fish that never get caught

[Glen Howell]

I am sure you have all seen, or more likely heard about fish that never seem to get caught. These tend to be large or distinctive fish, let's face it who cares about a 6oz Roach that never makes it onto the bank. The question is, why don't they get caught. Is it that they never eat anglers baits or have they mastered every rig ever used, or is there another reason. Answers or theories please..

 

[Tarquin]

Some fish just dont need to eat bait. Enough natural for them to survive or in some cases theres so much natural that anglers bait simply cant compete with it.

 

[Baz]

I used to fish a small club water.
There was rumor of a giant one eyed chub in the water,it was all part of the make up of the club. Or more to the point the angles who fished it.

 

[Frothey]

maybe they just feed differently to the other fish....so the rigs that catch others wont catch them....

 

[Glen Howell]

Baz,
I realise that most of the stories we hear are exactly that, but occasionally they are true. There is a fully scaled mirror in one lake that I fish that never seems to get caught....last time I watched it cruise by it looked close to 30lbs. Another of my club waters holds plenty of mid twenties...then a 36lber makes an appearance on the bank. It was caught on margin fished luncheon meat, so that probably fits into the category of fish that feed slightly differently.

I guess I should try something different to nail that fully scaled mirror...

 

[Big Rik]

certain fish in Wraysbury were said to have been seen feeding differently, they would swim 2 or 3 feet off the bottom behind other feeding fish, picking off the food items they had disturbed.

Other fish I don't know.
On Horton Church there were some new commons in there of about 4 or 5lb, that had been stocked as virgin fish.
These fish never saw the bank, they were seen feeding etc, but were never caught.

A lot of the big uncaught fish rumours are just that, rumours.

 

[Baz]

I agree Glen.
On one lake I know of, there was a carp, the biggest for many years at 25lb. This particular carp went down to 22lb. The next day one chap caught one at 24lb. It was argued that it couldn't have weighed that much because of the 25 lb carp. So a couple of us knew that there was another big fish in the water. Incidentaly this other big carp was caught on crust. It was a further two years before it was seen again and people began to realise the truth.

 

[Stuart Dennis]

I believe Tarquin is onto something here when he mentions naturals. How many lakes and rivers would still see fish strive in both health and weight without the need to throw in boiles?

If there was no asscoitaion with danger when it comes to natuarl feed, what would you prefer?

(as a rule of course!)

 

[Rob Lewis]

I have read a number of times about Benson, 'Britains biggest Common carp'. With regard to the observations on this thread, how much certainty can be placed on this assertion?

I would like to think there is still some mystery surrounding really big fish, but They all seem to be known and named.

 

[Mike Heylin]

Glen

We certainly have fish in our club waters which seldom, if ever, are caught on rod and line.

The biggest common went 29.12 the only time it has been banked to a floating bait of flake.

When netting fish for census purposes we found many which had apparently never seen a hook. Yet so many fish come out week after week. It must be natural feed that separates them from those which do not visit the bank much or at all.

During a fish kill many years ago of 186 fish as many as one third had never been seen before washing up on the banks.

 

[Tarquin]

Fish from purpose built fishing lakes are so pointless and not even challenging. Though i can appreciate that anglers go there due to lack of time etc.Im under alot of pressure and busy at the moment but I still fish hard waters....even if it means a blank