HI
I DID 5 HOURS TODAY 22/02/2010 AT BANK HOUSE IN CATON LANCASTER ( a small but really nice place it was my 4th visit). got my first fly in the water at 11.45 a.m
weather was cold,and the wind got up later but died down again after about an hour
i was using a floater with long leader at first but later i switched to fast sink with the leader at rod length
other anglers were catching 3,4,5 fish,i was struggling so after a chat and a quick eyball of set up i tried to match fly.leader length, retrieve ect.but still i only managed to get 2 fish on but lost them at the net,
this seems to happen to me a lot
does it happen to other anglers to or am i doing something wrong all the time.
one guy had 8 fish all over 3 pound using same set up as me (i know this coz i copied him) in 3 hours.

i was using 7 pound fluro carbon as my leader
i need a real easy fishery to build my confidence up i think any ideas ??

All i would say is keep practising and not to look for an easy way out by trying an easier fishery!
If people are catching fish its obviously stocked well enough, maybe these people catching fish have been fishing for a few years!
Rome was not built in a day and it is called fishing after all
Keep your head down, try diff methods and after time you will find out what works best and it will feel far better figuring it out youreself
Tightlines anyway

This game isn't like golf - you don't slowly get better - it happens in step changes .

Remember you can be doing it 99.99% right and catch nothing .

Keep plugging away - you'll get it in the end !

Best wishes

Steve Parton
( Might help if you don't stay rooted in the one spot - they may just not have been in front of you ! )

I would say stick to one venue, keep talking to the guys who are catching and pick up on flies and methods as well as subtle differences like retrieve rate and sink time before retrieve.

Over time you will master it. It is just experience and learning the methods for a given venue and conditions that takes time. Gradually you will broaden out to other venues and methods, too.

if you can, join a club and latch on to the best anglers. That's what i did.

Charlie

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Sonik Sports Team Pitsford Pirates

Weather is cold water temperature will be low, trout will be less active, in these conditions try not to strike, if you do strike at the first pull your likely to miss the fish or only just set the hook & its more likely to drop off especially when your trying to net the fish. Just keep retrieving give the trout time to take the fly, only lift the rod when it all goes heavy on the other end, its easier said than done, hope that helps.

As a new angler to our sport be happy catching the odd fish as you get more experienced your catch rate will improve, but believe me even the so called experts still have a day when they blank or only catch one.

Your on a massive learning curve, enjoy it, it never ends, I've been fishing 39 years & I'm still learning.

Welcome
With the passage of time all the different elements will improve and come together.The changes will be minute,you won't notice them from one visit from the next but gradually you will improve.Confidence is the key,smooth retrieve,start close in and then fan out if there's a fish in there make sure you pop a fly gently onto it

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an interesting mix of apathy and panic

Clive M

I would say that maybe this isnt the sport for you... you are pitting your wits against another sentient creature, there are many environmental factors that will effect how fish feed, temperature, long term temperature stability, air pressure, wind direction, how bright it, is water height, availability of natural food....

Then there is the technical aspect... are you fishing in the right places, are you using the right sized fly in the right colour , at the right depth, is your retrieve correct, is your tippet fine enough is your presentation correct, the lay down of your cast delicate enough...

anyone who goes fishing expecting to catch fish is somewhat naive... sometimes the Gods just arent smiling down on you

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What you should bear in mind is that the fish in bankhouse can be wary at times and prone to giving very shy takes (fish get caught and released and it is quite a small fishery) - indicator fishing on there will sometimes show you this as it is common to get very shy 'bob' type takes and sometimes the indicator hardly moves - you may have been getting takes you did not notice. Of course it is not always like that but it is worth bearing in mind. Also - if you are struggling for takes and/or the takes are very shy and you know there are fish in front of you then try fining down in the leader (i use 6lb G3) and going to small, skinny buzzers - I have done quite well on there recently using size 14 black glue buzzers - red cheek, fine pearl rib - fish them under an indicator if you don't mind this method try one at about 4ft and one at 2ft. If you don't like the indicator, then straight line them and fish them as slow as you can. Things will also get a bit easier once the water warms a tad and the fish increase their activity, generally.
Not sure why you are losing fish.

Don't give up - try to improve your results and you will feel a better sense of achievement when you do.

Cheers

Ian

Take comfort from the fact that you are at least hooking fish. You must be getting something right! Losing them at the net is just one of those things I think, we all go through stages where it seems that everything drops off.

'Specially in a cold snap!!

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an interesting mix of apathy and panic

Clive M