Carpfishing 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 angler abusing the carp sack, by retaining a carp well beyond a safe period and causing unnecessary stress in doing so. The answer to this is in self photography which I have covered in a previous blog.
It’s stressful enough for the carp being hooked and brought to the bank then netted, so lets make the time it spends on the bank has comfortable as possible.
Before you even cast a line out, prepare your fishing area to receive a captured fish.
These steps may appear straight forward but they are necessary. (more…)
I previously published this article on the Angling Lines blog, but it really does stand out for me as one of, if not the most memorable session I have ever fished. Not because we caught big fish, indeed I have caught larger from other less challenging waters. It was just the immense elation of banking an Orient 40lb Plus…
Here is the story: It was with huge anticipation that I agreed to my friend Laurent’s invitation to try an assault on one of the most daunting of waters: the Lac d’Orient. Orient is a veritable inland sea covering some 2600 hectares. Despite its size, and typical of French waters, the night sectors are very limited.
At the agreed time I rolled into the car park at the cafe in Geraudot and sat down with a cold beer to await Laurent. The conditions were ideal with a strong wind blowing and the forecast for some nasty weather for the next 48 hours. You see Orient is not a difficult lake, its the rough conditions and its size that increase its difficulty, the worse the weather the better ones chances of catching. Rotten conditions seem to bring the fish right into the bank, thus increasing the chance of a take. (more…)
I have just come back from an interesting weeks fishing with Paul Cooper on the Angling Lines Venue, Island Lake.
Island Lake is a mature looking Gravel Pit of approximately 25 acres in the Champagne Region of France; roughly 3 ¾ hours drive from Calais. As the name suggests it has a large island and 4 or 5 bays along with a lot of weed and underwater features.
The lake is totally different to most commercial French fisheries as it is relatively lightly stocked for the size of the venue. Most commercial French Lakes are overstocked and so the fish become virtually dependant on anglers’ baits, which more or less guarantees you catching plenty of fish. The fish in Island Lake are of an excellent average size and it would appear that they have reached and are maintaining these weights by feeding on the abundance of natural food in the lake. This can lead to very challenging fishing, but to me this makes it all the more interesting and rewarding. (more…)
Phil Parker put the following question about ‘proper’ size 2 man bivvies that will accommodate him and his fishing wife - plus all the gear we typically carry with us.
“On the subject of Bivvys, why do manufacturers make them so low. I’m not the tallest of people but I am finding it difficult to do any kind of adequate manoeuvring unless I’m sitting or laying down especially if the heavens open up. My two man bivvy is exactly not that, more of a one and a half, especially as I have to share with my fishing wife. The only one I have seen is more of a tent than a bivvy and that is the Rod Hutchinson geo 2.2 super tent. This seems to have masses of room, especially for storage. Can anyone recommend anything on the market which has a substantial height and capacity for storing the plethora of gear I carry including a carpfishing wife?”
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