Ask Danny

Helen:
Are there, or do you have, plans to introduce cats?

Danny:

Helen,

Gigantica is, and always will be a Carp oriented water. We beleive to produce the largest possible carp per acre that all nuisance fish and other competition for food should be removed at all cost.

We have no alien species such as Catfish, Grass carp or Sturgeon. We are actively removing all silver fish to reduce our biomass per acre, with the Carps maximum growth in mind.

I hope this clarifies our position and answers your question fully. Please feel free to contact me at any time should you have additional questions.

I look forward to meeting you in the future.

Danny, Gigantica Fishery Manager.

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Billy:
Dear Danny Fairbrass
My names s Billy Rees, I'm 16 and to say I'm a great fan, I watch nearly every show you do. I have amazing confidence in the products that korda have brought out, I wont use any other producer of terminal tackle.

My dad has promised to take me fishing in France for my effort in school, I was thinking about gigantica. A mix of my friends and my dads friends would be coming. If this were to happen it would be next year sometime, I was wondering if I would have any chance of pulling a decent fish out with 3 infinity slim power rods, normally I fish at about 90 yards. I have good experience and go fishing about 2 times a week all year round.

Also Dan I was wondering if I could ask some questions of the topic of gigantica,

Like I have said I have watched nearly all of your programmes and I would like to know in confidence your favourite rig for fishing over spod mix on a hard bottom.

Also I cant resist but ask if there is any possibility off being able to join you on a session near Oxfordshire where I live, to be honest it would be a dream come true to fish with a personal hero.

Yours sincerely
Billy Rees

Danny:

Dear Billy

Thanks for the kind words, its great to hear you have such confidence in our products.

One main problem with fishing Gigantica is your age, we don’t allow anyone under 18 because the lake is big, deep and requires a lot of experience for one to be successful.

Your tackle sounds more than adequate and in the summer most fish are caught between 50 and 90 yards.

My favourite rig ‘in confidence’ is the same one I will put in the magazines, I have no secrets! If you look at korda.co.uk and click on ‘rigs’, the ‘Combi’, ‘Blow Back’ or ‘Bottom Bait’ all work pretty much the same. Over spod mix I keep the hookbaits small and use a bottom bait as much as possible.

If you are asking this for Gigantica it is not a spodding water at the moment, 20mm boilies are my only approach to avoid the bream and catch loads of carp.

Regarding the fishing session, thanks for the invite but I will have to graciously decline. If I said yes to every person I would never go fishing on my own, I do have a solution, the Korda Carp Academy is held every year in the school holidays at the end of May, you apply via the korda web site, good luck!

Tight lines

Danny

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Callum:
Hi Danny, great looking lake. This is just the sort of fishing holiday myself and a friend have been looking for. We are very interested in fishing it in march time and have been quoted an excellent price.
However, my friend is worried that the fishing will be very difficult at this time and is worried this is why the price is so cheap. I have told him that this is not the case.
What advice would you give him about his worries? Also I myself like to fish with free baits and my favourite tactics include chucking about 30 boilies around a large area with a pva stringer attached. However, as i have never fished abroad was wondering if this will be as successful? If you could offer us any tips and tactics for fishing in march at your lovely venue that would be much appreciated.

Thanks

Callum

Danny:

Dear Callum

Your friend does have a point, no one can guarantee bites and during March the place could fish well or it could still be waking up making it tough. This is why March is much cheaper than April.

Because we have only had the lake for one March we are still unsure when the bites will come thick and fast. Personally I fished for 3 nights at the start of April last year and had 2 bites up to 34 a fish called Alcatraz, I only fished the nights because we were building swims in the day.

Fish were caught in March but very few people fished, my advice is if you definitely want bites go in late June or July, both of which have availability, if you want to take a chance on catching a really big fish that has just woken up book for March, fish have been showing all winter although little has been caught over the last few weeks which we cannot explain because they have been so active even in cold weather. The more the lake is fished in winter the better results will get and the more we can advise you.

Regarding baiting tactics, 30 baits per rod is good in the cold weather if you are on fish but I always use a lot more bait, in winter I start with about 1kg and in summer I start with 3-5kg depending on how good the weather is. Mainline Cell rules the lake at the moment, we have it in stock at the lake all the time or you can buy it in any good tackle shop. I wouldn’t come without it, because it makes that much difference, especially when action is slower!

Hope to see you there.

Tight lines

Danny

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Josh:
Hi Dan, after reading some of the answers you have posted on the Angling Lines website I noticed that a man was not allowed to bring his son of 14 to your lake. I totally understand with what you are saying but i am worrying a bit because I am just 17 and have been invited by my mate to take a trip to france but he wants to fish a lake that his mate was a bailiff on but I have not herd of the lake. So what i was wondering was if there was an age limit on your water so i can change his mind into bivvying up for a week on gigantica :P

Also as you know over in England, you must have an environmental license to fish. I was just wondering if you need a license like this to fish in France or maybe if you need two licenses to fish with 3 rods etc.

Sorry if I am being a bit of a pain in the arse for this next bit but I am currently looking for a new set of rods as I only started carp fishing last year but have taken to it straight away and want an upgrade for my much more serious fishing. The club I am fishing holds a number of waters with fish to 30lbs and a water that I will be fishing next year that had a 40lb mirror out this summer. Was just wondering what rods you can suggest that have the power for casting at range but can cope for handling carp under the tip without pulling hooks. Was looking at spending around £140 per rod but don't mind going over for something special. Also what t/c do you reccommend as i was going to look at upgrading from 3lb to either 3.25 or 3.5 lb.

cheers for taking the time in reading this simple question what has turned into an essay and hope you can get back in touch.Good luck in the future for Gigantica and hope to see you on there soon

Josh.

Danny:

Dear Josh

Yes there is an age limit of 18 on Gigantica, so unfortunately you will have to wait another year. To be honest I would not like to tackle such a lake with only a couple of years angling experience, its not mega hard but making the right choices of rig, bait and spot are key to getting action.

