Lost my mojo

hi

Just felt the need to share this and hoping for some feedback from those who may have experienced similar in the past.

Last season I absolutely loved my pike fishing caught shed loads of fish include my first twenty and enjoyed both lure and bait fishing.

This winter I have had an absolute nightmare - it started with a lack of wintery conditions and too much weed as a result ( I caught some great perch during this period and loved fishing for them). My deadbaiting never took off nor my search for a new water and I lost interest catching low doubles with no expectation of better fish just did not appeal!

I therefore decided to start my jerk baiting a little earlier than normal but a trip to my once favourite venue found the water far too coloured to expect much. A new Chico shad lost within 15 minutes didn't help my mood!

It did not take long before I just totally lost interest!

As a result I have even cancelled my week off this week and could quite easily sell up!

I am just as keen to start carping but really have not enjoyed my fishing this winter - the lack of decent fish and despite lots of effort the lack of a potential new venue has totally killed my mojo.

Anybody else felt the same? Will it pass and what did you do to get it back?


Healdy

I guarantee you're not the only one in this situation,I wont speak for anyone else,but will say about myself.

Last year during summer, I'd fish EVERY afternoon,and had a LOT of chub,perch,pike and other assorted river fish. I never thought I'd loose interest in this,as the sport was insane. I had everything down to a T.
Then the novelty really wore off,the challenge didn't seem quite as challenging as it once was.
I think I really spoiled myself,both with fishing every day,and the calibre of the fish I was able to pull out with relative ease.
It would have been noticeable from my 2011 blog,I never got out for months at a time. I could neither get the enthusiasm to get out,or actually be bothered to get my kit sorted and head off down the river for what would have been fairly predictable results.

It's only recently that I've got back into my fishing. But now I'm doing it in moderation,maybe once a week,which, now the rivers are about to close,will probably become less frequent for a few months.

I'd say your enthusiasm will come back,but if you don't feel like fishing,then don't. If you do it just for the hell of it, you may get even more disillusioned.
So taking a back seat may well help you in the long run.

Others will have further input, so don't think it's just you...cos it's not.

Chin up

Yesterday was tough, the conditions were wrong in alot of ways. Coloured water, windy and then you lost a new lure didnt put you in a good place to start with and jerkbaiting has a way of compounding your problems, just when you need a take nothing happens and you begin to dispair. its been a tough winter due to the unstable weather conditions the regular haunts have been strangely quiet, you've seen me struggle all week. Im not sure what the answer is tbh mate, you've been in this game longer than i have and if the pike fishing is really not doing it for you then perhaps a few weeks off before you dust off the carp rods may sort you out, you've plenty of other stuff going on to keep you occupied atm. next winter is a long way off and by then you may be busting to get back into the toothy critters.
its up to you at the end of the day pal, you know where i am if you want to give the pike or perch a go and i would be glad to get a trip on the carp with you again.

keep smiling mate life too short to worry about fishing:cheer:

Lure fishing has broken many a man Healdy, dont take it to heart pal. I am out catching fish but not really setting the world alight being any means, what you have to remember is that you are trying to trick a predator into eating a lump of plastic or a lump of wood when generally they are surrounded by shoals of bait fish. The law of averages are against you so picking the right lure in the right conditions on the right venue is vital, and if any of the above is not right then you will struggle, not only that but the fish are spawning so they are even less hungry makling it even harder. Pike are nothing like carp because Pike feed in short spells rather than like carp that are grazers, they might eat a 4lb one day and it might last them 5 days before they have to feed again which puts the odds of catching them well in there favour.
Have a few weeks off and the fish will be over the spawning and they will start to feed hard which is in your favour, Chin up Mark

thats been me and j over the winter too. this winter has been a hard one. we had a good half dozen blanks in a row, which without trying to sound big headed its not very often i have one blank session. its not the first time its hapened to me tho. now and again you do get into a slump. but i have learnt from this, it WILL come good in the end. the one thing i found has helped me is knowing this and knowing that the more you let it get to you the worse you will fish and that in turn has a knock on effect and makes your slow patch last longer. the best advice i can give is to just take it as part of fishing, dont let it get you down to much and dont let it afftect how you are fishing. if you know its a method that works stick at it and fish well, the moment you admit defeat you may aswell go home.
i know its easier said than done but just roll with the punches and youll soon be wondering what you were worrying about. think possitivly and remember, if its bothering you not catching fish when you are out you stand even less chance sat at home, and it only takes one bite to get the blood pumping and bring the enthusiasm back.

cheers guys

I think Nixon hit the nail on the head - "the novelty wore off and the challenge didn't seem as challenging as it once was".

