What do you look for in a venue?

These days we see venues stocked with a greater biomass of carp than we have been used to seeing in the past. Productive waters will always be popular as the biggest majority of anglers can’t cope with waiting for a couple of possible chances a year. Having said that I can confidently say there will […]

Villefond – A Little French Gem

Chris Blunt was out fishing at Villefond last season with 3 friends, here’s his account of the busy week following… Take a look at this little 8 acre gem I fished with 3 of my mates, Carl ‘Bob’ Byworth, Terry ‘Trigger’ Jennings & Chris ‘de Burger’ Goddard who had never picked up a rod let alone […]

Last Week at Jonchery #7

Fantastic start last week at the Jonchery Complex. Here’s the catch report  from Jonchery #7 and some cracking pictures too! Holiday date: Sat 22nd Mar to Sat 29th Mar 2014 Name of customer: Maurice Whalley Number of anglers: 2 Details of your catches: 30+ fish, between 14lb – 44lb. 4 x forties and 6 x thirties. Your best tactics/bait/rigs: Boilies, bottom baits, simple […]

Questions and Answers with Julian Cundiff

An angler interview with Julian Cundiff,  talking about company sponsorship, Tim Paisley and carp fishing in the 90’s. Matthew Fleet from the Carp Marathon asks the questions… Hi Jules, may I begin by saying a big thank you for finding the time to do this interview. It really is appreciated! So then, when did your passion for angling […]

Ramblings of a Carp Angler – Jewellery and Fish Safety

There are lots of objects that we either wear as jewellery or that form part of our clothing that are potentially a threat to a fish whilst it is in our care. What do I mean by ‘in our care’?  As soon as a fish is netted we are now responsible for its well-being before […]

Multi-tasking at Castle Lake

Here’s the latest from Castle Lake, a 42 acre venue with some seriously good looking carp… Tom our fishery manager has been busy repairing and tidying swims up for the current season. Saturday afternoon saw him working on peg 3 and as he did so he decided to throw a couple of rods out for […]

Questions and Answers with Carl and Alex

An angler interview with Carl & Alex, the popular duo that made their name through their YouTube channel following their fishing escapades. Matthew Fleet from the Carp Marathon asks the questions… Firstly may I say a big thank you to you both for taking the time out to do this interview.  Can you give me, and everybody […]

Short Session Carping – Maximising Your Time

I have to smile to myself, I have just read a message on facebook which has prompted this Blog. Someone was saying how good it looked for a fish at the moment but they haven’t got a day off for another week. Well, do you really need a day off? I love short 2 to […]

Ramblings of a Carp Angler – Short or Long Hook Rigs?

How long should you make your hook links and does it effect your catch rate? Paul Cooper discusses the length of hook links and types of materials used for carp fishing. What are the main materials available to create hook links? Firstly I do not want to go into naming brands and makes, as I believe […]

Questions and Answers with Carl Sharp

An angler interview with Solar Tackle’s Carl Sharp, talking about his love of gravel pits, long range fishing and what keeps him going back to France. Matthew Fleet from the Carp Marathon asks the questions… Before we begin may I start with saying a big thank you to Carl for taking the time out to do this […]

Questions and Answers with Eik Weis

An angler interview with Eik Weis, talking about his quest for big carp all over Europe. Matthew Fleet from the Carp Marathon asks the questions… I’m delighted to have spoken to Eik and so pleased that he agreed to do this interview, a big carp angler who fishes some challenging waters in Germany and Hungary. Like myself […]

Carp Bait – Shelf Life or Fresh Frozen?

With spring almost upon us, more and more of us will be thinking of, or actually booking a French carping holiday. The question of what bait then comes into the equation and for a lot of anglers the biggest question can be shelf life or fresh frozen? It really is a big ‘leap of faith’ […]

The History Behind… Villefond’s Latest 50lb Carp

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 […]

Ramblings of a Carp Angler – Ways to create a bed of bait

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 […]

48hr Session at Castle Lake

Brian and Darren have spent just 48 hrs fishing at Castle Lake, resulting in 3 carp at 45lb 14oz, 45lb 6oz and 39lb 9oz. Well worth braving the cold weather, well done chaps!  For more information on Castle Lake follow the link – Fishing France    

Questions and Answers with Nick Burrage

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 […]

Carp Fishing in France – February Webcast

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.

How to Prepare Tiger Nuts For Carp Fishing

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 […]