Angling Lines Blog

At 4am yesterday morning Big Lin was caught by Brett, a 12 yr old angler fishing with us this week, at a weight of 47lb 6oz, she was in stunning condition, and certainly didn’t have a full belly. Wonder what she will weigh with a wee bit of spawn inside her and who the lucky angler will be to catch her in a few months time.

Massive congratulations to Brett, who before this holiday had only ever fished day sessions, never having fished an overnight in a bivvy, and had a pb of 19lb…

Tags: First Carp Fishing Trip to France, Molyneux

The first week of our 2013 season started 23^rd March at Genets with Ross Orme arriving for his first Carp fishing trip to France. Within just a few hours of putting his rods out Ross had a new PB when he landed this beautiful 32lb 4oz Mirror.

Well done Ross!

Carp Fishing France at Genets.

Tags: First Carp Fishing Trip to France, Genets

Need an insight into what tackle is used by some successful anglers abroad?  We asked some of our experienced and highly respected anglers to give an insight into their own tackle choices. Unbiased, as they are not ‘sponsored anglers’, we simply asked what they use and why they use it.  This week we look at  Reels, lines and hooks…

 

Reels - For most of my fishing I use Daiwa Entoh Big Pit Reels. Again they were purchased with Grenville in mind. Prior to this and as a back up reel I use Shimano 8000 Baitrunners. To be honest they would be perfectly adequate for Molyneux. Most people seem to think that Big Pits automatically cast further (I am sure this is a macho thing).  My reason for using big pits is that I find it quicker to reel in, and I like the feel of a larger reel.

Line - There are so many to choose from, and I am sure almost every person that replies will offer a different choice. I have tried a number of lines over the years, and have settled for a relatively unknown brand which can only be purchased from a few outlets in UK. It is called Awa Shima Ion Reflector. I use this in .32 diameter.

You will notice that I do not mention the b/s which I believe to be mostly made up by someone in the manufacturers offices. I prefer to buy line by the diameter, and find what I consider the right diameter for the job. Ion reflector does everything I want a line to do, it casts well, is soft supple, sinks well and is fairly abrasion resistant. The latter is not a concern at Molyneux as there is no weed and are almost no snags to contend with.

Hooks - Again hooks tend to be a personal choice, I settled upon Nash Fang hooks some years ago, they have a good rate of sharpness, I found previously that I threw away almost half of every pack I bought. This is not the case with Fang’s. Another feature I like is that they have a very good gauge (thickness of steel). This I feel is important if you need to turn or stop a fish, as there is less chance of hook slipping or sliding in carp’s mouth. Once in, it tends to stay put.

Wally Gibb – Fishery Manager at Molyneux

 

Reels – Shimano 10000XT MGS big pit reels.  Again, these are to suit flourocarbon main line as the big diameter spool helps to reduce line twist and aid casting.  Super light weight.

Line – 16lb Tiger flourocarbon line.  I use flourocarbon in conjunction with a light lead (1-1.5oz) running rig set up which allows me to lay the line along the bottom, increases sensitivity and the heaviness of the line increases the bolt effect.

Hooks – size 5 E.S.P Curveshanks.  I never use anything smaller than a size 5 as French carp have big mouths and anything smaller is easily ejected and can lead to hook pulls.

Duncan de Gruchy – Angling Lines regular

 

Reels - Use any good reel, Shimano and Daiwa are the 2 leaders because they last a long time and are very reliable. Some people would prefer a debrayable while others use normal long cast reel.

Line - Using the right line is very important, it’s the only link between you and the fish. Braid is dangerous whilst playing the fish if the tubing is too short and it causes a breakage, this is why it is banned almost everywhere.

A good mono is abrasion resistant, has a good knot strength and it casts well. Fluorocarbon line is very good too, it’s almost invisible and sinks like a stone in the bottom of the lake so is undetectable because it’s flat on the bottom.

Hooks - Avoid bent hooks, I find they give too much damage to the mouth. A wide open hook is better. Straight or curve point. The hook eye should be outside for fluoro or any stiff hook link; and inside for other material. Strong metal will not open during a hard fight.  Barbless is better but the angler must keep a little pressure on during the whole fight. The famous mistake is to keep too much pressure on as that’s when you can lose the fish and the result is a long cut in the mouth, which is not what we want for a barbless hook.

Mehdi Daho – Owner of Laroussi and Old Oaks

 

Reels - A good quality reel, I use Shimano 10000XTE bait runner. Also pit reels Diawa (these hold a good capacity of line for casting)

Line - I use all the time 15lb b/s. .It is not necessary for any higher b/s but renew Line each visit abroad.

Hooks -  Either Fox,Nash or Korda, different shapes for different circumstances but ensure they are sharp!

Peter Drayson – Angling Lines regular

 

Talking Carp Tackle, Part 1 – Carp Rods
Click here for more tips and advice on Carp Fishing.

Tags: Carp Tackle, First Carp Fishing Trip to France

If you’re currently planning a French fishing trip, have a peek at our top tips for choosing the right venue…

 

There are only 2 of us… Can we book a lake exclusive?

