Not Catching

[TimPeters90]

Hi and good afternoon to everyone, first of all I want to say a big thank you for letting me become a member to this great looking forum.

I fish a few times a week during the summer months mainly, although I did go back on Tuesday, my main methods I try are ledgering with boilies and PVA bags full of boilies, maggots, sweetcorn, anything basically. And whilst I'm waiting for the bite alarms to go I have a go with just a standard float with maggots or sweetcorn. So I don't fish a huge amount of time as it's usually just once per week so I guess I am inexperienced.

My problem is guys is that I hardly ever catch anything, most of the times I am lucky to get a tiny roach out of a whole day lol, and it is seriously baffling me why I'm not catching more and this is what I would please like to ask, what could I be doing wrong? I have tried to research and so far I have come across "watercraft" does this mean that fish can be miles down the other end of the lake and not in my part? I have also recently learned about plumbing the depth, apparently fish are mostly on the bottom, I have tried my hardest to get as accurately on the bottom with my float method but when I sit there hours without a single bite I start going shallower and shallower and just waiting for bites but still no luck.

I have tried throwing maggots in little and often, other times throwing lots in, and other times just having the ones on my
Hook, just nothing seems to work. The bite alarms never go off, the fisheries I fish have excellent reviews and are supposedly well stocked, but I just sit here baffled beyond belief why I just can't seem to catch. I have had some reasonable sessions but 90% of the time I just can't catch anything.

The next thing I will try and have found upon research is groundbaiting, guys anything you reply with, your ideas why I just can't catch etc I will appreciate so much!

Thank You for reading

 

[sheffields12]

Have you tried using a Method Feeder using pellets rather than boilies?

From my experience (albeit, little experience), they do the job.

I have never bothered with boilies.

 

[mikench]

Clearly the lake you try must have fish to begin with or there is little point! I suggest you check out if fish are there and their type. You might find a visit to a commercial might be beneficial for your confidence. I had little luck at first and still don't on many an occasion! Once you get a net full even small roach you will gain confidence! I recommend the method feeder as well! Float fishing isn't as easy as it looks! Good luck

 

[thecrow]

You don't say what tackle and bait you are using on the float, an explanation might get some more replies.

 

[john step]

You don't describe the water you have tried. It may be a difficult water with low stocks. You may not be aware that temperature affects whether fish will feed or not. ITS BEEN BLOOMING COLD LATELY HASN'T IT? The water is still cold. I bet you will notice the difference in a week or three.

As Mike says research a commercial fishery will high stocks to get confidence. Don't worry about that accuracy of plumbing at the moment. If you want to fish on the bottom a few inches over depth is mostly good enough.

Recently in the cold I have had blanks on waters I know contain good stocks. Thats the way it often is in cold water conditions. You just have to be philosophical about it.
Good luck.

 

[markcw]

As you say you fish on the bottom float fishing, try spreading your shot out in the lower half of your line to give a slow fall of bait, with it being cold recently,dont assume the warmer water is at the bottom, there is what is known as a thermocline, the warmer water could be at mid depth, Also it may pay to fish the shallower part of the water you are on, the reason being as the temp rises in the day, this will be the part that warms up the quickest,What tackle are you using ? breaking strain of line, hook size etc, these could also be factors in why you don't catch,
Watercraft is not making a lot of noise, skylining, looking for signs of fish.

 

[markcw]

As you say you fish on the bottom float fishing, try spreading your shot out in the lower half of your line to give a slow fall of bait, with it being cold recently,dont assume the warmer water is at the bottom, there is what is known as a thermocline, the warmer water could be at mid depth, Also it may pay to fish the shallower part of the water you are on, the reason being as the temp rises in the day, this will be the part that warms up the quickest,What tackle are you using ? breaking strain of line, hook size etc, these could also be factors in why you don't catch,
Watercraft is not making a lot of noise, skylining, looking for signs of fish.

