Nice And Easy Does It

Below is field tester Shaun Harrison's review of last week's trip to Brocard Large...

The flames of a soothing fire are flickering away taking the slight chill away from what was an empty house last week. It is the first time I have had to light it this autumn but I guess I have finally admitted that winter is gently knocking on the door.

Outside, the sky is heavy and leaden with rain, whilst the wind blows a storm of leaves from the trees in my garden. Inside I feel a warm glow of inner contentment whilst allowing time to relax in my favourite chair and look back over this last week which has provided me with so many more fond memories. I have had an incredible year this year angling wise and as the weather finally looks as though it could be starting to close in and end another summer of my life I feel I have said goodbye to it in a fine way indeed.

As much as I love my winter angling I think as the years progress I now prefer the warmer months. Summer seems to fly by each year, whereas the older I get the longer the winter months appear to take to pass. Because of this I try to get away from our shores at the end of each winter to start a new summer and again just before the really cold weather kicks in to say goodbye to the warmer weather.

A Pioneer’s Dream Lake – Field Testing Tales

Paul Cooper and Jim Kelly were out again on a field testing trip to a brand new Angling Lines venue, Nautica. Having thoroughly tested this venue twice now with great results, below is Paul's report on his time there...

The Lake

Nautica is a 17 acre wild and natural French lake set deep in rural France, around 150 miles South of Paris. With around two thirds of the lake being totally reed-lined this surely is a carp anglers dream come true.

Our target for the week. The big male at 62lb 4oz

The owner, Guillaume Rousselet, a well known big French carp angler, took control of the lake last year. He has tried to keep the lake wild and as natural as possible, and yet create a fishery that will attract keen big carp anglers to its precious shores.

Winter is Coming

It's approaching that time of year again when the carp go on a massive feed before the Winter sets in. September and October are, in my opinion, the best times of the year for a number of reasons.

21lb 13oz on new bait, September

Firstly, the carp should have fully recovered from this years spawning and will now be at their natural weights. Any weight gain for next year will be made in the next few weeks as the carp prepare for the winter and begin to develop their eggs for the next years spawning. Over the next 6 weeks the fish will be feeding hard and can be caught over large beds of bait. Most of the weed has died or is dying back make natural food abundant in open water. If you can compete with the naturals with a good quality boilie you could have some excellent results.

Boux carp caught Mid-October at 49lb 14oz

Now is the time that I start to reduce the size of my boilies from 18 mils down to 15mils or even smaller. The water should be getting cooler so I never over flavour any bait at this time of year and I will be working towards reducing the fishmeal content and oils down to zero as winter sets in. Also I stop using  particles and pellets and go to a boilies only approach.

Another October English carp at 24lb 12oz

I am off to Old Oaks this weekend with David Keep of Angling Lines, and although the usual approach for this water is particles and boilies, I aim to stick to my principals with a boilie only approach. The boilies we will be using are provided by Quality Baits in the new HG All Seasons and the ever faithful Patshull Park with a new combination of flavours and essential oil. I have been putting the new baits through their paces over the past fortnight resulting in captures of carp on all of my 4 trips, each lasting no more than 3 hours.

November and they are still on the feed

Shortly after returning from Old Oaks I will be preparing for a trip to Brocard with Jim Kelly. This should take me through to mid October so hopefully I will have a few decent weeks of fishing left before the cold days set in.

Paul Cooper

For more field testing tales click herePaul Cooper 2013 Fishing Diary

Hail and cold water - Was this really August?

I was very fortunate to fish Jonchery's smaller counterpart, Jonchery 7, earlier this year. During my visit I took the opportunity to do a few laps of the main Jonchery lake.  On my way around I chatted with the anglers and was amazed to find that some had been coming since they were children, others only fished at Jonchery and visited six or seven times a year! That’s a measure of their loyalty that I haven’t seen at other French waters and speaks volumes for the venue, the fish, the facilities and of course the owners who manage it.

