I don`t usually mind the odd blank session, After all I like challenging fishing. But today has left me very frustrated.

I was fishing hanningfield res. and its a big expanse of water as you know. My previous venture was on a beginners course during which I managed two trout from a boat in about 4 hours. On this occassion I was feeling confident, one of the pro`s had told me where the fish were and that they would probably be 3-4 feet below the surface. Well, after thrashing the water for 8 hours I gave up!

Now to blank after forking out £37 erks a bit dont you know. Even if I had a beginners ticket it would still have been £27. So for a beginner to actually get to grips with a venue like hanningfield would work out quite expensive.

This got me thinking. Instead of charging £24.00 for the day ticket for 8 fish why not charge a cheaper day ticket and then charge for the actually fish you take. ?

As things stand I`m a bit disheartened and may give this reservoir flyfishing lark a wide birth in future.

Not all reservoirs charge that amount. In fact I don't know if Wales has any that charge that amount. Llandegfedd is about £16 for the day for a six fish limit I believe. I think thats pretty good value. Of course if you want a boat then you've got that expense on top but that'll be shared if you can find a boat partner. Don't give up just do some homework on where else there is to fish.

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Location - Ospreylia

Iwould not give up quite yet as i am sure a lot of members on here will probably tell you they too have had blank days as i have had.I try and fish venues that have a catch and release ticket this is sometimes a cheaper option.Olso i would try and share a boat with someone who is a regular at your chosen water.When i have a blank day[and i have had a lot] i say to myself how can improve on what i did today plus its just nice to be to have a day on the water

Hog weed ,
dont get despondent ,bet it was fairly sunny with wind from thee east and north ,not great conditions .
I would probably anchored and fished deep nymphs and have been happy with a few ,
was I young and keen to catch would have fished small lures on a variety of sinking lines ,despite what some will tell you sunk line fishing does require skill and thought to be good at .Also loads of energy something I no longer am willing to expend .

Basically saying its a day that I would not fish due to bright lite and chill wind !

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Andy Wren
Winter grayling taking a year off !
Claret not just a great dubbing colour!

Hogweed - if you're honest (and I'm sure you are!), it's probably not the cost that's upset you - it's the 'blank'.

No matter how much you pay, the fish in the water won't acknowledge the reduction in your bank balance - they don't care. Would one fish have made the day OK? Two perhaps? Maybe 3? If you start to think like this you're on a slippery slope. Relax - blanks happen whether it's free fishing or the most expensive salmon beat in Scotland.

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[I]"I still don't know why I fish or why other men fish, except that we like it and it makes us think and feel."[/I] Roderick L Haig-Brown

[url]www.wildfly.net[/url]

[url]http://www.gameanglinginstructors.co.uk/[/url]

Whatever you do don't book a day on an expensive salmon beat, else you might hang yourself if you blank, after shelling out a few hundred quid.

You knew the cost before you wet a line at Hanningfield and catching fish should have been regarded as only a small part of an enjoyable day out. Get over it.

Agree that £37 is a lot of money. But, my thinking is that you pay to fish, not for fish. Tesco's do the latter.

I can understand how you're feeling Hogweed but let's get things in to perspective. This is probably not what you want to hear but here goes..

Even people with 20 years experience on a water have a blank every now and again. Nobody becomes an expert after one or two seasons. It can take years to figure out one water and even that doesn't guarantee a result.

You pay to learn just about anything. Driving lessons, IT courses, college/uni fees, the list goes on. Fishing isn't any different, it just seems like it. Everyone who's fished ressies for years will have had many, many blanks before things clicked more or less in to place.

As you're a beginner, why didn't you get a beginners ticket? That would've saved you a tenner. Most fisheries that allow C&R charge proportionately less for a C&R ticket. That may have been an option.

Look at it from the water companies point of view.

It costs them money to stock a given water. If they were to charge by the pound for fish caught it would quickly become an unprofitable business as they would have to employ someone to administer the weighing/selling as the wardens have enough to do as it is. Then of course there would be those people who just wouldn't want to pay for their catch and try to stash it out of sight. How, without more expense, would they be able to effectively police every angler on the water, bank and boat, especially in the long summer months with anglers coming and going at all times of the day? Well, they could raise ticket prices to cover the costs of employing more wardens to make sure people pay for what they've caught, but that's not really the solution we're looking for is it?

Look on the bright side though. Take this as a financial incentive to ask yourself why you didn't connect with a fish. Were you fishing the wrong method, depth etc? You'll only really learn if you ask yourself "how could I have done things differently, or better"? even on a successful day but especially when you blank.

If you see anyone catching just ask. Most people will be happy to share information if asked. Especially if you explain that you're new to the game.

You've had a beginners course but have you tried looking for a local fly fishing club? Most large midland reservoirs have their own clubs, Hanningfield may be the same. It may be worth joining one for the shared experience you can gain. And of course you'll be mixing with people, some of whom, know the water and its moods very well.

Don't be overly surprised that you didn't get anything today, the conditions were awful. Bright sun and virtually no wind. As Andy says, don't get despondent. You've just learnt a valuable lesson. Weather conditions can seriously affect the fishing. More experienced hands would've given today a wide berth. Keep plugging at it and you will get the results.

Thanks for the encouraging responses. You have helped to put things into perspective. But I will be more careful that conditions are a little better before I part with my hard earned cash next time.

Big waters like Hanningfield are always a bit of a challenge for the newcomer. I fish there quite a lot and am part of the club, which is worth joining, but it has not been an easy water this year.

I would recommend only going out on Hanningfield with an experienced angler and getting confidence fishing other smaller waters in the vicinity such as Chigboro or Rib Valley.

Charlie

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