A lot of the French waters hold sturgeon; I have caught several from different waters up to 64 lb. The biggest I have come across where ant angling lines Etang de Laroussi. I have fished Laroussi for 3 times, and caught sturgeon on 2 trips. On my 1st trip I caught one that came out 3 times between the anglers that week. My 2nd visit I was able to hook 3…and landed 2 of them. Both weighing over 60 lb.

The strange thing is that my friend that was fishing with me on both trips only landed one. I my view these fish love fishmeal based boilies and pellets. He was using scopex on his 1st trip, where I was on fishmeal based baits. Often I could see them feeding over my baits, they tails would come out of the water. Revealing that they where present. After he switched on to fishmeal he landed one within 1 hour after casting his rigs out. Another important thing with sturgeon is the way to handle them. They need to be landed by hand…not in a landing net. If you would try to land them in a landing net then the sturgeon could get damaged petty badly. Their back could break, and the fish would not survive a capture. The best way to land them is when are ready for landing, put the unhooking mat in the water and try to get hold of them by the tale pull the sturgeon on to the mat and take it carefully on to the bank.
After weighing, and taking the trophy shots carefully put it back in the lake and hold it by the tale to recover, they often need some time before swimming away, so be patient and take your time to treat them properly.

I think they are fairly easy to catch, but I think its all up to the baits that are used. Anybody that’s targeting them I would recommend Smokey fish, special crab or the liver b8. In combination with pellets I am sure you will get some sturgeon action. To avoid them, or at least reducing the chances of a sturgeon take I would recommend fruity trifle or rahja spice. I never tried the pineapple crush, but maybe some of the other bloggers can give advice on these baits being “sturgeon proof “. I know they are really good for avoiding poison chats. So if your after some of these prehistoric monsters..give Laroussi a try, and maybe you will catch the sturgeon of a life time.
Greetz
roy van goor

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Prehistoric Catches

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Sam’s Croix Blanche 38 from Gareth Watkins on Vimeo.

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Sam’s Croix Blanche 38

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Croix Blanche from Gareth Watkins on Vimeo.

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Croix Blanche Video Presentation

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By Jamie Simpson

Ok so I thought this piece may be helpful to anyone who has little or no experience of fishing in France.

Travelling to France for a fishing holiday can be a daunting prospect, yet the draw of large Carp and a slightly warmer climate is almost impossible to resist.  I thought I would just put a little list of things that may help and hopefully a few other bloggers can add to any that I miss or have overlooked.

• Always carry a High Vis jacket, emergency breakdown triangle, spare bulbs etc as this is a legal requirement in France now.

• You will definitely need your drivers license, insurance document and ownership document.

• A silly one but you wont get far without your passport.

• If you have to go over the Dartford bridge then you will need £1.50 for a car as from November 15th 2008. It is easier if you have change rather than queuing for an attendant.

• There are toll fees wherever you travel on the French motorways and nowadays these are often not attended so you will need a credit card to pay for these (often around 20euro depending on how far you are going).

• If you go to the French supermarkets then a 1 euro coin is needed for the trolley.

• Remember that the French drive on the wrong side of the road and go round islands in an anticlockwise direction.

• When you pull up to A junction with a solid white line you have to come to a complete stop before proceeding ( I fell foul of this one myself and if it wasn’t for a French friend I am sure I would have received a fine.

• You must ensure your headlights are dipped correctly, especially as your car will be weighted down with fishing tackle.

I hope some of these bullet points are useful and I wish anyone travelling out there all the luck in the world as there are some massive carp to be caught and unlike a large percentage of UK waters they are accessible to everyone.

Cheers

Jamie

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French Travelling Tips

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The well known big fish venue the Etangs de la Croix Blanche in the north of France near Reims will be reverting to drive & survive for the coming season 2009. After a number of years where organised trips were running exclusively to the venue the lakes will now be opened back up to all comers and its just 2.5 hours from Calais.
For those who don’t know the lakes they consist of two carp lakes of 6 & 8 acres in size; the Etang de la Croix Blanche and the Etang de la Tortue. Both lakes have a large head of big carp to over 60lb. The lakes have in the passed produced carp to over 70lb the largest specimen which is unfortunately no longer with us topped 76lb. The Tortue does however hold at least one carp that could top 70lb this year. Other than that the lakes hold in excess of 150 carp including many 30’s & 40’s as well as large catfish to 85lb plus.So what else is new for 2009?

The lakes will generally be getting a face lift with improvements to the track around the site and a lick of paint here and there.
We plan to stock a batch of 20lb plus carp before next season, these are on order with top French fish farmer Michel Bigot and will add a boost to the lakes in terms of numbers of runs.
On site bailiff Les Best will also be providing food for those who want it. This will take the form of an all in food package with sit down breakfast and evening meals or snack type food and filled breakfast baguettes, enabling you to stay by your peg at meal times. The choice will be yours.
Don’t forget we’ll be stocking a range of Quest Baits boiles & prepared particles on site.

