losing motivation, cork leg

People: me fein

Duration: 3 hours and 3 hours

Tide:hw down

Weather: windy managed to dodge the showers

Bait: crab, lug, mack, sandeel

Rigs: 3 hook flappers, pulley

Results: blank again

Report: i have been losing the motivation for the fishing recently in a big way - results are disproportionate to effort

my innocent logic that all fishing down south is far superior than out west has been well and truly dashed
i had clocked up enough blanks in wexford so didnt have much motivation of dropping a line for a weekend in cork visiting an old friend of mine

faniced the city longford match and pints

but my mate there said to bring the rods along - so my arm was twisted and i loaded the gear into the car

had a good night friday and then saturday was subconsciously stalling as the weather was brutal, wind and rain

the good ol accuweather predicted a reduction in wind and rain in the late afternoon and eventually i gave in and headed off to this well known estuary beach area

on reaching the SE facing beach the bank of weed deposited had me thinking it was a none starter - then seeing banks of weed in the water i knew i had to move

i was then on a more S facing part of the beach and the weed was thinning with very little deposited on the beach

long story short no fish in front even with no weed - looked perfect for flats

then a bit further out between tables 2 and 3 i was lobbing crab in the hope of a rogue bass, there was a lovery surf - but the rafts of weed were in between and kept sinking the line

the weed eventually won and i decided to move

the tide was well on the way to being out so i made my way to a nice sheltered pier in darkness

no weed gave it 3 hours and fed a few crabs - that was it

i always wonder in these situations would the international match angler not have even left the house rather than trying to beat the conditions that i just cant seem to read or connect with the fish

You are not alone!!! We'll get them soon... just keep on trying!!!

hard luck brian . getting blank after blank can seriously effect you will to fish man. but it will only take 1 good session to get you back into it. just don't give up yet man

well if you knew how many times i blanked at the beginning of this year id would frighten you.my thinking was it cannot get worse.the effort you put in etc will be paid off if you keep with it!its demoralising defo and disheartening!i just adopted the mentality right im off for a cast probably wont catch anything to prepare myself for the worst and it makes it all the more worthwhile when the fish start showing themselves again.and once they do it will feel better than ever!

conditons obviously are infuriating at times and do dictate results but as you know they can change in the blink of an eye!at the end of the day i guess its just fishing simple as.you never know whats under the water.and im sure the fishing gods will pay you a few favours for all your poor sessions of late!blanking only makes you appreciate the fish all the more hopefully you,ll be baning up reports in no tome!

tightlines
fergal

Im with you all the way, the last 3 years is dreadful, after spending so much money on all the top of the range fishing gear over the years and then you go organising the fishing in advance , petrol ,bait then every time your looking forward to a good session only small fish to appear now i still enjoy going out but it does dis heartin you , big time, thats why i ve taken up the owl golf this year, at least when you play your always guaranteed to have a game

Have to say, its all part of fishing. We've all gone through years of barron patches but it does stand to you. You have to put in the bad times just as much as the good. You cant just head out when it suits you and expect to do well (although there are times that you will).

Take note of conditions, bait, tide, pressure, time etc when you have a bad session and try to build up a pattern of what does or doesnt work for your chosen mark.

You cant turn up at an estuary, after heavy rain, just because you happen to have the day off and expect to catch all round you.

You cant head out to a mark that usually only produces fish to crab, fish it with mackerel (because its the only bait you can get your hands on) and expect good fishing.

All that said, there are times when you head out with whatever bait happens to be stuck to the bottom of the freezer on a whim and you'll have a great session. Thats the beauty of it I suppose, but you cant expect it to just happen for you. Do your homework and the results will improve.

Dont give up mate we all Blank even the best of us.... but its a case of try try try try try again, North Dublin is notorious for blanks several reasons apply; is on some beaches when the tide goes out .............its GONE you could nearly walk to Wales on some of the beaches... others suspect over fishing etc... but there are fish out there...and thats what drives us all to go out in some of the harshest conditions.... think about it, its blowing a SE, great surf, no weed, its cold, its raining... BUT ONE NIGHT YOU GET THAT PULL ON YOUR ROD......FISH ON!!! ..... everything else is out of mind.........

http://youtube.com/watch?v=Kl1rRxG251s

Dont give up Brian , we've all been there, at least you post your blanks, not like some of us

thanks all - group therapy is great

think its important to stick in the blanks - let others know its not all champagne angling or druids cider or even the bloody white spirit all the time!!!

