Zen and the Art of Carp Fishing

Carp fishing isn't always easy. Blanking, aka not catching fish, happens sometimes. And it is frustrating.

• My first inclination is to start re-casting more frequently
• Second, I change packbait ingredients
• Then I change hookbait flavor or types
• If all else fails to work, I typically pray for bites :-)
• I also try different spots within a swim starting medium, near and far distances to find the shoals of fish

Any time a new area is being fished for the first time, a blank is always a possibility. It's the nature of exploration. 

It takes a while to find all the ins and outs of a venue. I fish two swims that produce fish in very defined areas spanning 10 to 20 feet square. One is a small opening in the thick weed bed and the other is a drop off immediately beyond a flat "shelf". Those characteristics take time to locate and understand in any new spot.

I have learned that blanking becomes easier on my ego if I place less emphasis on catching fish and more emphasis on enjoying the process and being mindful of "not being mindful".

Here's the formal definition from Wikipedia:

Zen is an expression meaning mind without mind - and a state of no-mindedness. The mind is not occupied by thought or emotion.

With the "zen" approach, it becomes less about disappointment and more about enjoying being outside in nature.

May you find your zen during the next fishing session.

Or, to put it another way (in the words of famed philosopher Immanuel Kant), find your "purposeless purpose", meaning "to escape the rat race."

Fishing for "no purpose" is the best kind of meditation (and medicine for the mind).