You do not need an additional license to fish Gigantica, most privately run holiday venues are the same but its best to check first. If you fish public waters you will almost certainly need licenses which are normally bought from the local tackle shop.

Regarding rods, for that price I would suggest you get second hand Daiwa Infinity Magnum tapers in 3 ¼ pounds test, other than that Greys X Flights or Daiwa Linear in 3 ½ pounds test, just make sure you get them with 50mm butt rings.

Hope that’s helpful.

Regards
Danny

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Gary:
Hi ya Danny,

Just thought i'd drop you an email. Me and my 3 mates have booked up for Gigantica at the beginning of March 2010, and was wondering if you minded giving us some advice.

It will be our second trip to France, so we are relatively new to overseas fishing, but we are experienced in the UK.

The main reason for me writing is as I said just to get a few pointers from you. I've read the website and the reports etc, and have noted a few
recommendations and observations.

It seems to me that Mainline Cell is the way to go right? How much do you think we will need and where do you recommend we get it from? I notice you don't rate the rolling companies over here, but if we decide to bring it with us, where do you reccommend we get it from? Also what size works best?

Any other advice you can give us with regards to what we should bring would be great thanks mate.

Best regards and Tight Lines mate,
Gary Tilbrook

Danny:

Dear Gary

You are right my experience is that the bait actually rolled by Mainline works better than the same bait rolled by other bait rolling services, I don’t know why, but I wouldn’t use anything else on there now.

Regarding size 20mm is perfect, Mainline do roll 20’s but they are not stocked by shops very much because in the UK 14’s and 18’s are the best sellers. If you bring anything smaller than 20 it will be eaten more readily by the bream, 14’s for example are a waste of time, you are just feeding the bream.

We sell Mainline 20mm’ers that Mainline have boiled extra long to make them hard enough to not split out of the throwing stick which is essential. They are priced at 100 Euros for 10kg which is equal to the best retail bulk price in the UK. To make sure we have them I recommend you order them in advance with Danny at the lake at thegrandfromage@hotmail.co.uk. We always keep a couple of hundred kilos in our freezers but if your party wants a lot we may need to know in advance.

Regarding amounts, for March I would say that if you used 30kg in a week on your own you would have had an amazing week! I only use a lot of bait if I get a lot of runs, I suspect at that time 10-15kg will be more than enough. I would start with about 2 kilos and add an extra ½ kilo per fish or after 12 hours without action. For example if I put 2 kilos out on Saturday afternoon I would probably put another ½ kilo in at about 10am Sunday morning if I had not had a bite, sooner if I had caught. Then I would put another kilo out at about 4pm for the next night. The half kilo is simply to activate the swim again and draw the fish in with the sound and smell of new food. The kilo before dark is to make sure there is something there for the fish to find overnight. I would repeat this baiting whether I caught or not for the first 3 days, if nothing happened by then and now fish had shown on or near me I would then leave it until I got a bite. Hopefully you will have caught by then.

Whatever you do stick to the plan! Select a range comfortable for you that Danny the bailiff says is a good bet and fish all 3 rods a rod length apart at that range. If you stick to the plan you will get action!

Keep rigs simple and strong, make sure the hook is always sharp, I change them frequently even if I haven’t had bites, just to be sure. Pin everything down from the hooklink to the antitangle system and the line, flying back leads and back lead and slack lines are the order of the day. Our new Fluorocarbon reel line will be out by then, I can’t recommend it strongly enough. It sinks like a brick and definitely gets me more takes not just there but everywhere.

Tight lines

Danny

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Gary & Daniel:
Morning Danny.

Me and my son are planning on fishing your lake in October next year, like to ask a bit of advice on a few things. What mainline would you recommend using and do you use tubing, I generally use leadcore but its not allowed on your fishery. My rigs generally use your bolt rig components with 9/10" hook links, with a snowman type bait. What set up do you believe works the best out there? I am not the best long distance caster, happier fishing 70/90 yards range. I plan to do some work on this year to improve this. Are there any swims that I should give a miss as they generally fish better at the 100 + yards range? I hope to get 2 swims together with my son; he's a better caster than me. Are there any 2 swims together that you believe offer the best chance of landing a few, I know that you will probably say that all the swims fish well, but just asking your own opinion.

We have fancied fishing your lake for a few years as the water looks great, hope to be there next year.

All the best.

Gary & Daniel.

Danny:

Dear Gary & Daniel

I would recommend a casting mainline like Adrenaline in 15lb with no shock leader; you will be able to cast that further than anything else. I have just come back from an October trip and I feel you need to fish at 100 yards plus after the middle of October. The fish do move a little further out at this time of year and stay there for the winter.

The swims you fish shorter are Big Southerly and The Beech, both are best at 70-90 yards at any time of year. The corner swims are a good bet but only if the wind is in their favour.

The swims that are really close are The Stock Pond, Pole Position and Alcatraz, and on the other side The Pink and The Stink, you can also double up in The Alamo and The Beech and The Tree Line are not too far apart. Do not double up anywhere but The Alamo you are simply halving your chances of catching.

The ‘hot’ swims change from week to week depending on the weather and where had been fished well. Listen to Danny the bailiff when you get there, he is the all Seeing Eye when it comes to Gigantica!

I use Gravel coloured rig tubing to stop tangles and protect the fish from the line during the fight, or a gravel coloured safe zone leader.

Your hooklink sounds perfect, I use 8-10 inches of Hybrid Stiff with a 20mm Cell bottom bait and 16mm Cell pop up. When the fish are really having it I swap to bottom baits, they seem to work better later in the week when the fish have been eating loads of bait.

There is loads more fish catching info on Gigantica-carp.com and the session we fished a match against the Dutch and Germans is on the latest Thinking Tackle Series 4 DVD due out at the end of November.

