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Losing your mojo?

I have never fished the Rother but hats off to any that do on a regular basis.
There are a few options local enough to west sussex and some maybe with more barbel than Rother.
Sussex ouse, Medway, Arun, Uck. Change of scenery, bit more flow in the water, different tactics etc.

When you get to know a stretch fairly well and fish same few "favourite" spots , try a spot somewhere less desirable, it is so rewarding to catch from a completly new ,probarly unfancied spot.
Personally from what I gather I doubt the Rother can satisfy many barbel anglers other than the real stalwarts

For a good day out I have sometimes tackled up light and fished a small river for as many different species as possible on the day.
That is great fun, minnows included . and there is no "pressure" or expectation just a child like enjoyment.
If you hook into a lump then come back another day.

I am not into barbel at the moment but enjoying other types of fishing, but still not fogotten the thrill of a good barbel take.
 
Dean Aston said:
Take a break as you seem to be going though the motions . Perhaps fishing river for somthing else will open you eyes and make you think when you go back to barbel . Being a bit of a all round angler make you a better barbel anglerr
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That's exactly what I would say. Enjoy another aspect of the river you fish.
 
What really has given me my mojo back is back to basics, you know a pint of maggots like we did as kids and see what turns up.

I bought a Korum 1.1 t.c 10 ft Allrounder rod in the close season, and combined with a small maggot feeder etc is great fun, as said loads of willing silvers and bonus Gudgeon too, and who doesn't like catching old Gobo Gobo?

And watching the float trot down a glide had to be the pinnacle of angling pleasure?

I will never give up completely on Barbel, but now just manage expectations.
 
Paul Eve said:
These are great posts guys, good to see that others have had the same problem but found ways around it. I feel more positive now just having read the replies, time to reflect I think.
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Non-anglers would never understand the "mind games" we go through when suffering a period of not catching. Like all the previous posts have said I try to mix it up and try different methods and certainly go roving. However, one thing that nobody has mentioned is WHY we go fishing. For me it's about a 50/50 split between catching fish and being outdoors. On those days that the fish refuse to bite I can console myself in perhaps seeing a pair of kingfishers, a water vole, grass snake or even (up here in Norfolk) a bittern. Us anglers are so lucky in having an interest that is quiet and unobtrusive, allowing us to observe nature close at hand. One final thing, buy yourself a monocular. They are brilliant, less bulky than binoculars but very effective.
 
Paul Bullinger said:
“One final thing, buy yourself a monocular. They are brilliant, less bulky than binoculars but very effective.”
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Totally agree with all of Paul’s post and his comment about getting a monocular. I use mine regularly and it doesn’t take hardly any room in my bag and weighs little.

Barr & Stroud Sprite 10x25 Mini Monocular: Amazon.co.uk: Electronics & Photo

Shop Barr & Stroud Sprite 10x25 Mini Monocular. Free delivery and returns on eligible orders.
www.amazon.co.uk
👍
 
Barbel became difficult on my local rivers quite a few years back, the Thames and it's tributaries in particular. What was unsettling was wondering if you were even within 500 yards of a fish if you didn't see any movement. In the end I had the chance to get a permit for Horseshoe Lake, very expensive, but at least if I know there's something in there. Now it will be total commitment to carp and tench for the foreseeable future, with maybe the odd trip to the Severn thrown in.
 
Lost my mojo a bit over the last couple of years myself, but it no longer bothers me since I bought a camera and go out photographing wildlife. I now split my time between that and fishing.
I think we get a bit too obsessed with goals, numbers, weights etc etc, to the point we forget why we fish and then get frustrated when we see others doing well all the time in the press and on social media. It doesn't have to be a competition!
Don't forget, the people that do well are out all the time and probably do very little else, and good luck to them. But for me, taking a step back and finding another passion has been great. I enjoy my fishing more having no real goals or expectations.
 
I thought it Was just me ,3 sessions this season and got the "BLANKETY BLANK CHEQUE BOOK AND PEN "
The older guys might now what I mean 🤣
However it's not new and I know with persistence hopefully it will change .
That's what I like about fishing ,nothing is a garunteed !!!
Just enjoy while you can, chopping and changing venues in my opinion doesn't help ,as you very often don't do the venue justice .Perhaps pre baiting may help.🤔
 
I’d call 5 Barbel in three seasons a good result on the Rother! I fished it for a season and a half and never saw one, let alone caught. There were a few down there that did okay, but they were either exceptional anglers, chaps that fished it almost every day or those that had been fishing it for donkey’s years (or all three in a couple of cases). The fella you met might have fallen into one or more of those categories.

