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 bigfish, 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…)
Just spent a week-end in real heavy winds. the Cambridgeshire lake I am fishing seems to always have a gale blowing across it. I guess because of the size of the place 1 3/4 mile around the bank then the wind builds up more momentum across it than it would appear to do on smaller sheltered lakes. Also Cambridgeshire isn’t the sort of place you go off on a hill walking or mountaineering holiday - it is pretty flat. (more…)
How often should you change your line and what causes the deterioration in it’s stated breaking strain?
I changed my main line prior to my recent trip to France and have already stripped it back off to be replaced.
Replaced after just one week may seem excessive to some people but if you think about it thats 7 days solid angling, fishing near overhanging trees with some underwater debris. Not to mention a few Carp played on it and in hot sunny conditions.
I use Berkeley Big Game for most of my general fishing and at around £10 for 1700 odd meters, it’s not exactly expensive. A useful tip is to have backing line on your spool and only replace around 250 meters. The reason for 250 meters is that it is well past my maximum castingdistance and if I have to strip back a few yards near the hooklink then I have a bit to play with. This also applies to if I have a crack off for some reason. (more…)
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.![[del.icio.us]](http://www.questbaits.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/delicious.png)
![[Digg]](http://www.questbaits.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/digg.png)
![[Google]](http://www.questbaits.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/google.png)
![[StumbleUpon]](http://www.questbaits.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/stumbleupon.png)
![[Windows Live]](http://www.questbaits.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/windowslive.png)
![[Yahoo!]](http://www.questbaits.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/yahoo.png)
![[Email]](http://www.questbaits.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/email.png)
