The first 3 times I went fly fishing I blanked , I was out with a decent dry fly angler and guide .

Went out with a local guy and fished nymphs ,this was in 2009 , I was over the moon and caught 9 fish .

The rest is history

The kiss of death on the river I fish is snow melt , blanked on 3 more occasions due to snow melt in the Winter off 2014 and 2013 .

I have come close on other visits but managed to get the odd one to save a blank .

Fishing hard rivers under extreme conditions will have a effect on the outcome .
Certain club waters with lots of members on short stretches of river will also make things very tough for some of us .

Just because you blank I does not really mean you are bad angler , even top competition lads will blank if conditions don't suit , high river , hard draw , or a river that is not teaming with fish .

Even when out with mates we all seem to catch on these prolific trout streams , so its hard to put things into context . Tell a lie had a few blanks on Lady Bower and More Hall when Still Water fishing .

 

So far this trout season on rivers, just the once. mg: But my excuse..... the water was well up and coloured. I fished for 15 mins only trying to pick out quiet water then spent another hour tidying up cr@p and calling it a day. I don't fish very early or late in the day. I also fish a couple of different rivers, one is quite good, a second I'm still on a learning curve with it. A third falls between the two.
I also do a fair bit of stillwater trouting and don't keep records of catches and outings. I've even given up on taking photos. I do know that I've had 3 blanks since the beginning of the year (Jan 2016) on stillwaters and those were between Jan and Feb.

 

Quite a few this year .
I must admit that due to work I haven't fished as much as other years but when I have fished it was very hit and miss.
For example - fished Corrib 16 days this year and 14 of those days the Sun beat relentlessly down - I blanked more than I caught.mg:

 

Not had a blank since 2013. I have been mighty close a time or two but dogged determination has saved the day even when I've not been enjoying myself. It's how I am. One day I might mellow out a bit.

 

I suspect that you are a very different creature from me.

I take it that you are not prone to a wee sleep on the bank on a nice, calm warm summers day!

Douglas

 

I only fish still water and like last year fishing has been difficult due to high temperatures. Out of 25 outings this year I have blanked 6 times.

 

I can't remember my last blank when using standard methods for trout, though I tend not to bother when the river is out of sorts, or if it is I'll shoot off somewhere else.
Pike fishing is the opposite for me, I get the odd jack, but mostly blank mg:

 

lots, easker1

 

Just the one blank this year - on a hot day where I bumped and missed the only chance I got in a snatched lunchtime session.

Worth saying that folks that stalk particular trout in rivers (Mr. Procter for instance), may not cast through a whole session if the shot at a bigger fish doesn't present itself.

 

I've blanked this year but couldn't tell you how often as it's of no statistical relevance to me. The only thing a blank tells you is 'you have had no fish today in the water you have chosen to fish' change the angler, the water or the tactics and the result may or may not be different.

 

I've had a couple I think.
I don't mind if I blank, it's rare but it happens. I'm more interested in how well I think I've fished... I've had days were I've caught loads but came away thinking how many ops I stuffed up and that I could have done better... About 10 days ago on a fairly small Frome carrier I fished about as well as I can, casting spot on, under low hanging trees, tight against the bank, slack presentation casts, pretty much went exactly where I wanted first time for the full session.... I felt as though I was right on the money and as though I really deserved a fish... Obviously the fish didn't agree... Nil point
But I still went away very a happy, helped by the fact a grass snake swam out from the bankside and slowly glided across the pool I was stood in.... Swam past about 12" from my knees, the closest I'd ever seen a grass snake in water... Happy to have a no fish session for that...

 

Too many, but do I care?

Not at all, some of the best days have just been going out there, away from the busy metropolis of Dewsbury.

Thinking about it for a moment, I blame the Tenkara rod.
Yes definitely.


I should have taken it with me.

 

I don't think I have one this year. I have been careful to choose the times I fish mind. However, with a dropping level and clearing water I expected to clean up today and caught a lot less than I expected to.

 

As a fisher of lochs these days I am really hopeful of a fish on the first cast, genuinely surprised if I haven't had one in the first six casts (I'm surprised fairly often...). I really lose interest after 30 mins of nothing and usually change lochs at this point or just go home and come back later. So I have lots of very short blanks in a season


Andy

 

As a fisher of lochs these days I am really hopeful of a fish on the first cast, genuinely surprised if I haven't had one in the first six casts (I'm surprised fairly often...). I really lose interest after 30 mins of nothing and usually change lochs at this point or just go home and come back later. So I have lots of very short blanks in a season

Andy

You put some miles in or do you whip between lochs on a quad

 

You put some miles in or do you whip between lochs on a quad

I put the yards in on foot, plenty of small lochs close together If it's more than ten minutes walk it is too far

Andy

 

With me the question should be "How many times have you caught this year"

 

For reasons unknown (I'm not a numbers man), I've been keeping track this year. I've blanked 11 times out of 59 trips so far this year. It would have been less if I hadn't really fancied a few hours by the river and been feeling extremely optimistic despite the conditions..

 

No blanks on still waters but three on the rivers . . . Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the Monnow Social!

 

Part & parcel over the years pursuing the elusive sea trout, something I have got used to without the need to feel disappointed on those occasions. It's the times that are successful which really stir happy memories.

 

No blanks this year on rivers,small still waters and reservoirs
But a few blanks sea fishing with lures

 

As a fisher of lochs these days I am really hopeful of a fish on the first cast, genuinely surprised if I haven't had one in the first six casts (I'm surprised fairly often...). I really lose interest after 30 mins of nothing and usually change lochs at this point or just go home and come back later. So I have lots of very short blanks in a season

If I don't catch in the first 30 mins my interest rises, the elimination of bandies is the first stage toward serious fishing

 

On the river and a couple f quick chucks on our club small stillwater 0.

Tried the salt on west coast of Scotland 3 blanks. Fished Goats Water and High Arnside Tarn in the lakes and blanked.

Give me the river any day, I can find something (but it may take all day!)

 

- None when fly fishing for trout, which is my thing.
- 100% blank fishing for salmon - but I'm only learning and have only been out twice
- One when bait fishing for trout - the Child got a fankle at the reel and lost it.
- One when sea fishing for whatever - not done it since I was a kid but got lots of nibbles and it was good fun.

 

No blanks trout or grayling fishing. Went salmon fishing twice and blanked both times, did hook and lose one though :thumbs:

 

With one again this Sunday gone I have had four still water blanks in a row. I must admit to get a little concerned but this has happened before and I found things just clicked back into place with the colder weather in the Autumn.

 

in the last 4 days I have had 3 blanks, on our local lochs, the last day I had one small brown, saved me from total despondency , easker1