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Carp fishing & the 2010 World Cup…

Lots of carp anglers are football fans & don’t want to miss the 2010 World Cup in the summer.  Unfortunately the games are scheduled between June 11th & July 11th – prime carp fishing months! So these venues will have TV’s available so you won’t miss a thing!  Come on England!

Which ferry would suit me best?

Which Cross Channel Ferry would suit me best? – a question we get asked often.  Bridget Keep gives the Pros & Cons; There are so many options now for crossing to France so here is a comprehensive guide to the Pros and Cons of the various options; Dover to Calais ferries By far the cheapest […]

World Record Carp – 94lb!

Here it is Martin Locke’s World Record 94lb mirror caught at Rainbow Lake last week. I must say it is looking in great shape at the moment and possibly doesn’t look 94lb because we are so used to seeing carp pushed out towards the camera. However if you check the size of Martin’s hands then […]

Carp fishing & pumpkins!

Taken from Carp-Talk Xtra So why on earth do we have a picture of the new (1,457lb) World Record pumpkin in this week’s Carp-Talk Xtra? Well firstly it was grown by Mehdi Daho who is the owner of the popular Angling Lines venues Old Oaks & Laroussi and secondly he decided to put the outer […]

Another 55 carp stocked at Lillypool

Following on from the 33 grass carp stocked in September 2009, Santa came and emptied his sack early at Lillypool in the form of Michel and Laurent Bigot and their fish farming team. On 18th December 2009 a further 55 carp were stocked, slightly more than was promised but we just couldn’t resist as they […]

Carp bait debate – uncooked particles kill carp! Or do they?

The death of Benson, the immaculate common carp from Bluebell Lakes back in August this year ignited the uncooked particle debate once again.  You can read the Daily Express article here. The article contains a couple of quotes.  The first come from an anonimous Web Poster; “Tiger nuts and peanuts are not swallowed whole, they […]

French weather to moon phases… some useful Websites

Here’s a list of the Websites we find ourselves recommending to people throughout the year; For French weather forecasts we recommend Metcheck … here’s the French page. Incredibly accurate even 10 days or so before. For route planning we recommend ViaMichelin Enter your start destination as the French ferry port you’re using & end destination […]

The Chod Rig – My way!

The Chod Rig has to be one of my most my favoured rigs. I’ve opted to use it for the majority of my sessions lately, and with some personal touches I think it’s as perfect as I can get it. Instead of using leadcore I use a 48-inch Tungsten Ex-Heavy Leader from TFG and instead […]

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75lb carp from Laroussi!

I caught this monster at Laroussi on 15th November in swim La Plage. I was fishing 65 yards to my right into open water and at about 1 am Sunday morning had a slow take.  40 minutes later and this monster came into my net! I could not believe the size of this carp, I […]

Line strength for France?

Gary wrote;  As I’m going to France next year and the average fish is 20 – 25lb, but there are bigger ones in the lake, so what line should I use? I normally use 12lb. Should i go up to 15 or even 20lb?  Could you let me know many thanks.   Hi Gary,  When […]

First time fishing in France…

Question from Steve Sayers; Looking forward to fishing Boux in April 2010.  It will be my 1st French trip… so not sure what to expect.  Any advice on rigs or presentations would be really helpful for a virgin French carper! Hi Steve, Simply fish in exactly the same way as you do here in the UK. […]

What time of year do the carp spawn?

Rich asks; What time of year do the carp spawn? Hi Rich, Spawning time is purely a matter of water temperature and mostly late May or June is the spawning period in France.  A warm spring or mild winter can bring it on early (I’ve even known them start in March) and some lakes will start sooner than […]

Big carp and runs?

Stewart asks;  Looking for a runs water with big carp for 6 anglers.  Looking to book for next year. It really depends on what you class as big carp? Runs waters tend not to have a concentration of 40’s and 50’s. We have around 35 venues but I’d still genuinely only class around 4 of them […]

Winter carp bait query

Brent  wrote: I am going to La Fritterrie in november and am thinking of using either club or red herring.  Any tips please? Hi Brent, Not too sure what ingredients are used in Club Mix or Red Herring but would presume the Red Herring is fish meal based and possibly contains fish oils too. If […]

Float fishing for carp.

Shaun Greenaway wrote; As I’m new to all fishing please can you tell me when float fishing for carp in ponds do you always make sure your bait reaches the bottom or is it possible to catch them at any depth? Thanks for your query. It’s normal to present the bait on the bottom unless you […]

Spodding query

Carl wrote;   I’m new to spodding. How many spods should I put in when I start fishing?   Hi Carl,   I would put 6 spods in to start & not top up until I caught a fish. Every fish top up with 3 spods.   Keep it accurate by casting to a marker float & […]

Don’t just sit and wait… go find the carp!

During the long (and seriously hot) summer days, sitting behind a set of rods waiting for it to happen is can often end up in a blank session. You may well pick up the odd cruising fish, or get action at night, but with night hours now at their shortest, the time span is at its […]

Eating at a restaurant in France can catch you more carp!

I think most carpers will agree cooking on the bank is a pain in the proverbial… It’s bad enough, if you can’t get your car to the peg, just walking your gear round, without dealing with bags of tins, pasta & water, stoves, pans, plates, etc.. For those who have been carping a while and […]

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 […]