with lake side holiday accommodation.
Description of fish / carp caught from Smallwater lake.
14lb common carp caught
on floated dog biscuit
at Smallwater carp lake, end of April 2009
Smallwater lakes Carp fishing holiday in France home page
Carp fishing in France by Ken Townly
Modern carp fishing is still in its infancy over there but though the
British influence has been a major factor in the development of French carp
fishing, the French themselves have been quick to embrace the concept of the
bivvy, bedchair and boilie approach to carp fishing and nowadays a
widespread No-Kill policy is strictly enforced, something nobody could have
dreamed off a few years ago.
In France, as in the UK, it is almost impossible to pick up a magazine or
angling newspaper without seeing photos and stories of massive French carp.
It is not surprising that we Brits are ever more keen to get over there and
try our hand but just because carp fishing is still comparatively new to the
country that does not mean the carp themselves are any easier to catch, nor
does it mean that for some magical reason we have become better carp anglers
overnight when we do happen to catch a monster.
As I learnt more about the hazards as well as the rewards of fishing in
France, I soon discovered that carp fishing on publicly-owned lakes and
rivers is not as easy as I first thought. Many Brits think it is simply a
matter of getting off the boat and waiting for them to start dropping into
the waiting arms of your landing net.
Many of the local French fishing authorities - often controlled by an elder
generation that is strongly resistant to any change - still maintain an
uneasy relationship with carp anglers. Night fishing, though becoming more
widely accepted, may be banned on the lake you plan to visit. The lake may
even have been drained recently and all the carp removed, as often the local
authority grows tired of carp anglers cluttering up the banks and breaking
all the rules. In their eyes the answer is simple: just remove all the carp,
sell them to clubs and private individuals and then thumb your nose at the
rule breakers, saying, "now get out of that!" to all the carp anglers who
had tried their patience a bit too far.
Loca1 closed seasons appear, apparently at the drop of a hat, and all
fishing may be stopped for some arbitrary reason that is incomprehensible to
us. It is all too easy for things to go drastically wrong. Don't think I'm
trying to put you off, however. Far from it. By the time you've finished
reading I hope you'll have all the information you may possibly require in
order to get over there and wind a few in. I'll deal with bait and tackle,
advice on travelling to your destination, with continental motoring,
insurance cover, the sort of equipment you're likely to need, and of course,
the best ways to set a trap for those wily French carp.
THE PLANNING AND THE TIMING OF YOUR VISIT
It cannot be stressed enough just how important the pre-departure planning
of your trip can be. Indeed, the entire holiday will probably stand or fall
on the amount of planning and research that you have carried out. While this
may not be quite so vital if you are going to fish one of the pay-to-fish
lakes such as Smallwater lake, Chateau Lake (Lac de la Poiteviniere in dept
44 - Loire-Atlantique), Les Quis, Fishabil or Rainbow Lake, it becomes of
paramount importance if you are thinking of fishing a public barrage or
stretch of river. Every aspect of the trip must be considered well in
advance in order to get the most out of your trip.
Unless you are absolutely certain that your chosen venue is up to scratch -
in other words, that the carp are still in the lake, or that it won't be
subject to a close season during your planned visit, you would be far better
advised to visit a water like Chateau Lake. This is widely respected as one
of the finest French pay-to-fish lakes in the country and is ideal for a
first time angler.
One of the most important yet often largely neglected aspects of planning a
French carp fishing trip is the actual timing of your visit. In the past
most UK carp men preferred to take their trip abroad during the Close
Season, but with its abolition, the summer and autumn months have become
more popular. However, don't forget that nowadays many German, Dutch and of
course French anglers fish all year round and with carp fishing in France
growing in popularity every year, lakes that were once deserted for all but
the most popular Continental holiday months, are now quite likely to be busy
throughout the year.
Every season has its advantages and disadvantages. If you plan your trip for
the Spring, say April to June, the ferries will be cheaper and less busy,
the main roads less crowded and the camp sites practically empty. Also the
lakes should be quieter and less likely to be infested with other water
users such as sailboarders, water skiers and weekend sailors.