A lot of the Free DVD Carp, Tackle, Tactics and Tips Volume 3 was shot at Gigantica, it will be in tackle shops from the end of February 2010. It will give you an even better insight into how to fish the lake.

Hope that’s helpful

Tight lines

Danny

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Andy:
Danny

I have fished in France for a few years now and I’m looking to step up to a big fish venue would you sat its too big a step from 30's to hopefully 70's in 1 go mate

Andy Bow

Danny:

Dear Andy

It’s no harder to catch a 70 than it is a 30; there are just less of them so they don’t come along as frequently.

Gigantica is not easy but it can be very productive if you get it right, I have just returned from a week at the of October, I had 20 bites landing 19. ALL the fish came at 110 yards over loads of Mainline Cell boilies, that is THE way to fish Gigantica right now!

You will need at least 20kg of boilies for the week, start with 5kg and put in an extra ½-2kg after every fish and put in 3kg each night for the first 3 nights even if you don’t catch. Our motto is ‘If you feed them, they will come!’.

90% of our customers do not listen to mine and Danny T’s advice and spread they rods too wide, thrash the water with a float and don’t put enough bait in, mostly they blank or catch one or two. The people who follow our advice catch, every single time!

Because I have fished the lake for 5 weeks this year I know it better than anyone other than Danny T the bailiff and that how if fish it, if I thought there was a better way I would be doing it. Using bait as your feature is alien to most people but once you get used to it you will not look back.

So to answer your question, its not to be a step, The Giant comes out 1-4 times a year and there are loads of back up 40’s, 50’s and 60’s. If you take our advice you have a great chance of a week of a lifetime.

I hope we see you there, July and August are still quiet and they are the best months to fish because our lake is 20 feet deep so when other waters are boiling we are just getting to the best temperatures.

Check out Gigantica-Carp.com for the latest shots of the big fish.

Tight lines

Danny

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David:
Hi Danny,

Love the work your doing and I'm very impressed, I fish France once a year, and I’m loving your lake very much. I’m from Manchester UK. The question I would like to ask. Will you be offering any tackle hire ie bivvy rod set up etc.

I have decent shimano and daiwa gear, all 3lb TC and loaded with 20lb Shimano catana line, would these be able to tackle the monsters in your lake?

Kind regards

David Ross

Danny:

Hello David

The only tackle for hire are Bed Chairs, Nets, Mats, Scales, Slings and Weigh Bars are all supplied FOC, bait can be bought on site at slightly less than UK retail prices.

The gear you have sounds adequate, the only time you have to fish 100 yards and more is from the end of October till the middle of March, in the spring, summer and autumn the best ranges are 50-90 yards, fishing too far out will actually cost you fish in the summer!

Heavy gear is not needed to land the fish, you just need to be able to fish accurately at the correct range, and there are very few snags and no weed whatsoever.

Hope to see you there next year.

Tight lines

Danny

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Liam:
Hi Danny I’m thinking of fishing gigantica next year I have caught many 5o pounders hear in England. I love fishing right next to the bank which has caught me numerous 40 and 50 pounders close in will I be able to do this at gigantica.

Thanks Liam

Danny:

Hello Liam
Wow, sounds like you are rinsing out your local waters, we would love to see some photo’s if you can publicise them!

Gigantica is only a good margin water in the late spring early summer when the water level is at its highest and the fish are in the edge because they are getting ready to spawn, mid April till early June is the best time for this kind of fishing.

Tight lines

Danny

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Simon:
Hi Danny

I have contacted Fran at Angling Lines about fishing Gigantica in May 2010 for 3 anglers, a very quick reply i should add.

Before i book i would just like to ask if it is ok that my son who will be 14 years old at the time of the trip will be allowed to fish. I ask because your rules say minimum 18 yet I noticed on your 2009 gallery there was a young lad with some lovely looking 20’s in the photos.

Regards
Simon

Danny:

Dear Simon

I’m really sorry but your son is not allowed to come with you, you are right there have been a couple of youngsters this year and to honest that’s why we have had to stop it for next year.

As I’m sure your aware their attention span is much shorter than ours and they often wander off unsupervised which poses a significant health and safety risk for us, we cannot guarantee who they come into contact with and what potentially dangerous situations they may get themselves into, climbing trees, falling in etc.

Plus, our adult anglers were being bothered by the lads who meant no harm but some blokes go on holiday to get away from everything and it simply caused friction, this is why they are not allowed.

Hope you understand our position.

Regards
Danny

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Marco:
My name is Marco and I have a few questions.

PS. I am a Dutchman so it could be that my English is not that good.

We want to come and fish but we want to fish together on one swim. I want to know if there is enough space on all swims so we can place two one man bivvys? And, if there are 2 men fishing in 1 swim do they get more space for fishing or are they restricted to the space showed on the lake map?

I want too come this winter and fish on Gigantica. But I may come alone and fish. I have approximately 18 years experience, so I can take care of myself and the fish of course. My question is this aloud?

Danny:

Greetings from Holland.

Hello Marco
There are only two swims that you can fish very close together, these are The Pink and The Stink and, The Alamo, which is actually a double swim. All the others are single swims and we do not allow people to double up because then it reduces the space of the anglers in the swims next door.

The second reason we do not allow people to double up is that the lake fishes much better with anglers spread all the way around, if there are large areas where there are no anglers the fish always end up in this area. Having anglers grouped up with wide spaces between does not work, the fishing is much harder.

We have no issue with you and your friend spending more time in one of the two swims if you are fishing next to each other, providing you are not snag fishing in the ‘Tree Line’ swim we have no issue with you have a ‘social’ with your friend.

Winter fishing at Gigantica is the best time to catch the fish at their biggest weights I am coming over in November for this very reason, the fishing will be slower but the fish you do catch will be in their best condition.

Even with 18 years experience I recommend you listen to the advice of Danny T the bailiff on swim choice and rigs etc, he lives at the lake and is a very good carp angler. Also, use Mainlines Cell boilies, more Cell has gone in than any other bait this year and so it is easier to get bites on it than any other boilie. If you cannot buy it in Holland we can supply it at the lake for 100 euro for 10kg of 20mm frozen ready rolled baits.

