There are times when we go fishing that we have to step back and think, do these fish know more than we think they do? Often fish exhibit behaviours or just generally make us look like fools as we do our best to try to catch them!
From fish that eat every single morsel of bait except the one on our hook to those that leap out right in front of us, our quarry can truly wind us up sometimes. Have you ever wondered if it is coincidence of if they do it deliberately? Who knows – but anyone who’s experienced these behaviours will know exactly what we mean! As some light hearted-fun, here are some of the most frustrating things fish can do!
Making a splash
We’ve all seen fish that suddenly roll or splash on the surface, right before our eyes. It’s always nice to know we’re in the right spot, but how often do they actually end up in our net? Quite often, it’s as if they are teasing us. But why do they do it? The theories vary. While bottom feeding fish might sometimes roll or splash to clean silt out of their gills, others could be signalling alarm or even trying to rid themselves of annoying parasites.
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Close, but no cigar
Sometimes a fish will approach your bait in full view, before saying “no thanks” at the last moment. Has it seen the line or angler? Does the bait look or smell wrong? Who knows? It’s a sure way to make you hold your breath for a small eternity, before turning the air blue!
Forever blowing bubbles
Among the most mouth-watering sights for any angler, but especially the tench fisher, is the appearance of dozens of tiny, pinprick bubbles that signal feeding fish in your swim. A wonderful spectacle, until half-an-hour later, when you’re still biteless! The likely issue is that fish such as bream and tench will happily sift through the silt to feed on tiny, natural food items – and have no need to scoff your bit of sweetcorn.
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A big following
While predatory fish are often curious and aggressive about things like lures and flies, they can also have an annoying habit of ‘window shopping’ without ever opening those jaws. This is especially true of pike, which can trail a lure right to the angler’s feet before casually saying “nice try but no thanks, mate!” When it happens more than once, or the fish in question is a monster, it can make you tear your hair out!
Lost at the net
Naturally, there’s one final level of hell on top of all the rest, and that’s the loss of a fish! It’s even worse when you might have triumphed against the odds, only to lose the fruits of your labour right at the death. If it was a huge fish, this becomes a bit like watching England lose on penalties, as the whole disaster gets replayed in your head a hundred times. It happens to the best of us, though, so please don’t throw your rod into the lake and take up golf.
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Tip taps and dips
Anglers might dream of their floats sailing away decisively, but fish can be masters at messing about. Roach, F1s and crucian carp can all be adept at delivering tiny flickers, taps and nudges on the float instead of a proper bite. Even if you sit there like a coiled spring, the likelihood is that your next strike will connect with thin air!
Blink and you'll miss us
While some fish are tricky or cunning, others are downright fast, possessing a knack of taking and spitting out the bait in a heartbeat. This can be a right headache for the angler, whether you’re trotting for dace or casting a dry fly for trout. In fact, there are times when you wonder if it would be better to strike before the bite, or simply to retire to the pub. Even a Wild West gunslinger at the OK Corral couldn’t react to some of these lightning-fast bites.
Eat this
As if it wasn’t painful enough to see a fish refuse your bait at the very last second, others take things up another level by attempting to tuck into our floats and other bits of tackle! Is this supreme stupidity, or are they just ‘testing’ our rigs? We have no idea, but you have to laugh at the completely inedible things fish will happily nibble away at while completely ignoring your perfectly-presented hookbait.
Liners and bite alarm blues
Do carp ever bash into our lines deliberately, just to wind us up? Who knows? There are sessions when you’d think they were doing it for fun, or trying to play a tune on your Delkims. The most infuriating scenario is when you get bleep after bleep, but no full-blooded take ever results. This is even more fun at 3am, just as you are entering a peaceful sleep.
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Now you're just taking the p*ss
As for the extremes of fishy frustration, perhaps the kings of the lot are mullet. With a natural diet consisting of algae and things so small you can barely see them with the naked eye, it’s probably little wonder there are days when they regard your bait with all the enthusiasm of a vegan in a steakhouse. Even more tortuous, however, is the way that they’ll continue to then swan about, coming so close you could pat one on the head – but will they take your bait? Dream on...
Freeloaders
Another timeless wind up is when the fish are quite obviously hungry but have an uncanny knack of avoiding the hook. Surface fishing is a classic for this. As all those floating baits disappear, it feels like any moment you’ll be hooked into a fish... until they flatly refuse the one with your hook in it. Another classic for the match angler when carp steadfastly refuse to feed in the margins, before going into a frenzy the moment the final whistle sounds. Grrrrrrr!
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