Since I changed my alarms (last October) I've heard them go off once and starting to think they're the reason for a very very long blank.

The water I've joined is alive but still nothing for me.

So I'm starting to think they're jinxed, do I need to change them or How can I get out of this jinx?

You are talking bs and you are right.

Since i switched back to my 20 year old rod pod i am god's chosen angler again, crazy catches. So maybe use your old alarms again?

In reply to Post #1
"So I'm starting to think they're jinxed, do I need to change them or How can I get out of this jinx?"

Follow these instructions very carefully - Hop on the spot 7 times with your right foot. At the same time cross your fingers on your left hand, while knocking on some wood with your right. After you've done this then proceed to sprinkle some sugar around your bivvy & hang a rabbit's foot above the doorway, by morning the curse should have lifted.

Failing that you can douse the alarms liberally with holy water.

In reply to Post #1
...just need new batteries in them...

To further increase the chance of lifting the curse, use a decent hookbait and put it in front of some hungry fish.

You're welcome

In reply to Post #1
Don't go there, no good for my mild OCD!

Far too many over the years, worst was the landing net, motif had to be facing upwards or nothing would go in it

And as a self confessed non tackle tart, since I have had some more double handled baitrunners for the rivers I have found that the handles must be in exactly the position on both rods otherwise it just grinds me ffs

Role on June the 16th

Superstitions.. what a load of old nonsense... touch wood...

In reply to Post #1
I'm in a similar situation, but for me it's been since a met a subbed at work that also fishes. Since meeting him I've been cursed, to the point last week that i finally hooked a fish on a new syndi I'm on only to lose it in a snag. I've fished about 20 nights and had one bite! 3 times now the person fishing the swim next to me has caught but I've had nothing. Seriously thinking I'm either jinxed or doing something really weonh

I'm glad it's not just me!

I'm even thinking the bobbins that match the colour of the run/latch might need to go too.

I think I'll try and find my old fox alarms and solar bobbins to see if it lifts the curse!

In reply to Post #1
New tackle syndrome

It is a thing..

In reply to Post #8
My bobbins are dice and all the 6s have to be facing me, even though I'm an odd numbers man lol

Weird that in my head I also have to count to nine 3 times as quickly as I can, that's 27 for good luck. Never really works ffs

In reply to Post #1
ALL NEW TACKLE is cursed . . . .you're just going to have to suck it up until you catch or re-instate your old un-cursed tackle . . . . I also suffer from

1 - Full Moons - complete waste of time (blanked last week . . again. Have NEVER caught anything let alone a monster common) on a full moon

2 - Magpies - a single magpie is natures way of saying your heading for a blank - spitting and saluting furiously whilst muttering 'good morning your lordship; how's your ladyship?' in a weird voice can help but its hit and miss . . .

3 - Magpies - two or more magpies - fkn happy days a' hauling! (unless its a full moon in which case no chance - go home)

4 - Landing nets - ALWAYS assemble your landing net before any other item of tackle (includes removing luggage from a barrow) and pack it away last - anything else is bad kharma (tbf this is actually a practical obsessive compulsion)

5 - Level banksticks / pods / reels / indicators - ALWAYS. This includes all spools being at the bottom of their stroke / all bail arm roller wheels at 12' o clock / all handles at 120 degrees / all handle knobs upright / all indicators level - no excuses - you will never catch with a wonky donkey set up (or don't deserve to at any rate)

6 - Counting Boilies - Oh yes; I still have to count in 7's - irrespective of whether I'm catapulting out / putting boiles in a spomb / bait boat hopper. Usual quants are 7 / 14 / 21 / 28, sometimes 35 . . . . . . strangely this 'rule' does not apply when I'm pre-baiting (but not fishing) or post session at which point I seemingly don't care . . . .

7 - Pay the lake - I now no longer have this compulsion (possibly since I've had kids) but regularly used to lob 50p / £1 coins in the lake after a decent session . . . . . . . .

8 - Like Zammo off Grange Hill - Just say no - don't do drugs kids . .

Always salute a passing kingfisher

In reply to Post #12
Yes, similar here, I always wish any Kingfishers I see good luck with their fishing !!

In reply to Post #11
Number 5 is the same as me but i also have a bubble app on my phone to make sure rods etc. are level.

In reply to Post #14
bubble app on my phone to make sure rods etc. are level.

OCD

In reply to Post #15
>>>bubble app on my phone to make sure rods etc. are level.

OCD <<<

Oddly enough, I am the same, rods have to be perfectly level or on an angle and butts perfectly aligned with each other etc and I carry a £1 12" plastic spirit level with one flat edge and a grooved edge for pipes etc which is ideal to fit rods and bars etc from Wilko's which I also use to level my bed.

But, I do it not because of superstitions, but I like to look at my rods every now and then, especcailly first thing in the morning and I can see if anything has happened during the night and a rod has been moved etc and I never heard the alarm.

In reply to Post #14
If you truly want you rods to be level then your phone is not going to do it.

