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 […]
Mike Burt wrote: I’m a reasonably experienced angler but new to dedicated carping and very confused about lines, braid, shock leaders, hook lengths etc. I have all the tackle but am not sure what line to put on the reel. What I really need is a configuration of the type of lines from my reel to the […]
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 […]
Trevor wrote: Can you help… I’m fishing a place and need a line that sinks like a stone. Could you recommend one ? Hi Trevor, We asked Shaun Harrison and he suggested looking at one of the Fluoro Carbon lines. Shaun uses the P Line Halo when he wants a fast sinking line, whilst several […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Some of you may remember this film that we gave away in 2007 as bonus footage on the Angling Lines DVD. Well I came across the clips on a hard drive this week and thought that it might be useful to post them on the blog here for all to see and enjoy… The film […]
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 […]
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. […]
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 […]
Ok this is not an article on carp fishing per se, but more on the use of the fabulous tool that is ‘YouTube’ ,a video sharing website where users can upload, view and share video clips of your carp fishing adventures, with your mates and indeed with the whole world. YouTube was created in February […]
The theme of fish weights has come up in a number of articles on this blog over the last few months, we even have a video with Quest Baits boss Shaun H. running through the technique. Below is an article by Jon Perkins a French lake owner and regular contributor to the comments part of […]
By Paul Cooper Carp fishing has come on leaps and bounds over the past 20 years with carp care being at the forefront of the conscientious carp angler. Even the sacking of carp is slowly decreasing with a more carp fisheries, banning the sack altogether. This has come about as a result of the occasional […]
There has been a lot of information circulating on the net and web forums about the new legislation in France regarding safety equipment. This has caused some confusion. So here is a translation of the latest press release from the French authorities. Fluorescent Vest and Warning Triangles will become mandatory as of the 1st October […]
I often hear anglers who have booked onto a commercial venue in France complain about the difficulties they face catching carp. “It’s outrageous, I’ve paid X amount and I still haven’t have a touch!!” Some anglers even doubt the presence of the fish in the lake!! It is almost as if having paid to be […]
Have you ever caught a carp, weighed it accurately and then a few days later the same fish is caught weighing 2 to 3 lb heavier by another angler. Watch some of the angling video’s on the internet web sites and you can witness for yourself, examples of fish being weighed in-correctly. I have […]
There is a statement I often here while I’m fishing, “Oh ! I’ve lost several fish because the Carp in here have soft mouths!!” Most of the time I have a hard job accepting that carp in any particular lake have soft mouths. My own waters are gravel/sand pits where the bottom is hard and, […]
Tom wrote: With regard to bivvies what does twin skin mean ? Gareth Watkins replies: I wrote a blog piece a week or so back on this subject hope this replies to your query: Ever since carp anglers started night fishing we have been searching for the perfect overnight shelter. These bivvies, as they have […]
Ever since carp anglers started night fishing we have been searching for the perfect overnight shelter. These bivvies, as they have been christened need several essential qualities. Firstly they need to be spacious enough to cover a bedchair and all your tackle in order to protect it from the rain. Secondly they need to be […]