Finally despite the recent poor weather there have been a few fish out in November. Quest Baits consultant Sam Collins-Ratcliffe and husband Scott dropped in for a night last week and Sam knocked out a superb 38lb 12oz mirror from peg 13 on the soon to be released Quest baits Surf ‘n’ Turf. Other captures that week included mirrors of 25lb & 44lb to Rob Walters.
Bailiff Les not to be out done managed a total of five takes on 11th November in storm conditions banking two 20lb plus carp and a 30lb 12oz mirror from peg 5, these carp also fell to Quest baits Surf ‘n’ Turf.

For regular updates and details of how to book check out the main Angling Lines website:
www.anglinglines.com

Regards
Gareth

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Croix Blanche reverts to Drive & Survive for 2009

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by Gareth Watkins
While angling may not be an Olympic sport the most recent signing to the Angling Lines portfolio ‘Iktus’ will certainly give you the chance to tackle the leviathans.

Most of the commercial sites in France are relatively small and over stocked pools, this venue on the other hand is a large majestic piece of water set in the shadow of the French Pyrenees, near the town of Pau. The carp lake is some 85 acres in size and nearly 2 miles, with depths from 1m to 10m. It is crammed with carp including loads of thirties, forties and some fifties to over 55lb as well as giant catfish and sturgeon. It will offer a challenge to the angler looking for more than a small lake but perhaps not wanting to tackle the likes of St Cassien, Salagou or the Orient.

I arrived at the venue for my first look around and was welcomed by the owner Jérémy Fournier. It was pouring with rain but the lake that stretched out in front of me was breath taking!! In fact there are two lakes the first smaller lake is given over to trout fishing; but it is the second and larger lake that interests us.

After a brief tour of the extremely impressive reception, tackle shop, restaurant and conference centre that has been constructed on site, it was off for a quick tour of the venue in Jérémy’s pick up. Now this is not a venue where you will feel cramped in.. there are only 13 swims on the whole 85 acres so your nearest neighbour will never be on top of you.

The banks vary from wooded areas to sloping grassy banks. You’ll have ample room to set up camp. There is a track that goes around the whole perimeter of the venue.

Judging by the fish stocks Jérémy has added and the original fish in the venue, it really does offer the chance of some very large fish as well as the possibility of bagging a few as well.

My tour ended with the accommodation which is near the entrance to the lakes, which can be hired separately from the fishing. These luxury units have kitchen, toilets and showers and can sleep up to four to six people.

Finally the venue has a top class restaurant in the main building. It sells bar meals at lunch time and proper French style sit down food in the evening. If you want to treat yourself to some excellent cuisine I can recommend this place. I ate there with my 12 years old son and it certainly got his approval.

This is a fabulous venue, top notch accommodation and some stunning fish. If the drive down puts you of you can fly to Pau and get free airport pick up. Your tackle can be hired on site.

For more info and booking details go to our main website: www.anglinglines.com

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Iktus - Come and do battle with Greek Giants

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Carp fishing in the winter can include long periods of inactivity. It is important that you stay warm, especially now that the weather looks as though it is ready to turn very cold at the end of January. Below are some hints and tips to help you stay warm during the long winter sessions. Most of this is common sense, but it doesn’t hurt to remind yourself of the obvious now and again.Lots of Layers
Ensure that you wear several layers of clothing. The air trapped between the layers acts as insulation against the cold. Two T-shirts, a thin fleece, jumper, jacket. If you get too hot, you can just remove a single layer.
Stay Dry
Few things are as miserable as being cold and wet. Ensure that you have a good quality waterproof outer layer, stay under, at least, a decent brolly or preferably in a bivvy with an extra skin. I have a Fox Frontier bivvy which goes up in no time and keeps the worst weather out. Not only will this keep the rain off, but it will keep the rain out too.
Be a Hot Head
As much as 80% of your body heat is lost through your head. Get yourself a decent hat and wear it all the time.
Hands
Get a good pair of gloves. A good idea is to get a pair that you can quickly convert to fingerless, to allow you full control when casting, reeling in and baiting up. You might also want to consider getting some hand warmers, a gel-like substance that warms up when squeezed.
Toastie Toes
Thermal socks and a really good pair of waterproof boots will keep your feet warm. Again, several layers will help too. I know a few guys who wear women’s pop socks (cut down stockings) on their feet under their socks and they swear that this keeps their feet really warm (just don’t tell your mates what you’re wearing!)
Food and Drink
Invest in a really good large thermos flask for day sessions and a portable camping cooker for longer sessions. Obviously, take extreme care when cooking. Cook outside your bivvy to prevent risk of fire and noxious gases. You can now get reasonable quality pouches of food that heat themselves when you open the packing. These can be a little expensive, but do provide a good option for hot food if your cooking skills aren’t up to it. Tackle Bargains hold a good range of flasks, kettles and cooking utensils.
Bag Up
Catch so many carp that you haven’t got time to feel the cold. Seriously though, if you are still feeling the cold, a 4 Seasons sleeping bag will keep the worst of the cold up. Also invest in an waterproof sleeping bag cover.

