Saturday 7 December 2013

Dunno what happened?

Short version, I've lost my mojo, luck and the lot.

I've not been out much at all over the last few months. Then when I have everything has seemed to conspire against me. Weather conditions, shift patterns, loads of factors and when I've managed to get out on the bank I've been having the odd nightmare session. One saw me have two almighty birds nests, a lost lure, a super sharp jig head embedded just under my finger nail, which wouldn't stop bleeding for well over half an hour and then to cap that session off my multiplier packed in. All that in about 50 minutes on the bank, which of course ended in a blank as I didn't get much time fishing in all that. I packed up sharply and called it a day on that occasion as I knew I was beaten.

So in a time that I really should have been busy bagging the perch or switching serious to pike, which are in super condition this time of year and put up a great scrap, I somehow managed to have a stinker. I keep trying to stay positive and get my arse back in to gear but something always kicks me in the teeth. Take today for example. I'm sat on my backside typing a blog with nothing to write when the plan all week was to get out and have a full day on the lures and baits. However, early Friday the rains up in the hills made their way down to the river I was to fish and so that venue was off. Another venue hasn't been producing and then when you add to that confidence being low I couldn't think of anywhere to give a try and in the end didn't bother. I just kept thinking I'll put in loads of effort again for no reward.

Confidence breeds confidence of course and if you're catching you get out and keep at it and any poor efforts are easily forgotten. I'm on the opposite end though where every poor effort is magnified ten times as I'm not getting out enough to swing it all back in my favour. I still keep thinking about fishing but in the end simply don't bother to squeeze in a session when I really shouldn't or when the weather is against me like I normally would. I'm not getting up early to fish for a few hours before getting back to family duties later in the day, I just have an extra couple hours in bed. Neither am I really bothering with the forums, apart from checking the "For Sale" sections in case there's a bargain to be had. But when I do have a quick look everyone seems to be catching monsters and instead of making me want to fish I just feel sorry for myself. The other week our lass and the kids were under the weather, all having a bad cold. I couldn't even catch that!

I know deep down that I've still had a stonking year of fishing, one that I would be very happy of in any other year from now on. It's just that you're only as good as your last result and that's why I feel this way. In fact a quick check on stats tells me I'm still way ahead on pike caught last year with an extra twenty thrown in and as for perch, though no pb this time around I've had a super year. It's just how you look at things I guess and no matter what I say to myself I'm still in the negative, low confidence mood which seems to be taking some beating. The only way to shake it is to get out and catch. Easier said than done.

So there it is. No other reason for lack of blog entries this last few months apart from having nothing to write about.



14 comments:

  1. Just gotta take the rough with the smooth mate, if you didn't have bad luck you' d have no luck at all ;)

    It always turns around in the end.

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  2. Ive had a run of crap too Paul and i was really getting myself into a mood of not even wanting to get out at all and even let opportunites pass by. When i have got out its bern rubbish and options where to go just seem tp get more limited and you know its going to be a struggle. All i can say is to keep trying and eventually something will go right which ignites the whole process again. If i look back through my photos of previous years its always this time of year that i struggle with most of all and usually just slow down and let christmas pass before getting into it abit more seriously again. jan/feb alwYs seems much more productive for pike than nov/dec too, maybe they settle into winter slowly too like us.
    It always makes the gpod days feel better when youve been through the bad ones so there is always light at the end of yhe tunnel, just depends on how long the tunnel is lol Good luck mate

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  3. cheers for the words boys. Just to add, I went out half an hour after posting this blog up, go make it happen and all that. I squeezed in two hours of fishing. No sign of a fish for most of it then one hit which I missed before finally me reel packed in again. I guess it's just the bad luck for me still then.

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  4. Your not the only one suffering a bad run Paul,
    I know how you feel when your mojo goes
    Its going the same way for me down here in the South ! I've had one half decent day out of 10 sessions all the others I blanked. Hope to change that tomorrow.!!

    I find that as I fish on my own most of the time, blank sessions feel even worse than when you are in a group when everyone blanks, as you know that not all of you can be crap anglers ,but when your own you sometimes you question your own abilities !!! I do anyway,
    I sometimes have days when I fish like a cross of Mr Bean and Mr Magoo !

