how patient are you?

[runningman]

4 blanks in a row on my river, not a sign of a fish so I am going to play golf instead on Friday probably lose a dozen balls instead

 

[nutmeg]

Might be due to the Full moon syndrome, clear sky and a drop in the air temp

 

[Joe C]

I would say your exhibiting early signs of Stress related illness

Very perceptive of you matey. I’ve had an anxiety disorder since I was 20 (I’m 33 now)

So probably is related to that.

 

[Northantslad]

Learning curve that's 'all'. You need to stick it out to find something that works, but you need to catch to keep that sort of motivation to do so going. To get out of that vicious circle takes knowledge, and knowledge only comes from time on the bank ultimately.

I will only ever get frustrated with myself after the event, if on reflection i then realise i could and should have done something different. Which is rare for me, not because i catch/catch well every time, but i do leave all my energy and brain power on the bank after a session. If after a bad day i can sit at home and know i gave it my all, i don't fret about it.

The days where things have gone well or the fish came easier, i put down to learning growing, the bad days i put down to factors beyond my control in other words and accept i have at least had some fresh air.

 

[davej]

Try taking a larger selections of baits, alternate every 10mins or so, on my local lake they switch off after i've
caught a few, then back on when you change baits even with same loose feed.

 

[rudd]

Very perceptive of you matey. I’ve had an anxiety disorder since I was 20 (I’m 33 now)

So probably is related to that.

Shouldn't be getting stressed whilst pleasure fishing.
Blanking can be very annoying but it is what it is.
Anglers on club water struggled over weekend, yesterday those fishing had a good day, today rock hard again.
On a very hard day an induced bite can be very rewarding and a tiny little silver the biggest in the pond.

 

[alsur]

It's not hard to blank on natural waters especially when it gets colder, I've fished matches where over half field have blanked and complete sections have blanked.

 

[Joe C]

Shouldn't be getting stressed whilst pleasure fishing.
Blanking can be very annoying but it is what it is.
Anglers on club water struggled over weekend, yesterday those fishing had a good day, today rock hard again.
On a very hard day an induced bite can be very rewarding and a tiny little silver the biggest in the pond.

@Joe C ......Was your club water the first time you fished it?

Could be a whole range of things....Wrong method, wrong bait, wrong area, etc, etc etc......

Times are strange at the moment....Of course you are worried about your salon....Family always comes first, but naturally you should worry about your business/income....

Fishing is for enjoyment, resetting yourself and loads of different reasons.....Of course you need patience....Swim choice is even more important given the cooler weather. Give yourself time. You'll sort it out....

I fished it when I was younger, fishing for carp, but this is the first time I’ve fished it for roach.
Thanks for the kind words ?

 

[Joe C]

Lately I go to fish not to catch and if I do catch it's a bonus

I need more of this attitude Dave!

 

[Joe C]

I tend to be quite impatient. Not to the point of packing up on a slow day but in changing things to induce a bite.

In my blog about fishing commercials in Winter I talk about fishing three spots with possibly four baits (eg. maggot, corn skin , 2 & 4 mil expander). Five minutes in each spot with each bait will see the first hour pass. If I haven't had a bite by then I just repeat. Eventually, when I do get a bite I will stick with that bait for a while to see if that is the preferred bait on the day. And that can change week to week. If I'm still struggling then I start altering things like depth, presentation (hold the bait still in a tow, induce movement if calm). I may start a new line with more or less feed fed more or less frequently. It can be surprising when cold just how much, or how little you need to feed to get bites.

The last thing I would do is move. I can recall doing that once on my club lake and a couple of times on the canal in recent years. But each time I have had a reason to suspect that I was in the wrong swim in the first place. Otherwise I always assume there are fish in front of me and I have to work out how to catch them.

There are other times when it pays to be patient. On a practice for a club match on a venue I didn't know that well I discovered that the fish seemed to switch on at around 1pm. Come the match I luckily drew the adjacent swim to the one I practiced on and knew I had to pick up odd fish until the main swim came alive around 1 as expected. I came second in that match.

Great words of wisdom as always Neil.
Thank you ?

 

[rudd]

I fished it when I was younger, fishing for carp, but this is the first time I’ve fished it for roach.
Thanks for the kind words ?

On Saturday I caught four Perch , 3 tiny things and one around a pound but enjoyed being out in fresh air watching the wildlife.
Saw Kingfisher, two deer species, a load of various birds and feed a Robin.
The few bites and fish were a bonus - will catch fish in numbers again come spring, until then with short days, rubbish weather, busy work schedule and the virus - just getting on the bank will do.

 

[Markywhizz]

I tend to fish for two or three hours when it’s cold or rainy. But I just enjoy being out whether I blank or not. I fished on Monday and caught three skimmers in three hours but I really enjoyed myself anyway.

In terms of packing up early I think it’s fine. I fish for pleasure and as soon as I stop enjoying it I pack up. You should never listen to what you ought to do. Just do what you want to do. Life’s too short for ought to dos.

 

[squimp]

I’m very impatient.

So I tend to do short sessions when I think I’m going to actually catch something. If it isn’t happening and I’ve tried Plan B and Plan C; then I go home.