Maybe you have picked up a tip or two, so enjoy your winter fishing, stay warm and keep on BaggingUp.

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Carp Fishing Tips: Seven Tips For Warm Winter Carping

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This is the time of year when some of the biggest fish in a lake can be most vulnerable to capture; so winter carp fishing is not as mad as it might first appear! Good planning and preparation including refinement of baits, rigs and use of using warm clothing and equipment is easy. Read on to improve your chances of big winter fish… The often different activity levels of other fish species and altered availability of many natural foods along with changes in carp behaviour in colder water temperatures can contribute to making them a little easier to catch at specific times. Very often the impact of there being far less angling pressure with only the really keen anglers going fishing makes thing much easier. Sometimes you can have the pick of the most favoured swims, although this can become a problem if fish are grouped in front of only 2 or 3 swims on a water.

Much less free bait fed is into fisheries compared to warmer months too and I’m certain this is a major factor in the downfall of many big fish which succumb to capture at this time. The easy free meals they have become used to may to a great degree disappear in winter time.
Some of my best most memorable big fish captures happen in winter between November and March. The catches can come in a variety of conditions and times and often during frantically active ‘binge’ feeding behaviour.
The periods after the water temperatures have evened out more after heavy frosts can be good for example in November. Evenings in November to December seem pretty productive in my part of the UK on certain waters when usually early morning (6 am to 8.30 am would be the usual feeding time. On the same water in January, on clear sunny days the fish might suddenly switch-on for a swift half-hour feeding ‘binge’ at 1 pm in the afternoon. If prevailing winds push in from the south, west or combinations around these, feeding can happen at any time.

” In February even during very heavy frosts which build up on your fishing shelter on top of frost from previous nights, the morning feeding may return again with fish appearing from 6 am. Around February and March, in swims most heated by the afternoon sun, fishing close to snags entering or in the water can be very productive. Reed beds soak up the radiated heat so heating the surrounding water making things a bit more favourable for feeding. Margin fishing in winter is far more productive than many anglers appear to realise. In fact very often if fish will feed at all it will be in water under 4 feed deep and not in the deepest part of the lake.
Reeds are an especially favoured area for me for this reason and they harbours all kinds of natural food too. Fishing under marginal overhanging bushes, branches and other cover are also productive. Any old established formerly productive feeding spots like shallow depressions, edges of drop-off’s, bottoms of shelves, gullies, raised spots, weed beds and lily beds, marginal and island spots sheltered from a cold wind, all can produce fish.

It is often the case that fish will come from swims that are still receiving regular baiting. In winter certain formerly ‘favourite bet’ swims may be very un-productive. Effects of prevailing winds in autumn and winter can really affect the location of over-wintering fish which frequently group together forming large shoals which can literally be most of the population of a lake tightly packed side by side into just one or 2 groups. Such a group does not necessarily choose the deepest part of the lake to over-winter.

Sometimes location of these fish can be down to vigilant observation of regular fish movements seen around morning and dusk. Often just one tip of a fin of one fish may be all you see. Using your end tackle to help you locate fish is an interesting exercise. Fish on the bottom can sometimes be located by actually reeling back a lead slowly and finding them by feeling them ‘bumping the line.’

” Often setting your tackle and alarms to the most sensitive possible will not only indicate a taking fish possibly otherwise missed, but may show you more line activity which can reveal whereabouts of fish. ‘Fishing for liners’ with slack lines and light indicators is often a useful trick; just changing your range until you get a bite.

Taking notes on fish location, exact feeding spots in a swim, feeding times, exact details of baits and rigs used, amounts of free baits used and form of introduction all matter. Notes when and where other anglers hook fish and their fish sizes and knowledge of their baits is all useful knowledge, but you never need to neither copy another angler nor necessarily ‘poach his swim!’
Notes on weather conditions are especially important as not only identifying the exact spots in a swim are important, but just finding a swim with fish in can be a real winter achievement! This information is priceless after a couple of years on a water
Fish location is often a big challenge in winter. Even knowing where fish may have settled in November or December may not be much help come February; especially if angling pressure and catches have caused them to move.
Often carp sit in the sun-warmed and more comfortable top or middle water lays. In winter it is often the case on many waters where a bottom bait in water over 8 feet deep may produce v