Angling Lines Blog

A fabulous 42.08 mirror from Vaux

We have watched and waited, sometimes very impatiently, for our Vaux carp to grow on following the original stocking in late 2003 when the largest carp added were mid twenties. The original stock was a mystery, but from information provided by the previous owner, we were certain there were carp of 30lb+ lurking in the waters, which thankfully our March 2004 testers proved to be correct – last rod, last cast, 31lb 3oz mirror. We have occasionally added a few more carp since then, but we took the decision to grow on rather than buy in large specimens.

37.12

And we’re delighted that our visiting anglers are profiting from the results by landing more and more carp over 35lbs. In just 10 weeks of fishing so far this year up to and including the first week in June, 36 have weighed in at over 30lbs, including 12 at 35lbs plus and two at over 40lbs.

This is a good percentage when the average catch for a week is 15. A far cry from our first season in 2004 when a mere ten 30′s were caught overall, the largest at 33lb 02oz.

In 2005 the number of 30′s landed had doubled to 20, with two of them at over 35lb, so we were on our way.

Numbers further increased in 2006 to 35 thirties, including 13 at 35lb or more and, to cap the year, the first 40′s, four of them in the season.

39.04

2007 saw 68 thirties on the bank, 19 of those at 35lb or more, plus just one 40lb+.

The number of thirties gracing the banks decreased in 2008 to 47, which included 11 at 35lb and over, plus again only one 40lb+, but 2009 was back up to 66 thirties, with 17 at 35lb+ and in addition, two 40s.

The larger numbers of 68 and 66 carp being caught in 2007 and 2009 can be explained partly by those weighing in the high 20s pushing over that 30lb mark. These numbers do not include all the carp that Chas has caught.

This week the success continues; Penny has landed a 38lb-er and a 37lb-er and Joe has had a 33lb-er in among a good number of twenties. Photos will be added as soon as they are received

Wishing you all good luck, Josie

Some tips from Chas, the owner of Vaux ;

When I get the chance to spend some time at the lake, I like to experiment. What I see most of the time is conventional fishing using boilies, that is to say a PVA bag with boilie hook link, but I show those visitors who are interested how I fish using different methods.

Carp absolutely love rice, which I put into my spod mix, but I also make up rice balls using Arma Mesh Bait Meshing System 14mm as follows:

Put a round disc of rig foam at the end of the funnel web system and then place a small quantity of cooked rice into the stocking dispenser tube, ramming it down really tight into the mesh stocking with the plunger, but making sure the stocking doesn’t come off the tube.  Continue ramming small amounts of rice into the stocking until you have a ball roughly the size of your thumb.  You should find that the rice is being forced out through the mesh.  When firmly rammed in, allow the stocking to come off the dispenser.  Cut and tie the funnel system as per normal and then just burn the ends with a lighter to tidy up.  The hair rig is as normal, but the boilie stop goes on the outside of the foam disc.  This stops it pulling through the funnel web system and also makes it critically balanced.  continue reading…

Double hook shown to me by the European angler

A European gentleman turned up at Vaux one day last year when I was fishing.  His first question was could he fish the lake, to which my reply was no.  His second question was how big are the fish, because he was an angler who had travelled around to many European lakes where he had caught some large fish.  We chatted generally on fishing topics whilst I continued to tie a stiff boom rig.  This caught his eye and so I went on to show him half a dozen rigs along with baiting and tactics which, as a UK angler, I use.

He then wanted to share his most popular rig with me.  His hook length set-up does not incorporate a hair.  Instead his preference is to use soft hook baits, such as potatoes, beans and soft paste boilies which he makes himself.  He presents his baits by drilling a hole through the given bait and pulling the hook into the bait so it is embedded in it.  This is fished on a free running set-up so that, as he explained to me, the fish is allowed to take the bait and run, allowing sufficient time on the take for it to crush the soft boilie from the hook and so self-hook itself.  If he is using potatoes or beans he would strike into the carp.  He only uses small leads so the weight of it is light enough just to set the hook.  He would then wind down and strike into the fish.

His copy of my rig

After I had shown him my normal set-up incorporating the stiff boom plus soft braid hook length and size 6 or 7 hook, he asked if he could tie and show me his version of a stiff boom rig with the hook he normally uses for carp fishing.  Taking materials which I had in front of me, he went off and returned with the boom rig just as I would tie it, but with a double hook set-up.  I was shocked, to say the least.  He confirmed that this was normal practice for him and I asked whether the hooks were sold as predator or carp hooks.  He replied that they are not specified and are sold for either… you make your own choice.  He explained that he rarely loses a fish and never has a hook hold move in the mouth of any fish, large or small and so there is no mouth damage.  Comparing the hooks we use, both barbed and barbless, with his double hook, his parting comment was that he believed our hooks would lead to mouth damage and that their double hooks are more humane.

Makes you think doesn’t it?

Chas, Etang de Vaux

David writes;

The Winter fishing at Vaux this year has been superb – see the January 28th Blog post here

In this post from Chas, the owner of Vaux , he gives away one of his winter edges… his Ice Rig!

Chas's Ice Rig

From May 2002 when we bought Vaux until March 2004 when it was opened as a carp fishing venue, the mill storehouse was converted into a gîte, extensive works were carried out to the banks, fish stock was introduced ….. and we were at liberty to fish our lake. For the past six years, we have been lucky enough to fill the main season weeks with carp anglers and it is not until the season winds down that it becomes ours to fish again. That means Winter fishing! continue reading…

For the brave ones who’ve crossed the channel in search of French winter carp there’s certainly been good rewards.

Ian Lewis & 3 mates have just had a great week at Vaux (17th – 24th January) taking 6 mirrors, 4 being in the 30s, biggest 38.07; 2 commons, biggest 21.06; and 7 pike, biggest 25lb.

Chris Dagg took advantage of owning a carp lake by putting in a short afternoon session at Notaires & he was rewarded with a 25lb pristine mirror. You can read his report here.

And finally, but definitely not least, how can we forget Troy McLeans 75.02 from Laroussi in mid November – catch report here.

Who says they don’t come out in winter!