Sunday, 17 January 2010
Small business seo
Phrase one business web design and SEO offer a range of Internet marketing services for both the large and small business, we have offices in Wiltshire and do not sub contract to other clients. All of our web design and business SEO services are done in house here in the UK.
Menu covers folders
We are proud to announce that the menu shop has recently uploaded a new site targeted at the EU market, offering a host of restaurant porte-menus and covers to the hospitality industry.
Saturday, 16 February 2008
Carp fishing France fishing holidays
Carp fishing - Lake Bor - Carp fishing Baits - boilies - Krill
Whilst living in Germany I became a regular visitor to the large European shows, more to meet and chat with the big fish anglers than buying products, it was during these visits that I got hint of a venue that contained carp equal to that of the well known big fish waters of Cassien, Rainbow and the Orient. After being shown some photographs of the lakes inhabitants I was impressed, an awesome amount of big all from the same gravel pit. Despite prying I was unable to extract the name or location from the said anglers, it was their jewel and they aimed to keep it that way. Since then I have been searching for more information, the few snippets sourced was not enough to mark the venue. I knew it was somewhere in Hungary, it was of reasonable size, very deep and still being worked for gravel, that’s as close as I got to this unknown big fish jewel, and so the years went on…………
During a telephone conversation with Rob Hughes of Angling International I was trying to persuade him to give me a sneak preview into some of the new Berkley range, the subject changed to big fish venues in Europe that were whispered around the grapevine. Whereupon he mentioned a lake in Hungary that contained some very big carp, the lake he described was of a gravel pit of 800 acres, fairly deep and still working in one small area! Bingo, the penny dropped, Rob actually new the name of the lake that I heard whispers of, not only did he know it but had carried out a reconnaissance expedition with a view to running Angling International trips to it, he barely had time to finish the question and my place was secured, I was going Down East!
On arrival at Heathrow I met a multitude of carp angling characters, with most of them being experienced on larger venues, all with one goal in mind, to catch a big carp from a new lake in a country they had not fished. On arrival in Budapest Jason from Angling International introduced us to Attillo and his English-speaking wife Andrea, the former being an experienced Hungarian carp angler that Rob had met on his RECCE trip. They had kindly volunteered to give up their valuable holiday time to assist us throughout the 10 days.
The journey to the lake took approximately 4 hours which was a little longer than expected due to stopping of to take in the scenery of the massive Balaton Lake. Luckily there was a bar very close to the car park. Lake Balaton is very big the group admired the view for all of 30 seconds before the warmth of the lakeside bar beckoned for a couple of light refreshments.
We arrived at Lake Bor (fictional name) lodge under the cover of darkness; therefore our first view indicated an irregularly shaped lake with a large central Island. After the lake brief and a good night’s sleep, the logistics of transporting 15 anglers and equipment got underway, the strong winds made it difficult to tow the rowing boats full of equipment to the drawn swims; therefore the transportation took slightly longer than expected, but we all got there in the end.
Coming second last out of the draw didn’t instil any confidence; one would think the best swims were taken? Luckily my first choice was still available; in an area to the entrance of a large rectangular bay which the strong wind was blowing. I was surprised that no one had chose that area as it seemed the obvious starting point and a perfect spot to ambush the carp as they follow the wind into the bay. I was not complaining as it gave Keith Turner (angling partner) and I almost 300 acres of water to explore, the crystal clear deep turquoise water had white horses rolling into the bay! Instinct/experience told me that there would be fish in this area if I could locate some spots where they would pick up bait.
Features
The bulk of the lake is very deep with depths averaging 40 feet, however after many arm aching hours of rowing with sonar attached, worthy looking features were marked. Mainly small plateaus that rose like mushrooms from the lake bed, the pinnacles being15-20 feet from the surface. After speaking to others throughout the week it was clear that these were the mainstay of the features and could be found in many areas of the lake. Placing a rig on top required a gentle lower to ensure that the lead was sitting on top not of the side, a couple of feet out of position meant the rig would settle in 35 feet rather than the planned 15-20 feet.
Due to the time of year the water temperature was very low, averaging 11 degrees centigrade on the surface; the lower layers were much cooler. For that reason it makes sense to fish shallow, preferably on top of plateaus as high up as possible, touching on the warmer thermo cline. In my experience this is a general rule for early season carping on large deep waters; once the warmer weather arrives the upper layer is warmed which in turn encourages a mix of nutrients that brings life and warmth to that layer; the carp are not normally too far behind.
Fishing is allowed from the two Islands and an obvious place to intercept moving fish, they are very popular swims, the larger became known as Monkey Island due to several of our group claiming to have seen a monkey roaming its banks, not sure what they put in that Hungarian soup Steve?
In addition there is a number of tree lined, reed fringed margins and bays, it was from one of these bays that James (British bream record holder) managed to land a number of smaller carp; a grassy of over 30 lb fell to one of the pair. The only other feature worth mentioning is the working bay where gravel extraction takes place on an occasional basis during week days. The water is amongst the clearest I have come across, from the high banks it is not dissimilar to peering into an aquarium, I sat for hours watching and feeding the roach, dace and occasional Tesco carp.
