Reflecting on 2 days fishing on Lough Conn as part of the annual Lough Conn and Culling Anglers and DTAA weekender in Crossmolina, I’m reminded of the vast array of expressions we use to describe the act of not catching fish. In fairness, it’s far more common to not catch a fish and therefore it makes sense that we anglers have a rich vocabulary to talk through and unpack the normal experience of fishing. Sure as many an angler has replied when as how many fish they caught: if it was about catching fish they’d have called it catching and not fishing.

So let’s start, in no particular order, a dictionary of not catching fish:

I missed one

I had one

I lost one

I stirred one

I brought up one

I rose one

I had an offer

I didn’t even have an offer

I broke in one

It got off

It broke me

It came short

It followed me

It splashed at me

It came over my flies

It had a look

They weren’t up

They weren’t on it/them

They’re on the bottom

They’re on snails

They’re on hog lice

There’s too much weed

They are just not there

I had the wrong size
I had the wrong colour
I felt it on

I saw the boil

They’re not taking the fly properly yet

There’s too much blue in the sky

The wind isn’t right

It’s too bright

There’s no fly

There’s too much fly

If you have any other ways of describing a lost or missed fish please add it in the comments below.