Two blanks back to back

[Rusty]

I would much rather catch something special occasionally than something average every trip.

 

Really??? Catching something average every trip doesn't mean that a special fish is out of the question, it means that you're doing the right things to catch the species. If you're only going to happy catching 'monsters' then you're missing out on a lot of angling pleasure.

[JV44]

I blanked today, in perfect conditions too! The crays were a real pain, which does suggest the big chub either weren't feeding or were somewhere else. I'm back out tomorrow and expect to blank then too

 

Blanks are part and parcel for me, they are inevitable. But each one brings me a little closer to the fish of my dreams... I would much rather catch something special occasionally than something average every trip.

 

This winter I am concentrating all my efforts on a fairly short stretch of the Thames. I know what it is capable of producing, and I think if I stay the course and fish well I could eventually track down that once-in-a-lifetime chub...

Anderoo i wondered if you had been out and if you had tracked down rubber lips ,If you know you are fishing the right area then it`s just a case of putting the bait and hours in...Oh and a slice of luck place time etc ,thats the Thames for you .

Really hope you get one just to confirm the potential of the river chap ,spent last night on the NB and popped a rod out after Barbel after we fired off all the fireworks ,caught a PB estimated at around 600 kg and it was a right screamer of a take.....

A couple of Guys from the moorings downstream of us use a Dory dingy to come back to the car park to visit the local Pub and were on there way back after several jars and took my line with them I struck and heard a yelp as my lead and hook popped over the front of the Dory and stuck in one of the guy`s sleeve .

Anyway after a short fight i landed them but don`t think they were to happy though .

Out of interest Bread or Boilies what was your bait of choice today?? Steve.

[garyb72]

A blank for me too today. Tried a new private Carp pond for the first time with a friend and we both lucked out. Tried all sorts of different rigs/setups but not even a bite (neither of us). We did see a couple of decent carp in a weed bed but that was it. Oh and I cast too close to an island and got caught up in branches losing my tackle, you can imagine how thrilled i was. Still it was a nice day and very picturesque and also saw a kingfisher.

 

Gary.

[Anderoo]

Anderoo i wondered if you had been out and if you had tracked down rubber lips ,If you know you are fishing the right area then it`s just a case of putting the bait and hours in...Oh and a slice of luck place time etc ,thats the Thames for you .

Really hope you get one just to confirm the potential of the river chap ,spent last night on the NB and popped a rod out after Barbel after we fired off all the fireworks ,caught a PB estimated at around 600 kg and it was a right screamer of a take.....

A couple of Guys from the moorings downstream of us use a Dory dingy to come back to the car park to visit the local Pub and were on there way back after several jars and took my line with them I struck and heard a yelp as my lead and hook popped over the front of the Dory and stuck in one of the guy`s sleeve .

Anyway after a short fight i landed them but don`t think they were to happy though .

Out of interest Bread or Boilies what was your bait of choice today?? Steve.

 

Sounds like an interesting session! Exactly right Steve, time and effort should reveal a secret or two...hopefully anyway. I ended up on crust today as lobs (which is what I had my last big chub on) proved too attractive to both crays and small perch. Tomorrow it will be bread from the start.

 

Rusty, strange thing on this bit of the Thames, even though there are plenty of small chub you rarely catch them outside summer. If you get one between now and March, it's likely to be big. It's a similar story on another local river - a couple of blanks and then a really big fish. On yet another local river the chub are easier to catch but smaller. It depends on what you feel like doing. I get the feeling it's different on the Kennet, which I guess is what you had in mind when you replied, where you can trot maggots and catch chub from 1-6lb.

 

The thing I am enjoying about this little project is trying to find out what's there. It's not a joyless slog just trying to catch a PB. I'm loving every minute. The pleasure I get from fishing is not reeling fish in, it's everything that leads up to it.

[Peter M]

Blanked today lure fishing but did have a pike on which came off, using a single hook in a shad type lure. i usually blank when lure fishing but it was lovely being out. It looked like autum was showing off, the sunlight flecking the yellow and brown of the leaves, the slight nip in the air, I kept warm as i was walking along the river bank, sipping hot sweet tea when i stopped for a rest. Blanks are not all bad (but hope i dont have one next time).

[Rusty]

I get the feeling it's different on the Kennet, which I guess is what you had in mind when you replied, where you can trot maggots and catch chub from 1-6lb.

 

Perhaps the Kennet is a different to the Thames network. You can target particular species to the exclusion of others and be very successful but it's also quite forgiving for more generic methods. Today was a case in point, I started off at one stretch hoping to tempt a barbel again but caught half a dozen dinner sized brownies. Moving to another stretch resulted in grayling, roach, dace and two chub of 3lb 7oz and 3lb 12oz......all from the same swim and all on trotted maggot. The two locations are within 10 minutes drive of each other.

 

Edit: As regards blanks I had a run of four I think last year all at the same venue. The last one was one of those days when everything went wrong, I got tangled, cut myself, got stuck in mud etc etc and at that point I was pretty fed up. Had it just been a 'normal' blank it would have been ok, I find trotting very enjoyable and it keeps me interested even if I don't catch. I'm no saint though, a season of blanks will have me lobbing all the gear in the river like everbody else but if I was fishing static baits my fuse would be a bit shorter.

Edited November 7, 2010 by Rusty

[Austin]

I realise its frustrating to blank but as a novice i hope you realise you are making me feel a hell of alot better when it happens to me. If alot more experienced anglers are dry netting then its a hell of a reassurance for me

[Peter M]

I realise its frustrating to blank but as a novice i hope you realise you are making me feel a hell of alot better when it happens to me. If alot more experienced anglers are dry netting then its a hell of a reassurance for me

 

Oh everyone blanks especially this time of the year, the warm water free biting days are behind us. winter fishing is often about being there and not just about catching fish.

[Anderoo]

I had a very interesting day today - I fished at the downstream end of my 'winter stretch' and tried 4 new swims. Access is difficult because of dense trees and brambles but where I could get a bait in it looked amazing. It's also deeper down that end, and there are plenty of fish, including roach...something to keep in mind for later in the year.

 

I averted the expected blank within 5 minutes of swinging out a big lump of flake next to a trailing willow branch.

 

And after a heart-in-the-mouth hook and hold tussle, landed this lovely big chub!

 

(5lb 8oz)

 

After saying earlier on this topic that all the chub here are big, I then moved to a lovely deep near-bank glide and caught 3 chub in a row, all between 1 - 1.5lb So there are some smaller ones about after all!

 

I also had a few small roach which somehow managed to eat a huge lump of bread on a size 6. They need to be fished for properly soon.

 

Next thing I need to do is spend a day down that impenetrable section with some tools and clear a few swims. It is chub heaven down there, but at the moment impossible to fish.

 

It felt like the beginning of something today...chatting to Chris as night fell and the holdall started to sparkle with ice, there was a lovely sense that the proper winter fishing is now starting Can't wait.

Edited November 15, 2010 by Anderoo

[watatoad]

How about 6 months....4 days a week?

 

And then I lost the first fish!!!!!!!!!!

 

I seem to remember it was almost normal to blank when carping in the 1950's

 

Den

 

Spot on there Den and in the 1960's the specimen hunters would target a venue and keep targeting it until they caught the giant (in those days) Carp they were after.