During the winter months I do the winter show circuit with my own “A” Baits stand or helping out friends. It never ceases to surprise me how many people would love to go to France but feel a bit intimidated by it! The channel tunnel train comes out on the motorway and in most cases […]
I wrote this piece around 3 years ago and it was published Carp Talk and is still very relevant now. So, if you are new to travelling across the water there may be a couple of useful snippets for you here… So You are Going to France? I only ever did it the once and […]
French Bank Holidays and supermarket opening – does it affect you? Just a quick post to advise that most supermarkets in France are still closed on Sundays and those that are open only stay open until Noon. What’s more if the holiday date is say a Thursday the French have their own option of ‘Faire […]
Hiya mate, I’m a reasonably experienced Carp angler based in essex and was just wondering what time of year you thought was best to book a trip to france? We are considering booking Gigantica after watchin ur carp cup shows on TT, but havent made our minds up as it did seem a bit ‘swimmy’? […]
Can you remember the first time you fished abroad? Maybe you haven’t been yet. Maybe you are thinking about going. Well my first time was just recently, the week of March 19-26th 2011. The fact that we had never been abroad before was of slight concern. I say we as both me and my dad, […]
We’ve published information like this before but as the season approaches we thought it would be a good idea to do so again. So… some general information for travelling in France. If you breakdown or have a traffic accident: Immediate action Turn on your hazard lights and, if possible, pull over to the side of […]
Chuck with one of his beloved Bletiere carp Since 2007, I have become a fan of fishing holidays in France after I had decided that my 30+ years of carp fishing needed a different and a new exciting challenge. Since this time I have visited a variety of venues and used a number of different […]
I’ve been travelling to France to fish for carp and catfish for over twenty years. One thing that I have learned to my cost is that you cannot do too much preparation. When you visit France, you are often trying to achieve in a week what you would not do in a season, or perhaps […]
1. A map – Sat Navs like Tom Tom are great but they are not infallible. Sometimes you need to check they are going to the right place! 2. Passport – obvious really! But remember to check in good time if it’s still going to be current when you go. New anti-terrorist rules make the […]
I was sat thinking the other night after bemoaning about the seemingly never ending winter and the lack of any good programmes on the TV. when my mind turned to my forthcoming fishing trips this year to France, and within a few moments I found myself smiling at the thought that spring isn’t too far […]
We all know that one of the true joys of France is being able to sample the wines.. and bring a few back! However, if you’re like me you stand looking at the umpteen varities on the supermarket shelf & haven’t got a clue where to start! Here’s a beginners guide; Alsace-1 Beaujolais-2 […]
Which Cross Channel Ferry would suit me best? – a question we get asked often. Bridget Keep gives the Pros & Cons; There are so many options now for crossing to France so here is a comprehensive guide to the Pros and Cons of the various options; Dover to Calais ferries By far the cheapest […]
Question from Steve Sayers; Looking forward to fishing Boux in April 2010. It will be my 1st French trip… so not sure what to expect. Any advice on rigs or presentations would be really helpful for a virgin French carper! Hi Steve, Simply fish in exactly the same way as you do here in the UK. […]
Some of you may remember this film that we gave away in 2007 as bonus footage on the Angling Lines DVD. Well I came across the clips on a hard drive this week and thought that it might be useful to post them on the blog here for all to see and enjoy… The film […]
There was recently a long ongoing thread on the Carpforum about the subject of non “English” fish ‘Not’ counting! My first question would have to be “don’t count for what or for whom?” It is a subject which as a resident in France, a holiday provider and a fishery owner strikes a chord. The […]
I often hear anglers who have booked onto a commercial venue in France complain about the difficulties they face catching carp. “It’s outrageous, I’ve paid X amount and I still haven’t have a touch!!” Some anglers even doubt the presence of the fish in the lake!! It is almost as if having paid to be […]
As carp fishing gets ever more popular each year so more anglers look to Europe for their fishing and in particular – France. Most of the waters in the UK which hold fish over 35lb are either exclusive syndicate waters or cost a small fortune to fish. France then, can offer the chance of large […]
Generally speaking the bulk of tackle used for UK carp angling is perfectly adequate for the continent, but it is worth bearing in mind that many of the French waters are much larger than the UK and more importantly, you will be faced with bigger fish for the most part. Here then I propose a […]
Are you ready to go to Carping in France… Steve Guy over on the Quest Baits Blog submitted and interesting piece about making the most of this time of the year to prepare for the coming season. Well what he says here makes a lot of sense. But his points about checking your equipment and […]