 

[rayner]

Apart from going over what has already been said.
I would always advocate fishing lighter than most anglers especially those newer to the sport do, especially in cold weather.
If I were you I'd drop to a thinner line diameter, drop to a smaller hook size and feed less. OK at the moment it's warm. Generally fish prefer settled weather. If you feel fish will accept more feed try a bit more.
Get some information from those who fish at the venue you choose. The best information would be from the bailiff who takes your cash.
That's the way to find good areas to fish, also which methods to use.
When we get more settled weather rather than up and down temperatures we are having at the moment fishing will get easier.

 

[TimPeters90]

Guys I am so sorry I have had no internet for weeks but finally I am back up and running.

Ok so I am using 11ib line, a standard float that I keep in place with a band, then 4xBB shot to get it to float, swivel and a size 16/14 hook to nylon. I have tried just one maggot on the hook, sometimes 2, 3, etc, placing the maggots on the hook differently etc, trying all different depths from really deep to really shallow, tried throwing in handfulls of maggots at times like every 15 minutes but just nothing works for me lol.

I use a baitrunner, 15ib line, size 8/6 hook with one boilie (hair rig) ledgering and attatch a PVA bag full of crushed boilies, maggots, and whole boilies and just keep putting a new bag on every hour.

The place I go is called "Monk Lakes" it is in Maidstone, Kent and apparently it is supposed to be the best in the UK so I just feel like a complete noob if I can't catch a thing, just the odd Roach tiddlers and I am talking like 3 maximum in 8 hours.

I hope this could shed some light on why I never have any luck, I watch all these
YouTube videos of people hammering lakes and catching non stop and I wish I could just catch some more lol, I know it's fishing and not called catching but I swear I am doing something wrong.

Next time I go I'll try a method feeder so then I'm 100% on the bed of the lake? And pellets instead of just maggots?

Thank You so much for all your advice already here ok trust me I appreciate it a lot, I just hope what I have said and the place I fish that you guys know what I am doing wrong.

 

[swizzle]

That line for float fishing is way too heavy. I'd recommend Re loading with 4lb line, maximum. When you use a float do you plumb the depth to make sure that you are on the bottom? If using single maggot as bait, I'd also reduce the hook size to an 18/20 and feed a dozen maggots every few minutes. You mention the shot you have to cock the float. Is this all concentrated around the Base of the float or do you have them going down the line?

 

[TimPeters90]

That line for float fishing is way too heavy. I'd recommend Re loading with 4lb line, maximum. When you use a float do you plumb the depth to make sure that you are on the bottom? If using single maggot as bait, I'd also reduce the hook size to an 18/20 and feed a dozen maggots every few minutes. You mention the shot you have to cock the float. Is this all concentrated around the Base of the float or do you have them going down the line?

Hi mate I have only recently started plumbing the depth but I seem to always have trouble doing it because it seems that if I move my float just a centimetre forward
Or further out the lake the depth is different, I try my hardest finding an area where when plumbing the float stays visible but just a centimetre in or out and the depth is different so I definitely can't say I have my hook on the bottom because of how uneven and bizarre this lake bed is, I'll get the correct depth where the float cocks, reel it in a centimetre and the float disappears, I also pulled a huge tree branch out today, the lake also seems silty, I keep trying but I can't get accurate.

I have 1 BB shot 4 inches up from my hook and the other 3 I attatch above my swivel.

 

[markcw]

Don't take this the wrong way, but your posts sound like a wind up, My 12 year old grandson knows that you don't use line that thick and with a 4bb float, and shotted the way you said.

 

[swizzle]

That does sound very odd. Not to ask a silly question, but what is the shotting capacity of the float? When I plumb the depth I lock the float with two number four shot. One either side of the float. Then I put my plummet on to find the depth. If the lake bed is so silty, could the plummet be sinking in to the silt pulling the float under? Unlikely, I know. But I can't think of anything else. Personally, I'd change your shotting pattern to fixing the float with a BB either side, the rest of the shot I'd spread out between the float and the hook length. If it is a 4BB waggler, I'd replace the two extra bb's with four number 4's. Two just over half way between the float and hook and the next two a foot below that. I'd then use a number 8 shot a minimum of 10 inches away from the hook. This is a very basic shotting pattern however.

