WTF am I doing wrong??

[smallfry]

Had a session from 11 am till 4.30pm yesterday on Seaham pier with a mate of mine.
We had the same bait, out of the same containers. We were casting similar distances into the same area. He had 8 fish, 3 of which were keepers.
I blanked!
The only difference was he was using one up one down flappers & I persevered with a clipped down pulley rig. Could it have just been that or am I just unlucky? (I am naturally unlucky in life generally)
I'm gonna start of with flappers next time!
What do you reckon?

[MrGloop]

Happens to us all you can be in the middle of 3 all same baits setups and you don't get and others around do.Always next time marra

[paul221280]

Sometimes a change of rig deffinately makes the difference mate. was fishing the other week with a pulley pennel and had nowt, getting a bit desperate so i stuck a scratching rig on with small hooks on and smaller baits fishing at the same distance started pulling double shots in almost straight away ended up with 11 fish in the end. Don't know why it makes a difference like but it does.

[Juliogeordio]

Common issue with pulley rigs mate, missing fish. No idea why but loads of lads complain about them.... It is the rig I usually use though ad I don't seem to have any issues with it!

[The Doctor]

... What do you reckon?

What are you doing wrong? Your using a pulley rig mate, that's what your doing wrong. I'll bet your hook was coming in clean? That's because a small fish can clean your hook and not register a bite. Unless a fish hooks itself and moves the lead you are unlikely to see any bites at all. In fact a 20 punder could clean the hook of a pulley rig and you would know nowt about it. What is more a pulley rig is more prone to tangle up as your lead rolls about on the bottom. So the answer is ..... Stop using pulley rigs! Don't use pulley rigs! Never use a piggin' pulley rig!

[john/r]

IMO rigs can be as important as bait,pulley rigs I use them from time to time in morn I will be using a one and feel fully confident doing so.ask me tommorow if I have caught out probably not due to normal weekend conditions.

[smallfry]

What are you doing wrong? Your using a pulley rig mate, that's what your doing wrong. I'll bet your hook was coming in clean? That's because a small fish can clean your hook and not register a bite. Unless a fish hooks itself and moves the lead you are unlikely to see any bites at all. In fact a 20 punder could clean the hook of a pulley rig and you would know nowt about it. What is more a pulley rig is more prone to tangle up as your lead rolls about on the bottom. So the answer is ..... Stop using pulley rigs! Don't use pulley rigs! Never use a piggin' pulley rig!

During the whole session I think i hauled in 2 clean hooks, & the majority of times my bait was untouched or just a bit raggy. Forgot to say we were both using the same rods as well, Axes, cos it was blowing a hoolie & my CME waves around a bit more in a gale. & also, my hook had released every time.

very odd.

[Budgie]

Length and type of rig for the venue!!! size and presentation of baits, are what I've learned this year mate from one of the top anglers around here, with great success.
You know ysell, sometimes you just couldn't look at a three course meal, but you can't resist a little snack

[dabcatcher]

before id even read half way through your post i was thinking its your rig.

it could be down to the size of your hooks or even the diameter of your hooklength.

i fished with a lad for years fishing matches for mainly dabs and whitings. he couldnt undersand why i beat him every time. we used the same bait in the same spot.

i told him to alter his rigs. he used cheaper [blunter] hooks. he had 18in, 20lb hooklengths.

i had varivas hooks on 2ft long 15lb hooklengths giving better presentation and less feel to the fish. i still use this for lots of my fishing 20 years later.

the other lads are right about pulley rigs giving poor bite detection unless its a better fish moving off.

i add a stop knot behind the sliding bead. this makes your rig work like a paternoster giving much better bite indication. once a fish 2lb or over is hooked it will cause the knot to slide down to the lead leaving the rig to work like a regular pulley. best of both worlds.

[canman]

Were you casting into the same area, as sometimes a few yards can make the difference, but sometimes it's just a confidence thing. On another note, your mate was puting two baits in the water, creating a greater cent trail. Even a different trace line braking strain can be the problem!!!!! Other than that, just put it down to "sods law" we've all been there

[Charlton]

just been out with my mate in sunny Lazarotte in two hours he landed six mullet best 6lb me not an offer except for small fry same bait etc it is just one of those things have done the same to him on occassions normally we roughly get the same

[kevin collins]

Should of told your mate to shift and dropped in where he was,this could of answered your question ? Bully him oot the way next time

[GEORDIE H]

Had a session from 11 am till 4.30pm yesterday on Seaham pier with a mate of mine.
We had the same bait, out of the same containers. We were casting similar distances into the same area. He had 8 fish, 3 of which were keepers.
I blanked!
The only difference was he was using one up one down flappers & I persevered with a clipped down pulley rig. Could it have just been that or am I just unlucky? (I am naturally unlucky in life generally)
I'm gonna start of with flappers next time!
What do you reckon?

Hello mate my answer is your trying too hard pal just relax and it will happen

[smallfry]

Some interesting replies but....yet another thing is that I've always used pulleys on the pier & this is the very 1st time I've blanked.
The way my luck in general has being going lately I wasn't surprised.

[GEORDIE H]

Some interesting replies but....yet another thing is that I've always used pulleys on the pier & this is the very 1st time I've blanked.
The way my luck in general has being going lately I wasn't surprised.

I have been using pulley rigs for 35 years pleasure fishing and all match fishing mate and I can't fault them I just adjust hook sizes to match what I am targeting and I do a lot better than most pal