Six Tips for Choosing a venue to catch a load of carp in France: Ok! so you have decided to go to France carp fishing in 2017, what should you look for and where should you go to catch a load of carp & some monster catfish?
- Do Your Homework Before You Go: Make sure you book a reputable venue with a good track record. It might sound attractive to fish a pioneering venue, but it’s your holiday you are risking. So get as much information from the owner or the agent as you can, most lake owners are just ordinary anglers like yourself, so pick up the phone and have a chat with them. Ask the questions to gain as much info as possible before you leave.
- Don’t be Over Ambitious: When selecting a venue look at the various options and choose a venue that is in keeping with your experience. Big waters are great fun but if you’ve never fished one, you’ll almost certainly be ill equipped and ill prepared. Build your way up to the large waters (if that’s your cup of tea).
- Decide What Size Fish You want to Catch: Pick a venue that holds the size, numbers and type of fish you want to go for. If you are used to catching lots of doubles and a few twenties, then it is wise to set you goal for a water that will give you a good number of 20lb fish with the chance of bigger. Generally this type of venue will have enough fish to let you have loads of fun, yet offer you the chance of a personal best.
- Don’t be too Greedy: For a first trip don’t pick a large fish venue or a massive inland sea to pit your wits against… you’ll more than likely be disappointed. If you’ve never caught a forty or a fifty your time will come, don’t rush things… in carp fishing you have all your life to get there, so savour each stage up the ladder.
- Be Realistic in Your Expectations: Ok you want to catch loads of big fish. But be realistic. Not every trip is a bag up trip. Enjoy the holiday and enjoy the fish as they come. If you have the big hit or the big fish, then great.. it’s a bonus. Yes the fish are bigger in France and yes people do have some fabulous sport.. But don’t expect it every time or think that it will always be easier than the UK. French waters are often more pressured than those at home.
- Prepare Before You Go: There are tackle shops in France, but there might not be a good one near you. So make sure you have checked all your tackle and bait before you leave. Renew your lines, buy in extra hooks, leads, leaders and rig bits..Make sure you have a enough bait. You can get boilies from many outlets but make sure they will stay fresh for the duration. If you can’t get access to a freezer it is worth looking at shelf-life baits. Take other baits than boilies, often tigers,maize or hemp can out fish all other baits in summer. Make sure you have fresh batteries, lamps and gas etc. Running out in the middle of nowhere isn’t fun.
Finally make sure you have a good map, atlas and/or GPS and don’t forget breakdown and recovery insurance insurance. It doesn’t always happen to others.These are only a few things you need to think about, make a list and check things off.
Finally Enjoy yourself… It’s a holiday so don’t be too serious… a few rays, a few beers and a few carp is what it’s about…
Tight Lines
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