STARTING FROM SCRATCH….

I’m fortunate enough to visit a lot of Angling Lines waters, many of them very lightly or never fished before I get there.  Because of this the information usually available to the customer has yet to be compiled and I really am starting from scratch.  This blog piece is about how I tackle an untried/untested venue in France.

I try to research the venue at home and the first place I visit is Google to search for maps and photos of the lake.  I search for alternative names for the venue particularly on French angling and tourist websites. Most lakes have been fished at some time in their history and it’s amazing what you can find out with Google and a Babelfish translator.  My visits are a week at most but can be as little as three days so I like to be well informed

Next it’s Metcheck or my new favourite Accuweather for a long range weather forecast for the time my visit.  I pay particular attention to new winds, wind strength and atmospheric pressure.  Fish don’t always follow the wind, buts it’s always worth searching the windward side of the lake on a new wind.

On my arrival a talk to the owner or the bailiff is high on the agenda. Has he seen any fish, are they being fed and where?  These people probably saw the lake drained, could have dug it and almost certainly had something to do with the stocking.

Is it an open lake... will it be affected by the wind?

Then it’s a lap or two of the lake and lots of questions come to mind. Is it an open lake? Is it likely to be affected by the wind.   I carry a marker rod on my walk, what’s the bottom like, are there clear spots, bars, and drop offs that could attract and hold fish.  Is there an island or islands that would produce narrow channels or natural funnels to intercept fish?    I like islands and drop offs, carp love something to follow and they will never be far away.  Its difficult to put into words how you assimilate all that information and make your final selection, but the likely hood that on the day you will only have perhaps three of those clues available to help you narrow down your chosen swim.

On my first night I will usually bait lightly or use PVA bags.  I like a night to assess how strongly the fish are feeding and with the information gather through the night may even reassess my swim and move.  Once I’m happy the fish are feeding, that’s when I’ll introduce bait in quantity.

Zig rigs have caught me fish when all else was failing

I don’t generally introduce massive amounts of bait.  Many French lakes are heavily stocked compared with the lakes at home.  A shoal can move on to your tightly baited area, clean it out and move on.  I prefer to feed regularly and spread the bait over a fairly large area to keep the carp preoccupied and hunting for it.

I’m constantly scanning the water searching for fish rolling, bubbling in the margins, around weed beds and lilies, and for fish moving or holding sub surface.  Zig rigs are a wonderful tool when the fish are not too keen on filtering the bottom and have caught me fish when all else is failing.

On of 10 fish caught stalking in about two hours

I’m always prepared to move or change rigs and tactics. I don’t ignore fish on the surface and I always travel with float fishing tackle it can be deadly.  On one memorable occasion I stalked 10 carp including 7 twenty plus in just over two hours.  I have to maximise my short time on a water, its essential I have some measure of success, some trophy shots and a story to tell to make my articles informative and entertaining.  It can be hard work but I think the results bear out the effort, and as you can see there is nothing mysterious happening, it’s about collecting and analysing information and using a little common sense.

Tight Lines, Ron Key

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