Browse general carp fishing interest posts with French venue round-ups, trip planning advice, holiday tips and big fish inspiration.
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
It has been a real pleasure to watch Villefonds fish grow into some real monsters and it has been discussed for a long time about which fish are going to be the next biggest caught so I decided to compile a new list detailing the top 5 to date, as of February 2014. Our lake’s […]
Does resting a swim increase your catch rate? On certain waters and situations I believe that it does. Now, what do I mean by resting a swim? Basically, it means removing all lines out of a swim for some considerable time to allow the carp to gain confidence in feeding on a baited area. I have used […]
Should I contain a carp in a carp sack or retaining sling for photographs? Paul Cooper discusses yet another controversial subject in carp welfare. Carp sacks have been around for years now and nearly every carp angler had a couple of sacks with him so that a carp could be retained until a decent trophy shot […]
The ongoing Otter debate needs no introduction for 99% of you reading this. However, for the 1% that aren’t up to speed, it amounts to this… The recovery of otter populations in the UK has brought about an increasing concern about predation, particularly on still water fisheries and on specimen fish, including our beloved […]
Every year hundreds of British anglers invade France in search of those monster carp. With literally hundreds of lakes to choose from, it seems that more and more Brits are traveling to France in the hope of smashing their PB’s. A week seems to be the average length of time that an angler would spend […]
The Bacheliers have stocked an additional 30 carp in to Brocard Large this January. Six of these are forties and fifties, you’ll be able to spot them in the video! For more information on Brocard Large follow the link – Carp Fishing France
Jonchery carp lake gets an additional stocking of 2 x 50lb+, 15 x 30lb+ and 50 x 20lb+ carp this January. We think the common at 00:34 seconds in is an absolute corker! For more information on Jonchery follow the link – Fishing Holidays
The Bacheliers have been busy draining stock lakes all winter for a range of specimen. In the process they have held a number of carp from 30-60lbs in a stock lake to be re-homed within their carp fishing lakes this January. It’s Brie‘s turn today to receive some stunning target fish including 3 x forties, 1 […]
My thoughts on the hair rig, running leads, semi-fixed rigs and slack lines… The hair rig This rig was a revelation for specimen fishing. Kevin Maddox and Len Middleton first came up with the idea of presenting a bait leaving the hook free to prick into the lip of a fish. Here we had a new […]
In part 1, I outlined the basics and summarised the effects the moon plays on carp behaviour and their feeding. Now I get to the heart of the matter and reveal the practical details and specifics on how I apply this knowledge to my carp fishing and improve my catch rates. Preparation I, like the […]
In this blog I would like to talk about yet another controversial issue. Baitboats! You either love them or hate them. I am sure that this short piece could offend some anglers, but I will put my thoughts out there and leave it up to the reader to decide. There will be three kinds of […]
Normally when travelling to France on a field test trip I write my article as soon as I return. It’s straight into my notes and then onto the PC to write and to download and pore over hundreds of photographs of the carp, swims and facilities. This trip shouldn’t have been any different but I […]
During the netting of Jonchery carp lake this November, we took the chance to see some of the young carp that fish farmers Pisciculture Bachelier produce up close. It was great to see how the big beautiful scaley mirrors that Jonchery is known for start off. These fish are removed from the lake each year […]
Here in the office, we’ve been making a few changes to the website. We’re trying to make everything easier whilst keeping you super informed. By far one of our most exciting improvements is the new map facility on every venue’s home page. In short, you can now see every individual swim on a lake in […]
Should I set up my rigs to drop a £1 plus lead on every take, or not? This is a subject that again is becoming a controversial issue amongst the carp angling community. It appears to be the fashion to set a rig up so that if you get a take the lead is released immediately. […]
Sometimes you simply have to see something used before you can truly appreciate just how wonderful they are. For years I sold Kelly Kettles in the shop I worked in and never did I really appreciate just how proficient and effective they are. Yes, I knew how they worked but to me like so many […]
November 9th 2013 and Nick Johnson and Dave Proctor return to Villefond. This was Nicks forth visit to our lake, being the last booking of the season the same as the year before. On their last visit to Villefond they landed 1 x 20, 6 x 30’s to 39lb 10oz, 6 x 40’s to 47lb 8oz […]
