Blank streak's back, alright!

So the third session of the season is over. A nice 24 hour trip with fair weather and good company (fishing alone). Too bad the fish weren't there, or at least not feeding. Cutting it short, I blanked.

"Mind games" is the word that comes into mind. This blanking streak is just around 48 hours now, so I am not even halfway frustrated. If I want a fish, I can go get it from a fish-per-night -lake. But it's something I refuse to do now. I have set my goal into making this new lake produce a fish for me. And that is what I am going to do.

As I always say, I am not fishing for the fish. I want to be a better angler, and getting the fish from the fish-per-night -lake would not make me a better angler. Let's hope and see if I catch a fish from the new lake - or will I fail and go get the "100% sure fish"...

Anyway, my new Okuma Trio BF 55 were on their second night out. Nice reels, have to say. I reckon they are by far the best Baitfeeder reels Okuma has made. And besides, they are good looking :)

My new Okuma Trio BF 55 -reels. Like reels in a pod.

Okuma Trio BF 55 reels, Prologic CC30 3,0 LBS rods, Prologic Tripod.

First Trip of the Season

The time had come for the first trip of the season. I didn't keep my hopes up, as the time was quite early and I am yet again searching for a new lake. The odds were strongly against me, and despite my hard effort, (and reading Chris Yates' magnificent book "Nightwalk") I managed to blank 100%. 

Remember, dear readers, blanking is good. I actually cherish blanking sessions (if they remain on blanking streaks less than 300 hours). What I learned from the first trip of the season: it's never too early to start a season. I am not on the bank for the fish... I am there because of me.

The Prologic WUSB alarms worked nicely and they are actually quite durable. I didn't get my alarm song of "Ice, Ice, Baby" though. Yet it's worth every minute on the bank waiting for Vanilla Ice to start singing/rapping "Yo, VIP, Let's Kick It!". And on that moment, I'm definitely going to kick it VIP Style!

My Prologic WUSB 3+1 alarms with fender kits and QR hangers attached. Some might say snag bars are useless on tripods, but I reckon they are quite handy if the rigs are cast to either side of the tripod. They prevent rods falling off the pod on a screaming run.

The Fear Of The Monster

All anglers, like I want to catch a big fish. I mean such a fish, that is not just big but monstrous! Imagine all the hype and photographs of the fish and you, the angler. Likely you just could net it and put it back without putting a number on it. But anyway, catching such a monster fish ultimately has consequences.

There is a saying that goes "Be careful what you wish for". Sometimes you can be better off just dreaming and not getting what you think you want. What is there left if you break the record? You can't keep on fishing for the record fish, because you've already caught it! I don't actually know what it feels like, but I know some anglers who have caught the record fish and suffered somewhat of a motivational breakdown. Usually the fisherman changes the fishing style or the species they are fishing for. Some people turn to playing golf. 

I lost a lot of my match angling appetite after winning the Finnish team championship twice in a row. Winning that contest had been my motivation in practicing and competing. When I had what I wanted, my match angling days were over.

I love fishing for carp so much that I don't want to catch the record carp. I fear monster carp because they can take from me what I treasure the most.

Not a monster carp, luckily.