Yes, you certainly can. Exclusive lakes come in all sizes but most exclusively available lakes are around 3 to 5 acres, and take 4/5 anglers with a price to match. But it’s important to note that some small exclusive lakes actually have tiered

pricing available when there are fewer anglers in the booking. So an exclusive venue may not necessarily be out of price reach if there are only 2 or 3 persons fishing.

There are several advantages to some lakes to offer this option. Firstly it fills a gap in the market, (there are not many exclusive lakes for 2 or 3 anglers around of good quality & reasonable cost). Secondly it can help a venue by reducing the amount of overall pressure on the carp and the lake   facilities. Last but not least it can also be used as a tool for less established lakes to get a foot on the ‘feedback’ ladder. Feedback as we all know is hugely important as it clearly shows how consistent or not the fishing is overall. It gives you the angler realistic expectations and is why we deem it so important for our website. We prefer to sell you the holiday that you are going to get, rather than overhype a venue which could see you disappointed or disillusioned. That’s why we choose only quality venues to work with.

 

How much of an advantage is having a lake to yourself?

There are in fact pro’s and cons. Let’s start with the seemingly obvious pro’s. Exclusivity gives your group complete control to decide how it’s fished and enables an immense amount of flexibility. This is really beneficial so you can maximise your options without worrying about other anglers who are not in your group. You can for instance, trickle feed or rest swims to move onto later or at night or follow the carp around if they are on the move. It enables you to stalk around a lake without treading on other anglers toes. For these reasons too it can be more relaxing and less like a competition.

The Cons . Some lakes (Margot and Laroussi among them) can benefit from having an even distribution of anglers all around the lake. Remember carp will often move away from pressure and if you are the only anglers on a normally busy water, you may have to work harder or move to get your results. There is also the social aspect too not only can you meet new friends but share fishing chat but you can also gain in experience by learning from the tactics other anglers use. It’s useful to have someone there too who can be of assistance if you need it, for example when you have multiple runs or are trying to land a big fish.

 

Do I have the right gear?

Fishing in most French lakes is no different to fishing over here in Blighty.  Except the carp are usually much bigger, the weather is generally better and you tend to catch more prolifically. You don’t suddenly need big pit reels etc to fish any of the lakes unless they are huge and you are fishing at 300 meters! However, the lakes do take fish safety very seriously and demand that you use at least a 42” landing net and a large & high standard of unhooking mat. 15lb min breaking strain line also appears to be the norm.

So always check out the lake rules to make sure your ok and if you are any item of tackle missing, look to see if the lake have them on site or hire them or take a look at hiring them from Carp Tackle Hire, these guys already have a great reputation and look to be great value. Don’t forget all the owners will happily discuss tackle with you and answer your specific questions.

  continue reading…

Tags: First Carp Fishing Trip to France

Need an insight into what tackle is used by some successful anglers abroad?  We asked some of our experienced and highly respected anglers to give an insight into their own tackle choices. Unbiased, as they are not ‘sponsored anglers’, we simply asked what they use and why they use it.  This week we start with Rods…

I only use 2.75lb tc rods unless I need to cast to the horizon (not often as I tend to fish smaller lakes).  These are custom built with ringing and a through action to suit flourocarbon main line.  The through action helps to counteract the lack of stretch in the flourocarbon.

Duncan de Gruchy – Angling Lines regular

Depending on the fish size, the technique and the distance to cast. If the lake is small clean and fishing distance short to normal, I‘d suggest a 2.5lb or 2.75lb or 3lb. If the lake is big, with a few snags and good casting distance, I’d say 3lb to 3.5lb.

Mehdi Daho – Laroussi & Old Oaks Lake owner

As you may know my previous syndicate was at Grenville. As a result I changed from the Greys Prodigy 2.75tc I had used for years to a set of custom made Torrix in 3.25tc. They are a soft supple rod, not necessarily a casting tool, well certainly not in my hands, but are very forgiving and a joy to play fish on. For me that is the most important thing in a rod. I see far too many anglers here and elsewhere buying ‘stiff actioned’ casting tools as they wrongly think that with these they can cast to the sun. What they fail to realise is that without the knowledge and technique they will never utilise them to best effect. They would most probably be better served with a decent 2.75 tc rod which they could compress which in turn would quite probably give them the little bit of extra distance they are craving for. The firmer a rod the less forgiving it usually is when actually playing a fish. I have seen that far too much over the years and especially here at Molyneux where inexperienced anglers repeatedly suffer hook pulls as a result of not allowing for lunges that fish make during the fight.

Wally Gibb – Molyneux Lake owner

Same as I use in the UK, good quality with a test curve of 3lb b/s to cope with the larger fish!

Peter Drayson – Angling Lines regular

I use 12ft 3lb t/c, with 10,000 xte shimano bait runners, on the lakes I fish. These do the job easily. You can cast 100 yards and this is normally enough distance for most lakes. Also don’t forget you will need a marker and spod rod!

Peter Hidson – Angling Lines regular

 

Talking Carp Tackle Part 2 - Reels Lines and Hooks

Click here for more tips and advice on Carp Fishing.

Tags: Carp Tackle, First Carp Fishing Trip to France