Here at Villefond we keep a photographic record of each fish capture reported to us by the anglers fishing the lake. This is done so that we can track the progress of each fish regarding weight gains (which are phenomenal) and so on. Anyone interested can take a look at these photographic records via our […]
Baiting strategies can either make or ruin a carp angling session. How should I go about creating the perfect carp restaurant? There are a few tried and trusted methods to create a baited area which I’ll explain below. The first that I shall talk about is the main one that most anglers travelling to France […]
An angler interview with Nick Burrage, talking about everything from his time on the Mangrove to fishing in France. Matthew Fleet from the Carp Marathon asks the questions… So then Nick when did your passion for angling begin? Well my passion for angling started a long time ago, sometime in the 1970’s when I was 7 […]
Our Webcast brings you carp fishing video news every month from our 36 French carp lakes. This edition features a round-up of winter success on multiple waters, special early season offers, plus nettings & stockings at a number of lakes.
Tiger Nuts have been used by anglers for many years and are one of the most well known baits for fishing. Join Hinders experts Kev Hewitt and Bryan Jarrett as they go through a step by step guide on how to safely prepare Tiger Nuts as well as sharing their top tips on using this […]
I’ve been using an assortment of shelf life and frozen baits well before becoming a bait consultant for Quality Baits. Despite the success I’ve had with the shelf life baits I still favour frozen baits over all and here is why. As we all know one of the main problems with frozen baits is its deterioration […]
Here’s your step-by-step guide to handling big carp. Originally written by Mark Lambert for anglers fishing Villefond, it’s worth a read if you’re targeting those french carp. Firstly don’t panic, once the fish is hooked it shouldn’t come off so relax and play the fish. Very large carp won’t be bullied, you will just end […]
It has been a real pleasure to watch Villefonds fish grow into some real monsters and it has been discussed for a long time about which fish are going to be the next biggest caught so I decided to compile a new list detailing the top 5 to date, as of February 2014. Our lake’s […]
The guys from Solar Tackle give you their top 3 baiting tips… Tip 1 – Packing your boilies with attraction is a great way to get your baited area noticed quicker, and visited more often, than the guy in the next swim. By soaking your baits in a proven, amino liquid such as Solar’s Marine 17, […]
Does resting a swim increase your catch rate? On certain waters and situations I believe that it does. Now, what do I mean by resting a swim? Basically, it means removing all lines out of a swim for some considerable time to allow the carp to gain confidence in feeding on a baited area. I have used […]
Cracking start to the year with three forties in a row at Old Oaks… Holiday date: Sat 8th Feb to Sat 15th Feb 2014 Name of customer: Eddie Faulkner Number of anglers: 2 Details of your catches: One angler caught four fish, at 44lb, 41lb, 40lb and a 31lb. Your best tactics/bait/rigs: Cell boilies, topped with plastic corn, fished the far bank […]
Trout Pellets have been used in fishing for over thirty years and are used regularly by thousands of anglers. Bryan and Kev from Hinders go through an easy to follow step by step guide on how to use pellets for your fishing.
Over the years I have had more than my fair share of hook pulls and some with very large fish on the end. At one time I would be messing around with different hook patterns all the time, which in hindsight wasn’t a great thing to be doing as I never really got to understand […]
Despite the name, this carefully engineered setup does not involve heading down to your local Turkish fast-food establishment, however tempting that may be. There’s no chilli sauce, pita bread or strips of greesy, grey matter simply labeled ‘meat’. No, the kebab rig is in fact Solar Tackle boss Martin Locke’s favorite presentation. Having landed his […]
How many of you go carp fishing and know exactly what fish are in the venue that you are fishing? This doesn’t always have to be the case, if you are willing to venture off the beaten track or to fish large lightly stocked waters you can soon get that ‘sense of mystery’ back into […]
On January 1st 2014, Gilles decided that it would be a good idea to drain down the main lake at Mas Bas, to take stock and remove the irritating bream, catfish and the surplus grass carp that have been an annoyance over the past several years. So whilst the majority of the world were nursing […]
Over the last couple of years I have built up a reasonable size library of Angling books and on a number of species. Now I don’t just buy new/modern books but also old ones by the likes of Richard Walker etc, as I believe it gives you a really rounded overview of our favourite pastime. […]
Should I contain a carp in a carp sack or retaining sling for photographs? Paul Cooper discusses yet another controversial subject in carp welfare. Carp sacks have been around for years now and nearly every carp angler had a couple of sacks with him so that a carp could be retained until a decent trophy shot […]
The ongoing Otter debate needs no introduction for 99% of you reading this. However, for the 1% that aren’t up to speed, it amounts to this… The recovery of otter populations in the UK has brought about an increasing concern about predation, particularly on still water fisheries and on specimen fish, including our beloved […]
Below tells the history of Mas Bas, a complex of two lakes with beautiful french gites. It now holds carp to over 50lb, but it was originally built for something else entirely… In 1967 French farmer and JCB driver Simon Betoulieres, had an idea and purchased, for very little money, an area of sodden land […]
