Fishing from the Spit at Beaurepaire

We join a group of Dutch anglers fishing from the spit at Beaurepaire in June ’12… & the German Vs Holland Euro football match disrupts the proceedings.

Angling holidays at Beaurepaire

Oakview – Ken the Carp Whisperer

Filmed over a two week period in June, Ken Beckingham banks a new lake record and Darren Palmer has a great session fishing the Oakview ‘bowl’.

Is Ken a carp whisperer?

 Carp fishing in France with accommodation at Oakview

Margot’s haul to date – 28,737lb of Carp over 13 Weeks

Rob Allen 65lb 8oz – Lake Record

After 13 weeks of guests at Margot, we have analysed all of the catch reports that we collect from the anglers on Friday afternoons.  Bearing in mind that these reports don’t include any catches for Friday evening/night or Saturday morning, the figures are impressive.

Whilst Margot can accommodate 8 anglers, during the first 13 weeks of the season, 76 anglers have caught an astounding total of28,737lb of fish.

Marcus Gallop – 59lb 11oz

The figures are made up as follows:

Carp: 734 total (23,375lb), Commons and Mirrors -

3 x 60′s to 65-8 (Lake record, Rob Allen April 2012)

12 x 50′s to 59-11

88 x 40′s to 49-12

342 x 30′s to 39-14

262 x 20′s to 29-12 (142 of which were 25lb +)

27 x under 20′s

Koi Carp: 15 – weighing a total of 344lb, sizes ranging from the smallest at 12-3 to the largest at 34lb

Cats:  11 – weighing  a total of 607lb, sizes ranging from 26-4 to a massive 135lb (sadly the angler who caught this giant left before we could collect a photo).

Damien Edwards – 59lb 4oz

Sturgeon: 5 – weighing a total of 177lb, all 30′s

Grass Carp: 157 – weighing a total of 4225lb and comprising 1 x 50-4, 22 x 40′s to 48-6, 38 x 30′s to 39-0, 48 x 20′s to 29-3 and 48 x under 20′s

Plus a Zander at 9lb 2oz, which the angler, Mark Bushell, was extremely proud of !

So, the chances of having at 40lb carp on the bank are high and even higher  for each angler  having several 30′s… and of course a 50 or even a 60 are not impossible odds!

Carp Fishing in France at Margot

The Ridgehill Angling Club Fish Malvoisine

In June ’12 four adult members of the Ridgehill Angling Club took the junior section, aged 12 to 19, on a carp fishing trip to Malvoisine. A great time was had by all & our cameras were there to capture a flavour of the trip.

Lakes in France with Angling Lines

Commons Lake – Amazing Statistics!

49lb – the new Commons Record

We thought that after 9 weeks of clients at Commons Lake, we would publish an analysis of the catch reports that we have collected so far this year. Bearing in mind that the catch reports are collected from the anglers on the Friday (usually around mid-day) and as such don’t include Friday afternoon / evening / night catches nor anything else caught whilst packing down on Saturday mornings, these are the amazing statistics so far this season:

Over 9 weeks and a total of just 31 anglers, there have been 404 Carp and 14 Cats taken from Commons.

48.13

The 404 carp are made up by the following:

*  27 x 40′s to 49lb 4oz (Lake record – Ian Penny in April 2012)

*  149 x 30′s to 39lb 14oz

*  223 x 20′s to 29lb 14oz

only 5 x under 20′s

And that’s an astounding average size of 28lb 9oz over the 404 reported catches.

The Cats – 14 of them – range in size from 51lb to 82lb – an average of 67lb.

There were also a few Grass Carp, but such a small number that they aren’t really worth mentioning.

The total numbers so far this season come to (give or take a few ounces);

*  11,973lb of Carp

*  and 940lb of Cats.

46lb

All of these catches can be verified from the catch reports – a copy of these are available in the mobile home at Commons Lake for everyone to see.

So, if you are lucky enough to be booked on Commons Lake this year, what are the odds of you catching a 40+ or even a number of high 30′s?…. just check out these statistics.

Fishing France at Commons Lake

Fish ‘n’ Chips at Notaires

Size of the RFID chip

We have initiated a programme to chip our fish in the Notaires lakes using tiny injectable RFID chips. This is partly as theft deterrent but mainly as a management tool. There is a saying that if you can’t measure it, then you can’t manage it.

