Discover essential carp tactics and watercraft skills, including reading water, choosing the right spot and adjusting strategies to increase your chances of a catch.
I think that it fair to say that most anglers that visit French carp waters expect to catch big carp and lots of them, beating their British PB’s by a fair margin. Ultimately carp behave the same in France as in England, they can be temperamental. Then when they do go on the feed anglers […]
One of our most popular blogs, here’s 10 simple reasons why fishing margins for carp is a good idea..
A simply incredible 24hrs of carp fishing on Villefond lake. A run of huge carp for lake owner Mark which saw 50’s, 60’s and an 80lber on the bank. Watch the full session video below. The most unbelievably lucky 24 hours of fishing. That’s the best way I can start to describe what just happened […]
When you arrive at your chosen carp lake, one of your first priorities is to choose your swim for the session. Particularly if you are fishing abroad, this may be the first time you have seen the lake. When picking a swim it’s essential to focus on some key factors, here’s our top three things […]
Watercraft is, I believe, something you either have or you haven’t! It’s a bit like having an eye for taking a photograph, or a talent for driving a car. Some people are naturals and others will have to put more effort in to learning. So it is in carp angling and despite that fact that […]
Carp fishing is not rocket science. We are trying to catch a fish. But this fish is a master of its environment and can adapt extremely well to angler pressure, however with a little thought and effort though we can stack the chances back on our side. Here then are my ‘Seven Secrets to Catching […]
Paul Cooper passes on his knowledge of different leads to use when carp fishing and what he believes are the best situations to use them for. What is the importance of using the right lead and size of lead in certain angling situations? In my opinion, selecting the right lead can mean success or failure […]
Have you set your sights on a carp lake where the fish are shy, finicky or just down-right difficult to catch? Here’s some advice that might help… Trev wrote: Just wondering if you could help me on my local lake. When we have put a bed of pellets down the fish are bubbling like crazy and […]
Looking for a new carp fishing challenge? Think small… Intimate pools. Big carp. Minimal angler pressure. Chuck in a fat bloke and a tree, you’ve got Christmas – right? Well, maybe not. In fact, as I write this, four very capable carp anglers are ‘blanking up a storm’ on my own one-acre pond which – […]
Brand new venues. Previously uncaught carp. Minimal angling pressure. It’s ‘Winner, winner, chicken dinner’, right? Back when my own lake was in its infancy – undeveloped and largely unstocked – folk began pre-booking their long-stay sessions; some almost a year in advance of our formal opening. Why? Granted, they knew my plan was to stock […]
We’ve come a long way since ‘Mr Crabtree Goes Fishing’ (or John Wilson’s ‘Go Fishing’, come to that). But have we traded cutting edge ‘angling innovation’ for common sense skills? Fact is, today’s Pot Noodle (“just add water”) carp anglers can walk into the most modestly equipped tackle shop and walk out with pretty much […]
The appeal of vast, windswept gravel pits is undeniable: acres of untapped, uncharted water, unsullied by angler pressure; the allure of the unknown; the chance of a previously uncaught leviathan. Question is: where the … heck do you start? Pay too much attention to social media, the mags and myriad YouTube vids, and you’d be […]
Spring is just around the corner; the carp are on the move, and back on the munch. Contrary to accepted wisdom, however, this may not be the time to pile in the bait; rather, a softly-softly approach is often key to early season success… The nights are finally drawing in; the water temps are rising, and […]
Targeting big French carp on larger venues? Taking to the water could take your catch rate to a new level… Everyone has their own idea of what constitutes a ‘big lake’. But if you’re limited to one or two French carp fishing trips each year, I’d counsel that the inland seas – the likes of […]
Bucking the trend could help you single out the big ‘uns on those ‘more intimate’ stillwaters… From Ashlea in the eighties to Spitfire today, smaller pools and ponds of, often, less than an acre, have been throwing up monster carp for decades. Yet despite the fact that you’re seldom more than a few yards from […]
Far from a ‘chuck it and chance it’ daylight-hours-only tactic, to be deployed only when all else fails, zig fishing could be your best chance of a bite around the clock, throughout the year. So why isn’t it more widely adopted? An old school carper friend of mine likens zigging to lure fishing; going so […]
Angling Lines field tester Mike Linstead continues with his tips and advice on some points to consider during a trip.
Angling Lines Field Tester Mike Linstead give his insight into preparing yourself for a carp fishing trip to France.
Well we all know that the carp in this country act differently and feed in different ways at different times throughout the year. Each season I have a different approach and this has helped me over the years to put a few more carp on the bank, here’s a quick overview of my tactics…. […]
Mark Lambert explains how he found the right combination to catch carp on a very tough week out in France recently… Recently in mid August I had an opportunity to spend nearly a full week fishing Lac Du Villefond. This is a hard lake with some very large fish and August on any lake is one of the hardest […]