If conditions aren’t good, I don’t go. You can probably tell that I’m not a team match angler!

 

[Dave]

I need more of this attitude Dave!

The trick is when you go not only get your lines in the water, or whatever your chosen method is, but get yourself comfy , take a flask, stay warm, and watch your surroundings as well as the float or rod tip.
It's amazing what else you can see around you.

If you find your mind starts to wander back to work, pressures in life, health issues, etc, concentrate on the fishing, think like a fish, try to imagine what's going on under the surface, what your bait is doing and make fine adjustments.

And if all else fails, wind in, go for a short walk but keep your gear in sight

 

[ukzero1]

When fishing alone, sometimes I take the digital camera with me (weather dependent) for when the going gets slow. I know there's camera's on phones, but a digital can pick things out that a phone camera misses.

 

[Foul hooked]

Must admit last two outings last week, one to a local lake and one to the river i seriously thought i was going to blank. On the lake, which is usually good for a a few Rudd and the occasional carp there were seven anglers there that day and not a single bite between us. Everyone else had packed up but i decided to stick it put for another half hour or so. Just as the light tarted to dim my float disappeared, reel handle started churning before i could pick up the rod and a few minutes i had a 5lb + crp in the net. Next cast same result with a fish of around 2 and half pound.
Couple of days later i fancied the river. After a bit of rain it had some colour back but not too high, ideal Roach conditions i thought. Set up and it started chucking it down. Sat under the brolly for four hours without a bite despite rotating between stick float on a near line and pole in the main flow with a variety of baits tried. The only reason i hadn't packed up was because i didn't fancy getting soaked whilst i packed up my gear and walked back to the car so i sat it out under the brolly with coffee a plenty. Eventually my pole float sank away and the only bite of the day produced a bream just over the pound mark. (my first ever bream from that stretch)
Like everyone else, i not immune from blanking and have done on many a time but sometimes it is worth sitting it out to the bitter end. I always believe that i will catch at least something until proved wrong (which i often am)

 

[Robwooly]

I would consider myself to be so impatient, I even rove on the canal and on pools if it don't feel right, even on the sea too which as bit weird. On rivers I can cover miles, the good thing with having a wander is you can always go back to your original spot (if it's not taken) and you also warm the legs up and see a bit of scenery. Sometimes I've covered a mile or two blanking everywhere before finding a swim where that first bite of the day comes, when it does it's magic. I don't try different tactics just different swims, When you end up catching in the swim you started in you just have to laugh though. Despite all this some rivers you can blank and others you can't and I still haven't worked out why.

 

[tincatim]

My patience levels really depend on the time of year and my frame of mind. If it’s freezing cold then I opt to be more mobile and just take roving gear down to the river. I’ll spend no more than 30 minutes in a swim before moving on, sometimes less. Keeping warm and taking in the scenery cheers me up after spending all week working from home, staring at the same four walls.
If I’m on a lake in the winter then I’m much more patient. I can cast a feeder out and sit for up to an hour before I recast. Whereas if I’m fishing the waggler, I’m struggling to wait 5 minutes before recasting. I will always feed two or three lines and rotate between them though.

In the warmer months, I’m more confident of drawing fish to me. So if I’ve settled on what looks like a prime swim, I’ll often spend a few hours there and only move on if it dries up. My issue comes with my optimism. If I’m legering for barbel, I often find myself leaving the bait in for over an hour, convinced that if I take it out I’m going to miss the bite that was just about to happen!

 

[woodbutcher]

My Last 2 sessions I’ve blanked, one on the river, which was only ever gonna be a 4 hour trip and conditions weren’t right.

Today was the 2nd session, club water I’ve been told has some good roach fishing, spend 45 mins setting and plumbing up, had maggots and caster with me.
After 2 hours of no indications, no fish topping and no sign of any fish whatsoever I’m left with 2 choices. Move swims or go home, my mind goes to all the things I have left to do before opening my salon back up Wednesday and I go home.

So frustrated with myself, although admittedly it didn’t feel right and I felt like I wasn’t going to catch I wish I had the patience to sit it out.
I’ve picked up a nasty habit recently of packing up when sport is tough.

Anyone else go through these stages?

Not really once I'm there that's it don't see point in packing up after 2 hours may as well not bother at all but that's just my view ??

 

[woodbutcher]

My Last 2 sessions I’ve blanked, one on the river, which was only ever gonna be a 4 hour trip and conditions weren’t right.

Today was the 2nd session, club water I’ve been told has some good roach fishing, spend 45 mins setting and plumbing up, had maggots and caster with me.
After 2 hours of no indications, no fish topping and no sign of any fish whatsoever I’m left with 2 choices. Move swims or go home, my mind goes to all the things I have left to do before opening my salon back up Wednesday and I go home.

So frustrated with myself, although admittedly it didn’t feel right and I felt like I wasn’t going to catch I wish I had the patience to sit it out.
I’ve picked up a nasty habit recently of packing up when sport is tough.

Anyone else go through these stages?

Not really once I'm there that's it don't see point in packing up after 2 hours may as well not bother but that's just my view ???