I spoke to some competent anglers there that had fished for it for a few seasons (5 in one case) and not had a Barbel. I decided to move on, it’s proper needle in haystack stuff, unfortunately. But there’s always a chance of a record shaker on there (or the nearby Arun). So I can understand its appeal.

I ended up joining Ringwood and started blanking on the HAvon & Dorset Stour instead… 😆

With regards to your mojo, I always find a trip to the Wye does the world of good. Makes you realise that it’s not your rigs, bait, etc that aren’t working. It might give you a confidence boost. There’s plenty of other sound advice from others here too.

Whether you stick at it, change your approach or try something new or different, I wish you very best of luck.
 
Neil Smart said:
What really has given me my mojo back is back to basics, you know a pint of maggots like we did as kids and see what turns up.

I bought a Korum 1.1 t.c 10 ft Allrounder rod in the close season, and combined with a small maggot feeder etc is great fun, as said loads of willing silvers and bonus Gudgeon too, and who doesn't like catching old Gobo Gobo?

And watching the float trot down a glide had to be the pinnacle of angling pleasure?

I will never give up completely on Barbel, but now just manage expectations.
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gobiogobio😐
 
Alex Warren said:
I’d call 5 Barbel in three seasons a good result on the Rother! I fished it for a season and a half and never saw one, let alone caught. There were a few down there that did okay, but they were either exceptional anglers, chaps that fished it almost every day or those that had been fishing it for donkey’s years (or all three in a couple of cases). The fella you met might have fallen into one or more of those categories.

I spoke to some competent anglers there that had fished for it for a few seasons (5 in one case) and not had a Barbel. I decided to move on, it’s proper needle in haystack stuff, unfortunately. But there’s always a chance of a record shaker on there (or the nearby Arun). So I can understand its appeal.

I ended up joining Ringwood and started blanking on the HAvon & Dorset Stour instead… 😆

With regards to your mojo, I always find a trip to the Wye does the world of good. Makes you realise that it’s not your rigs, bait, etc that aren’t working. It might give you a confidence boost. There’s plenty of other sound advice from others here too.

Whether you stick at it, change your approach or try something new or different, I wish you very best of luck.
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Thanks Alex that makes me feel better, I love the Rother as it is a great place to be but very challenging, also with todays fuel prices it keeps it manageable for me.
 
Praying to the rain gods might help, but mixing it up does stop cabin fever setting in , i am lucky to live nearly on the humber so can pop out for a session or two might snag a bass if i am lucky . I've only had 1 trip to the tidal Trent so far , that resulted in 1 flattie and a chublet it was on its bare bones like just about every river at the moment and the banks were sun burnt with numerous barren bits carved out by the staycation brigade. So will try a bit of trundling in a local tidal river and float fishing for tench after dragging a swim out in a not too far away drain might just get past the Rudd this time !
 
At this time of year I do what Arthur Ransome called 'Fishing in Lilliput', i.e. spending time on small rivers. I'll do a species hunt on one of tbe rivers and try and beat my record of 7. I have had 7 species three times and each time it has included at least one that wasn't in the other lists. Or I might try for catfish using lures in an evening. Variety is the slice of angling.
 
Rhys Perry said:
I think we get a bit too obsessed with goals, numbers, weights etc etc, to the point we forget why we fish and then get frustrated when we see others doing well all the time in the press and on social media. It doesn't have to be a competition!
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I had a MASSIVE fall-out with my fishing partner of 30+ years recently about this.
I got off to a good start and have had a reasonable amount of fish since opening day. He was a few sessions behind and being very competitive he decided he needed to catch up?? I know what he's like and shook my head as I figured after all these years , we'd got past all this?
But he did the most heinous of crimes in my book which is he hogged 2 prime swims that had a bit of flow. I mean he fished one rod in one, and cast another rod into a downstream peg and heavily baited it. When I got there behind him, planning to float fish he was fishing the only pegs with any flow and I wasn't happy to put in mildly.
And we had a major fall-out. He was so obsessed with catching he lost sight of why we do it and basic respect for his wing-man of 30+ years. I was so incensed I couldn't speak to him until I got a full and frank apology in writing - more chance of hell freezing over!
I got the nearest thing to an apology earlier this week, and I begrudgingly accepted I might have over-reacted...a bit😤
But this fishing thing can send us all a bit barmy at times. Most of my best moments have been with him, but the red mist descended on both of us and I have seen lads fall out forever over lesser things 😁
 
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