First session blank.

[Fishery Pokery]

I bought one if the tronix lrf rods on Saturday (maunly to try on holiday) and had to take it down the river to try around Sunderland marina on Sunday night. I was worried about going without my NESA tag incase I caught a rare species but I needn't have worried!
I managed to lose a couple of jig heads and catch nothing.
I don't know why I was so confident, but I really expected to get something.
I'm putting the blank down to the thaw putting a lot of cold fresh water in the river and me using a lure with not enough action in the dark. That's my excuse anyway.
Still felt I learnt though.
Cheers,
Geoff

[Fishery Pokery]

Lures used were the medium red Marukyu rags on a 3 gram jig head by the way.

[culdiekid]

Well done for getting out and giving it a go.

[Wreckingball76]

Don't be disheartened by the blank mate. There'll be plenty more, I look at blanks as just another learning opportunity and there's loads to learn!
Well done for getting out in this weather!

[Fishery Pokery]

And another one!!!!
The blank was bad enough, but a fivers worth of jigs plus fluorocarbon had me a bit narked.
It takes me ages to tie the 4lb leaders aswell, it's like hair, lol!
I think I may switch to a different rig like a drop shot maybe.
I was going to fish the pier, but the sea on put paid to that so I ended up around the fish quay and beneath the Wearmouth bridge.
I think I am going to have to leave it till summer before I get despondent, or find somewhere I can bag a few to get my confidence up.

[Wreckingball76]

Try not to get too despondent mate. You could have quite easily used a couple of packets of lug or rag and lost a few 6oz sinkers and full traces as well and not ended up catching anything. Its all about putting it into perspective for me. Saying that, losing a £20 lure when fishing for Bass, now that does hurt! Unfortunately I cannot offer any consolation when that happens! Lost two in one session once last year, I was inconsolable for a few days... Lol

[phill_itofish]

Si has a point, a good blank in the big gear could cost you what... Few packs of yellows at £3.00 a pop, a dozen peeler, a few 6oz leads, not to mention rugs and traces. You can easy spend £20 on a blank with the bait and not think twice about it.

[Fishery Pokery]

I could stand losing gear and a blank for the chance of a cod. I'm trying to catch bloody blennies and blanking!
Only joking, in a way it's good that its a bit harder than I thought, makes it more of a challenge.
Next time I'm either going rock pooling or dropshotting. I've used drop shotting before when I was trying for bass and although I didn't get any I liked the action it gave the lure.
Cheers for the encouragement,
Geoff

[Fishery Pokery]

Third and final blank of the winter.
I tried rock pooling at Seaburn today.
It was good to see the way the lure reacts in the water with just tiny twitches.
I also tried the bow string way of freeing lures and it worked a couple of time!
The wind made it hard work.
The highlights of the trip were when I was about to hop to another rock and the ledge I was on crumbled (some kind of sandstone) and dumped me in a rock pool.
Then on returning to where I had parked I found I had got a ticket. I was sure the car park was free in the winter, but apparently not.
I am going to leave it now untill I go to Fuerteventura in March when I'm hoping the clear seas will help.

[Wreckingball76]

Bloody hell mate, I thought I had all the bad luck! Keep persevering your day will come!