Angling weaknesses, what are yours?

[kirisute]

I think my main 'weakness' is that I love float fishing. I often fish the float even when I know that another method will catch better.

90% of the time I start out on the float, whatever the fishery, or conditions, just because I enjoy it.

 

John.

with you on this one; fishing with wagglers is my love...loathe ledgering and "carp" techniques....

so even if its a blowing a gale ill figure a way to fish with float! LOL!

guess my other one is being unwilling to grasp new fangled techniques or believe half of them are really required at all! LOL

but if that a weakness i think im happy with it

[gozzer]

Is this really a weakness? if so I'm guilty too, I so much prefer to watch a float than to sit behind a pair of rods on buzzers!

 

but surely enjoyment is why we go, so if fishing the float even if it leads to a few less fish on the bank means you've enjoyed your day out more then to my mind that's a strength not a weakness!

 

 

Mat

 

It was definitely a weakness back in my match fishing days Mat. I would often spend too long on the float, then change to quivertip, start catching, but too late to make much of a difference. On other days it was the 1lb or so that I caught 'scratching' on the float that helped to a place for me and/or the team.

 

I do take it to extremes though. A swim will be crying out for a different method, but I let my heart rule my head, and go on the float.

 

But, as you say, angling is there to be enjoyed, and I do love the challenge of trying to make the method work in unfavourable conditions.

 

John.

Edited October 8, 2012 by gozzer

[Sportsman]

Short attention span / get bored easily.

I tend to fish the method that I am in the mood for on a particular day, rather than the method that is likely to be more effective.

I don't believe that the end justifies the means.

I can't take a lot of it seriously.

[Dales]

I suffer from a lack of focus and inability to stick to the plan. I lay out ideas in my head of what I want to do, species to target, method, venue etc and then get side tracked with something else. An example is every year I say to myself it's about time you done some serious Chub fishing come the Autumn and Winter and I always get caught up in something else and never get around to it. All ready I can not see a slot as now it's the Autumn and all I want to do is fish for Pike and Zander.

 

It's the same with club tickets, I buy them and then end up fishing other venues From the 3 tickets I purchased this year I have fished waters on 2 tickets twice and on the third none at all. But when I purchased them I had a good plan that they would cover all my fishing requirements this year. Needless to say none of the tickets will supply me with the Zander or Pike fishing that is now on my mind as I was expecting to go Chub fishing

 

The upside of not sticking with any plan's is that I do catch the odd good bonus fish as I am happy to swap mid session from a target species and fish for something else. If I am Carp fishing and start to catch some nice Bream then I am the sort of angler who will scale down my tackle and make the most of the opportunity. However, the lack of ability to stay focused means I no doubt miss out on catching some specimen fish as I do not stay the distance and see a plan through to the end.

 

I remember last Winter fishing for lives for Pike, I started to catch some good sized Ruff and so abandoned the Pike fishing and spent the day float fishing for Ruff, Gudgeon, Roach and Perch. Great fun but did I miss out on a big girl? as I got so tied up in catching tiddlers that I did not even bother to chuck a dead bait out.

 

On the technical side I have far to many faults to mention

[Anderoo]

The one thing that undoubtedly costs me fish is the fact I try to be as selective as possible when fishing. If I'm tench fishing, I do everything I can to avoid all other species; ditto chub, perch, and everything else. If I used lobs when chubbing I'm sure I'd pick up some good perch at some point, but once my chub head is on I don't want to catch anything else, so it's huge lumps of flake.

 

A big part of my fishing is trying hard not to catch fish, if they're the 'wrong' ones!

[Andy Macfarlane]

The one thing that undoubtedly costs me fish is the fact I try to be as selective as possible when fishing. If I'm tench fishing, I do everything I can to avoid all other species; ditto chub, perch, and everything else. If I used lobs when chubbing I'm sure I'd pick up some good perch at some point, but once my chub head is on I don't want to catch anything else, so it's huge lumps of flake.

 

A big part of my fishing is trying hard not to catch fish, if they're the 'wrong' ones!

 

I do that too but that surely isn't a weakness? You must have decided at some point that you had served your apprenticeship and catching anything that just happens along never really put you in the position to test your tackle, rigs, baits and so on.

If you fished a water with perch and tench, using maggots for bait, you can be fairly sure you'll be catching perch and the tench will be little more than a jammy bonus. Not really a test of knowledge.

 

You've been catching tench on sticks after all...

[Denis Skorikov]

My biggest gap is to combine groundbait according to fishing conditions.

 

But I think I will be able to improve my skills. The main thing which I have to do is to experiment and fish more and more and more.

[Tigger]

Err...I ain't got any...i'm perfect at everything I do

[Anderoo]

I do that too but that surely isn't a weakness?

 

I don't see it as one to be honest, no. I know it costs me fish, but I get more pleasure from being selective than catching more

[Phone]

All,

 

Execpt for Sportsman's comments I'd say many or most comments can often be considered strengths. Maybe they would answer the same to the question "what are your strengths?".

 

FWIW I am with Sportsman. Wasn't always but now I fish strictly for pleasure. An excuse if you will. One of the last three times I went I got occupied with nature and failed to wet a line. Among other things I ended up panning for gold after a local wash out. I even found a miniscule flake or two.

 

Phone