Recommended approach
Observation is the key to success when fishing lakes of such magnitude. There are two main lines of attack, either find features in likely areas and sit on them for the duration or stay mobile until fish are caught, once they move you follow, simple? Not always! We moved several times, as fish were seen crashing in other areas of the windy half; within an hour the rowing boat was loaded and the biceps burning towards nearby swims, hard going physically and mentally but an effective approach.
The windy conditions during the first 24 hours made it difficult to row rigs out any distance therefore I opted to fish one rod at the base of the marginal drop off in 15 feet of water close to where the waves were lashing against the bank causing a brown muddy slick, a very inviting spot. A few handfuls of 18 mm mainline fusion and CC Moore tiger nuts were scattered around the general area and the marginal rod was in position ready.
At 0200 hours the following morning I was awoken by the receiver signalling a positive take, it was necessary to land the fish by boat as it powered off into deeper water. With the well honed rowing techniques of my partner for the session Keith Turner the carp was soon in the net and weighed in at just over 40 lbs. My first night result turned out to be the largest fish of the trip, Keith lifted the scales and were read by both of us at just over 40 lbs (17.5kg). The following morning Rob came round to take some video and a few photos; will the footage be on Sky TV Rob? The water shots may give the impression of warmth; actually it was only 11 degrees! This resulted in the opposite of morning glory! Soon after the photo session I moved to a swim 100 yards along the bank, closer to the area in which I had hooked the fish.
The following night my expectations were high as I noticed a couple of carp head and shoulder over one of my baited areas, a plateau at 300 yards. Whilst in the land of nod the said rod sang its song, line was leaving the spool at a slow ponderous pace, normally signalling a decent fish. Unfortunately the boat was moored in Keith’s swim which meant this one would have to be played from the bank. The slow moving leviathan indicated a good fish, keeping the rod high I was able to play it to within 100 yards of the bank before a grating was transmitted up the line; it had found an unseen obstacle. There was no choice but to loosen the spool and place the rod back on the bank in order to collect the boat, as I ran down to the dinghy I attempted to wake Keith with a shout, to no avail. Several minutes passed before returning to my swim picking the rod up and winding down towards the fish. As I wound down the line pinged from the snag and once again I was in direct contact, it felt very big as it towed the boat almost wrenching the rod from my hands on a number of occasions. Eventually I was gaining the upper hand as it was now close to the boat, the net was positioned across the bough, it was nearly ready. There was no more than 20 foot of line between me and the fish when another grating was felt and all went solid! I clinched the line in attempt to free it, I peered into the clear water under head torch light, a pop bottle could be seen hovering a couple of feet below the surface and the line running close by. I managed to grab the thick rope to which the bottle was attached and started heaving. As I was hauling this dead weight through the water an occasional tug on the heavy rope signalled the fish was still on, then one almighty tug on the rope and I sensed the worse, after almost 40 minutes, the Goliath was free of the snag and my hook! Gutted is an understatement! The remainder of the pop bottle marker float and rope was winched from the depths to find a bucket of cement tied to the bottom, it was an over kill that had caused the loss of what I am sure was a very big fish. Early the following morning a bonus common of approximately 20 lb was landed and slipped straight back without weighing. The wind direction changed that day and the majority of the fish followed as Keith spotted a number of carp head and shouldering on the far margin, a move was in order to chase those fish.
The following 3 days was spent chasing them, even though we located carp with every change in wind direction they were not interested in feeding until the wind swung round to its original direction whereupon we ended up in the same swim that we started in. During the last 3 days I went on to land a 28 lb mirror and several doubles. Due to being the only one catching with any consistency I invited other anglers to fish close by, James moved into the swim next door for the last 24 hours and saved a blank by landing a 38 lb mirror from a marginal spot, a couple of hours before packing up my close in rod was away again, this time I was kneeling behind the apertures with a chunky mirror of 35 lb 10 oz.
Between the 15 anglers on the trip carp worthy of note were as follows: James 38 lb mirror, James (British Bream record holder) 30 lb + grass carp, 20 lb + mirror, Jason from Angling International 38 lb mirror (another 30 + was landed from Monkey Island but cannot recall the captor) Rod Simpson scraper 40, 35 lb 10 oz mirror, 28 lb mirror + several between 15 - 25 lb.
Fish stock
In the past Lake Bor has produced some very big carp with a couple well over 70 lbs, it contained carp that may topple the current world record. I say contained in the loosest sense of the word as with many of the big lakes in Hungary seine netting is carried out on a legal and illegal basis with all carp killed for the table! Therefore the stock and size is of an unknown quantity. In 2004 there were at least 3 x 30 kg carp caught with the largest over 33 kg, therefore very big fish are still present, in what numbers only those that have a pioneering instinct may find out.
