Angling Lines News Report – October 2005

Once again it seems that the weather is at the centre of our carp fishing season. I know I often mention it's importance, both good and bad on the pursuit of our chosen quarry but I really feel that it plays the major role in how our fish behave, grow and ultimately on what we catch too.

The long period of unprecedented dry sunny and warm weather has continued across France and as I write in early November the temperatures have only dropped under freezing for the first time in the area. Paris has seen the mildest and sunniest autumn since records began and more venues have seen their catches pick up markedly over the last few weeks. Not only has the number of fish caught been better but the size of the better specimens has seen lake records tumble again and again. Certain individual fish have put on an amazing amount of weight.

Laroussi
Glen Swaby & Wayne Naylor have had a whale of a time this week. Wayne on his first trip to France caught a new Laroussi lake record mirror 63lb 8oz! (PB) on Tuesday on 25th October. However Glen, from Pontefract in Yorkshire , only two days later, pulled out yet another incredible mirror weighing in at 65lb. This topped their other catches for this week which also included mirrors of 41lb, 44lb and 46lb to name but a few.

The carp 65lb, believed previously caught in April this year at 54lb by Mr Clark, have shown a huge weight increase. "The rapid weight gain of carp at this venue is simply unbelievable, but most carp are well photographed and carefully identified so there's no mistake!" said Mehdi Daho, the owner and on site bailiff, at this tremendous venue. Mehdi believes these massive weight gains are down to the plentiful supply of natural food in the lake, in particular the vast number of snails. The 65lb pristine monster was only 1.10m in length. Medhi assures us that with these weight gains other new sixties are expected to come out before the end of the season.

Their comments were: this lake is a carp anglers dream! The fish are huge and hard fighting and there are plenty of them. . Lake owner Mehdi is very enthusiastic and always pleased to see anglers catch. He takes a lot of pride in his lake and his fish. Mehdi also speaks excellent English! .. The best fish was a 65lb half linear, another lake record. A personal best that I don't think I will beat ever, but we are back next year, so who knows? Brilliant place. Fishing and host. Thank you! Angling Lines... the best!

As if to prove Mehdi's prophesy right the latest news from the venue is that a third different sixty has been landed. The fish know as the 'Big Resident' tipped the scales at 64lb exactly. Captured by Bradley Ashcroft from the 'Saules' swim on a Marine halibut pellet, it was last banked in July at 54lb 4oz.

Croix Blanche
This gravel pit complex set in the northern part of France near Reims offers all-inclusive trips run by A&J EuroCarp Sessions. They have forged a reputation for running well organised good value trips to this venue offering the some of the largest carp in France .

The statistics speak eloquently about the quality of fishing on offer with 20 carp over 60lb landed this year to anglers on the trips. These catches included a former World Record brace to venue regular James 'Vinny' Vincent with an incredible 67lb 12 and 60lb 10oz in one day.

The season has now seen these outstanding catches topped by a new complex record landed on the very last all-in trip of the season. Fishing on the 4 th of November on the Croix Blanche lake, Dave Cox bagged a 71lb 2oz mirror, bettering the current venue record by 3lb 2oz. This fish was last captured at 56lb 10oz in July, and was not therefore expected to be the first carp from the venue over the huge 70lb barrier. Dave tempted the giant mirror after a slow week, with an NRG boilie presented on a 10inch rig close to a weed bed. The run came at 1pm and took the angler some 25 minutes to land. At least two other carp that usually come out at heavier weights than this fish have yet to be landed this autumn.

Vincons
This venue is not one of the most high profile lakes in our portfolio but it certainly must be one of the most charming. Not only is it remarkably pretty but the hosts are absolutely fantastic. With its top notch accommodation, swimming pool and lakeside lodge it has some of the very best facilities one can find. So what it lacks in monster carp it makes up for in pure French charm. The carp it does hold though are of a good average stamp and due to the high density virtually assure visiting anglers of some hectic action.
During October Angling Publications sent Roman Buczynski and Richard Freeman to produce an article for their "Crafty Carper" magazine. You'll be able to read it in the December issue. The duo managed to land nearly 30 fish in the short time they were there - the largest going over 26lb.

They commented: Can I just thank you for letting me attend les Vinçons with Roman. I'm sure Roman's article and my photography will justify our stay. Can I just say what a truly wonderful place stunning surroundings and awesome hosts not to mention the wild boars and Fairy Tale cottage. We had 29 fish between us. I had eighteen carp including six twenties to 26+ Roman had eleven including two twenties to twenty four, knowing Roman he would have had more but for the hospitality of the Bouchot family and a little too much Vino which prevented this !

