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!
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