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Having fished 6 weekends of the new season this year and catching nothing, I thought id write an article about blanking…after all, many of us experience it, and right now on my water, for many it's a common occurrence.
Top rod on my water right now has had over 5 different 30's as part of a 20+ fish haul. Many others like myself are failing to catch anything. So, what's the problem? Fishing large, low stocked gravel pits is never easy at the best of times. You need to have a certain willpower to carry on despite long periods of inactivity.
One of the biggest factors that needs to be taken into consideration on big pits is the wind direction. There is no doubt in my mind that fish follow the wind on large expanses of water. A prevailing South to South/Westerly this season has seen this particular lake produce fish on the end of that wind. Anyone else fishing on the back of it seems to rarely produce the goods.
Why do fish follow the wind? I think it's partly due to natural food stuffs being pushed down with the currents. Of course with a south Westerly it’s a warm wind so as Carp do prefer warmer water; perhaps the issue of water temperature needs to be considered?
What's going wrong then?
This season, like no other I have focused my efforts on 3 or 4 swims and continued to work at fishing them. The swims in question have natural weed growth, shallow and deep areas, and are well within the casting range of my old faithful Century rods. Many of the 'known' swims have been sown up by the regulars who work unsociable hours, so they can get in the hotspots at the right times. They are producing the goods, and right now the warm south westerly is keeping the fish in these 'hot' zones.
Frustration can lead to changing all manner of things from hooks to rigs, and even bait, and its application. One of the things I have learnt is to be consistent with my approach and keep everything simple, and I wont bow down to changing things unless there is a real need.
To succeed on large waters of this kind you need to have patience, coupled with good water craft, and a small element of luck. Location is absolutely crucial, so spending some time wandering the banks and looking for fish, or signs of fish is better than sitting in the wrong swim for 2 days, with the fish a mile away from you.
I've kept the bait going in on these sessions and hope sooner rather than later the tide of luck will turn my way. With another poor summer so far this year in terms of the weather; natural weed growth in many parts of the lake hasn't been as prolific, and I’m certain this hasn’t helped retain fish in the known weedy hotspots. Indeed, just dragging a marker float in any one of these swims is producing a clear spots 10metres wide…not so good when you are searching for features, and possible natural food holding areas for the Carp. In previous years dense channels of weed would be found, with only the smallest of clear patches..
Bait application
Right now instead of spodding high levels of particles; the way I see things is that this would be a total waste of time. Remember with low stocked pits of this nature we aren't looking for multiple runs, and only fishing from Friday night to Sunday midday doesn’t give you that much time to allow for error. With baiting you can always add more, but you cannot take it back. My preferred approach right now is to bait two rods with around 30 boilies, and leave the third with a single hookbait, and use that as a roving rod.
So, 6 sessions and 6 blanks....hmmm...the story can only get better eh....will keep you informed…Part 2 to follow
Geoff
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