 

[markcw]

Do away with the plummet, use a swan shot and a sliver of foam to grip the hook, that way you can still plumb the depth even if the lake bed is silty, if you used a plummet it would feel as if it was stuck on the bottom as you reeled in.Also I would do away with a couple of the No4 shot and replace with No6 and No8. The depth isn't mentioned so would a 4bb float be to big if the average depth of the pool may be around 4'-5' ? He mentioned Monks lake and 3 small roach in 8 hours. Monks Lake is a prolific water, he would possibly had a couple of carp, even on the set ups he said he was using. That is why I mentioned a wind up.

 

[nottskev]

Sounds very frustrating. I think, don't be offended, your basic approach and set-up need a re-think, but there's too much to go through on here. Decide what you'd like to learn eg how to floatfish on the bottom a short way out. Visit the water without your tackle; take something to sit on. Find people doing that style, and watch what they do. If you approach people without annoying them or getting in the way and explain, most anglers will be happy to show you how they're set up and explain how to make it work. A couple of hours doing this should move things on for you, and a lot of things will fall into place.

 

[thecrow]

A visit to a local tackle shop to ask advice on what they would recommend for this water would give a clearer picture of how you should be fishing on this water, if the shop is local to the water there will be some valuable advice to be gained, my advice is to start again from scratch when you know what is required.

There is something amiss when you are plumbing up no waters have so much depth variation within 1 centimetre unless you are fishing on the edge of an underwater cliff.

 

[markcw]

as above, what rod and reel are you using for float rod ? 11lb line on a float rod is way over the top, you run the risk
of either the rod snapping if you pull for a break if snagged, and also your rod rings coming away from the blank. most float rods are rated between 5lb-8lb mainline, there are some rated slightly higher, most feeder rods rated the same.

 

[TimPeters90]

That does sound very odd. Not to ask a silly question, but what is the shotting capacity of the float? When I plumb the depth I lock the float with two number four shot. One either side of the float. Then I put my plummet on to find the depth. If the lake bed is so silty, could the plummet be sinking in to the silt pulling the float under? Unlikely, I know. But I can't think of anything else. Personally, I'd change your shotting pattern to fixing the float with a BB either side, the rest of the shot I'd spread out between the float and the hook length. If it is a 4BB waggler, I'd replace the two extra bb's with four number 4's. Two just over half way between the float and hook and the next two a foot below that. I'd then use a number 8 shot a minimum of 10 inches away from the hook. This is a very basic shotting pattern however.

Your question is not silly, the capacity is 3AA, when I plumb I have been using no shot at all, once I plumb (well tried to) I then put my shot on.

 

[TimPeters90]

Do away with the plummet, use a swan shot and a sliver of foam to grip the hook, that way you can still plumb the depth even if the lake bed is silty, if you used a plummet it would feel as if it was stuck on the bottom as you reeled in.Also I would do away with a couple of the No4 shot and replace with No6 and No8. The depth isn't mentioned so would a 4bb float be to big if the average depth of the pool may be around 4'-5' ? He mentioned Monks lake and 3 small roach in 8 hours. Monks Lake is a prolific water, he would possibly had a couple of carp, even on the set ups he said he was using. That is why I mentioned a wind up.

Look I can promise I am not here to wind people up, all I want is to be able to get at least a bite every hour, just when I don't even get bites it baffles my mind but now thanks to you guys here I am doing things wrong. Can I just ask how the line could possibly make a difference? Obviously as you said it does but how exactly?

 

[TimPeters90]

A visit to a local tackle shop to ask advice on what they would recommend for this water would give a clearer picture of how you should be fishing on this water, if the shop is local to the water there will be some valuable advice to be gained, my advice is to start again from scratch when you know what is required.

There is something amiss when you are plumbing up no waters have so much depth variation within 1 centimetre unless you are fishing on the edge of an underwater cliff.

Exactly this is what I just found so odd when plumbing, I am not even exaggerating when I say just a centimetre and the float would pop up, then reel in a centimetre and the float disappeared, as you said the bed just can't be that different and I tried so many times to find a spot where the float would stay up but I just could not, it's only a very tiny plummet aswell which I wouldn't think could even sink into silt, but obviously I'm doing it all wrong.