''Blanking''

Now there's a dirty word for many anglers. Some blame conditions, or the fish were off that day. In fact there are many excuses put forward to justify such occasions.

I have a friend, an angler of some experience, who to put it mildly goes into ''a right strop'' should he blank. Blaming almost anything in order to justify his failure.

What's your reaction to such occasions?

I am only concerned if others are catching and i am not, question bait, rigs, position, tactics, is that bottom baits Zigs, wrong hooklink material, hook size, tactics, there is always a reason sometimes its a day when no one will catch, other times i blame my judgement, tactically wrong, think hard and get it right next time.

If I find myself blanking then I spend a lot of time trying to work out just why I am not getting bites and review everything I am doing and the manner in which I am doing it.

If all fails then I usually spend some time at home thinking it all over again and trying to learn something form the blank . . . . . . .there is usually some little pearl of wisdom that at the time may have evaded me, but becomes very clear when sat by the fireside at home with a glass of something "old and gold"

I think we probably learn more, as anglers, buy our blanks than from the red-letter days . . . . . . but I rarely get angry over a blank session

I think blanking occasionally is all part and parcel of what we do and gives us something that offers a perspective on which to judge the better days.

In some respects I really don't mind blanking if I'm doing something new or trying for something specific on a new water, I think it takes a certain amount of discipline when you know there are easier options which would likely offer a guaranteed catch doing the same old thing on the same old waters.

So, perversely I guess that not being afraid to blank could possibly make us better anglers by initially catching fewer fish maybe?

Couldnt agree more Peter, the blanks are the learning curve, a blank is a bad day at the office, if you fish the big pits, you question your prebaiting and geography on a small water, the tactics, i have gone to match carp waggler rods and small pellets as opposed to the big heavy gear, sometimes it changes the whole ball game, and the heavy guys fail while you catch, somedays it aint on and thats it, instinct tells the experienced angler when this is the case, as in the case of the Northamptons great Cyrill Inwood, he would take one look at a trout res and go home if he didnt like it, everyone else would waste their money.

I find the rivers I fish are just dead sometimes. I think sudden changes in water temperature are one of the main reasons but there are probably other reasons as well; bright sun, high pressure and clear water often means a blank. I feel some disappointment when packing up but I do not dwell on it for long. I focus on the compensations, I might have seen some rare birds, enjoyed the countryside and the weather and may have solved a few problems in my mind as well (great thinking time is fishing, more so on a blank). I don't think I learn much from these blanks as I often have tried many things to get a fish, tried different swims, changed bait, methods etc. I think its down to just a bad day and there is a reason the fish have not come on and not because I did something wrong. So I am guilty of an excuse for my failures. Its not all wasted as the blanks are just as relevant in my logs as when I catch fish, it all helps build up an overall picture of the conditions and how different species react to them.
There is a thread on logs and if you do keep one blanks adds to your knowledge and are not just a useless day to forget about. Another good reason to keep one.

I've taken up lure fishing and had 11 blanks so far Mostly only short sessions but a 6 hour session yesterday.

Derek

As a Specimen Hunter, blanking is part of the type of fishing I do, if you cannot cope with the blanks, you are doing the wrong type of fishing.

Fishing Big water with low fish stocks, you have to do the time.

If I was on a big lake and other were catching I would ask myself what I was doing wrong.

Confidence in the method, the bait and your water craft is essential, the rest is down to time.

All the successful Specimen Hunter (include Carp Anglers) I know have suffered runs of Blanks and then their fortunes turn around and they have success.

What is it they say; " The more I Practice the Luckier I get "

Bob

I don't mind blanking as long as I feel I've learnt something (even if it was by watching someone else catching.) It's those days when nothing makes sense that are irksome. If you've experimented and ruled something out it's still a plus. Besides, there's always something going on, nature-wise, to take an interest in; the babble of the brook and the wind sighing in the trees are reward enough.

Fishless days in fair weather are far more acceptable than those where rain's running down one's neck and you're hanging onto the shelter for grim death, mind you.

Blanks are part and parcel of fishing. In fact some of my best days fishing have been blanks. What is the saying " there is more to fishing than catching fish"
I go out hoping to catch, not expecting to.
I am expecting to blank today, I am trying out a new water.

robtherake said:

Fishless days in fair weather are far more acceptable than those where rain's running down one's neck and you're hanging onto the shelter for grim death, mind you.

Click to expand...

I'd go the other way Rob as I'd rather be fishless on a horrid day then I can blame the weather.

I too consider a 'blank' as a learning experience - and I certainly had a heck of a lot of 'learning experience' at Billing in the '60's................

Yes, blanking goes with the territory, do they make me angry? No. Disappointed? Sometimes.

In the past I have had strings of blanks, up to maybe six or seven sessions. That is when I question, not just my methods, but my sanity also!

