Blown methods

[TF_JohnH]

Did anyone else find last year that certain methods are not producing anymore?
Not long ago it was wag and mag, then pellet wag and method feeder but increasingly I am finding it harder to catch on these for long. For me now it seems to be all about ringing the changes to keep fish coming especially in tight pegged matches. The fish seem to wise up so quickly now.
Any thoughts?

[TF_JohnH]

Paste fishing is another method that I seem to foul hook more and more on now. The feeding has to be spot on but everyday it seems to change.

[TF_Johnfish1]

Don’t you think John it’s how the fish respond to pressure of all sorts, a lake I fish for roach has changed completely not due to angling pressure but from cormorants. A few years bag you could catch all day long now they only switch on towards dusk when the birds are off they haven’t been hammered by the cormorants but it has altered their behaviour.
With carp me & a mate a few years ago witnessed a large fish in a bay taking floaters we’d fired out the fish approached each bait circled it with dorsal fin out the water then came from below and took the bait. It finally came across the one with the hook circled the bait felt the line backed off and sunk away.
We never saw that fish again during the trip.
Now Im not a believer in their supreme intelligence but that occurrence suggests they can definitely learn from their experience maybe it’s all the uncertainty that keeps us all going back for more !!!!

[TF_Johnfish1]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PlZ1mFwNX8o&sns=em

Forgot to add for all the cynics animals can’t learn new behaviour take a look at the clip interesting?

[TF_JohnH]

Fishing on the surface has been extremely unproductive for me!
I recall many years ago when chum mixers were allowed at Whiteacres I fed long with them on the wag but meantime fished long pole shallow with pellet. I never had a fish on pellet, not even a liner which was unusual but unintentionally flicked mixers on my pole line only to see them instantly gobbled up by large carp right under my pole tip!
How they had avoided my line and hook bait is still a mystery to me today.
John Wilson fishing up top with bread used to use sinking flake with crust attached, the carp would knock the crust off and instantly take the sinking flake with the hook in but would not feed up top, they obviously assumed the sinking bread was safe.
Lee Kerry recently did a feature on pellet wag and he makes the same observations, no doubt after being caught a few times fish modify behaviour.
This is why I believe certain anglers have a run of good results then fade away, obviously the tricks they worked out don’t last forever.

[TF_JohnH]

One other thought, who is still catching on the floating pole?
At places like Hayfield it used to take it apart but no one uses it now.

[TF_ziggy169]

Well one things for certain, if the fish don’t wise up. The fishery owners do, and ban successful methods. Can’t be doing with upsetting the venue experts can we lol.

[TF_JohnH]

I fully respect the fishery owners options to ban this or that but in the long run it drives customers away and deters new comers in my view. The bans are normally driven by the regulars, its new blood our sport, including fishery owners, desperately need.
Nothing worse when you drive into a fishery, having read rules on their web site only to find updated rules often presented in poor English.
Its often our premier fisheries too including Fisho venues. If I recall one angler was disqualified for wading when this rule was not on the owners web site at the time but a notice was up somewhere.

[TF_ziggy169]

Understand what you’re saying John, and I’m sure if I was ever lucky enough to own my own fishery, I would have various bans in place as well. Just annoyed at the way some fisheries react to winning methods. Still, forces us to adapt and try out new ideas I suppose!

[Anonymous]

I,ve never been happy about methods and baits being banned especially because they work. Much better to have limits and safe alternatives. One argument by some owners is that anglers ignore bait limits and safe alternatives if bans are not in place. So, they argue that the only option open to them is to put bans in place to protect fish stocks. The answer is for fishery staff/owners to be seen on the bank doing bait limit and method checks and making sure that the rules are followed. If checks are not done. Its simple for anglers to ignore any rules anyway! Its good customer service and a massive part of what anglers should expect from a quality fishery in my opinion. Its a bit of a p@@s take by fishery owners to have bans on their venues but are never seen on the bank checking that anglers are staying within these rules. If they are checking that anglers are staying within the rules wether its total bans or limiting anglers with certain rules. Its the same priciple if there are any rules. Fishery staff/owners should be checking the anglers. No bans and no need to check what the anglers are doing. Its as simple as that !