Recent years have seen the introduction of many Tesco carp the name being derived from the carp contained in the aquariums of the local Tesco’s supermarket, perfect size for the dinner plate. The greedy pig rig reduces the chances of being pestered by them.
The low catch rate may have been a result of low water temperatures and did not give the group a true reflection of what the lake is capable of, next time I will almost definitely fish it later in the year. Andy Chambers arrived as we were leaving for a mammoth 4 week session, maybe he will uncover some of its secrets. He should do well considering the 4 week period is over a prime time of year; I look forward to reading his catch reports.
Food and Facilities
Atillo and Andrea delivered Breakfast and evening meals to each occupied swim on a daily basis; the food is based on the Hungarian palette; which normally encompasses a continental breakfast of bread and spreads and an evening meal of a soup starter with the main meal ranging from battered pork to pasta variations. The food is palatable and from what I am told better than that of the once famous Romanian lake. During these meal deliveries Atillo takes orders for a shop run, this enables a stock up on any other essentials. Thanks go to Atillo and Andrea for the excellent job they did!
English style toilets and showers are available in the very well presented fishing restaurant/lodges.
Mainline bait was ordered upon reservation and distributed on arrival; I don’t recommend taking large amounts of bait on the plane as it works out very expensive. However I do recommend you take a few kilograms of dry tiger nuts.
Conclusion
Lake bor is the type of water for the experienced angler, don’t consider it if it’s your first trip abroad, it’s on the same scale as Cassien or Raduta. Although the lake did not throw up any of its larger residents, the trip was thoroughly enjoyable, not just due to me catching, but the aura of fishing a lake of unknown potential and quantity in excellent company.
Rob informed me of the many problems he had encountered whilst crossing Europe with a large 4 x 4 vehicle crammed full of bait, bivvies and bed chairs: He was stopped at several border crossing points and told to empty the vehicle completely and felt a little intimidated by the soldiers waving their AK 47 assault riffles! However once on Hungarian soil it is a much civilised country, the problem is with the border crossing point of one of the countries you need to cross on route. Flying with angling International is the safest option and the entire organisation is done for you, Angling International is running a second trip later this year.
Whilst living in Germany I became a regular visitor to the large European shows, more to meet and chat with the big fish anglers than buying products, it was during these visits that I got hint of a venue that contained carp equal to that of the well known big fish waters of Cassien, Rainbow and the Orient. After being shown some photographs of the lakes inhabitants I was impressed, an awesome amount of big all from the same gravel pit. Despite prying I was unable to extract the name or location from the said anglers, it was their jewel and they aimed to keep it that way. Since then I have been searching for more information, the few snippets sourced was not enough to mark the venue. I knew it was somewhere in Hungary, it was of reasonable size, very deep and still being worked for gravel, that’s as close as I got to this unknown big fish jewel, and so the years went on…………
During a telephone conversation with Rob Hughes of Angling International I was trying to persuade him to give me a sneak preview into some of the new Berkley range, the subject changed to big fish venues in Europe that were whispered around the grapevine. Whereupon he mentioned a lake in Hungary that contained some very big carp, the lake he described was of a gravel pit of 800 acres, fairly deep and still working in one small area! Bingo, the penny dropped, Rob actually new the name of the lake that I heard whispers of, not only did he know it but had carried out a reconnaissance expedition with a view to running Angling International trips to it, he barely had time to finish the question and my place was secured, I was going Down East!
On arrival at Heathrow I met a multitude of carp angling characters, with most of them being experienced on larger venues, all with one goal in mind, to catch a big carp from a new lake in a country they had not fished. On arrival in Budapest Jason from Angling International introduced us to Attillo and his English-speaking wife Andrea, the former being an experienced Hungarian carp angler that Rob had met on his RECCE trip. They had kindly volunteered to give up their valuable holiday time to assist us throughout the 10 days.
The journey to the lake took approximately 4 hours which was a little longer than expected due to stopping of to take in the scenery of the massive Balaton Lake. Luckily there was a bar very close to the car park. Lake Balaton is very big the group admired the view for all of 30 seconds before the warmth of the lakeside bar beckoned for a couple of light refreshments.
We arrived at Lake Bor (fictional name) lodge under the cover of darkness; therefore our first view indicated an irregularly shaped lake with a large central Island. After the lake brief and a good night’s sleep, the logistics of transporting 15 anglers and equipment got underway, the strong winds made it difficult to tow the rowing boats full of equipment to the drawn swims; therefore the transportation took slightly longer than expected, but we all got there in the end.
Coming second last out of the draw didn’t instil any confidence; one would think the best swims were taken? Luckily my first choice was still available; in an area to the entrance of a large rectangular bay which the strong wind was blowing. I was surprised that no one had chose that area as it seemed the obvious starting point and a perfect spot to ambush the carp as they follow the wind into the bay. I was not complaining as it gave Keith Turner (angling partner) and I almost 300 acres of water to explore, the crystal clear deep turquoise water had white horses rolling into the bay! Instinct/experience told me that there would be fish in this area if I could locate some spots where they would pick up bait.