We hope to see you soon.
Tight lines
Danny

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Paul:
Hello Danny,
Thinking of fishing your lake next year sometime been to France twice before but not had much luck. Would you say your lake is for the experienced angler? I'm not a novice by no meens but could learn a few more things though, It looks a proper nice lake and the fish look awesome I've read that it's a hard lake but that does not put me off. Just a bit cautious wether i know the right stuff to catch a couple there any feedback would be great.

Thanks Paul (Oxford)

Danny:
Dear Paul
Yes Gigantica is for the more experienced angler, having said that, experienced anglers often will not listen to Danny the fishery managers advice and as a result they struggle.

The people who listen to Danny (AKA Le Grand Fromage) and fish the right areas with the right bait and rigs almost always catch and many have personal bests. A couple of quotes from our Visitors book read ‘Angling advice money simply cannot buy, see you next year’ and ‘All hail Le Grand Fromage’.

You are right the lake is beautiful and the fish are stunning, we have just returned from a two week trip, we caught loads, Ian Macmillan had 33 takes for 31 fish the first week, I had 13 takes landed 12 up to 41, the second week I moved into Ian’s swim and had 24 takes landing 19 including the big un called The Giant at 72 pounds! Neither of us used a marker float all week, we simply sprayed boilies at 70-100 yards and fish all 3 rods on that area. The style of fishing is very easy, loads of 20mm Cell boilies all fished at the same range with 3 rods over the top. Rigs are simple, a bottom bait or snowman set up with a lead clip or inline lead.

So to sum up, if you listen to Danny you will have a very good chance of getting some action, no one can guarantee bites but we have enough experience now to give you a winning formula, if you stick to that you have the best chance possible.

Hope to see you there next year.

Tight lines

Danny Fairbrass

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John:
Hello Mr. Fairbrass, I have book an fishing trip to lake gigantica, which start with the end of next week.

So I have some questions:

Q. Is it allowed to bring my own selfmade boilies to the lake (they are frozen and without any conservation)?
A. Yes, so long as there is no preservative in them, you can use them, I suggest you bring more, than less as the fish are feeding very well at the moment.
Q. Is it allowed to use a braided casting line (normal monofilment mainline and 8 meters berkley whiplash 0,24mm braided line for casting)?
A.This allowed but there is no need to fish at long range here, most fish get caught at less than 70m from the bank.
Q. Is it allowed to use some mais pellets and hemp pellets from the firm Sensas in the spod mix(the quality of these pellets is really high and I was fishing them one many lakes. carps really love it)?
A.Unfortunately no, only particle and pellet bought on site is allowed.
Q. Is it allowed to use sweet mais from the supermarket in the spod mix?
A.Yes you can but there are Brasem in the lake so I would caution the use of any smaller baits. We also have boats for rent so need to spod.
Q. Is it allowed to fish with leadcore?
A.No, leadcore in any form is banned here.
Q. Is it allowed to use micro barbed hooks from korda like wide gabe, kurvshank or longshank x ?
A.No, all hooks must be barbless and no long curved shanks such as Long shank nailers or Fox series 5 either. We sell all Korda hooks in Barbless should you need them.
Thank you very much for your time.

I am really happy to fish on your lake.

Bestregards
Christoph Tuczai from Austria

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John:
On the bait side what quantity of boilies should you expect to get through in a week.Lastly what leads hooklinks and leaders do you use when you fish out there, and whats the biggest cast you are likley to make as i want to change my line to xline and it doesn’t cast as far as mono. thanks for your time dan look foward to hearing from you.
John Keirle

Danny:
The lake is ruled by boilies at present because the bream are ravenous! Do not worry though a 20mm boilie will stop the bream and if you only bait up with 20mm boilies you will not attract the bream into your swim. The best method at the moment is to start with about 3 kilo’s over 3 rods on day one and then half a kilo after each run, or a couple of kilo’s each evening even if you are not getting bites. With this is mind I would take at least 20 kilo’s of good boilies, cheap baits will work against you because the fish are now used to fresh Mainline.

We have 20mm Cell and New Grange at the lake at a price of £90 or 95 euro for 10kg along with the Mainline Indian Spice pop ups which complete the snowman hookbait that is doing all the damage at present.

Terminal wise all the Korda gravel coloured items are perfect, hybrid stiff in brown is the best coloured hooklink. We have special coated leads for sale at the lake to match the very light coloured bottom there. I have scuba dived the lake recently and this colour is perfect for the lake bed.

Fish are all being caught at less than 100 yards because that’s where everyone is fishing, most are caught 50-70 yards out, if you fish open water then make sure you fish all 3 rods close together at exactly the same range. If you can cast normal 15lb mono 100 yards then you will cast 17lb x line about 80 yards. You can fish normal mono along with flying back leads and back leads.

One of the Korda staff went out there last week and by his own admission is not a super star and he had 10 carp to 57lb fishing exactly as I have explained, he used 25kg of boilies and caught the big un on his last night after consistent action all week, because of his consistent baiting.

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Alfred:
Hi Danny
We're booked on for August and are wondering what bait to use on your lake?

Danny:
Dear Alfred
First of all use a bait that you are happy with, we ask that you use frozen boilies not shelf lifes, they are better for the fish and break down faster if not eaten. We have freezers on site so your bait won’t go off.

We sell Mainline boilies on site you can buy them a kilo at a time so your bait is always fresh; there are also special glugged hookbaits and pop ups. Definitely buy use some of our particles that we prepare fresh each day along with the pellets we feed the carp with. Personally I start with a 10 litre bucket of mixed particles, pellets and chopped boilies if I am fishing in open water and less for the corner swims where you can often throw the bait in.