It’s an easy drive to Jonchery straight down the A26 motorway onto the new Reims ring road and down towards Troyes. As we motored along we chased dark storm clouds and eventually overtook them. At the venue we chose swim 2. I had seriously hurt my back putting the whole trip in jeopardy so we took the swim nearest to the car and the facilities. We quickly put up our camp and as I organised my bivvy the storm caught up with us. There had been a heatwave in the weeks preceding our trip and suddenly there was torrential rain and massive hailstones in August!  Over the next few hours the water temperature went from bath water to cold water. We were unsure whether the influx of cold water into the lake was a good or a bad thing, only time would tell.

We quickly set up our camp...

All the swims on Jonchery are doubles so Phil took the right hand side and I took the left. I was happy as I’d seen fish showing only two or three rod lengths out about sixty yards along the bank.

The Lake of the Giants, this is Vaumigny – Field Testing Tales

Its the last week in May of 2013 and Ron Key and I are off to test yet another new lake for Angling Lines, Vaumigny…

The beautiful clear water of Vaumigny

Vaumigny lake is 37 acres and set in a beautiful country location to the South West of Paris. Totally surrounded by overhanging trees and woodland the lake has a very natural look for a commercial fishery. The lake is shared with Dutch, French and Belgian anglers so there is a multi-national feel to the place.

Thierry with his huge sturgeon, the same one that I lost.

The lake

Etang De Vaumigny was dug out some 80 years ago forming a 37 acre gravel pit. It is situated South West of Paris and for the last 18 years the lake and its 2 sister lakes have been owned by Frank’s family.

A View from Swim 10

All the banks are lined with overhanging trees and some of the margins are littered with fallen branches, creating an ideal habitat for all species of fish. There is an island situated some 70 yards off the overgrown Northern bank which falls into the waters of swims 1, 15 and 16. These swims give access to the Northern margins and the island margins. The other end of he lake is the location of Frank’s lodge and the facilities. Just in front of the Lodge is a strip of tree-lined land that sticks out into the lake for about 100 yards and separates swims 6 and 7 from swim 8. All the other swims on the lake have open water to cast to.

Frank manages Vaumigny which carries a stock of between 900 and 1000 carp, with nearly half being over 30lb and a good head of 40lb+ fish to weights just under 70lb of carp. There are 16 Sturgeon to over 100lb and catfish to 160lb also present in the lake.

One of the first fish out of the lake, a 39lb 14oz mirror

There are a total of 16 swims, some being doubles, all with ample room to erect a bivvy and plenty of fishing space. Some of the swims have steep banks down to the waters edge, but most have gentle slopes. The depths range from 1.5 meters to 3 meters with the lake bottom varying in its make up, from silt, sand, and in places hard rock. There are a few sunken snags in the lake which can be avoided with the help of Frank, who knows his water like the back of his hand.

Most of margins are deep with overhanging trees creating a truly picturesque lake.

View from Swim 7

Swim 8

Facilities

Freek with a 37

Frank has a lodge at the Southern end of the lake between swims 7 and 8. Part of the lodge contains the fisherman’s facilities consisting of a single toilet and shower, and 2 fridge freezer’s. Also there are numerous electrical charging points which do require English adaptors.

Although basic, the facilities are kept clean and tidy and hot water is available at the turn of a tap. Frank has a menagerie of chickens and geese that roam the lake and are regular visitors to the nearby swims to Frank’s lodge.

There are 6 one man punts for hire which can be used to rescue snagged fish, and put out bait etc. There are also 2 wheel barrows for transporting tackle to swims 8 to 13, and you will need them as the swims are well spaced.

John with a 32

The Fishing

On arriving at the lake Ron and I received a warm welcome from Frank. We were aware that swims 1( a double swim), 15 and 16 were already taken by 2 Belgian anglers and 2 Dutch Anglers, these swims having one of the main features in the lake, a large island to the North of the lake. We had the rest of the lake to choose from and we spent the first few hours walking the flat banks of the lake. Vehicle access was available to all swims with the exception of swims 8 to 14.