JohnH, I wish I could show you some film of me fishing White Acres 10 years ago on the match lake with floaters with only 15 inches of line from hook to the end of my pole. It was a struggle to catch on running line and floaters. They had seen that all before! Very difficult to catch more than a couple of fish up in the water on pellet even at very shallow depths of only a couple of inches. A fish every time with floaters with the top of the pole directly over the feeding carps heads. Funny watching these carp fighting the ducks to get at the floaters I was feeding. The ducks knowing to stay several feet away from the tip of the pole. Also seen carp several times on different venues gobbing on the top as anglers are about to empty their pole pot into the water. Clever some of these carp and soon workout what is safe and what is likely to result in ending up in a net for 5 hours. Trick that works on several venues is to not put your nets in before the all in. At the all in. Fish the margin even directly under your own feet. Very posible to have a 10lb+ advantage over everybody else in the match with a lump hooked 20 seconds after the start of the match. Even had two carp in one match in this way. First landed carp placed in a keepnet but hooked the second carp before lowering the keepnet in the water. Keepnets being the biggest way to blow every method and bait to the point were some days you wounder if all the fish have been removed from the venue!

As for the blown method issues. Something i,ve seen lots of over the years on a lot of venues. A few anglers dominate a venues and become known as venue experts. All the other anglers fishing these venues follow the IN methods and baits and the venue expert win again and again. Yes, these anglers are generally better quality anglers than those who dont win very often. However, these venue experts are always two steps in front of the other anglers when using the IN methods and baits. They often make a method or bait into the next IN way to fish which everybody else then follows. This just makes it easier for these venue experts to win even more often. Also means that methods and baits switch off much faster and posibally reduces weights in many matches overall. No wounder methods and baits get blown so quickly on some venues when every angler fishes in a very similar way. I see it all the time on FB and other forums with requests for info on how to fish venues. What baits working? What methods working? Never see the questions being asked which give a angler some chance of winning or at least getting the best from a peg they have potentially never fished before.

Im not an angler who follows IN methods on any venue. Much better in my opinion to fish to my strengths with confidence which suits the type of venue im fishing. Its very interesting that top quality anglers such as Tommy Pickering and Steve Ringer attack many of their match venues with methods or baits that suit there strengths and the way the enjoy fishing. Steve being totally confident with meat while Tommy often attacks venues with the method feeder no matter what the IN method or bait is on that venue. Im not suggesting that these anglers dont keep a eye on the IN methods or baits as backup and as useful info on how a venue is fishing. They often make a choice to fish in there way rather than following what everybody else is doing with very good reasoning. I,ve known Steve to attack heavily fished match venues with baits like corn when that bait has not been used for a long period of time. He goes the other way from the IN baits and method with the idea of giving the fish a safe alternative to the normal meat or pellet attacks. Amazing results from Steve with appoaches like this on festival venues at White Acres spring to mind when fishing against some of the best informed quality anglers in the country on a venue that gets hammered day after day for the whole season.

Experiene has shown me that fishing to my strengths and having the confidence and ability to make a method or bait work on any venue is a better way to fish than attempting to follow the IN method or bait. Im always going to be two steps behind the venue experts. So, I would much rather be the angler coming up with the new ways to win by offering something different to whats happening all around me on the venue.

I never ask about whats working on new venues if im after info. The main info im after is winning weight expected and main size of fish that the venue holds. Main depth and any regular features such as inside shelves and the condition of the margins. Its often enough to put a reasonable match plan together with enough potential alternative ways to win by fishing to my strengths.

One final point regarding blown methods and baits. Blown methods and baits are quickly forgotten by most anglers. However, these methods and baits will in time and in the correct conditions become the best way to attack a venue again. Being aware of the IN methods and baits on individual venues is always well worth remembering and using when the time is right. Pleasure/practice days on these venues are always great times for checking if old IN methods and baits that had blown are ready to work again.

Think i,ve written a book, lol

[TF_gaz r]

very good read true blue.

[TF_JohnH]

I agree TB the WA fish often feed just inches deep, you never see swirls or any signs of them giving their presence away though. I think the shallow experts have worked this out as they often fish very short rigs, like 12 inches long in total to comply with fishery rules and then they sometimes hold the float off the water. Gary my son used to go with me years ago and he always criticised my rigs for being too long at about 15 to 18 inches. He won more money there than I ever did.
It’s not easy to fish like this and very easy to trash rigs but they take seconds to replace.
When I watch anglers trying to fish shallow 99 times out of a hundred they over feed and fish too deep I will see little dinks on the float just a second or two after their feed hits the surface I don’t thing the fish chase pellets but take ones that drop in front of their nose. Keeping feed tight and light increases your chances dramatically.
Most cannot do this so assume the method is not working of course.

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