Keep the bait going in little and often and stick to your spots, they will produce at some point. If you want more info look at the articles section of the site where I have written in more detail about my last trip to gigantica.

Tight lines

Dan

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Paul:
Hi Danny
Coming over this Saturday (2/05/09) as a party of 10. Could you expand on the food packages both 'fish' and 'humans'.

What, roughly, would a 10 kg bag of Fusion cost, a tub of pop ups and some glug?
How much for 10 kg's of particle?

We don't really want to bring anything more that enough to boil a kettle if possible. Can we get a breakfast and a simple evening meal on site? If so, rough cost per day would be nice to know.

Regards
Paul Dalrymple

Danny:
Hello Paul
I am attaching the breakfast and evening meal selection, Danny is a fantastic cook and the portions are huge, the lads there this week are only having breakfast and they say it is the best they have ever eaten from any lake in France!

Click here to se the menu.

Bait
The price for 10kg of Mainline will be 110 euro, instead of 120 but I must stress this is per person, if 10 people share 10kg there is no benefit to us to sell it slightly cheaper. Pop ups are 7.2 euro per pot, these are mainline hi vis pineapple, fruitella and some of the food baits like active 8, fusion and new grange to match our main choice of boilie which is the not yet released new grange. We also have super boosted bottom baits in pineapple etc, this is what I got my bites on last week, because there is no weed I this bottom baits or snowmen are better. Particles are 15 euro for a 10 litre bucket, the mix is mainly big particles to stop the roach eating it! I fished over it when I went a caught a couple straight away! Dan cooks it fresh for you every day. Pellets are 10 euro for 5kg and 45 euro for a 25kg sack, these have been fed for the last few years and I recommend you put some in your mixes.

As you know you all get 10kg particle, 5kg pellets and 2k boilies when you arrive! I recommend a 10kg bucket of the whole lot mixed in one area for open water and less in the corners on your first night and if you can find out where the guys this week got their bites go straight on that area, the bites will come sooner I promise you! please make sure you bring spare buckets to mix your bait up and dry weight slings and unhooking mats, as ours have not yet been delivered!

Boats with life jackets and bait scoops are 25 euro each or 40 euro between two.

All korma kit is the same retail price as it is in the UK. Take plenty of back leads and flying back leads, we have sold out already and are not sending more till 9th may cos of transport costs.

The lake has done about 10 fish so far this week, best 43, all are in absolutely mint condition!

Tight lines
Danny

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Dave:
Hi danny, is it possible to drive yourself to the venue and fish if so how much per week please?
Dave Hughes

Danny:
Hello Dave
Yes mate. Everyone drives themselves we don't offer coach trips because it's less than 4 hours and it's motorway all the way.

For prices contact angling lines because they book your ferry and your time of travel affects the price.

Regards
Danny

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Pete:
Hi Mr Fairbrass,
Myself and a friend are seriously considering booking a week on gigantica through Angling Lines either in the beginning of May or the end of May, I’m just wondering what with the lake being so deep generally, will it not take longer for the fish to rouse from there winter torpid state, hence making the spawning weeks later than shallower lakes in the region?

I understand the lake is not an easy venue, I just am restricted to times I am able to angle abroad so don’t want to make my task any more difficult.
Thanks and Regards,

Barnsley. Manchester. Hull. Sunderland. Scunthorpe

Matt Housley
Store Manager Fishing Republic

Danny:
Dear Matt

You are right, the deeper water will take longer to warm up so the fish will spawn a bit later than on shallow lakes. This year we shall be recording the exact days the fish spawn, along with the relative water temperature so in years to come we shall be able to predict when it will happen.

Regarding spawning I found out from fishery expert Simon Scott that not all fish spawn at the same time and each fish only spawns once a year. So when some are spawning others will not be and visa versa. This basically proves that it is always worth fishing all be it away from where the spawning fish are. The fish were spawning at Swan Valley near Yateley when Tom Dove and I were making the TV show for SKY last year, I fished away from them and had a stunning mid twenty linear and an equally stunning thirty pound mirror, there were loads of others out as well so I don’t really buy into the idea of shutting a venue because some fish are spawning. If they are spawning they are not feeding anyway and as long as you keep away from them I see no harm in it.

Our fish will spawn in the edges, probably in front of ‘Big Girls’ and ‘The Tree Line’ (see our map on the angling lines web site), these swims will probably be closed whilst the fish spawn but the next swims along will be a good bet because the fish wont go far after spawning and will almost certainly be hungry.

The fish have already started waking up, a couple have been out in the last few days to 37lbs, they were in mint condition as well. If I had to bet my life on when to miss the spawning I’d say the start of May, either the 2nd or 9th but if they haven’t spawned by the end of May they will be far more active and at the very biggest weights, our lake record called ‘The Giant’ was 72½ last September so it could be 80 pounds pre spawning!

Look forward to seeing you there!

Tight lines
Danny

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Pete:
Hi Danny
I've fished in France on a few occasions at maison du lac and beauregard
and I prefer to drive and survive, is this an option on your venue ? if
so I would be grateful of any info regarding pricing and such like ,
thanks very much Pete Sells.

Danny:
Hello Peter,

Good news we are ONLY drive and survive. The lake is only 3 ½ hours from Calais and its motorway all the way so the journey is easy.

Regarding prices that depends on what vehicle you travel in and how many of you travel because Angling Lines book your ferry crossing as part of the package. So simply give them a call with your travel details and they’ll give you a quote.

One thing to bear in mind, the gates do not open until 12 noon on Saturday (previous customers are off by 10am). The draw is at 1pm giving you an hour to have a look round and list your favourite swims, after a cup of good old rosy lee of course! In the past customers have booked midnight ferries and so end up arriving at about 6am local time, there is no where to park up and so they have to make themselves scarce for 6 hours until the gates are unlocked. If you do book then I recommend a 5 or 6am ferry crossing, even if you arrive after 12 the draw will not happen until 1pm and if you are running late you can always contact the bailiff and let him know. There will still be up to 10 hours of daylight to get your kit sorted!