Hard luck Brian. I've no words of wisdom to offer really but I'm sure you'll put the time in (maybe take a few days off to get the mojo back!) and figure out this south coast fishing craic! Fair play on posting the blank.

take an injury related break for 3 years and ye soon be chompin at the bit again corby, even for the smell of the sea

it sounds like its back to basics for a lot of you!?!
i reckon yous need to travel a bit to places that hold fish! there seems to obviously be a seriously few fish where yous are trying? it is possible you know!
try different environments, tactics, baits, depths, distances, tides, times, etc etc. find out what sort of fish would be in the certain type of environment you are fishing, target them. go find some fishy places!!
i think the best advice is to speak to experienced and trustworthy locals to get some direct guidance or help. go fishing with someone who is being successful.
giving up is not an option lads!

Play the percentages, if the weather is poor and the sea conditions equally then stay at home. Go fresh water fishing during Feb, Mar, April (especially if living in the east and south east), and only hit places like the beara and sheepshead when the long range gives fair weather with light winds, blanks will diminish greatly or disappear. Keep the head up.

It has been a tough year. We have gone out in perfect conditions, big tides etc etc and blanked. Im putting 2011 into "One of those years" boxes. We have been lucky we have some top marks which didnt let us down but even then the numbers have been well down. There is an answer out there somewhere.

Fishing is a bit like golf in that ye can play crap for 17 holes and then on the 18th ye put the ball on the green and all is forgotten..!

I know what you are saying Brian, it was not an easy year but my humble personal advice is:
get up early - when the day is still not fully awake, to a simple impromptu session, purely on your own or whenever you feel like it.
Forget all the pressure which daily routines might throw at you and tries to drag you down.
Instead, enjoy the beautiful surroundings, breath in the pure and cleansing air, we are so blessed with. Soak up the tranquillity with all your senses.
Most important: no pressure!
Let nothing distract you from being yourself and being one with our nature.
Get into the musical rhythms of wind, waves, water. Try to be one with nature and catching a fish can only be seen as an added bonus, a very special reward on top of a great day out!
We as sea anglers have the privilege to receive many many gifts and we only have to open our senses to them.
Enjoy your life as an angler in good health as long as you possibly can and be grateful, positive and respectful.
Do not disregard these gifts lightheartedly, a bit of bitterness and frustration once in a while makes the next successful days so much sweeter!
In that sense, I wish you countless memorable, enjoyable and successful days at the seaside in pursuit of your sport, lots of luck and tight lines!

Youve been on the forum a long time, i dont know ya but ya know your stuff.
me and two friends fish together and every year one of us has an amazing year while one does shocking.
one things for sure though, dry patches always end with a bang eventually

yea think you have to realise the real reason you are out there - to chill out and get away from it all

i headed out last night with another site member - we fancied easy! beach fishing - all the the south beaches were full of weed - we checked out a few and then just decided we wanted a cast - at the least weedy one

we got about 5 mins out of a cast before the rig was swapped with weed - lost a couple of rigs - but at least we were fishing in the sea breeze watching the waves thrashing about and clearing the head for over an hour

saw an otter on the way back home too

better than the telly any night

yea think you have to realise the real reason you are out there - to chill out and get away from it all

i headed out last night with another site member - we fancied easy! beach fishing - all the the south beaches were full of weed - we checked out a few and then just decided we wanted a cast - at the least weedy one

we got about 5 mins out of a cast before the rig was swapped with weed - lost a couple of rigs - but at least we were fishing in the sea breeze watching the waves thrashing about and clearing the head for over an hour

saw an otter on the way back home too

better than the telly any night

Another blank so

21 sessions since mid july i think and 5 non blanks

21 sessions since mid july i think and 5 non blanks

your record is way better than mine, looks like we have to plan a session