I settled into swim 7 which gave me access to a large expanse of open water and the point of a tree lined peninsular. Ron chose swim 3 giving him a vast amount of open water to plan his fishing for the week.

Flat bank’s overlooking swim 6

Ron’s choice of bait was Quest Chilli Chocolate and Magnum White, while I went with my Quality Baits CM60. We both started off by plumbing and leading the swims in front of us to find the best locations to start our baiting campaign. Frank informed us that the previous week had produced 1 carp of 59lbs, an impressive fish but obviously they weren’t getting their heads down. The wind was pushing up towards the  other end of the lake so I was expecting a slow start to the week.

36lb 2oz

After plumbing and leading the water in front of me I selected an area some 40 yards out in open water to put 2 rods with the remaining rod being cast to the margins of the peninsular. I spombed out 18 mil CM60 onto my open water rod and used the throwing stick to get a fair supply of boilies onto the margin rod.

The first action came to my margin rod at around 1am on the Sunday morning and by dawn I had landed carp of 39lb 14oz, 36lb 2oz and 2 other upper twenties. Ron’s indicators remained silent.

Michael landed this 53lb specimen

The wind pushed in the direction of the North and seemed to keep most of the fish around the snaggy margins of the North bank and the island. I continued to pick up the odd fish during the hours of darkness. Ron had a couple of runs but missed the opportunity to land them.

Freek made the best of his swim

On Monday night I moved into swim 7 which gives access to the bay at the side of the peninsular. I was aware that there are snags under the marginal trees, but I did not at that time realise to what extent. I soon came to find out. During the night I had 3 runs 2 hook pulls due to the overhanging trees and I lost what I believed to be a huge carp in the snags. I felt the line grate and then part at the swivel.

Before dawn I was on the move back to swim 6. I could not see the point of loosing fish and tackle to the snags. If I had carried on I would have been fishing irresponsibly. I settled in swim 6 for the duration of the week and Ron decided on a move in torrential rain to swim 8, on the opposite side of the peninsular to myself.

38 dutch pounds

On Wednesday afternoon, Martin from Angling Lines arrived at the lake, hopefully to capture some video footage of Ron or myself landing some of the lakes inhabitants. Fat chance of that, neither Ron or myself had a run in the 2 days that Martin was with us. Fortunately the Dutch and Belgium guys were still on fish and Martin managed to get a huge sturgeon over 100lb on film, a 53lb carp and a couple of upper twenties.

Martin getting footage of the action

I was present when the sturgeon was landed by Thierry. Luckily the hook on the end of his line had caught on the swivel of anther hook link that had another hook deeply embedded in the sturgeons thick lips. Once safely landed we removed the other hooklink which turned out to be the one that I lost in what I thought was a huge carp in swim 6. Well I can truly say that this was the one that got away.

Ron made the best of his the new wind – 32lb 8oz

34lb 4oz

Thursday evening and Martin packed up his video equipment and was on the road back to Oakview.

It was shortly after his departure that the weather changed. A deluge of heavy rain blown on by a strong wind pushed down our side of the lake straight into the face of Ron who was still camped in Swim 8. I remained in swim 6, right opposite Ron and was catching the side of the wind, it was enough as the action began to happen. By first light in the morning the wind dropped, and we had both benefited with 5 carp each to our names. A busy night with one more run at lunchtime for Ron.

The wind had eased and so had the fishing, however around 3am on the Saturday morning Both Ron and I had a 30lb+ carp each, nicely rounding off a week’s fishing at Vaumigny.

Ron’s prize of the bunch – 43lb 8oz

One of my few daylight caught fish – 33lb 6oz

Ron’s fish all fell in a 26 hour period starting from the early hours of Friday morning and amounted to mirrors of 43lb 8oz, 34lb 4oz, 32lb 8oz, 30lb 2oz and 3 twenties.