I have fished since I was 11 and I am just about to hit 50 - so have experienced catching highs and lows before - but it is more than the fact that we haven't been catching. I haven't fallen out with angling - I did love the targeting of big perch earlier in the year - but a really dull dead baiting campaign has just sucked the enthusiasm out of me.

I do have high expectations of myself and when it goes wrong I can let it get to me.

Over the last 2 winters is was all a bit of a novelty [piking] a new pb every other week [obviously this is bound to stop once the pb gets bigger] and multiple catches every other week . But the poor winter - and it isnt just the 'not catching much' but the lack of a plan, a target or even a water i feel at home with and the fact that I/we are unable to find a suitable target water despite lots of effort has sapped my enthusiasm.

Jerk baiting is a different story - I have struggled to come to terms with this - as someone who feels he is a more than capable angler [sorry] I have never really felt I have mastered this method - I have improved and I understand what I believe is required - I should have decent watercraft skills - I can catch [sometimes] but never quite feel happy I am making the most of the opportunities - normally this would fuel my interest - make me more determined - however for me the jerk baiting window is very small - and the suitable venues very few - this really means i get a few weeks between the end of March and end of April beginning of may - again venues is an issue - the best venue is unpredictable and not close enough to go after work etc [my preferred lure fishing session]. At the moment it doesn't seem worth the effort required.

I have taken on board all that has been said and decided its best not to take myself or my fishing too seriously [and maybe i have been] - have a rest wait for some better conditions - mix up the species - and then get stuck into the carp fishing.

Sorry if it all sounds a bit dramatic and self centered - I didn't mean it to come across that way just wanted to see if you guys had gone through similar phases and how you had dealt with it .

Thanks for the feedback and tight lines!!


Healdy

In the course of over 50 years as an angler I have had a number of episodes of lost interest. I like many others have endured months of moping around with no thought of going fishing. But I have always rediscovered the joy of fishing, and if it's in your blood you will be back. I wouldn't sell up Mark, as you will regret it. I hope you're soon back out there by the water.

Not really an issue for me, I do find some days I can't be arsed getting out after work and the 'chomping at the bit' does wain from time to time. Although, I am always thinking about fishing, about where to go next and what preparation I need to do. A weekend isn't a weekend without going fishing...

Being the least prepared person I know, the hardest bit is getting the gear ready and if I havent, I dont bother going.

Seriously, just a blip as you haven't had the results you have wanted and there's no shame in that. I don't go looking for big fish, I just go to try and catch and if I only have a couple of jacks, I'm happy I managed to fool them!

If you need time to not think about them, take the time.

I guarantee you'll be back on them when it's right for you

Been there ...

Of course, As you know, I'm a very keen fisherman myself. You know, I've
often thought that going fishing was very much like making love to a beautiful
woman. First of all, clean and inspect your tackle, carefully pull back
your rod over, and remove any dirt or gunge that may have built up whilst
not in use. Then, extend your rod to its full length, and check that there
are no kinks or any wear. Particularly at the base, where the grip is
usually applied. Make sure you've got a decent float, the appropriate
bait, and that there's plenty of shot in your bag.

.....

Well thats enough words of wisdom from the immortal Swiss Tony..

Fishing Tim nailed it to be honest but like your excitement was rekindled by pike fishing there is 101 ways to catch a fish and there are 101 fish to catch. Do what i do have a garage full of every fishing rod reel from sea to fly. and diversify. Then again i should put another record on but i would just love half the time I used to have to do half the fishing i used to do.

I think one part of your game that will increase your chances is to fish the rivers, jerkbaits rule on our rivers and I know there not your cup of tea but because of your cricketing commitments it makes it hard to get you out to bag up so to speak. Jack in the cricket Mark and we will get you catching fish

As my old pal nidge used to say "thats why its called fishing and not catching" if it was easy girls would do it!

I fished loch ken all last year, for me its a 3 hour drive each way 28 quid accomodation 40 quid for fuel, getting the boat in the water out the water in the water etc. i have caught a total of 7 jack pikes in 14 trips thats 28 days fishing, i have been up the loch down the loch, on the bank and even on the jetty, i have dead baited, spun and jerk baited and most of my fish have actually fallen to my pike flies!!

the frustration is unbelievable and its not so cheap these days, but the thought of the "next cast" turning up a new pb is the one thing that gets me through it.

when i used to experience the same with fly fishing for trout, i would sit down take a look at my method, scrap it and go back to the very basic casts of flies that i knew would work. sometimes you can just try too hard and lose sight of why you go fishing in the first place................................... keep at it healdy and you just never know what the next trip will bring.