LINKY POO™ Buy a proper level and paint it camou

In reply to Post #17
It's close but not perfect. More piece of mind cos if i dont check both rods i am constantly thinking that they arent level!

In reply to Post #11
Pay the lake ...
I used to do that when I first used new gear.

I do 100s of stupid rituals every bloody day and especially when fishing to get the baby Jesus and the universe on side. For a few months (sorry not sorry to share this habit as many will try) I have stacked stones, my record up until yesterday was 7 but after an hour of so hunting I managed a kent, national and possibly world record of 10. I had a smallish fish so not the result hoped for.

Oh and one thing that happened a month ago - I tried to put the exact amount of fuel in, but failed at £30 and the. £35, so with the odd pennies that would ruin the day I bought a sausage roll, lucozade and paper, imagine my delight when the cashier said that's £40 exactly - do I want a receipt? Hell yes I'm framing it.

In reply to Post #1
I don't have superstitions per say, I just have gut feelings. Gut feelings and negativity from those lead to a lack of effort. I won't even bother going these days if my gut tells me that there's too many factors both environmental and everyday life that will stop me putting 100% in.

I am one of those weirdos that believe in manifesting, and 'putting things out there'. I can only do what I can do, and as long as I know i've not half arsed things, then I can leave after a blank content that nature won on the day. On the flipside, If I can hear the fish boshing the other end of the lake at 5am before I pack up, then I know I got it wrong and use it as a learning point.

Every single session should be a lesson, and as long as I take something from both the blanks and the 'red letter days' then I'm happy.

In reply to Post #14
Like it like it - zero tolerance for wonky sh*t

In reply to Post #22
I'm the opposite. I use a Matrix rock steady pod, and I can't relax until I've got it steady at an improbable angle.

I have a small fluffy toy that my step daughters won at an arcade at a fair when they were younger and they gave it me to take with me when I fish,I keep it out on top of my radio and I'd like to think it has bought me a bit of luck as I had my PB from my local canal plus other fish too and the biggest in a public lake I fish too plus a good 3 days of luck as I had 5 fish in one session on said lake with 2 20's and an 18 for good measure.

Don't know if I class them as superstitions but I always do my left hand rod first, don't set-up the landing net until that first rod is out and boilies in totals of 7, usually 21 or 28.

Just always done it so more of a habit than superstition(s).

In reply to Post #25
That's a good point, I didn't realise that I do things in even numbers. Be it the volume on the radio, or how many half/dozen or two dozen baits I put around each rod, but if I think they are going to have it, I'll count in 50's

What a div

In reply to Post #26
You need to step up your boilie application game - 6 should be 7 . . . (the hookbait does not count) a dozen should be 14 . . carp know and are trained to spook from even numbers of freebies

It's not a superstition, but I do use a spirit level to get my bed level, I got fed up of having to hang on to it to stop rolling off . Guess what. As I have it with me I also use it to get my pod level. I find it easier to see if anythings moved if it's level, i e. Horizontal to the lake. I threw my "lucky sweatshirt " into the skip at the lake many years ago. When I realised it was actually cursed by the witch I used to live with.

In reply to Post #11
"2 - Magpies - a single magpie is natures way of saying your heading for a blank - spitting and saluting furiously whilst muttering 'good morning your lordship; how's your ladyship?' in a weird voice can help but its hit and miss . . ."

In reply to Post #18
If a jobs worth doing!
How can you live with yourself knowing your rods are close but not perfect.
Come on it will only play on your mind, you could blank!

Avoid old ladies who squint.

What a load of crap effort equals reward
As the great man himself once said “ superstition my ar#e “
Rods go on a pod what ever way they land bobbins all over the show net slung on top of reeds or in a tree
Looking for signs from the gods a fish hurling its self from the water is normally a good sign if this doesn't happen then chose a peg on watercraft or past experience that's hard work not superstition
Jinxed alarms b/s jinxed anything b/s it's life you chose the wrong peg or the wrong spot in the peg
I am a tackle tarts nightmare and ocd killer
Fish next to me at your peril as for one magpie his mate is dead it happens to us all get over it

In reply to Post #31
Are you sure you meant to say squint 😂😂😂

In reply to Post #31
The quote is from Sheringham's book Coarse Fishing, in the chapter on Carp and Tench.

''For some men I admit the usefulness of skill and pertinacity; for myself, I take my stand entirely on luck. To the novice I would say: Cultivate your luck. Prop it up with omens and signs of good purport. Watch for the Magpies on your path. Form the habit of avoiding old women who squint. Throw salt over your left shoulder. Touch wood with the forefinger of your right hand whenever you are not doing anything else. Be on friendly terms with a black cat. Turn your money under the new moon. Walk round ladders. Don't start on a Friday. Stir the materials for Christmas puddings, and wish. Perform all other such rites as you know or hear of. These things are important in Carp fishing''. Date- 1912.

In reply to Post #20
I have stacked stones, my record up until yesterday was 7

Now i know who started it on top of all those mountains

In reply to Post #35
I thought fishing was supposed to be stress free and relaxing, you lot need some therapy, and not the JS type.

