The thought of fishing over the channel can be very appealing to a carp angler, and with hundreds of venues to choose from, most offering fantastic fishing, then it’s all to easy to bite the bullet and set off on an adventure of your own. The train under the channel will hold you for less than an hour start to finish with ferry crossings taking only slightly longer, making the trip an easy one. The sense of adventure is often the most appealing part with fish being banked in excess of 60lb at a lot of venues a reality. Gathering a group of mates together, setting off on that long drive with an abundance of food, bait and beer and before you know it, you’re attached to a bigger carp than you’ve ever fished for in your lifetime – but there are many things to consider before you embark on your dream-making, carp-hunting escapades.
As with most holiday type lakes, the standard booking is a week-long session. When was the last time you spent a whole week on the bank? That’s seven nights straight, so you need to get your head around that first of all. It’s all well and good coming over with big plans of ‘emptying’ the lake and having the session of a lifetime but first and foremost you need to enjoy yourself. If it’s not a fun trip, it’s not worth going – trust me. If a blank will ruin your whole trip, then don’t book onto a rock hard venue, fish somewhere that suits your needs. There’s no rule that states you need to have your rods in the water for the entire trip either, so plan breaks where you can venture out and visit the local area, stock up on the incredible food on offer and have a break – it’s what it’s all about; French baguettes, cheese and red wine, an adventure. Think about the tranquillity of the venue too, it’s a holiday at the end of the day, you don’t want a busy road humming away behind you for a whole week.
I still enjoy every trip, whether it’s myself and Matt Hart’s lake or a different venue. Obviously you’ll have to check the location of your chosen venue, but Etang De Berniere has local supermarkets and the likes for just that. It’s also worth bearing in mind how long the drive from Calais is too, and how practical it is for you and the group you book with, even down to access to the swims – if you can drive round the lake it makes life a lot easier. While talking about who to book with, I have experienced groups falling out, and some really spitting their dummy’s too, so make sure you book with a group of anglers who will all revel the others’ captures. Someone will always draw a better peg, catch more fish and have a better tally at the end of the week than the rest of the lake, so make sure you can enjoy that part of it too. No matter how many times I hear people say “I just want to catch one” and then they’re disheartened when they go home having only caught three, don’t put pressure on yourself, set a realistic goal, and if you’ve achieved it and enjoyed yourself, then surely that makes a successful trip?
I’ve seen time and time again on our lake, and have probably been guilty of it myself in the early years, people bringing a wealth of kit that they couldn’t hope to use in a lifetime. Play to your strengths and fish how you would at home, there’s no need to go out and buy a set of rods costing in excess of £500 a piece, but equally you need something that suits the venue, which if you’re casting at range will be a rod of 3lb test curve and above for example. I’ve been using the new Wychwood 201 rods and they’re more than adequate with a retail price of just £89.99. One thing I would advise you put a lot of thought into is bait. Spending hundreds of pounds on food, tickets and fuel to then spend a week with sub-standard bait is pointless. Buying the best, freshest bait you can afford is often a good rule of thumb, and bear storage in mind if you buy fresh boilie ie. air-dry bags or an onsite freezer etc. I recommend 30kg of 18mm boilie as a rule of thumb, and never bother with messing about with particles or stick mixes. If you can afford more, then by all means take 50kg – you never know how the session could pan out and you don’t need to use it all. When these big fish start eating, they will clean you out in minutes so I’ll often drop two to three kilos over each rod every time I get a bite. If you’ve not had a touch for 24 hours on the busier, better stocked lakes, then you’ve either been cleared out, or there are no fish in your swim. Casting and baiting regularly doesn’t tend to spook the fish on our lake, they’re just looking for food, and lots of it. Think of it like this, a week session landing 15 fish, with each rod having 2kg over it and you’ve hit you’re 30kg bait limit – I can’t stress enough how important good quality bait and plenty of it is. As the co-owner of Proper Carp Baits, I take the Black Seal boilie for our lake which is offered to those who have booked on. Many other lakes in France offer their own bait, and the carp will see it regularly so it’s worth considering.
As long as you’re fishing mainline of 15lb and above at home then there’s no need to start re-spooling, but one thing you do need to be wary of is the sheer scale of French carp. If the lake you’re visiting doesn’t provide the mats, slings and retainers like we do, then taking a Euro-sized unhooking mat and weigh sling is absolutely essential. Bear in mind the size of a 50lb or 60lb carps mouth too, a size 4 hook with a 25lb+ hooklength is recommended, which I know a lot of anglers back home will already use, but make sure they’re in your bag. It really is as simple as that on the tactics front, fish a simple, strong set-up – the Multi rig is perfect for me as I’m extremely confident in it. No matter how many times I tell people how I fish in France, there’s still the doubt as if I’m keeping things back from them and there’s a massive edge that I’m not revealing – I’m not, it’s just simple fishing I promise. The only extra addition would be something to wrap your hook baits to hold any nuisance species back, meshed tights or shrink wrap products will suffice, but the best thing to do is speak to the venue and ask what problems their lakes face, they’ll be more than happy to advise you, they want you to catch. I’ve seen rudd taking 16mm boilies so you need to take these things into account.
Having a drive and survive venue with more pegs than maximum anglers gives you great freedom. There’s nothing stopping you from moving, especially if you can drive round, and sometimes it’s a fresh swim that could turn your week around. Don’t commit all of your bait early in the week and just fish for a bite at a time, if fish start showing and you can move onto them, what have you got to lose?
I’ve seen on several occasions an angler putting in that little bit of extra effort towards the end of their week. With a blank on the cards on separate occasions I have watched an angler move round the lake looking for fish, and either stalking one late in the week or moving swims to turn their week around completely. Your French trip really will come down to what you make of it, so make sure it’s an enjoyable one.
