Angling Lines Blog

Backleads are an item of tackle I have rarely used, mainly because on the gravel pits I fish I find they are not appropriate due to the amount of weed present most of the time. In this case I believe the use of backleads would lose me fish. So what are the types of Backleads and how and when would you use them. I found this article on the ‘Carp Fishing Ireland’ Forum where I felt the types and usage was well set out by the author Tom Hillgrove.

Tom wrote: (..Someone asked me about using backleads on the forum so I thought I would do an article on when and where to use them. Backleads can be a very useful piece of kit if used in the correct situation. They are basically a second lead that you have on your line to make sure that it lies on the lake bed. There are 3 main types of backleads on the market, Normal backleads, Captive backleads and Flying backleads. The type of backlead you use on some waters can kill or improve your catch rate, each type has a completely different effect on your line lying on the bottom.
1) Normal backleads are clipped onto the line after you cast out and then they slide down the line. The one major advantage of this type of backlead is that you can hold your rod high in the air as the lead slides down the line and you can then place it where you want. When you do get a fish the backlead then slides down towards your main lead as you play the fish.

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Other than your carp fishing rods, reels, buzzers and bivvy, there are several items of tackle that despite their relative insignificance I’d be hard pressed to fish without when I venture abroad on my carp fishing holiday in France. Some items it is worth stocking up on to avoid running out and others literally make the difference between fishing effectively and blanking. continue reading…

As carp anglers it is in our interests to protect the species we fish for, so everyone in the sport can continue to enjoy their future captures in our venues, both in the UK and France.

Many anglers however, are unaware or ill-prepared for the first trip to France and I often see people arriving with inadequate equipment to safely handle large carp. Here then is a brief run down of what you ought to know about fish care.

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We have just received this carp fishing venue update, from lake owner Chas Cook, informing us of his excellent results over the Winter period in France at his lake Vaux in Normandy 

Chas takes up the story:

” I continued to put my rods out throughout January, February and into March, but as always only late morning until dark.

Overall I landed 55 carp, 18 commons and 37 mirrors, the commons being 2 x high doubles, 6 x 20s to 29lb 14oz and 10 x 30s to 39lb 4oz and the mirrors being 17 x 20s to 29lb 6oz, 19 x 30s to 39lb 4oz and one 49lb 2oz. So my fishing carries on at the coldest time of the year and I am still catching. continue reading…

Craig Lea-hair wrote:

What type of bottom is Willow at Mas Bas? I’ve been thinking about what type and colour hook link to use.

Gareth Watkins replies:

First off you’ll love Mas Bas, I went to Willow with my family last summer when I shot the video. We had a great time; if you look at the DVD, you can see my kids having fun and William catching a fish. We did not fish very seriously as it was a family holiday, with borrowed equipment.

Anyway in regards to your query, the lake has a fairly firm bed, but bearing in mind that it was previously chocker with the lotus lilies there is a fair amount of silt, not deep enough to pose you any real problem.

We found the best tactics were to fish close to the far margins, and lily beds to the far end of the lake. There is a fair amount of cover there for the carp so you can bet that they’ll all be up there once people are around the terrace area.

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