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Jonny & Rob:

Hi Danny
My self and my mate rob are fishing Gigantica in April and both cant
wait to have a chance of some of your big beauties on our mats! We both
understand you have to be on the fish to catch them and a good bait in
the right place is critical. Could you perhaps inform us of any good
boilies/flavours that are being used to good affect, as this would be of
some help before the rolling starts?

Also I believe that when you arrive you are not guaranteed to be put on
the peg next to your mate. Is this correct and if so is there any way
round this?

Thank you kindly. Tight lines. Jonny and Rob.

Danny:
Regarding bait I have just answered the same question for Jacko and Tommi, please see below for my answer.

Yes you are right that you are not guaranteed to end up next to your mate, unless you both go in the draw as one person! Let me explain, one of you picks a number for both of you, say that is number 3, this means you have third choice of swims so after first and second you pick two swims next to each other. Effectively you could both come out first and have two swims next door anywhere on the lake, but you could both come out last just as easily, that’s the chance you both take.

At the moment there is loads of space on your week so I reckon you will have plenty of choice to fish together whatever number you draw.

One thing I didn’t talk about regarding bait is zig rigs. These are very effective any time of the year but particularly in the spring. Make sure you take some 10lb mono for hooklinks, some size 8 barbless hooks and small pop ups or rig foam for hookbaits.

Tight lines

Danny

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Tommi, Mark & Jacko:
What fish has been coming out in 2009. have you been stoking any more fish into gigantica. i will see you in may/June.

Tommi, Mark & Jacko.

Danny:
Dear Danny have you been pre baiting with main line baits/boilies if so please let us know what type of boilies/flavour we are coming over in may thanks Jacko and Tommi.

What fish has been coming out in 2009. Have you been stoking any more fish into Gigantica. I will see you in may/June Tommi and Mark.

Dear Jacko, Tommi and Mark

We have not been prebaiting heavily this winter because temperatures have been so low and we wanted to be sure any bait was eaten. Baiting has been little and often when weather conditions are right, we have used particles and chopped boilies, no pellet because of the cold weather.

The swims have been re-built over the last two weeks; and the fish have been spotted showing themselves by our workmen as the water temperature increases. The first two fish came out only two nights ago, a 37 called ‘The Weld’ and a mid double. Work has taken precedent over fishing for our fishery manager but now most of the heavy work has been done the rods will definitely be out most nights. By the time you arrive the lake should be in full swing!

Regarding stocking, we have not added any extra fish at the advice of a fisheries expert, we want to catalogue all the fish caught this year and then decide if the lake needs more fish. Overfishing and bad angling practices like persistent over baiting had cut catch rates down severely at time last year. Having far less anglers and sensible baiting practices will make a huge difference to catch rates this year. Also, we do not want to risk the lives of some exceptional fish by adding new ones when we may not need them.

Regarding types of bait I recommend you use what you have confidence in. Namely the bait you have caught loads carp on back home or on other trips to France. There is nothing worse than sitting behind rods with a new bait wondering if the fish like it. Trust me, 3 or 4 days in to a week session with no runs and your head will go!

If you have no firm favourites and want advice from me Mainline Cell or Fusion are my top choices, we have Mainline’s ‘New Grange’ on sale at the lake. This has gone in with some regularity which is obviously an advantage and I always recommend you have the bait ‘on sale’ on one rod as it is the most likely to be recognised by the carp as a food source.

To go with this definitely order a bucket of fresh cooked particle mix, it includes hemp, party mix, maize and tigers for hookbaits. I always use a mix of boilies and particles to increase the ‘pulling power’.

We have freezers on site to store your bait and ask you bring a maximum of 20kg each for the week, if you use all 20kg you will have had an amazing week! I start with about half a 10 litre bucket (25 spodfulls) of mixed boilie, pellet and particle with all 3 rods fished on the same spot. If nothing happens the first night I add about 10 more spods the next afternoon. Then I wait to put in any more until I have had action or seen fish over the area. If I get loads of runs I use lots of bait, if I don’t get many runs I don’t use a lot of bait. The beauty of the freezers is you can take your bait home again if you don’t use it.

If you do use the ‘New Grange’ and get on well with it you are welcome to get extra before you leave and use it when you get home too, providing we have enough stock of course!

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Rob:
Hi Danny,
Just a quick one, myself and 5 other friends fish in france twice a year, trying new venues each time, we are not begginers but would just class ourselves as competant anglers. We are still looking for a venue to fish towards the end of this year, and were wondering if you could give any tips for fishing your lake, i understand that the fishing can be difficult and we are prepared to blank in the persuit of some larger carp, we would just like the best chance we can get if we do go ahead with the trip.

Thanks for your time, and good luck with your new venture.

Regards, Rob Goodwin

Danny:
Hi Rob
Click here to read a perfect article is attached to answer your question.

Regards, Danny

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Jenny:
Hi Danny
Last year my boyfriend dragged me to my first fishing trip. Since then Im hooked and want to go as often as possible, and am dying to try out a French water. I was reading through the angling lines site where you say you and the team will be at Gigantica from the 16th Sept 09 till the 26th. Is this a definate as we are planning to make the trip over when you are all there?

Many Thanks
Jenny

Danny:
Dear Jenny
Yes, this is a definite. We will be filming from 12th to 26th September. This is a ‘rare’ occasion when some swims will not be included in the draw but there will still be numerous good areas to fish as well.

Hope to see you there.

Tight lines
Danny

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James:
Hi Danny
I am looking to fish the lake with my Mrs as a second holiday for us both (how kind am I). I love my Carp fishing but am by no means an experienced angler. Is Gigantica suitable to fish using simple tactics such as Pva and single hookbait approach, as I do not want to feel outside my comfort zone.