The App

We have started the chipping on a progressive basis. Rather than netting all the fish, we are chipping them as they are caught,  starting with the larger or more notable fish. If you like, on capturing a fish that we then tag, you can be the person to name that fish. The name will then be recorded in the database.

I’ve written a small app for mobiles so that you can look up the history of any tagged fish you catch at the lakeside. It displays the id, name, capture dates, the weight and some photographs. The address of the app will be made available after you book your fishing holiday with us.

Fishing Holidays at Notaires

Three Scale Mirror Carp Hits 44lb at Roseau Small Lake

This morning (Wednesday 13^th June) saw one of Roseau guests, Mark Crawley, land Three Scale at a personal best weight and a new high for the fish of 44lb.

Mark, fishing to the boilie area as advised by the bailiff’s received the take at 01:15 and after a very spirited fight slipped the net under this awesome creature.

This is Three Scale’s 3^rd capture this season and has gained weight consistently, previous captures were 37lb 04oz, 41lb 06oz and now 44lb, she has most definitely got room for growth and our predictions are that in the not too distant future she will top the 50lb mark.

The first angler to achieve this weight with Three Scale will win a free weeks fishing on Roseau Small Lake.

Carp Fishing France at Roseau Small

Catfish Record Smashed at Molyneux

When Helen and I arrived at Molyneux the start of last year the Catfish record stood at 45lb. All through last year we had a number of 40lb plus captures but again the largest for the season weighed in at 45lb.

This puzzled me slightly as surely there must be larger in the lake?

This season that has been increased slightly with a 45lb 12oz fish being caught only two weeks ago by Jason.

Last night though it was broken in grand style, with a monsterous cat of 58lb, caught by an angler named Luke from the double swim.  An incredible beast almost 13lb larger than the previous record.

I can only assume that it has been growing steadily away and has maybe not been landed for the last couple of years, maybe even lost a couple of times.

It’s further confirmation in my belief that Molyneux really is a truly special place with potential in the next few years to produce some really astounding carp and catfishing. The amount of pb’s already caught both for the anglers and the lake is testament to all the hard work we have put in over the last 18months and the and general wellbeing of the lake and quality of the water.

Pics to follow…

Molyneux French Carp Lakes

A Photo of the Lake Bed at Lords

Here’s a pic from Sept ’09, showing the Lords lake bed just before it was filled with water.  Current depth varies between 3 and 6 foot.

French carp at Lords Lake

Water Levels at Beaurepaire

Because the water levels do vary at Beaurepaire we often get asked what should be expected.  Here’s the levels at 12th June ’12 after an averagely wet spring.

Angling holidays at Beaurepaire

2 x 60lb+ Carp for Laroussi Anglers

Kenneth Anderson & 3 mates fished Laroussi w/c 26th May and had 2 mirrors of 60lb+

* 60.00

* 67.05

Full Report Here

60.00

67.05

Carp Fishing in France at Laroussi

Research, research… it pays off!

I often get ask by anglers when they arrive what are the best tactics to use, what bait catches the most, what fish are in the lake and all the other information we anglers like to know.   But of course once you are here it’s too late to pack that extra rod or bring that item of tackle and that’s why I always say to my guests please look at the Angling Lines Website as it’s full of good information… these are the things that I believe can make your holiday a much better one.

Speak to the ladies at Angling Lines before you book a venue – they know all the venues and can advise you on the best one for you based on what you tell them.

Once you have got your list of possible sites sit and read about the venue, read all the feedback, what’s in the local area in case you want to go out and about  - make sure it’s what you want and will be somewhere you’ll enjoy being at.

I can only speak for myself at Bletiere but I’m more than happy to phone you and talk about the venue, tactics and anything else that you wish to know; this is a great way for you to get first hand information and gives you a chance to make contact with the owner.

As the holiday gets closer start to look at the weekly feedbacks to see what bait is catching and what tactics are working – it helps you to know what to pack and what tackle to leave out.  I often get anglers arrive and say they didn’t realise that we have tench and crucians in the lake & wish they’d brought their float gear.  This is when looking at the site and speaking to the owner pays off.