Features
The bulk of the lake is very deep with depths averaging 40 feet, however after many arm aching hours of rowing with sonar attached, worthy looking features were marked. Mainly small plateaus that rose like mushrooms from the lake bed, the pinnacles being15-20 feet from the surface. After speaking to others throughout the week it was clear that these were the mainstay of the features and could be found in many areas of the lake. Placing a rig on top required a gentle lower to ensure that the lead was sitting on top not of the side, a couple of feet out of position meant the rig would settle in 35 feet rather than the planned 15-20 feet.
Due to the time of year the water temperature was very low, averaging 11 degrees centigrade on the surface; the lower layers were much cooler. For that reason it makes sense to fish shallow, preferably on top of plateaus as high up as possible, touching on the warmer thermo cline. In my experience this is a general rule for early season carping on large deep waters; once the warmer weather arrives the upper layer is warmed which in turn encourages a mix of nutrients that brings life and warmth to that layer; the carp are not normally too far behind.
Fishing is allowed from the two Islands and an obvious place to intercept moving fish, they are very popular swims, the larger became known as Monkey Island due to several of our group claiming to have seen a monkey roaming its banks, not sure what they put in that Hungarian soup Steve?
In addition there is a number of tree lined, reed fringed margins and bays, it was from one of these bays that James (British bream record holder) managed to land a number of smaller carp; a grassy of over 30 lb fell to one of the pair. The only other feature worth mentioning is the working bay where gravel extraction takes place on an occasional basis during week days. The water is amongst the clearest I have come across, from the high banks it is not dissimilar to peering into an aquarium, I sat for hours watching and feeding the roach, dace and occasional Tesco carp.
Recommended approach
Observation is the key to success when fishing lakes of such magnitude. There are two main lines of attack, either find features in likely areas and sit on them for the duration or stay mobile until fish are caught, once they move you follow, simple? Not always! We moved several times, as fish were seen crashing in other areas of the windy half; within an hour the rowing boat was loaded and the biceps burning towards nearby swims, hard going physically and mentally but an effective approach.
The windy conditions during the first 24 hours made it difficult to row rigs out any distance therefore I opted to fish one rod at the base of the marginal drop off in 15 feet of water close to where the waves were lashing against the bank causing a brown muddy slick, a very inviting spot. A few handfuls of 18 mm mainline fusion and CC Moore tiger nuts were scattered around the general area and the marginal rod was in position ready.
At 0200 hours the following morning I was awoken by the receiver signalling a positive take, it was necessary to land the fish by boat as it powered off into deeper water. With the well honed rowing techniques of my partner for the session Keith Turner the carp was soon in the net and weighed in at just over 40 lbs. My first night result turned out to be the largest fish of the trip, Keith lifted the scales and were read by both of us at just over 40 lbs (17.5kg). The following morning Rob came round to take some video and a few photos; will the footage be on Sky TV Rob? The water shots may give the impression of warmth; actually it was only 11 degrees! This resulted in the opposite of morning glory! Soon after the photo session I moved to a swim 100 yards along the bank, closer to the area in which I had hooked the fish.
The following night my expectations were high as I noticed a couple of carp head and shoulder over one of my baited areas, a plateau at 300 yards. Whilst in the land of nod the said rod sang its song, line was leaving the spool at a slow ponderous pace, normally signalling a decent fish. Unfortunately the boat was moored in Keith’s swim which meant this one would have to be played from the bank. The slow moving leviathan indicated a good fish, keeping the rod high I was able to play it to within 100 yards of the bank before a grating was transmitted up the line; it had found an unseen obstacle. There was no choice but to loosen the spool and place the rod back on the bank in order to collect the boat, as I ran down to the dinghy I attempted to wake Keith with a shout, to no avail. Several minutes passed before returning to my swim picking the rod up and winding down towards the fish. As I wound down the line pinged from the snag and once again I was in direct contact, it felt very big as it towed the boat almost wrenching the rod from my hands on a number of occasions. Eventually I was gaining the upper hand as it was now close to the boat, the net was positioned across the bough, it was nearly ready. There was no more than 20 foot of line between me and the fish when another grating was felt and all went solid! I clinched the line in attempt to free it, I peered into the clear water under head torch light, a pop bottle could be seen hovering a couple of feet below the surface and the line running close by. I managed to grab the thick rope to which the bottle was attached and started heaving. As I was hauling this dead weight through the water an occasional tug on the heavy rope signalled the fish was still on, then one almighty tug on the rope and I sensed the worse, after almost 40 minutes, the Goliath was free of the snag and my hook! Gutted is an understatement! The remainder of the pop bottle marker float and rope was winched from the depths to find a bucket of cement tied to the bottom, it was an over kill that had caused the loss of what I am sure was a very big fish. Early the following morning a bonus common of approximately 20 lb was landed and slipped straight back without weighing. The wind direction changed that day and the majority of the fish followed as Keith spotted a number of carp head and shouldering on the far margin, a move was in order to chase those fish.