Kind regards
James

Danny:
Hello James, I think it may be your Mrs that is kind going on a fishing holiday! Thanks for your honesty regarding your experience as a carp angler. In all honesty this lake is not for ‘beginners’, the tactics you describe will certainly catch fish, personally I have always relied on building a baited area in one of the open water swims like ‘alcatraz’ or ‘co’s point’, having said that there are 3 corner swims where an accurate cast under overhanging trees will get loads of bites. This is snag fishing at its extreme and is not for the faint hearted, with huge fish at very close quarters.

If you are looking for a relaxing week’s holiday inside your ‘comfort zone’ and the guarantee of a few fish no matter what the size then I’m sure Angling Lines have somewhere more suitable than Gigantica. But if you want a chance of a real big fish with stunning smaller ones and you are prepared to work at your fishing we would love to have you. Our full time bailiff Danny T is on site to help anyone with rigs, baits and location which will put you closer to action, although no one can guarantee it.

I hope that answers your question.

Have a good holiday, wherever you end up.

Tight lines
Danny F

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Willem:
What kind of cameras for your underwater films are you using? Which one can you recommend me to start with?

Danny:
Sorry Willem we keep that information strictly confidential! Not because we want to be awkward but because our competitors are all trying to copy us!

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Peter, Aaron, Chris and Stefan:
Danny, is it true that you are making an island in the middle of Gigantica?

Danny:
No there is no way an island could be made in the middle of such a large and deep water; it would take millions of tonnes of gravel! What we have done is close swim 13. The old duck hunting shack is gone and a large shallow gravel area has been created so swims 1 and 11 can cast over towards it. This creates a new shallower area in the lake which should be a good daytime feeding area.

In the long term we aim to create numerous gravel humps around the lake by dropping huge quantities of gravel from a special barge. This will now happen in November this year because there is a real risk of dropping 30 tonnes at a time straight onto a dormant fish. We do not want to bury a 75 pounder! We want you to catch it next year.

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Dion:
Danny, is it true that KORDA is getting into trouble because they change the law about fishing with lead? What is Korda going to do about it? Glass, Rocks, or another metal?

Danny:
No we are not getting into trouble at all. There are already metal substitutes which at the moment are very expensive but by the time any potential ban comes in we will have a non lead alternative at almost the same price. We hope a ban will not happen and we shall fight it all the way because the coating on our leads is so tough that it is highly unlikely the lead will ever get into the environment, the risk is almost zero!

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Erik:
Are you going to net Christophe so you finally will know exactly how much fish is in there? They told me that there are more then a thousand carps in Christophe? Are you going to put more (bigger) carps into Christophe?

Danny:
We are not going to net the lake because the depth and size makes it impossible. Instead we are making a file on our computer for every single fish that is caught whether its 10 pounds or 70 pounds. Our fishery experts estimate we shall know the exact number in 2 years of making records.

I estimate that there are between 300 and 600 fish but I may be wrong. Alex van Vorst actually saw 280 new fish go in a couple of years ago, that’s on top of what is already in there. I think the depth and size of the water makes it very hard to guess.

We are not going to put any new fish in the lake this season, we want to see how many get caught each week before risking the lives of all the existing fish by putting new ones in. we do not think it is worth loosing the stock of huge fish for the sake of a few new ones at this stage.

Regarding bigger fish there are already 5 different 60’s and at least one 70 right now, is that big enough?

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Theo:
Hi Danny,
Why changing names..? St Christophe is a well known name….Gigantica doesn’t ring a bell….

Danny:
Good question Theo. Christophe is well known but this is a new beginning for the water and I wanted a name which stood out from all other waters in France. Our fishery management will make sure that in years to come it will challenge even rainbow lake for number of big fish per acre so I think ‘Gigantica’ says exactly what the lake will be, a land of giants! Ours is a long term plan both regarding the stock of fish and the facilities on the water.

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Frank:
Hi Danny, are you going to make a DVD underwater at Gigantica? I thought you made some recording at Abbey last year? Alex was telling on his DVD (part 3) that you will bring out part 7 with underwater recordings of Abbaye? Nothing so far…

Danny:
Hello Frank, we did film at Abbey, for 2 weeks in May when the carp were spawning much of the time and 2 weeks in October, both were on the same clear spot near the island on Heron, the same swim Alex fished in his DVD actually.

The problem was we didn’t catch enough fish to live up to the reputation of the previous DVD’s so we decided to scrap the footage or use it when Part 7 does work for us. What I can tell you is the fish were massively spooky of rigs on clear spots. They didn’t feed with the enthusiasm we expected and when they did the rarely picked up a hookbait. Fishing in shallow weed was a far better way to catch fish so if you are going avoid the really clear areas.

We are filming again this spring at another water and if we catch the film will be out in November.

We are watching the water at Gigantica to see if it ever gets clear enough, if it does maybe we will make a film in a few years time. We also have waters in The Netherlands and England perfect for an underwater film so we wish to explore these opportunities first!

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Simon:
Danny will Gigantica be more expensive then Christophe? And if so…what is the reason?

Danny:
Yes Simon it will be, the only reason is we are cutting the maximum number on fishermen on the lake down from 26 down to only 12. Each swim is for one angler only deliberately spreading the anglers evenly around the lake. In my experience this keeps the fish moving and gives everyone more runs. You are more than welcome to visit your neighbouring swims for a social, in fact we encourage this, after all you are on holiday! The only exception is swim 5; this is a snaggy swim so you must stay on your rods at all times for the fish’s sake! Spacing people out will give everyone loads more room and will I’m sure increase the runs for each angler.

The swims are being rebuilt so they are flat, safe, comfortable and big enough for even the biggest 2 man dome! Last season the swims were like death traps, they looked awful and it was hard to lift out a really big fish. If you have been there before you will not recognize the place this year. We have resurfaced the gravel road around the lake, built new secluded car parks, put in 2 new toilets and enlarged and modernized the shower room with deluxe fittings and an indoor heated changing area. The kitchen is also being rebuilt completely and superb quality food will be on offer at a great price.