When you arrive at the venue the first thing you want to do is unload the car and get fishing but please give yourself  some time to walk round the venue, talk to the owner and ask questions about the lake and what swims are best – this 30  minutes can make your stay much more productive.

I only want you to catch as many carp as you can so I will always help and advise you whenever I can.  Any advice I give is aimed at helping, I’m not here to try and sell you as much bait or tackle as I can.  In fact I often tell anglers to use less bait!  All I want, and most owners are the same I’m sure, is to see you enjoy yourselves.

Don’t be afraid to ask the owner for advice once you are set up.  We are here every day and see all sorts of anglers.  I know I still learn a lot from my guests and will always be happy to pass this knowledge on.

This is my home and I’m proud of what we have achieved and I will always help you to catch as much as possible and make your stay for you and your families as pleasant as possible.  So please if you book our venue don’t be afraid to make contact, I’m always happy y to help.

Just a few thoughts of mine and only based on our venue but I am sure most owners would feel the same.

Tight lines and I look forward to meeting you soon.

John

Fishing Holidays at Bletiere

A Great Week of Carp Fishing at Roseau

Week commencing 12^th May saw the arrival of a party of ten anglers who had booked Roseau large lake on an exclusive basis.

Saturday morning saw them parked at the main gate waiting in anticipation of the weeks angling ahead.  I hurriedly walked up to open the gates to our guests and a whole new week.  Back at the lodge we said hello to Keith, Peter & Linda, Derek, Mark, James, Mel, Fred, Ben aka Skuba Steve, Ady and king nosh Chris.

We commenced with the formality tea drinking exercise, with the exception of Mark who cracked open a 1664, and why not, his on holiday! I walked them all around informing them of areas to fish, depths etc.  Luckily for me the group had drawn for pegs prior to coming so it was a simple task of getting the kit to the relevant pegs, once sorted I left them to it until dinner that evening.

Dinner time arrived and to be honest the group looked like they could have stayed in the bivvy’s for the night.  That aside they arrived with greeting smiles and lots of enthusiasm, the Spag Bowl went down a treat and they soon headed back for some much needed sleep.

38lb 12oz - caught by Ben

Unfortunately that didn’t happen for some as the fish were hungry and fed from the off – Keith taking a big Common of 40lb 13oz within hours of setting up, well done mate!

The fishing was good considering the weather we had during the week with rain, sleet, sun, you name it we had it, over the course of their week they landed;

* 2 x 40’s

* 18 x 30’s

* 90 x 20’s

The boys really enjoyed it as they had previously had a bad experience in France.  To see anglers enjoying themselves on their annual holiday comes as a great pleasure to myself & Dave and makes the hard work we do here at Roseau more satisfying.

It was a great pleasure in having the group here with us, we both thoroughly enjoyed their company and hope for a return one day.  Thanks for a great week boys.

A special thank you must go to Linda for her swift reaction to an incident earlier in the week, I’m sure if Linda’s actions and experience was anything less this lake article would be completely different, thanks Linda.

Tight Lines, Roy, Head Bailiff

Fishing France at Roseau

Free Running and Dropper Carp Rigs

Free Running and Dropper Rigs

by Chas Cook

A large proportion of anglers carp fishing in France still prefer to use free running lead set-ups incorporating little or no bolt effect.  This combination of no bolt effect, slack lines and slack bait runners results in many anglers missing many takes, or when the anglers are winding down to the carp and striking to set the hooks, the carp either pull the hooks or cut themselves off.

The bolt effect in the rig I’m about to describe is achieved by the swivel being pushed firmly home into the Fox in-line sleeve.  This set-up lends itself to fishing to open water marks and is very good on lakes with silty bottoms and also with some weed cover.  When casting this rig to the anglers’ spots the multiple pva foamed hook length feathers the lead through the water bringing it to rest as shown in Photo 9 below.  The rig is also good on waters where there is heavy silt.

Using this rig, I have caught many wary carp on pressured venues.  When the bait enters the carp’s mouth, the weight of the lead pricks the carp and as soon as it tries to dislodge the hook by shaking it’s head or spinning on the spot, the swivel pulls from the lead and the rig immediately becomes a free running set-up.  The carp believes it has dislodged the lead set-up and rapidly leaves the area, resulting in a one-toner take.