Don't forget the weather either. The French summers can be blisteringly hot
and if you plan your trip for earlier in the season you may well enjoy the
best of the weather. On the other hand, late autumn thunderstorms and
torrential downpours are common and these too can turn your trip into a
nightmare.
Bear in mind too that the entire population of France, Germany, Belgium and
Holland seems to be on holiday in France from late July until the end of
August and the traffic, especially at the toll booths on the more popular
motorways can be horrendous. Those holiday makers who are not heading for
the coast will probably make a beeline for the all major inland rivers and
lakes and these will invariably be packed with holiday makers from dawn 'til
dusk.
Fluctuating water levels can create many problems. In a long hot, dry summer
the local towns and villages call upon nearby lakes and river for supplies
of fresh water, while the electricity generating stations, often found at
the dam on many French lakes, need to draw tons of water through their
turbines. The levels can fall alarmingly fast; what might have been a comfy
swim last year may be high and dry this year, requiring a route march
through a hundred yards of mud simply to get from your bivvy down to the
water's edge. The now-famous waters such as Lac Amance, Foret d'Orient and
Lac de DerChanteqoc are typical examples illustrating the problem. Sure,
there are loads of massive fish but there are also lots of anglers from all
over Europe, all competing for their own stretch of knee-deep mud. This may
be your cup of tea but it certainly isn't mine!
On the other hand, heavy rain may raise the water level in river or lake by
inches, even feet in a very short time. Other lakes and rivers are swollen
by melting snow each year. This steady flood of very cold water not only
keeps levels above normal, it also puts the carp off the feed.
Another major aspect that needs to be considered are the nuts and bolts of
actually arriving at your chosen destination. The ferry route, driving in
France, the legal requirements and so on. However, for the moment I'll put
these to one side for they really deserve a section in their own right so
I'll be dealing with this aspect in a future piece. For the moment let's
concentrate on the bait and the tackle and other assorted gear that you are
going to need to actually put a fish on the bank.
BAIT - GROUNDBAIT
The question of just how much, and what kind of bait is needed can be a
tricky one to answer. I must admit that on our first trip we were woefully
under-gunned and ran out of bait before the trip was even half over. If
memory serves me right, I think we took something like ten kilos of boilies
and a 25kg sack of groats for three anglers fishing for eight days. Nowadays
I can see how inadequate this was but at the time I thought we'd taken too
much.
I suppose it is stating the obvious to say that it is better to take too
much bait than too little. But that is easy to say, harder to do, given that
space in your transport will almost certainly be limited. A lot also will
depend on how much you can afford. Boilies are not cheap and maybe a
particle approach may suit your pocket better. That said, I have to stress
that the last thing on which to skimp and save is your bait. So, as a guide
I'd suggest that you take no less than 20kg of boilies and 25kg of mini
particles such as Haith's Carpticle, Bravo Blend , hempseed or oat groats
per person, per week. Sound a lot? Let me assure you that that is the bare
minimum I would take. I often take twice that, if there's room. When a
couple of dozen thirty pound carp start making inroads into your precious
bait stocks, you will quickly realise that lots of bait is usually needed.
If you are limited by the amount of room in your car or van you might like
to consider actually buying some of your bait in France. Not the boilies,
obviously for these are horrendously expensive over there, but certainly you
will be able to buy seeds. Millet and maize are readily available throughout
France, mostly bought direct from the huge agricultural co-ops that are
liberally scattered all over France. A 25kg bag of top quality maize should
cost you about £15. At a push or as a last resort if you've run out of
boilies and that is all they are taking, you can buy ready made boilies in
many tackle shops. However, French boilies and ingredients are not cheap so
it really is better to take plenty with you. You will also find some
wonderful instant bait in the supermarkets. Look in the dog food section for
a product called Frolic. This round shaped biscuit is a semi-soft dog food
that contains a good balance of foods that also appeal to carp. They have a
central hole which makes mounting them on a hair rig easy and if you attach
a stringer of four or five Frolic biscuits to each hook bait, you will not
go far wrong. Once on the lake bed, Frolic breaks down to a mush in about
two hours. Brilliant instant bait for less than a pound a kilo.