The following 3 days was spent chasing them, even though we located carp with every change in wind direction they were not interested in feeding until the wind swung round to its original direction whereupon we ended up in the same swim that we started in. During the last 3 days I went on to land a 28 lb mirror and several doubles. Due to being the only one catching with any consistency I invited other anglers to fish close by, James moved into the swim next door for the last 24 hours and saved a blank by landing a 38 lb mirror from a marginal spot, a couple of hours before packing up my close in rod was away again, this time I was kneeling behind the apertures with a chunky mirror of 35 lb 10 oz.
Between the 15 anglers on the trip carp worthy of note were as follows: James 38 lb mirror, James (British Bream record holder) 30 lb + grass carp, 20 lb + mirror, Jason from Angling International 38 lb mirror (another 30 + was landed from Monkey Island but cannot recall the captor) Rod Simpson scraper 40, 35 lb 10 oz mirror, 28 lb mirror + several between 15 - 25 lb.
Fish stock
In the past Lake Bor has produced some very big carp with a couple well over 70 lbs, it contained carp that may topple the current world record. I say contained in the loosest sense of the word as with many of the big lakes in Hungary seine netting is carried out on a legal and illegal basis with all carp killed for the table! Therefore the stock and size is of an unknown quantity. In 2004 there were at least 3 x 30 kg carp caught with the largest over 33 kg, therefore very big fish are still present, in what numbers only those that have a pioneering instinct may find out.
Recent years have seen the introduction of many Tesco carp the name being derived from the carp contained in the aquariums of the local Tesco’s supermarket, perfect size for the dinner plate. The greedy pig rig reduces the chances of being pestered by them.
The low catch rate may have been a result of low water temperatures and did not give the group a true reflection of what the lake is capable of, next time I will almost definitely fish it later in the year. Andy Chambers arrived as we were leaving for a mammoth 4 week session, maybe he will uncover some of its secrets. He should do well considering the 4 week period is over a prime time of year; I look forward to reading his catch reports.
Food and Facilities
Atillo and Andrea delivered Breakfast and evening meals to each occupied swim on a daily basis; the food is based on the Hungarian palette; which normally encompasses a continental breakfast of bread and spreads and an evening meal of a soup starter with the main meal ranging from battered pork to pasta variations. The food is palatable and from what I am told better than that of the once famous Romanian lake. During these meal deliveries Atillo takes orders for a shop run, this enables a stock up on any other essentials. Thanks go to Atillo and Andrea for the excellent job they did!
English style toilets and showers are available in the very well presented fishing restaurant/lodges.
Mainline bait was ordered upon reservation and distributed on arrival; I don’t recommend taking large amounts of bait on the plane as it works out very expensive. However I do recommend you take a few kilograms of dry tiger nuts.
Conclusion
Lake bor is the type of water for the experienced angler, don’t consider it if it’s your first trip abroad, it’s on the same scale as Cassien or Raduta. Although the lake did not throw up any of its larger residents, the trip was thoroughly enjoyable, not just due to me catching, but the aura of fishing a lake of unknown potential and quantity in excellent company.
Rob informed me of the many problems he had encountered whilst crossing Europe with a large 4 x 4 vehicle crammed full of bait, bivvies and bed chairs: He was stopped at several border crossing points and told to empty the vehicle completely and felt a little intimidated by the soldiers waving their AK 47 assault riffles! However once on Hungarian soil it is a much civilised country, the problem is with the border crossing point of one of the countries you need to cross on route. Flying with angling International is the safest option and the entire organisation is done for you, Angling International is running a second trip later this year.
carp fishing lakes baits
Approach carp fishing lakes
The majority of my fishing during the last few years has been on mainland Europe, in search of big carp from commercial and public inland seas. The majority of the venues were new to me i.e. I had not previously fished them and had little information on them prior to a little research. Although they were new I was under pressure to catch from each one on the first outing for this series. Maybe it was luck; perhaps it was due to approaching them in the right manner, whatever the reason I was able to catch from all but one adopting a basic no nonsense approach that can be applied to any lake, UK or abroad.
Within this article I will describe the methodology behind approaching a new venue abroad, the initial approach has many commonalities and the same methodology can be applied to all.
Carp fishing can be over complicated with all of the successful methods and advice available? Many of the new comers to our beloved sport must suffer that acute illness, “paralysis by analysis”! That of confusion brought about by the many variations of successful advice. The majority of the information is useful; however what you must not get away from is the fundamental key to success on any venue - finding the fish! Many blanks are a result of a laid back approach i.e. choosing the most comfortable swim, nearest to the car park. Locating carp is a large piece of the success jigsaw and I don’t believe that the angler’s car park or most accessible swim is an attractive feature? Researching your venue prior to arrival can be beneficial as the information you gather may aid in location, baits methods and past captures. So how do I recommend you carry out the initial approach? Quick answer - search for information prior to arrival, spend as much time as is necessary looking for signs of carp. Once carp are located, search for features where they are likely to pick up a hook bait, subsequently use baits and methods that will give you the best chance of catching. If after that you are struggling to catch and notice numbers of carp in a different area or think your chances will increase by moving – then move! Simple, however I will expand on these areas?