The rig can be used with a pop-up or bottom bait or critically balanced bait set-up;  the mainline is fished slack and bait runners are engaged.  It is the only time I use bait runners.

The Free Running Rig This rig has been shown in past UK carp magazines and retains the lead.  It is a free running rig incorporating a bolt effect and is for slack lines and baitrunners. Component parts; *  3oz – 5oz distance lead *  Fox inline inner sleeve

YOU CAN READ THE FULL ARTICLE HERE

Carp Fishing in France

A Tactical Approach to Carp Fishing at Margot

It has been over 6 years since I visited the Premier Big fish water of Margot. It was back in August of 2006 when Jim Kelly and I made our visit to the lake as test anglers for Angling Lines. The temperatures were in the late thirties early forties, blistering hot but we still managed to catch plenty of carp. At that time Margot did have its problems, with low water levels, lots of weed and the lake was full of Poisson chat.

This time it is mid May of 2012 when I arrived at the Margot along with my fishing companion, Phil Russell. The temperatures were in the mid teens and the forecast was for bright sunny days at the beginning of our week and turning changeable towards the end of the week. The water level was high, almost to the top of the banks and there was little sign of weed and no reports of Poisson chat problems.

Lake improvements and facilities

The facilities are 1^st class for a bivvy only water, excellent shower, toilet, washroom, plenty of freezer and fridge capacity, plenty of electric points for charging bait boats etc, and a fully equipped kitchen, with oven, grill, electric rings, and microwave.

All the swims have been either extended out into the lake, or the margins have been deepened for landing fish. Each swim is now provided with a Nash Monster carp cradle and large rubber horse mats.

All the swims have vehicular access and all have plenty of water in front of them to apply 4 rods with ease.

Another asset to the lake is the bread deliveries that are made to the lake each morning by a local Baker who supplies, baguettes, croissants and cakes

Arrival at the Lake

The previous week’s anglers had numbered 8 in total, so every available swim had been fished, with 7 out of the 8 anglers using bait boats. Mark Bushell had already completed one week in swim 5 and was there for his second spell on the lake. Only one other angler was to join us and that was Alex Shepherd.

We sorted out our swims with Mark moving into swim 6, Alex in swim 8, Phil in swim 4 and I dropped in swim 3.

Tactics

Now my usual tactics for a lake of Margot’s size, this being around 19 acres, would be to start off fishing with single baits or PVA bags and introducing bait slowly until I had built up a feeding pattern. On this occasion I decided on a different approach due to the fact that there had been 7 anglers on the lake with bait boats.

I envisaged that there would be a large spread of bait all around the centre of the lake.

READ THE FULL ARTICLE HERE

Carp Fishing in France

The results of the Winter Work at Vaux

The platform double swim

Once again major work at the top end of the Vaux continued throughout the winter of 2011/12.

We removed (we hope!) the last of the old tree stumps and tops of trees which had been blown into the lake many years ago.

In addition, some 45 small trees were removed from the area, some growing in the water and the others along the bank.  The top was dug out again to further extend this area of the lake.

First double swim as it is now

The shrubs along the fishing bank were all cut right back to allow anglers more access to the water; one large shrub has been completely removed from the first double swim giving the swim all round access to the lake, a true double swim.

The platform and all other decking were covered with non-slip materials and the remaining paths with geotextile.

Lastly, carp are now prevented from swimming beneath the large platform.

Hard work… but worth it!

Fishing Holiday at Vaux

Bivvy Power Lights the Way!

Power Pack and Lighting system sets available for hire at Glehias for 15 euros per set per week.

Complete set includes:

Power Pack, Charger, Internal Light and External Light with Remote Control.

The ‘Remote Lighting System’ not only allows you to illuminate your bivvy, but the area outside it too… and all from a remote control fob which you can attach to a necklace and wear to bed!

So, in that moment of urgency, when you are awoken in the dark by a screaming run, you can illuminate the situation immediately and see exactly what you are doing. The interior lighting is so good you could even tie rigs in your bivvy in the middle of the night without a struggle!