Steadily over the week I landed mirror carp of 39lb 14oz, 37lb 8oz, 37lb 6oz, 36lb 2oz, 33lb 6oz,  4 twenties, 3 high doubles and a 20lb 13oz catfish.

Conclusion

From the short time that we spent at Vaumigny, we soon came to realise that this lake is not the for the inexperienced angler. There are many challenges that can be thrown at you. The sturgeon that can grow to over 100lb and can be a nuisance as they charge around the lake, fish too far out and you will surely get liners as the fins or tail catch your lines. There are also some huge catfish present with one specimen that is over 160lb so along with some huge carp, all species will test the average anglers carp gear.

Although we did not experience Poison Chat or Crayfish, from my research I have gathered, during the warmer parts of the year they can cause the angler a problem so be prepared. Fishing too close to the margins can be a nightmare as the fish know were to run and head straight for the snags, so heavy line is required or better still fish the open water. With this lake being around 37 acres, as with all large French waters, the fish followed the wind, so not every swim will produce fish. If there are empty swims, be prepared to move. This is a water where anglers will have some fantastic results and others will blank, so be prepared for the worst.

37lb 6oz, one of 5 fish caught in one night

Despite all the challenges thrown at you, Vaumigny is a true big carp water with over half of the carp above the 30lb barrier and lots of 40lb plus carp to wet your appetite.

Not all of the fish are huge, some of the carp are high doubles and twenties, but all make a good account of themselves.

Last fish of the session, 37lb 8oz

The fish love bait, so take plenty of boilies and if necessary, back up with particles. Bait Boats are allowed and they certainly would give the user an advantage over the casting angler, as there are many areas that are out of reach to cast due to the size of the lake.

This magnificent lake is surrounded by trees, in a beautiful, unspoilt environment, and has sufficient stock to provide Angling Lines customers with a holiday to remember. Strong tackle is essential and the lake is capable of breaking most anglers PB’s, making them return year after year to Frank’s lake of dreams.

Paul Cooper
To read more of Paul, Ron and Jim’s field testing adventures click here.

Fish the Edge of that Surface Scum

Paul Cooper is one of our expert Field Testers, here’s the most recent post from his 2013 Fishing Diary…

With the weather warming up I have been keeping an eye on the fish in my local syndicate water for signs of feeding fish. I called onto the lake mid-afternoon on the Sunday and saw around 20 carp milling around on the edge of the scum caused by the lake bottom breaking up and rising to the surface over the past 48 hours.

Within 15 minutes I had my first rod in the water on the edge of the scum in only 12 inches of water. The fish were cruising in and out of the scum feeding on what ever had gathered and were not perturbed by my putting a bait in their close vicinity.

I baited all three rods with some baits I had just fetched out of my freezer, the remnants of myQuality Baits Winter birdy mix. These were bright red/orange and a fruity flavour but I felt that they would work in this situation.

Within 20 minutes I had my first pick up and shortly after that landed a perfectly conditioned 18lb 9oz Common. Out went the same rod again baited with the birdy boilie. It took a while before the fish moved back into my corner but after an hour. Coincidently, I was again on the phone to Jim Kelly, when the same rod bent round and I was into a 23lb 14oz Common. A few quick self takes and the fish was quickly returned to the water. That was the last of the action as all the fish moved off and my evening meal was calling.

Paul Cooper

To read more from Paul click here. 

They’re At It Again – Field Testing Tales

It’s the beginning of May and Ron and I are off to test a 17 acre lake for Angling Lines situated 150 miles South of Paris.

Promising Start

The new owner of the lake, Guilliam, only took ownership of the venue in January this year. Since taking on the lake he has stocked the lake with around 120 carp consisting of mid-twenties to his prize carp of just over 60lb. There are a number of back up fish in the forties with a good number of thirties, all in all for a new lake this is a magnificent head of carp. The lake itself is set in the middle of rural France and is totally surrounded by woodland, fields, and reed-lined margins. It is a place of beauty!