[notkeenonlures]

is this coincidence or not?
my mate and i were recently fishing together (as we always do) and i only just realised (or think i have) that he sometimes catches more than me being a non-smoker. We fished the same flies (black buzzers same size and tying) same lines (floaters but different makes) and same leader length for the experiment. We were in same boat casting side by side into open water, using (nearly) identical retrieves. He was catching more than me until we swopped rods then i was taking more than him. What does everyone think? does my tobaco smelling fingers make a difference or not? I've also noticed during competions that after dinnertime i seem to catch less (food smells??)  I have now stopped eating crisps (especially wotsits) at dinner but the fags are a bit trickier to get around!!

tight lines!!

[Jim Eddie]

Notkeen

I beleive there is something in it , we have all shared boats  where for whatever  reaon one of the boat partners does much better then the other when all other things appear equal.

There was a guy I fished with , who to all intents and purposes should have over a season caught as much fish as I did  he struggled , good teqnique , correct fly choice , I shared my flies that I was catching on , only difference I could see was he smoked.

 

Jim

[Sandy Nelson]

NKL

I would be inclined to agree with you, IMHO the smell of tobacco on flies does negatively affect the fish, i know of some theories which state the complete opposite and state it is a positive attribute, i dont buy into those :
Then again i also feel the same about floatant, so always use cdc or arctic fox. I guess we all have quirks, some more than others :

Sandy

[wildfisher]

I don’t believe it makes any difference. My pal John smokes "like a lum"  and I have not smoked for 30 years. Sitting feet away on the same boat  or fishing the same river - some days he catches more, some days I do.  There are many variables at work.

Remember   "Country Boy"?  Jack Hargreave's pipe went non stop, like a smelting furnace. I can’t say I noticed it affecting  his catch rates much – mind you that may have been the magic of 1960's television!   :

[notkeenonlures]

im doing my grampian league today (sunday) and i think ill try and not smoke before fly changes to see what happens. dont think it will be a good test tho coz ive never fished the venue (lochter) before . any tips for it??

[sightbob]

the most likley explanation nkl is some small difference that you have not picked up on, running a trout fishery i see this all the time and the most common cause is leader material.
i also smoke and find it makes no difference to my fishing, don't get hung up on the smoke and food theories as this will result in low confidence and reduced catch rate.
cheers
brian

[notkeenonlures]

we were both using the same leader

[Mike Barrio]

I am with Brian on this one  

And ........ do not worry about where you are fishing tomorrow, use your usual patterns with confidence ..........
........ confidence catches fish  

Good luck
Mike

[Mike Barrio]

Two experienced anglers in a boat ........ same rods, reels, lines, leaders, leader length, flies etc etc and one will catch 5 times more than the other one does. This is common, I see it frequently  

They can even exchange rods and ends of the boat and the problem will continue  

The difference is almost always in the depth ( count down before the retrieve ) and in the retrieve rate. Six inches higher or lower in the water can make a huge difference to your catch rate on a stillwater  :idea:

If the anglers fish for the day, "the cards" will frequently turn in the afternoon and the other person will catch more. Why? ...... because the fish probably start to feed at a different depth  

Tip  :idea:  The angler catching less fish frequently makes matters worse by worrying about it. Retrieving faster and faster and not counting down before retrieving ........... in an effort to "catch up"  

My advice when you feel you are not getting things right ........... stop fishing for a few minutes ( have a smoke   ) then start afresh.

Hope this helps
Best wishes
Mike

[Tam Greenock]

When l see someone catching and lm not, l keep an eye on what they are doing, count how long they take to start retrieving and what type of retrieve they use. Much better advice than asking what fly they are using.