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Kevin:
Danny is it true that the people from Holland will be in 2nd place behind the UK with bookings?

Danny:
Hello Kevin, thanks for your question, the answer is absolutely not! Dutch, Belgiums, Germans and whoever else wants to fish the lake get exactly the same priority as the English. You may not know but I have many Dutch, Belgium and German friends. I have been attending shows all over Europe for many years and I love the different cultures. At the end of the day we are all tied together by a common passion, Catching Big Carp. Our aim is to really look after each customer. Our bailiff (also called Danny) is a top bloke with a great personality, his job is dedicated to helping you have the best holiday possible. He can give advice on baits, rigs and spots based on what is happening at the lake every day unlike the previous owner who by his own admission was not a proper carp angler and as such couldn’t advise anyone on how to catch as much as possible.

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Ron:
I think it is a stupid idea to ban out remote control boats! On swim 5 you cannot fish against the trees without a boat! What is the main reason to ban out boats? Can you book for only a couple days (long week-ends)?

Danny:
Hello Ron, the reason remote control boats have been banned is because they are consistently misused! If someone is getting bites boats creep closer and closer to the successful anglers spot affecting his chances of catching more fish! This has happened on every single water I have ever fished, it infuriates me and I’m sure it does the same to other anglers. Remote control boats also allow people to fish way beyond the boundaries of their swim which also causes disputes and ruins holidays. I am super confident that by casting from the bank we will entice the carp into the margins. This was proved during the autumn last year. When my Bailiff Co from Holland stopped anglers going out more than 100 meters with any boat over 90 fish were caught in 1 week, a record for the venue. The new lake record of 72lbs (English Pounds, Sorry!) came from swim 7 that same week caught 50 meters out, by a Dutchman!

Regarding swim 5, we are rebuilding all the swims to make them more comfortable, safe and easy to cast from. We have measured from the swim to the main spots against the trees and it is well within casting distance being less than 60 meters. Regarding getting as close as a boat, that requires skill and practice and for those most skilled the runs will come faster. Not having boats means anglers cannot drive them under the trees dropping the rig too far in which has also resulted is many lost fish. Some anglers have lost 30 out of 35 runs! Every lost fish could be a dead fish if it gets snagged up, would you risk the death of a 70 pound fish in your lake for the sake of using a remote boat?

Regarding long weekends there is no specific arrangement at present. We think because most people have a long way to travel a few nights is too short. The old owner I believe allowed anglers pretty much free rein to do as they pleased and feedback from customers suggested this sometimes ruined the atmosphere at the fishery.

If you want to go for a weekend then I suggest you call the agents for Mainland Europe, European Carp Group no more than 7 days before you wish to go, if places are available then we may do something to accommodate you. Please bear in mind that swims must be vacated on Saturday because there is a draw for swims each Saturday. This gives everyone the same chance to get the swim they want. This ensures there is no prejudice against new customers who do not know the water. Consider this, would you like to arrive at a lake for your only week’s holiday and find all the most desirable swims already taken? I am against booking swims months in advance, how can anyone possibly know what is the best swim months before hand?

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Pieter:
What will be the differences with Christophe and Gigantica? Will you be fishing there all year as well? They told me that it will be a Korda Complex and that you will give lessons in carp fishing at Gigantica.

Danny:
Thanks Pieter good question, its amazing how much ‘gossip’ there is on the internet. First of all the lake is not a Korda lake, I want people to fish it because the lake is so exciting not because Korda is a well known company. The lake must stand on its own two feet!

Personally I will be fishing the lake from 12-26 September along with 4 or 5 other Korda anglers to film the Free DVD for 2010. There are still 6 places left that week if you fancy seeing how a DVD is made. Last year these weeks fished brilliantly and the lake record of 72lb came out on 16 September!

I will almost certainly be fishing the lake several other times this year, at least once in spring when they are really big, the 72 could be 80 before spawning, in fact it could be 80 now with the growth rates we have been recording. A 62 pound fish caught by Thierry on 3rd September was last out at 54 the previous July and has been caught since in October at 68!

Regarding tuition Danny Turtle the full time bailiff and fishery manager is a superb carp angler and a master on casting, bait and rig tying he will be on hand to advise on best spots, baits and rigs to make your session as productive as possible. All the latest rig items will be on sales as well as the very best quality baits. We have freezers to for your use free of charge to keep your boilies fresh.

The other main changes are the dramatic reduction in anglers from 26 to only 12, 3 rods instead of 4 meaning the maximum rods per week is only 36 not 104 as it could have been last year! This alone will make it feel like you have the whole lake to yourself and must generate more runs.

The swims are being totally rebuilt along with the shower and toilets. A new stock pond is being built so any small carp can be removed as they are caught and grown on to better weights. All the bream are being removed so there will be no nuisance fish problems and the carp will grow bigger and faster.

You must also cast your rigs to stop anglers fishing in other people’s swims and to draw the fish into the edges where they naturally want to be. Fish have been seen and heard and caught really close in since the boat activity stopped. You can bait up with a rowing boat during the day providing you respect you neighbours and have a safe boat and a life jacket! Be warned though, if we find rods or rigs in boats you will be asked to leave! And I promise you that won’t be necessary to get runs. .

We shall also being cooking super fresh particles to your order so they are ready for your arrival making things as easy as possible. Mainline frozen boilies made exclusively for us will be on sale along with several ‘special’ pop ups and flavoured artificial baits like corn and maize. Our own high nutrition pellets will be on sale at bulk prices, keeping your costs down and guaranteeing you have the very best chance of getting lots of runs. Above all else we are carp anglers and we know the difference between an OK holiday and a really great one. We promise we shall do everything in our power to help you have the best Holiday you have ever had. We look forward to serving you in the coming season!

Please note;  Any pictures supplied of fish caught from Gigantica may be used for promotional purposes both by Angling Lines & Danny Fairbrass at Korda.  Thank you.