Is it me or am i doing something wrong?

[stevie]

Please someone give me a ray of hope........ I fish at least twice a week with a good friend of mine at many local lakes. We have both been fishing for around 3 years and we both enjoy float and leger fishing. We both use the same baits, similar equipment, etc etc. So why on earth does he catch all the fish and im always blanking? Yesterday was a perfect example. We were on seperate pegs spaced about 10 yards apart. We were both using lunchoen meat (which 2 other guys were using also) on size 12 kamasan hooks and 4lb line off the same spool. We were both float fishing in the same area of reeds, our floats literally 5 or 6 feet apart baited with freebies of meat and corn. (I know this sounds a little strange but bear with me, it was an "experiment") We both plumbed the depth correctly and fished for a few hours. He pulled in three 5lb + fish and stacks of roach. I had two rudd and the smallest roach ive ever seen. Why is this happening? The worst part of all is that i sit quietly and still just watching my float. He shouts to other people, shouts to me, is always moving about getting his fags and food, standing up, throwing stones at ducks to keep them away. To be honest it was soul destroying. Especially when he got up and went for a pee, came back and shouted "wheres me float?" started to reel in and there was a 6lb common on the hook. Its the same story wherever we go. Weve tried this on a few lakes and i just cant catch when we fish together. Even a floating crust is a problem. The easiest (in my opinion anyway) method of fishing is just a waste of time for me. Eveything gets eaten except my crust. Even the other two guys who were at the lake yesterday had a brilliant day, one of them catching two around 4lb, three over 8lb and his best was 13lb 9oz which was on a surface crust. It seemed every time i looked around there were bent rods while mine just sat there wetting luncheon meat. I could have cried!!!!! I dont know if anyone here has fished Creeting lakes? I have evryone telling me its the easiest lake around here to fish producing "a fish a chuck". I BLANKED!!!!!!!! I love my fishing and ive built up a good range of equipment but after yesterday it just might end up on ebay. Please someone help me before i go bonkers with frustration.

[Banana Steve]

Don't Give Up Steveie, it called sod's law, we all have suffered from it. when you feed you swim, feed little and often rather than large amounts try and keep it tight in one area, try scaleing down the hook size to 18 and 16's try useing a hook lengths, fish slightly away from your friend this can make quite a difference. speak to other anglers ask what they are catching on, if you get a bite and miss the bite bring in the bait and change it.

it all comes with experience, try fishing on your own sometimes you get better days as you are more relaxed and there is less pressure to catch.

Enjoy the day fishing, like someone said on this forum, if you caught every time you went out it would be called catching and not fishing.

[devondave]

i cannot argue with that!!

being a mullet fisherman (shy seafish for those that dont know?)

im always very wary that fish can see the hook..... with mullet no matter how well you get them feeding if they can see the hook they wont touch your bait....

i have applied some of my mullet tactics to freshwater fishing and i seem to have better results at my local lakes than most....

try smaller hooks and lighter hooklengths.... also it sounds silly....you was the other side of this bush/reeds/lilly pads...... that could well mean the light coming in through the water was different.....and reflecting from your line....fish can be dumb but rarely suicidal!

i would try as best i could hiding the hook inside the meat use smaller pieces and strike that little bit harder.. the meat will split on striking and still hook the fish.....

thats just my two pence worth.....most of its probably what steve has already said but i hope it helps!

[stevie]

Thats made me feel much better. I was beginning to think i was cursed or something!!! Im fishing again on saturday so i shall update you on my catches (or lack of) and its a small water i know very well. If i blank on this one i will be severely annoyed. Thanks again for your help.

[fishypaul]

there are many very experienced anglers on here stevie,keep asking the questions and you will soon be out fishing your mate

[Jonah & d Whale]

I have seen this problem before with me and a friend where I have caught all the fish. When I started to look at what he was doing wrong, at first it looked he was fishing the same as me. After closer inspection I found that he was putting his bait on slightly different to me so we sorted that out, he also fished the same hook bait for too long. Try changing more often. His setup was also a little different. We had both plumed the depth but I was fishing about two inches on the bottom so I put his float up a little and moved his shot down so his bait would go throw the smaller fish quicker. The final thing was his feeding he was putting a good hand full of maggots out every hour, I explained little and often is sometimes better. There are loads of things that could be wrong most of the time presentation is the key, try experimenting. Tight lines.

[stevie]

All good advice is most welcomed. Many thanks.

[BoldBear]

Some excellent advice above as usual which should change your catch rate.

One thing to try if it still continues to happen (as a last resort), get your mate to tackle up for you, or try using his tackle after he has set it up and baited it with his bait and vice verca; if you then start getting more bites than him then it is something else; eg. it could be something that is tainting your bait, eg. scratching your bum or picking your nose or sucking your fingers when biting your nails or something like that. I doubt it but it could be worth a try.

[stevie]

Scratching my bum? Picking my nose? Have you been watching me fish? Haha...