Research prior to fishing
Information can be gathered from many sources including the Internet, magazine features and word of mouth, if possible make contact with those that have been there before you. There are few lakes on the continent where you cannot source information, after all how did you hear about it in the first place?
Once you have chosen your venue build up a mental or written picture including, size, stock and features, from this you can make an assumption of possible approaches; for example I would probably think of long range tactics on the bigger lakes to reach the spots. On smaller lakes that are weed and snag free the approach would be more delicate and gearing towards highly pressured fish.
Both large and small venues can be difficult in a different manner e.g. carp in smaller lakes tend to be rig and bait shy and equipment and tactics should be chosen to suit. This is not to say big lakes are easier to catch from, only a different approach needed. Longer-range tactics can be productive on larger expanses as more water can be covered to reach the fish.
The internet is a good source of information but also one you should be apprehensive of, use the information super highway for information gathering but also confirm the validity of the information; I recall reading an article on the internet, as a result decided the lake warranted some time and effort, unbeknown the information was out of date. The article was based upon a lake near Rotterdam of 400 acres which held some rather large commons, on the first two nights I slept under the stars, only too be informed on the third day that the lake had been drained the previous year and all carp removed. The moral of the story; be wary of the validity of Internet information, it can be crap out of date! Unfortunately I told a few friends about the session on no carp lake and have not heard the last of it, they extract the urine on an oft basis, lesson learnt.
Catch reports are very good sources of information, especially within carp talk; often rigs, baits, and methods are detailed. The methods described to catch are worth remembering. A number of anglers retain scrap book cuttings of particular fish, a series of captures of the same fish not only gives us an idea of its size but maybe the captor gives away other details without being aware of it.
Location
On the initial visit adopt a basic common sense approach applying the main principle of success, Location! Get this wrong and you will struggle anywhere regardless of bait, methods and rig efficiency, yeah, yeah, heard it all before? Yes you have heard it before, location, location, location; it should be foremost in your mind when approaching any water.
From onset watch and listen for signs of carp before unloading the gear, there is no point setting up in the first available swim if the majority of the carp are at the other end of the lake? The only piece of equipment I carry whilst searching for signs of carp are a bait bucket, binoculars and Polaroid’s. Once they are located the bucket is left reserving the swim and the fishing tackle is collected from the car. During the stroll round look for fish movement, normally the best time of day is morning and evening. During hot summer days they may be seen cruising in the upper levels. Tree climbing presents a much better view and allows the angler to view deeper into the water as the reflection is reduced. As we know carp love weed, reeds and snags, these are obvious spots to look but do tread carefully or risk spooking them. Good quality Polaroid’s reduce the amount of surface glare thus allowing us to see further into the depths, an indispensable aid.
Fizzing is an obvious give away, normally created by tench or carp, I have heard anglers say that they can tell the difference between carp and tench fizzing! I find that difficult to believe, as the size of the fizzing bubbles is dependant upon the type of bottom and its gaseous content rather than a different feeding manner of the species?
On some lakes carp will give away their presence a lot easier than on others, I know of lakes where they very rarely show themselves and are difficult to spot due to the colour of the water. When no fish can be seen, previous experience must be used to aid location. We know that they like to follow the wind; we also know that they are frequent visitors to lake features, especially bars and plateaus. A simple process of elimination may guide you to their whereabouts. During a warm wind there is a good chance the carp will be in the windy half of the lake, if so the area in which they are likely to be has narrowed. The search is then concentrated to likely areas, if features are found in the windy half then I would probably fish to spots along those features. Its not a rule of thumb but a guide if you fail to visually locate carp. After a few days on a venue you should be able to build upon your knowledge of fish habits and routes.
Speaking with other anglers can assist even if they have blanked, it may rule out a particular area or method. I would be reluctant to move into a swim where others have blanked unless I know of a prime spot that the vacating angler was unaware of. If however the weather forecast predicted a change to a strong warm wind blowing into the swim then a swim take over is worth considering. Anglers that are catching is an obvious giveaway, the swim close by with reasonable features may place you in the general vicinity.
On the larger continental lakes I use a fish finder on a regular basis, however they are a guide and guide only as any species will appear on the screen not just carp. I prefer to turn the fish signal/alarm of and use it for feature finding.
Once carp are located visually or tactically found you have achieved the prime principle of success. I know you have heard it again and again; get location wrong and the best, rigs, baits or methods will not work. On second thoughts please do plonk your bivvy in the first available swim as it leaves the better swims free for me!