Genets
This beautiful pretty water set in the Normandy countryside has been producing some very nice fish over the last season. We have just received a news report from the owners Heather Barber and Larry Arnold. The water has been producing an excellent stamp of carp with the lake record broken in 2005 at 37lb 4oz.

Here is Heather's report: 2005 was our second season but our first with Angling Lines & has proved very successful with many Fishermen leaving us having beaten their PB's.

During September Paul Newman's group of 4 landed 29 Carp which included 9 @ 30lb+. The biggest Carp out this year was 37lb 4oz caught by Lloyd Streatfield in September.

Taking into account the growth rate of the fish this year, we fully expect next years catches to be even better. The Commons we put in during June have already put on a good few pounds. Overall through the season the average weight of carp caught was 26-28lb.

Now is the time of year for the maintenance work around the lake to start in readiness for next year, so plenty to keep us busy!! We have met some excellent people this year & thoroughly enjoyed their company

Vaux
Simon Lawson, the winner of the Angling Lines competition for a week's fishing at Vaux, took the holiday from 1st - 8th October with his friend, Paul, and they caught a total of 38 fish, the total weight being 672lb. They were fishing six rods between them, Simon to the dam wall and Paul to the snags at the top of the lake. On the Wednesday, one of Paul's rods was away and he landed a double common at 2.45pm ; immediately as he returned this fish to the water, his second rod was away. He successfully played and landed a mirror of 30lb 04oz at 3.00pm , his personal best at the time. Before we could even get this fish back into the water, one of Simon's rods went and he lifted into what appeared to be another good fish this mirror, landed at 3.10pm , weighed in at 33lb 12oz. With so much action, weighing and photographing, it had been necessary to return the first mirror to the water, so they couldn't take a photograph of them together, but here we they had two 30's caught within ten minutes of each other, a new Vaux double record. Simon and Paul also took some absolutely stunning commons up to 25lb during the week, proving, yet again, that Vaux can fish extremely well in the colder months.

They commented: We had a great week. Chas is a good chap and his Mrs is very nice too. We will be back next year hopefully to have another bash and get the lake record this time. Thanks for the great competition prize. Chas you're a gem fella. Thanks again Chas & Josie & Buddy

Angling Lines Bait News:

On the bait front this month our man Paul Cooper does it again. This time not on his favourite Mangrove lake but during a recent trip to France on a water in the Limousin region. And what a result he had too. Paul takes up the story:

It was the 2nd week in October 2005 and Pat Gillet and I were on a 7 acre lake in the Limousin region of France . We set up well apart on one bank so that we could cover as much as the lake as possible. The lake varies from 12 foot to a mere 3 foot at the shallow end of the lake. I was armed with 20 kilo's of trout pellets and 20 kilo 0f ALines Special Crab which was made up of air dried 20mm and 24mm baits. My plan was to select 5 areas of the water in front of me to bait up from day one, so that I could move my baits on a roaming method over the coming week and to fish both 20 and the 24 mm baits on the end tackle.

The week started slow with the first fish arriving after 2 days into the campaign, a 36lb 8 oz mirror. High pressure prevailed with bright sunshine in the day and clear star filled nights, not the ideal conditions for mid October. By Friday evening I had captured 14 carp to 44lb 8oz, and a 60lb 6oz catfish, all on the ALS, 20 or 24 mm bottom baits to size 4 Ashima hooks. It was around 6.30pm and I was having a slow pack ready for my long drive back to the UK when one of my Delkims screamed off. I hit the rod and my immediate thoughts were that I had snagged up on a log or some other large item on the lake bottom. I put additional pressure through the rod and felt the obstacle begin to lift off the lake bottom. I began to gain line slowly and it was not until my end tackle was around 30 yds from me that I realized that I had an enormous carp holding its own out in open water. Another 30 minutes passed before I slipped the fish into the net. Onto the unhooking mat and a quick call to Pat to witness the weighing of the fish. The scales that were secured to a secure point, were zeroed to the weigh sling and the fish weighed. A new lake record of 55lb 6 oz.

What an end to the week which also included carp of 30lb 2oz, 35lb 4 oz, 36lb 8oz, 38lb 12oz, 42lb, 44lb, 44lb 8oz, and a 60lb 4oz catfish.

That's all for now. - see you for the November Report next month.

Gareth