How do I catch Grass Carp?

Philip Parker wrote: I will be tackling a venue that contains a good head of large grass carp. The lake itself is quite shallow 3′-4′ and around nine acres in size. Can anyone offer some advice on trying to catch them. Of all the fish I’ve caught this one has eluded me. Surface baits are […]

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What month do the carp spawn in France?

Robert Fisher wrote: Please could you tell me the average spawning dates in France. Hi Robert, This is a very difficult question to reply to as there are so many factors involved. Much depends on the depth of the lake, the amount of sun it recieves and other factors that might effect water temperature such […]

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Springtime success in France

Top French carp angler Bruno Médou has just sent us a report from his latest trip to the central ‘Morvan’ region of France, and area rich in carp waters and renowned for the large fish that populate its waters. The region is heavily forested with a large variety of pines, and as Bruno says it […]

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Do French carp feed off the surface?

Simon Rooney wrote:   Could you please find out for me if the fish at Hideaway feed off the surface as I have found out that some lakes in France don’t.    Hi Simon, Generally speaking peole have the impression that carp don’t take of the surface in France. This is of course rubbish. However this […]

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Use solid PVA bags for long range carp fishing.

by Ian Gemson Solid PVA bags are excellent for getting a wide verity of baits and liquids out into the swim with your hook bait. However, when fishing at range, PVA bags can be problematic. The first problem is making a solid bag tight and aerodynamic such that it flies straight and true. The second […]

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Snag fishing for carp the safe way

When fishing snags, tree lines or next to awkward features you will generally have more success if you place the rig tight under the tree coverage or very close to the snag during the day. The reason is that many carp, especially in pressured waters, tend to hold up tight under the trees or directly […]

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Carp hooks – barbed or barbless?

By Jon Perkins This is a subject which has been debated for many years and both barbed and barbless hooks certainly have their place in modern carp fishing.I beleive that on the majority of waters and in the majority of angling situations, barbless hooks are better for the carp. Most fisheries these days have a […]

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Successful winter carp fishing

When winter and early spring fishing gets tough often anglers simply give up but for those who persist there are extremely memorable catches to be achieved, often quite easily. Catch more big winter carp right now… Confidence is the key to fishing success for so many reasons and Kevin Maddocks did not refer to having […]

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Tips for Ribiere

Ian Sweenie wrote: I’m booked on Ribiere in early May any advice or tips would be appreciated as I’ve been told that they have a lot of crays in there. Hi Ian, I’ve fish Ribière on a couple of occasions both early and later in the year and have never been troubled by Crayfish. When […]

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Carp Fishing Tips for Mas Bas

James Derbyshire wrote: I am booked on Mas Bas main lake at the end of July.  I am the only person fishing (my wife will be sunbathing!). I’m starting to think about getting myself sorted out for the trip and am wondering how much bait (and what baits) I should be taking with me for […]

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tips for Driving in France

I saw this excellent post on the Quest Baits Blog: By Jamie Simpson Ok so I thought this piece may be helpful to anyone who has little or no experience of fishing in France. Travelling to France for a fishing holiday can be a daunting prospect, yet the draw of large Carp and a slightly […]

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Homemade boilies – problems and solutions!

Vince wrote: Why do I end up with holes through the centre of my home rolled boilies ? I have tried adding more liquids / oil to no avail. I am using bog standard semo/soya/milk powder etc with the inclusion of finely ground nut/seed mix in proportion Hi Vince, I’ll pass on your query to […]

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Lady carp anglers – are we safe?

by Linda Latham, Hi to all anglers, how safe am I out there? I love relaxing by a lake side to carp fish but it is always a worry how safe am I!. Obviously during the day you pick a spot where you can see who is approaching and also be seen by other people passing. […]

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French fish don’t count!

  There was recently a long ongoing thread on the Carpforum about the subject of non “English” fish ‘Not’ counting! My first question would have to be “don’t count for what or for whom?” It is a subject which as a resident in France, a holiday provider and a fishery owner strikes a chord. The […]

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