expect me to believe that, then it is you that are being silly.

 

Den

[tiddlertamer]

Between 57 and 58 seasons.

 

Sorry I missed this out when replying to an earlier post. I did say that I had blanked at the floodgates pool previously.

 

Before asked I try to fish between 3 and 5 times a week...because of my health these days they are just short sessions say 2 to 4 hours.

 

 

Sorry Watatoad.

 

You often dispense good angling advice.

 

But to suggest you spent over 50 years of fishing without blanking seems simply delusional.

 

But maybe I'm wrong. It's all about knowledge and skill and if you are good enough, you will never blank despite the conditions...

 

But I doubt it...

Edited November 25, 2010 by tiddlertamer

[Dick Dastardly]

I think that NOW it would be possible for me to never blank! I would simply use my 45+years of accumulated angling knowledge to selectively fish on the right day in the right conditions for the right species.Im confident enough to bet anything on that,but I bet so could any competent angler here.

 

Trouble is of course that during the accumulation of the fore mentioned knowledge Ive had numerous blanks that have shown me when not to go,where to go or what to fish for!