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    1. Ha ha, I know what you mean Mark. Getting out of the car I dropped my bag of lures all over, rods were all tangled with each other and I think I was already beaten then.

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  5. Sorry to read this but you're not the only one this has happened to. I've had that feeling of looking forward to fishing all week, sorting out gear on Friday night and then waking up on Saturday thinking "erm........... I don't want to go fishing"............. Or when you do go you don't enjoy it or have a crap session. It's weird but sometimes I find myself reading fishing blogs, watching fishing programmes, reading books and magazines etc being inspired and wanting to catch fish but not wanting to actually go fishing....

    I fish by myself too. I've had some awful sessions. Just utterly hopeless. I don't 'need' to catch and I've had a few enjoyable days not catching but I've had some real shockers too. You get back to the car and think "what was all that about?", "why do I bother?" etc. Fortunately (or unfortunately) I have a brain that is a bit delusional so I soon forget the bad bits and say to myself "it can't have been that bad". But it was........(!)

    Trouble is once you've fished a few waters for while you can become jaded once you know every swim etc and you lose that sense of mystery and anticipation that are the best bits about fishing. You can convince yourself you won't catch instead of just fishing (I've done this).

    Do you fish for other species? I like fishing for everything so that does help. It doesn't make me a great angler because I tend to muddle my way through loads of species and tactics and never concentrate on one method or species but it can help.

    It's like an AA meeting here, isn't it? Anglers Anonymous..................

    Watching A Passion for Angling with a beer or glass of wine always resets my angling brain..........

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  6. Sorry for the long post. Anyway, forgot to add that "fishing through it" and "making things happen" doesn't really work for me personally. I just end up fishing badly and getting more depressed/stressed/frustrated. Not what you want from a fishing trip. Obviously you have to take the rough with the smooth but I find it better to just take a complete break.

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    1. You've obviously been through it mate as I can relate to all that. I'm pretty much of a one trick pony so that doesn't help me. All though in the past I have fished for all species, the last few years has been solely predators and also 90% of the time on lures. I predicted the same spots getting boring, and so this year went off in search of new venues and all was going perfect at one point, I was catching fish in new places and enjoying the fun. Still can't quite work out what happened this last few months, though I reckon I like your way of dealing with it and think I need to go a bit delusional and just forget it all. It only takes one fish though to change how you start to think about things.

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  7. It also takes one bad session to put you back in the dumps again. Last two times out ive caught after a month or more of struggling. then today i had a few hours and came home pished off again cos i didnt get anything from it and know im not getting out much atm so feels like a wasted oppertunity. basically i didnt get my fix to keep me going! lol its just winter, its bloody hard work add to that weather, pressure and poaching and you wonder why you bother sometimes. Good luck on the boat Paul you shpuld get a few and put yourself in a better frame of mind. ;)

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    1. Problem with me though isn't just this winter, I haven't done much from about September onwards so now it's hard it feels worse. Normally I just get on with it through the winter and don't expect much until say Feb. Yeah hopefully a day on the boat this week will see a few fish landed, plus a good catch up as not seen Neil for ages.

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  8. Stick at it Paul. To be honest I think the fishing has been hard lately, I for one have not been doing well at all. The mojo will come back at some point buddy, chill out for a bit and I'm sure you will be raring to go again before you know it! Chin up buddy!

    Glen.

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    1. Cheers Glen. Out tomorrow and Wednesday! lol. Stayed in today and was bored as hell, can't manage another day.

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  9. Fingers crossed we'll land a few tomorow mate, even if the weather gods havent been the kindest. Whatever we will have a laugh im sure and all being well have something for you to blog about mate ;)

    Neil

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    1. to anyone still reading me and Neil are on the boat Wednesday. I told him on the phone a few days ago to expect it all to go tits up if I'm going, and as predicted it's rained up in the hills and the river came up last night meaning we're now fishing a river that might be chocolate coloured when it should have been clear. That's the run i'm in at the minute. Today I went to a canal to find it the colour of mud, the canal trust were clearing the locks out and there was debris everywhere. My back up pike reel is crap, something wrong with that now too. I don't know what else can go wrong for me. However I stuck at it and ended up with just short of thirty perch up to about half a pound. Waheey, have I broke this curse?

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