On getting lucky ...

HT Sherringham wrote of carp fishing in 1911 : "So far as my experience goes, it is certain that good luck is the most vital part of the equipment of him who would seek to slay big carp. For some men I admit the usefullness of skill and pertinacity, for myself, I take my stand entirely on luck. To the novice I would say 'cultivate your luck' ..."
Now, Sherringham was one of the foremost anglers of his time, and so the the piece deserves to be read in the light-hearted manner it was intended, but it got me thinking about the part "luck" plays in angling.

We've all bristled at the well-meaning bank-walker's question "Had any luck, mate?", and wanted to launch ourselves into an impassioned piece of oratory about the skill required to be sucessful in "the gentle art", but as I pondered on Sherrigham's dictum I realised that three of my own personal bests were caught by accident while fishing for other species of fish, and therefore might be seen as "lucky fish".

A roach of about a pound (with possibly a hint of bream?) "fluked" on carp gear 

 

My biggest roach, not a giant, but at 1 lb 12 oz a "good effort", was caught while fishing for carp, using boilies, bolt rigs and tackle that ensured that the ensuing fight was less than spectacular, while my best ever perch was caught on a plug intended for pike, and my biggest zander fell to a livebait while again targetting old esox.

 

My personal best zander caught while pike fishing

 

So, was Sherringham right? I guess we have to concede to him a degree of truth, luck does play a part, but over the course of time a part that is of lesser significance than skill, technique, experience and above all "watercraft". What also seems indisputable is the fact that the "luckiest" anglers also seem to be the hardest working and most skilful.

 

As for me, the way things have been with my fishing of late, I'll take whatever "luck" I can get, but I suspect the secret to turning my fortunes around will have more to do with effort than random chance. Perhaps "cultivate your luck" is a euphemism for keeping persevering, and so as I take my leave, I'll wish you all "tight lines and good luck" and leave you to interpret the salutation as best you see fit.



 



Partial redemption and the tyranny of time ...

 

Three tiny spinner-caught perch from the canal don't exactly signify the greatest ever comeback since Lazarus, but at least they restore some sort of parity between me and my underwater quarry after last week's blank on the Estate Lake. There's nothing quite like an ignominious blank to pull me back to the water's edge!

However, whatever slight sense of satisfaction I'm feeling has to be offset by the fact that this season (in these days of all year angling I date seasons in Calendar years, not from the once-hallowed 16th of June) has been a "season of two halves". My summer which was spent chasing crucians was great fun, and although I failed to land my target 2 pounder was a success both in terms of enjoyment and numbers of fish caught. The autumn/winter, by contrast, has never really got going, always been slightly half-hearted and has yet to see any fish of note caught.

Time seems to be the great enemy. I'm nicely sorted for summer fishing, with the Estate lake offering cracking crucian sport, and another local lake where (if the inclination takes, although this year's crucian obsession didn't allow) decent fun-sized low double carp are always on the cards , but I really haven't cracked the winter predator fishing round here at all. The combination of a busy work and family life haven't allowed ample time for the extensive exploring that's always a precursor to success when faced with long lengths of canal and no prior knowledge, and so my results (like the fish I've caught) have been stunted.

Eternal salvation might be undeserved and all of God's grace, but success in fishing comes by hard work and human effort, and at the moment I haven't got the time! Never mind, only 6 months till the weather picks up and I can resume my carp and crucian capers!

Blanking in the rain

No one does denial with quite as much ingenuity and self deception as an angler who (like I just have) has suffered a blank. It's never our fault. It's either the wrong weather (all anglers), a bad draw (match anglers), the wrong moonphase (pike angling's loony fringe) or a whole range of other inventive excuses.
Then there are the little sayings that we employ to try to convince ourselves that we don't mind blanking; "there's more to fishing than catching fish", and so on, which- of course is true- but the fact is we do mind, and we much prefer catching.

Although today's was only my second blank of this year, the frustrating thing is that I've learnt nothing from it, and, for me, it's the acquisition of new knowledge that makes blanks bearable.
I don't know what I did wrong or what I'd do differently.
I knew that the crucians for which the estate lake is well known would be in a semi-torpid state, so wasn't expecting to tangle with any of them, but I was confident of picking up the odd perch or roach.
I guess although I've learnt nothing new, it's reinforced what I already knew: with some exceptions, fish are much easier to catch in the long, hot days of summer than in the cold of winter.

Confident that the perch would feed, I started off with a worm on a size 14, pole fishing at the edge of a reed bed on 4lb line with a 2lb bottom. After introducing some chopped worms, I introduced red maggots regularly, but sparingly. After a fishless hour I fined down to 2.5lb line and a 2lb bottom to a size 20 and single maggot, but still to no avail. After 3 hours of unremitting rain, and not even a single tremor on the float I accepted the inevitable and packed up.

Next time out I suspect it'll be off to the canal with my spinning rod- at least that way even if the fish remain unimpressed,  I'll still get a good walk!