frustrating day

[armo7]

just got back from a frustraing and confusing day at a cheshire lake called Harthill fisheries. The day started really well with a 12lbs common, caught on the tip to double white maggot. this was going to be a day for bagging up i thought. WRONG!!! Besides a few small bits caught to meat and corn on my pole, the place turned off completely. What i couldn't understand was, the conditions were perfect for a great days sport. Fish were topping out on the surface, doing back flips, in fact everything but taking bait. I know it wasn't due to bad tacticts or me doing anything wrong, as every other angler on the lake was having the same problem. i have only been fishing for about 4 years, can someone throw some light on my day and explain why this problem occured. Thanks. :confused:

[prez]

Same thing happened to me today! Not even a bite on the quivertip just one or two tiny knocks unbelievable. In the end resorted back to trusty float rod and got a few skimmers but bah what a way to spend a few hours. The worst thing was the 10+ carp floating around my swim the whole time I was there just bloody teasing me.

[mfduk]

Ditto to the above, 14 long hours and nothing but little stipeys to show for it. The water I'm on seems only to produce at night. Perhaps the fish have wised up to daytime pressure?

[wunnus]

Were the fish showing signs of spawning or preparing to spawn?

[Peter M]

wunnus:

Were the fish showing signs of spawning or preparing to spawn?

I think you may have hit the problem on the head, I had a bit a a frustrating day at newlands in essex. only small fish were coming out on light tackle and I could see bigger fish just swiming about, although a couple of low doubles came out on the specimin lake. I thought then that they may be getting ready to spawn, also I feel that on commercial fisharies where there is a lot of angling pressure the fish do start to wise up and become hard to catch. maybe it was the pahse in the moon, who really knows?

[monkeyboy]

The same thing has happened to me the last two times ive been to messingham sands. You catch on the feeder until 11am but after that you rarely get a bite. But i solved my own problem as i thought they were coming up in the water so stuck my scud bagging waggler on, 2ft deep with smoked sausage on and the bites were amazing id rarely put my bail-arm on before the float went under i was catching carp all the rest of the day to 10lbs.

[RUDD]

I was going to suggest what Monkeyboy has said.

Try float fishing mid water or higher.

This has worked for me loads of times.

Another trick is to swap to a straight lead with a very long hooklenght (half of the depth) with breadflake.

You get some great dropback bites.

[RUDD]

Ps, could be due to the airpressure at the moment.

It keeps going up and down like an elavator.