Lake size affects the approach
Smaller lakes tend to respond better to the lighter tighter approach; in general carp tend to be more rig wise than their counterparts in larger lakes, consequently I would opt for a finer more delicate approach and adopt small water tactics. On larger lakes, say over 30 acres I would probably opt for my long range set up and stiff rigs to reduce the chances of tangles. Bigger lakes are often difficult in a different manner, finding carp is important on any lake, more so on large expanses of water.
Features
Heavily weeded lakes may require an increase in line strength, fishing over sharp bars or range casting may require a shock or abrasion resistant leader. Silt rigs may be beneficial on soft-bottomed venues. Fishing in the vicinity of snags will require an increase in line breaking strain, as more pressure will be applied to prevent the carp from finding a snag.
Your chances of a pick up will increase if the rig is placed in the right spot not necessarily on their heads: During a recent trip to a large lake of 800 acres carp were found within a few hours of looking, however they were in the surface layers in 45 feet of water. In order to entice a pick up baits were placed on a plateau, 80 yards from where they were seen crashing. I was aware that they were unlikely to feed on the bottom in that depth at that time of year, the plateau was 16 feet deep on its pinnacle and the producing spot. What is my point? Once you have found the fish, find the spot or level where they are likely to feed.
Rules
Be sure to find out the rules prior to a trip, there is little point in tackling up with big rods and shock leaders or lead core only to find out that they are not allowed. Particles are not allowed on all lakes, its pointless boiling up a load if they have been banned. Remember I mentioned the seven Ps in an article last year, prior preparation and planning prevents p… poor performance!
Conclusion
To be successful on an initial visit to a European venue requires a little research and work to locate the carp. There are many venues that are so well stocked that all swims would produce during a week long session. However don’t get complacent by jumping in the first available swim, carry out some research, keep a beady eye on the water and you will soon get a feel for what’s happening. Other venues in France worth considering
Wesign optimisation
My marketing is conducted by a carp fishing bait company, they promote all of my previously magazine published articles on the Internet.
The majority of my fishing during the last few years has been on mainland Europe, in search of big carp from commercial and public inland seas. The majority of the venues were new to me i.e. I had not previously fished them and had little information on them prior to a little research. Although they were new I was under pressure to catch from each one on the first outing for this series. Maybe it was luck; perhaps it was due to approaching them in the right manner, whatever the reason I was able to catch from all but one adopting a basic no nonsense approach that can be applied to any lake, UK or abroad.
Within this article I will describe the methodology behind approaching a new venue abroad, the initial approach has many commonalities and the same methodology can be applied to all.
Carp fishing can be over complicated with all of the successful methods and advice available? Many of the new comers to our beloved sport must suffer that acute illness, “paralysis by analysis”! That of confusion brought about by the many variations of successful advice. The majority of the information is useful; however what you must not get away from is the fundamental key to success on any venue - finding the fish! Many blanks are a result of a laid back approach i.e. choosing the most comfortable swim, nearest to the car park. Locating carp is a large piece of the success jigsaw and I don’t believe that the angler’s car park or most accessible swim is an attractive feature? Researching your venue prior to arrival can be beneficial as the information you gather may aid in location, baits methods and past captures. So how do I recommend you carry out the initial approach? Quick answer - search for information prior to arrival, spend as much time as is necessary looking for signs of carp. Once carp are located, search for features where they are likely to pick up a hook bait, subsequently use baits and methods that will give you the best chance of catching. If after that you are struggling to catch and notice numbers of carp in a different area or think your chances will increase by moving – then move! Simple, however I will expand on these areas?
Research prior to fishing
Information can be gathered from many sources including the Internet, magazine features and word of mouth, if possible make contact with those that have been there before you. There are few lakes on the continent where you cannot source information, after all how did you hear about it in the first place?
Once you have chosen your venue build up a mental or written picture including, size, stock and features, from this you can make an assumption of possible approaches; for example I would probably think of long range tactics on the bigger lakes to reach the spots. On smaller lakes that are weed and snag free the approach would be more delicate and gearing towards highly pressured fish.
Both large and small venues can be difficult in a different manner e.g. carp in smaller lakes tend to be rig and bait shy and equipment and tactics should be chosen to suit. This is not to say big lakes are easier to catch from, only a different approach needed. Longer-range tactics can be productive on larger expanses as more water can be covered to reach the fish.
The internet is a good source of information but also one you should be apprehensive of, use the information super highway for information gathering but also confirm the validity of the information; I recall reading an article on the internet, as a result decided the lake warranted some time and effort, unbeknown the information was out of date. The article was based upon a lake near Rotterdam of 400 acres which held some rather large commons, on the first two nights I slept under the stars, only too be informed on the third day that the lake had been drained the previous year and all carp removed. The moral of the story; be wary of the validity of Internet information, it can be crap out of date! Unfortunately I told a few friends about the session on no carp lake and have not heard the last of it, they extract the urine on an oft basis, lesson learnt.