In reply to Post #36
I thought fishing was supposed to be stress free and relaxing

It is, once everything is set up EXACTLEY as it should be

In reply to Post #35
Interesting fact. Did you know Stonehenge was built by a bunch of carp anglers while they were waiting for their tickets for a local syndicate

At all costs, you should avoid superstitions, its all bumkum, otherwise, they will "Cosume" you especiaily when you get to the lakeside and find you have left your lucky charm at home and think to yourself its pointless fishing as you are going to blank and it burns in your heart the whole session.

About 20 years ago, I always deemed it was unlucky not to consume a "Yorkie Bar" and two "Cadburies Dream" bars on arrival at the lakeside whilst I decided on what I was going to do and would always stop at the shop enroute to buy them. To forget was a tragedy on arrival at the lake. And when Cadburies stopped making "Dream Bars", I was devastated, and oddly enough, I still kept catching. And that superstition just started one day when I had took the said items with me, it became a habit because I eat a lot of chocolate. then a ritual, and then it became a superstion.

Then I have the "Lucky Stones" and definitely not alone with this one, sometimes when I am in a swim, I might see a stone that is a bit different to all the others and before I know it, its in my bag after giving it a rub to clean it and shine it up and then goes on every session and gets a "rub", along with all the others that are in my bag I have picked up over the months. Then one day, I clean my bag out, find all these stones, decide they are not that lucky and as an offering to the "Fishing God's", launch them out into the middle of the Lake with the catapult or drop them using the baitboat............and then start collecting again.

I could go on, things I have had over the past years back to 1968, lucky hat, lucky pillow, lucky spoon, lucky fishing jacket etc, non of them worked, but mentally disturbed me if I did not have them with me

Avoid superstitions. It can lead to you doing stupid things like when its 02:00 in the morning, freezing cold, pouring down with rain and you look at your bobbins and you see that handcrafted bobbin of a plastic dragon with glaring eyes you found in a Kinder egg is no longer looking out over the pond like its supposed to do, you start worrying you will blank and eventually you crack and get out of your nice warm sleeping bag to turn the bobbin round so that those glaring eyes once again draw all the hungry carp into your swim, or so you hope they will. When in fact, its just a load of nonsence

I'm not one for superstitions but when I first got a car about 15 years ago, there'd be certain songs that I heard on the radio to the lakes that I'd consider "lucky" when I ever had a good result. Tears for Fears was playing on the way to the lake when I caught my first 30lber and so for a period afterwards, I'd always put it on when driving to go fishing. I obviously knew full well it was nonsense but it became a nice little ritual that I look back on fondly.

In reply to Post #39
In truth my OCD has got a lot better in more recent years . . . .
and I've pretty much exhausted the magpie ting; but at its height (20+ yrs ago) I actually turned around (with a gear laden car) when I got to the lake once after seeing one (and not seeing a pair / multiples afterwards) and went straight home, such was my belief in its absolute evil anti carp catching presence . . . . insane!

In reply to Post #18
I don't use my Fox Ranger pod very often, but when I do I enjoy the fact it has a spirit level built in both front and back. Even has little snap on black cover to hide it once things are 'on the level'

Yes, spools must be oscillated back down to lowest setting to make reel Short, not Long Wheel Base

Line rollers at top

Baitrunner clutches (Tech MgS XTB) I have the drag facing north to south so I can see all rods are in bait runner mode (smaller inner drag dial is then used to get correct tension for bait runner style use)

When clipping rods back into their rests, rear of reel seat is 4 fingers from butt rest on all rods (quick and easy to do by holding blank as you slide the rod into the correct position)

Alarms set as Red, White and Blue...so I can tell from the colour which rod has the movement from the colour. Green for 4th rod on certain venues.

Many more little tweaks, some of which may even help the fishing...rather than just the OCD

Caught a fish on newly rebuilt rods within 5 minutes of casting out. This on a lake that I caught ONE FISH from in about 25 trips last year. Not sure if this is good or bad.

I finally broke my curse after picking up some cheapo rods off the bay and catching on my first and second trips using them.

Third trip I blanked tho, but hopefully that was just a blip

In reply to Post #44
Did you buy 3 rods ? A lot of times, good things come in pairs

In reply to Post #45
Only one superstition for me, lots and lots of OCD (Tidy bivvy, level rods, kit in a certain place etc) but my superstition only started when I had my boy.

Each time I go, he gives me one of his toys to take with me and I've been known to turn around an hour from home if he or I forget. Just can't fish without having something from him!!

Last time it was a big red Hulk!!

Not really a superstition but with me its always Bivvy first thing set up and last thing to pack down.

In reply to Post #43
This is good but tbf they were 're-built' so not technically new and therefore not cursed . . .

In reply to Post #45
No mate only two. But I did have three of the ones I was using two of before

In reply to Post #48
OK, feeling a bit better now.

In reply to Post #48
Triggers Broom?