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 […]

Carp fishing – I’m confused about Line, Leaders and Braid

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 […]

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 […]

Can you recommend a fast sinking line for carp fishing?

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

Preparing for a Carp Fishing Session in France

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 […]

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 […]

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. […]

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 […]

How many carp anglers use YouTube?

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 […]

Carp care – treat them with respect!

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 […]

Driving in France – new legislation

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 […]

French carping – what should I expect to catch?

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 […]

True carp weights

  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 […]

Do carp have soft mouths?

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, […]

Bivvies – what does twin skin mean?

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 […]

Carp fishing tackle : What bivvy options do I 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 […]