The power pack is small and is incredibly long lasting.  It will power a portable DVD player for up to 10 hours of film play or run your lighting for over 50 hours of continuous use.  Not to mention you can use it to charge your phone, PSP, MP3 players etc, in fact anything you can run in your car on the 12 volt car socket, you can run on ‘Bivvy Power’.

The system is seriously impressive… so easy to set up, robust and weather proof, once you’ve tried it, this is one product that you won’t want to be bankside without!

French carp fishing

Good Times with Old Friends at Molyneux

Molyneux Report to 12th May 2012;

As I mentioned at the end of last week’s report, we were expecting some very important guests at Molyneux… our very good friends Oz and Caroline were travelling over to spend the week with us.

We have known them both for a few years now as we used to fish the same syndicate lake in Cambridgeshire and having similar outlooks on life; we became firm friends and have kept in touch even after we moved away. Work commitments meant they couldn’t get over last year, so a date had been set for this year. They arrived late on Friday afternoon, and as luck would have it they were the only people on the lake that week.  After they had got themselves sorted and unpacked we cracked open a few beers and sat down to catch up over a lovely evening meal prepared by Helen.

Oz and Caroline were staying in the cabin, at least initially, and come Saturday morning Oz was eager to get his rods out after seeing a few fish topping out in front of the swim. Being a very good and precise angler I didn’t think he would take too long before he got amongst the fish.

It didn’t take him long at all and he had caught a couple of good carp in the early hours of Saturday morning. After breakfast, I took him out in the boat and we had a prod around the swim, and I showed him where I thought he would be advised to spread a little bait.  Thankfully the fish were playing ball and the spots proved to be good ones, as he continued catching at a steady rate during the course of the first few days.

After the initial rush to get his rods in, the week took a much more relaxed turn, and we spent long lazy days enjoying a beer or three, and chatting about good times we had spent together on Grenville. It was also very nice for Helen to have a little female company and have a conversation which didn’t involve carp, catfish and pb’s!

We even had a day out which was wonderful, as we are normally so busy around the place with anglers, or preparing for anglers to arrive that we have little chance to get out and about to do the sightseeing bit. We went to Monet’s Garden and house, which is only around 9-10 km away in a lovely little place called Giverny.  Whilst I know not many anglers are interested in doing much other than catching fish when over here it really is a beautiful place, and well worth a visit to see the gardens and of course lake where most of his painting was actually done.

Oz decided that for the last night he and Caroline would like to sleep out in the bivvy, and give another swim a go, just so they could wake up in a bivvy during their stay.

They moved into the double swim on the Friday afternoon and after an unhurried dinner of cheese, pate, French bread, chorizo, and wine with the odd beer or two to wash it all down nicely, they wandered around to the swim, where Caroline actually managed to catch herself a monster of a carp at 38lb 8oz on Oz’ rods. A man of the utmost generosity I think you would agree!

Sadly Saturday morning rolled around again all too quickly, we had enjoyed a fantastic week with old friends and it had almost seemed like being on holiday ourselves which was a welcome break to be honest after the hectic start to the year we have seen.

Oz and Caroline set off for home, with a promise to come and see us again next year, and we truly can’t wait.

Oz’s tally for the week was as follows;

26lb, 27lb, 28lb, 29lb, 29lb 4oz, 30lb 2oz, 34lb, 35lb 8oz, 37lb, 21lb Common, 27lb, 38lb, 25lb, 26lb, 34lb, 38lb, and a 30lb catfish.

He also lost probably around six fish as they kited left from his spot across toward the snag tree to the left of the cabin swim.

A cracking weeks angling, when you consider that most of every day was spent socializing.

Awesome to see you both looking so well, and great to be able to spend as much time together as we did. We look forward to your next visit with great anticipation.

French Carp Lakes

Angling Lines May Webcast

In this edition we bring you up to date with all the 2012 carp captures, Billy’s “Living the dream” series… and focus on some great family carping trips.

Carp Fishing in France

Record Leather Carp for Bletiere

30.12 the new record Leather carp for Bletiere

Glen and Dave visited Bletiere (w/c 26th May) and despite some very mixed weather (and the carp finishing off spawning) they caught some good fish.

Glen had already broke his pb when he outfoxed the new record leather for Bletiere.  At 30lb 12oz it broke the previous best leather by over 2½lb.

Tight lines, John

Fishing Holidays at Bletiere