Catch reports are very good sources of information, especially within carp talk; often rigs, baits, and methods are detailed. The methods described to catch are worth remembering. A number of anglers retain scrap book cuttings of particular fish, a series of captures of the same fish not only gives us an idea of its size but maybe the captor gives away other details without being aware of it.
Location
On the initial visit adopt a basic common sense approach applying the main principle of success, Location! Get this wrong and you will struggle anywhere regardless of bait, methods and rig efficiency, yeah, yeah, heard it all before? Yes you have heard it before, location, location, location; it should be foremost in your mind when approaching any water.
From onset watch and listen for signs of carp before unloading the gear, there is no point setting up in the first available swim if the majority of the carp are at the other end of the lake? The only piece of equipment I carry whilst searching for signs of carp are a bait bucket, binoculars and Polaroid’s. Once they are located the bucket is left reserving the swim and the fishing tackle is collected from the car. During the stroll round look for fish movement, normally the best time of day is morning and evening. During hot summer days they may be seen cruising in the upper levels. Tree climbing presents a much better view and allows the angler to view deeper into the water as the reflection is reduced. As we know carp love weed, reeds and snags, these are obvious spots to look but do tread carefully or risk spooking them. Good quality Polaroid’s reduce the amount of surface glare thus allowing us to see further into the depths, an indispensable aid.
Fizzing is an obvious give away, normally created by tench or carp, I have heard anglers say that they can tell the difference between carp and tench fizzing! I find that difficult to believe, as the size of the fizzing bubbles is dependant upon the type of bottom and its gaseous content rather than a different feeding manner of the species?
On some lakes carp will give away their presence a lot easier than on others, I know of lakes where they very rarely show themselves and are difficult to spot due to the colour of the water. When no fish can be seen, previous experience must be used to aid location. We know that they like to follow the wind; we also know that they are frequent visitors to lake features, especially bars and plateaus. A simple process of elimination may guide you to their whereabouts. During a warm wind there is a good chance the carp will be in the windy half of the lake, if so the area in which they are likely to be has narrowed. The search is then concentrated to likely areas, if features are found in the windy half then I would probably fish to spots along those features. Its not a rule of thumb but a guide if you fail to visually locate carp. After a few days on a venue you should be able to build upon your knowledge of fish habits and routes.
Speaking with other anglers can assist even if they have blanked, it may rule out a particular area or method. I would be reluctant to move into a swim where others have blanked unless I know of a prime spot that the vacating angler was unaware of. If however the weather forecast predicted a change to a strong warm wind blowing into the swim then a swim take over is worth considering. Anglers that are catching is an obvious giveaway, the swim close by with reasonable features may place you in the general vicinity.
On the larger continental lakes I use a fish finder on a regular basis, however they are a guide and guide only as any species will appear on the screen not just carp. I prefer to turn the fish signal/alarm of and use it for feature finding.
Once carp are located visually or tactically found you have achieved the prime principle of success. I know you have heard it again and again; get location wrong and the best, rigs, baits or methods will not work. On second thoughts please do plonk your bivvy in the first available swim as it leaves the better swims free for me!
Lake size affects the approach
Smaller lakes tend to respond better to the lighter tighter approach; in general carp tend to be more rig wise than their counterparts in larger lakes, consequently I would opt for a finer more delicate approach and adopt small water tactics. On larger lakes, say over 30 acres I would probably opt for my long range set up and stiff rigs to reduce the chances of tangles. Bigger lakes are often difficult in a different manner, finding carp is important on any lake, more so on large expanses of water.
Features
Heavily weeded lakes may require an increase in line strength, fishing over sharp bars or range casting may require a shock or abrasion resistant leader. Silt rigs may be beneficial on soft-bottomed venues. Fishing in the vicinity of snags will require an increase in line breaking strain, as more pressure will be applied to prevent the carp from finding a snag.
Your chances of a pick up will increase if the rig is placed in the right spot not necessarily on their heads: During a recent trip to a large lake of 800 acres carp were found within a few hours of looking, however they were in the surface layers in 45 feet of water. In order to entice a pick up baits were placed on a plateau, 80 yards from where they were seen crashing. I was aware that they were unlikely to feed on the bottom in that depth at that time of year, the plateau was 16 feet deep on its pinnacle and the producing spot. What is my point? Once you have found the fish, find the spot or level where they are likely to feed.
Rules
Be sure to find out the rules prior to a trip, there is little point in tackling up with big rods and shock leaders or lead core only to find out that they are not allowed. Particles are not allowed on all lakes, its pointless boiling up a load if they have been banned. Remember I mentioned the seven Ps in an article last year, prior preparation and planning prevents p… poor performance!
Conclusion
To be successful on an initial visit to a European venue requires a little research and work to locate the carp. There are many venues that are so well stocked that all swims would produce during a week long session. However don’t get complacent by jumping in the first available swim, carry out some research, keep a beady eye on the water and you will soon get a feel for what’s happening. Other venues in France worth considering
Wesign optimisation
My marketing is conducted by a carp fishing bait company, they promote all of my previously magazine published articles on the Internet.
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