An excellent alternative to seeds, nuts and other particles is to use trout
pellets, Boilie Crumb or Micro Mass mini-boilies. These are just as
effective, if not more so. However, once again if cost is a major
consideration, these can work out expensive and, as it is important to
create an effective bait carpet, seeds such as millet, maize, hemp or groats
will be cheaper.
I know that I differ from some of the accepted wisdom when I state that in
my opinion attracting feeding fish, of all kinds, into the baited area is of
prime importance. Many top-flight French carp anglers disagree and advocate
using just a few 30-40mm boilies with absolutely no groundbait whatsoever,
their thinking being that this approach will only attract monster carp,
those capable of getting a such a monster bait between their lips. These
anglers don't want nuisance carp taking their baits, and while that may be
fine for those mainly French, German or Dutch anglers who are prepared to
sit it out in the hope of one of two 20kg carp a session, you will probably
be less choosy, and with less time at your disposal than European anglers
may set your sights realistically somewhat lower. I know as far as I am
concerned I want to fish for carp, regardless of size - well, up to a point
anyway and bait my swim so as to encourage carp of all sizes (and other
cyprinids) into the swim.
So let me stress again that for me the most important aspect of
groundbaiting with mass baits is to get the swim full of feeding fish. The
first arrivals may not necessarily be carp, in fact, it is more likely
they'll be bream, tench, small fry or even crayfish, it doesn't matter. Your
primary aim is to get the swim boiling and the best way to do this is with
mini-baits, seed blends like Carpticle or Bravo Blend, specially designed
carp groundbait, boilie crumb, flaked maize or seeds, NOT with just a few
huge boilies intended only for monster carp.
Remember that even if the carp don't show an instant interest in the
groundbait, the feeding activity of the smaller fish should attract them
onto your baited area sooner rather than later.
By far the best mass bait is Haith's Carpticle, due in no small part to
their ease of preparation. While Carpticle will work bit better if it is
soaked and boiled, it will also work almost as well with just an overnight
soak. Some of my friends use a similar approach to me, but make up their
groundbait to their own recipe. It consists of one third groats, one third
flaked maize and one third Carpticle. This blend too needs only an overnight
soak to prepare it.
Lately I have been experimenting with yet another blended groundbait. This
one consists of crushed hemp from Haith's of Cleethorpes, peanut granules,
also from Haith's, mini trout pellets and oat groats which I also get from
Haith's. This blend, like all mass bait groundbaits benefits from the
addition of a generous dollop of neat flavour and/or liquid food additive
such as Multimino, Nutramino or Corn Steep Liquor. To prepare the groundbait
simply place 10kg of your dry mix in a large 25kg bucket and add water so
that it covers the dry ingredients by two or three inches. Add 20ml of
Strawberry Nutrafruit, 5ml of Sweet Cajouser and 50ml of any liquid food.
Stir well and allow to stand overnight or for at least eight hours (the
longer the better). As the dry ingredients swell and take on water, so the
bucket fills almost to the brim providing enough groundbait for you and two
mates for a couple of days fishing.
I cannot leave the subject of groundbait without mentioning an ingredient
that will turn a very good mix into a superb one.
All groundbait mixes will most definitely benefit from the addition of one
or two (or as many as you can afford) jars of fish eggs. My favourites are
black lumpfish eggs, but red trout and salmon eggs will do just as well.
These are readily available in supermarkets in France, and while they may
appear to be a bit costly, they are without doubt, the best cyprinid
attractor I have ever used. Even if you can only afford a 100g jar, believe
me, it will transform your groundbait at a stroke. Next time I'll be looking
at other types of bait as well as discussing tactics for tackling your first
French water
Ken Townly
Smallwater lakes Carp fishing holiday in France home page