The old saying of 'Being there is often enough' rings true with me most of the time.

Since I joined this new fishery I found in April, Havnt had one blank fishing day and me and my mate go two or three times a week.
We usually fish a different method, and what ever works swap to that.
So that narrows the odds a bit.odd blank on the river but I don't mind to much always something to see.
As far as salmon fishing goes I've blanked for the last three years.
If they bring in this 100% catch and release they are talking about next year for the salmon.
I think I will just buy a trout and coarse licence, There's seems to be a lot of salmon anglers thinking of packing it in.
Must admit I've done very little salmon fishing lately, just lost interest,
Enjoying my coarse fishing, and reservoir trouting much more.
Lot cheaper as well.?

No good getting upset...It happens. Just a learning experience.

I had plenty of blanks in the winter club matches years ago "down south" when we had size limits. There was an 8 inch limit before you could put a roach in the keepnet. That was reduced to 7 inches on the Thames later, but that didn't help much when you were getting bites from 5 inch jobs.

AS for bream,chub......12 inches..... on a hard day.....

I agree with all that has been said. As an ex-match angler, where you can only work with what you draw, dry netting is something you have to live with. I cannot be alone in this but many is the time, after a very short period, I get the feeling " It ain't going to happen today" dispite my best efforts. On such occassions all is not lost. You have time and opportunity to take in your surrounding and appreciate the wonders of nature. Alternatively you can contemplate you navel or consider the meaning of life and you place in the Cosmos. It goes without saying that whilst you are engaged in such enlightening reveries, you will miss the only bite you get all day. B*gg*r. Pete.

If you fish for specimen fish of any sorts you've got to live with blanks. If there are less of a certain species/size in a water then you aren't always going to be on them, or find them feeding. There's no point getting angry, although disappointment sometimes creeps in when you've put a lot of effort in.

The reasons/excuses that all anglers come up with should be thought out conclusions of why they think they haven't caught. That's great if it isn't just a stock answer you convince yourself with. If your reasoning is sound, you should then try and test it to see if it's accurate, or even close? Without testing something it can't be proven/disproven or understood and the basis for your whole watercraft could well be flawed.

When I blank, I look on it as something I obviously need to understand, so try and take steps to do so. Turn a negative into a positive and the lack of fish becomes more incidental and doesn't matter quite so much, as you develop your watercraft, and species understanding, skills as a result.

Like as happened yesterday, the blanks that confuse and annoy me are rare ones where water and weather conditions are decent, you know the water like the back of your hand and you still blank in faultless fashion, not even a follow, a knock or a bait taken! The whole venue has fished badly all winter so far and I'm happy I did everything I could, so just got to take that one on the chin I suppose and try and understand what is happening on the whole river.

I did blame my birthday fishing curse several times on the way home though! mg:

I think there are many micro events we have no chance of understanding. Chemical changes in water quality/pollution/decaying matter probably being the single biggest thing. So small we don't even know they're happening, nevermind what they are, how they interact and how to ever deal with them.

There are so many variables no-one will ever fully understand fishing. That's how it should be otherwise there's no challenge, no development and no meaningful reward.

I fully accept that blanks are going to happen at some point. I may be disappointed by them, but I don't have a paddy over them. I'm likely to be more disappointed if others on the same water do catch when I don't. The frequency of blanks largely depends on the type of fishing and type of waters you are fishing. If you are a one track single species angler, blanks are going to happen at various parts of the year. If you are a matchman, you are going to fish unfamiliar venues and sometimes draw badly. I'm neither of those things, so don't have some of their quite valid excuses.

Where I seem to differ from quite a few is that I generally consider a blank to be a failure on my part. The failure might be down to choosing the wrong venue, location, bait or technique, but it may be as fundamental as actually going fishing on a day that I'd have been better served not bothering. However, having the luxury of picking and choosing my days is one that I appreciate isn't applicable to everyone. When your days are severely limited by work or family commitments, you tend to have to go when you can, regardless of other considerations. I rarely go fishing when I don't really want to. I don't tend to fish for a particular species, or fish a certain venue, unless I know that my chances are reasonable. I don't like flogging dead horses. My choices of venue, technique, bait and target species are always made with the prevailing conditions in mind. My aim is invariably to minimize my chances of blanking.

I had several blanks one after another early this year around June.
I know I could catch using bomb or feeder but had a mission to get some success using a slow sinking bomb.
From my last blank of the short run I was on it was like a switch had been flicked and I had seventeen carp to 12lb. that felt good until the next session I blanked again.
After those first efforts I think I have a better idea of how it should work and the minor adjustments that I think makes it work better.
I expected to fail to catch but stuck at it hoping to get to grips with it.
At the risk of failing it will be my main method next year from spring and through the summer.

You could be falling into a trap Rayner, many before you have.