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Carp Fishing Equipment

Red Hot Easter – Paul Gartside, Simon Collins and Andy Whymark

Simon, Andy and I had all been fishing for a few years together and had had our share of 20’s and blanks, for our first trip to France we wanted to find a big fish runs lake and if the blogs were to be believed this was the lake we needed to visit.

After 12hrs traveling we arrived at Ian the owners house who gave us a very warm welcome and a tour of the lake. Ian takes a personal interest in his guests and is very keen to offer advice. I will say now that you would do well to listen, on his advice I baited a small bed under a known spot and 3 hours after I had setup my bivvy I had my first 30 and a new PB.

I had set up camp at the ‘Tin Hut’ swim at the far end of the lake with my two friends at the other end in the double platform swim (Tim’s Swim)

Sunday & Monday proved to be quiet days for me with only a couple of runs resulting in a further 30 and a 27, Andy and Simons rods were screaming every couple of hours at the other end of the lake so I used the time to spod out a large bed of bait off to the right of the swim in case I needed to move up the lake if things didn’t heat up. By Tuesday night I had a new PB of 34lb again to the spot that Ian had first pointed out, My new baited bed off to the right had also produced it’s first twenty in the morning but then nothing all day, That night I resolved to move a couple of swims closer to Andy and Simon as their action hadn’t slowed and were now about 100lb’s of fish each in front of me.

I moved up to the ‘Reggies point’ swim which is centre to the lake, this meant I could still cast to the baited bed I had put down on the Monday and cast to the right to share the edge of a large bed that had been producing well for Simon. This way the three of us had a pretty much uninterrupted baited strip covering half the length of the lake.

Wednesday was fairly quiet during the day with 3 fish early on and nothing from the baited area after 11am, Simon and Andy meanwhile were doing well with Simon landing a superb 45lb 15oz Mirror beating Andy’s newly acquired PB of 37lb.

At 7.15pm I started to get a slow beep beep from my left hand rod on the Bed of bait from Monday, I picked up the rod and lifted into the fish… Odd! I’ve hooked a tree branch… and then the branch started to move slowly, Raised the rod tip and wound down to pump the rod for the first time at which point the fish took off bending the tip right round and stripping line off of the reel. At this point I guessed I was into one of the lakes big cats. I’ve caught big sea fish before and this felt just like them but never on 18lb mainline and a size 6 hook and as the cat kited across the lake I shouted to Andy and Simon for a hand getting my other rods in. Due to the light tackle I wasn’t going to be able to bully this fish, it was only going to come in when it got tired. The clutch was set fairly light allowing the cat to take line but work for it in the process, pumping the rod wasn’t going to work without tightening the clutch so I opted to ‘walk’ the fish back and then walk forward and wind. This worked and I was soon gaining line, after about 20 minutes we had the fish rise a short way out from the swim, wow, this thing was 6 feet long. After a spirited couple more sprints off the cat was beaten and we managed to get him landed. The fight had lasted over 30 minutes and both fisherman and fish were exhausted. The cat weighed in at 87lb and was without a doubt the highlight of my entire week. We got the cat back in the sling and lowered it back into the water. This was my first cat and I wanted to make sure it went back safe and well, I decided to strip off and get in the lake to support it. In the end it took a good 10 minutes before the cat was ready for the off and then with one solid slap to my legs he swam off.

Elated, slimy, cold and tired, I got showered at the caravan, had a beer and decided not to put my rods out for the night and get some kip instead.

Simon and Andy had a busy night by all accounts but I was out cold to the world dreaming of big cats.

The next morning I sorted out the mess from the night before replacing everything from the leadcore down on the rod that got the cat in case it had been weakened, just as well as the hook link looked as though someone had been at it with sandpaper. Re-spodded all of the beds and recast. Ian showed up at 9am and within 2 hours I had 2 more 20’s and a 30 to the bed that produced the cat, my arms were still aching from the night before and it was good of Ian to net the fish and play photographer.

At 7.45pm my left had rod gave a slow beep beep beep just like it had done exactly 24hrs before I lifted into the fish and immediately it kited to the right at speed and with a lot of torque, I was into another big cat. After a very similar but shorter fight at only 20 minutes and again with the help of Simon and Andy I had a 72lb cat, fantastic I thought, this means last night wasn’t a fluke not to get a snap off, it really is moments like this that give you confidence in your rigs & knots.

Friday morning again produced good numbers of fish with Andy getting another 30 and me landing my first 40 at 40lb and 3oz.

To sum it up, we all had PB’s, our first 30’s and 40’s and the big cats just made this trip the stuff of dreams. Ian was an excellent host, I’m going to be back there at the first opportunity I get.

A BIT FROM SIMON

Without repeating Paul’s concise account of our first trip to France I’d just like to add a bit from my experience. WOW! We arrived at Ian’s at around mid day and he came straight out to greet us and offer a cuppa. Introductions done it was straight down to the lake for a guided tour. There was only three of us on the lake that week so we had the pick of the swim’s, though Ian suggested a double and a single and we went with his advice, good decision.

As Paul has already said, the action started for me and Andy within the first hour and never stopped for the entire trip.

Strangely I had very little action during the nights but was awoken every morning at about 6am by a screaming run and landed a carp of 25lb or over. I was not bored during the night though as Andy was getting at least 2 runs.

Wednesday was the highlight for me, We had had a bit or a rain storm and I decided to use the time to bring my rods in and have a quick shower and a change of clothes. The rain stopped and the rods went back out. About half an hour later the buzzers screamed into life and I struck into a big fish. We had all had a few thirties by now and I knew this was at the upper end of these. About 15 minutes later the net was slipped under a fish and Andy and I knew I’d just landed the first forty of the trip. Well, clean me and Clean clothes gone for a burton a 45lb 15oz carp was weighed, photographed and slipped back. I’m sure with a little drying of the weigh sling we could have got it to 46lb.

No more forties for me for the rest of the trip but many more fish from high twenties to mid thirties, the action just did not stop.

Would I like to go again??? I don’t think I need to answer that!

Copyright © 2009

Red Hot Lakes is the best place for Carp Fishing Holidays at Etang du Vivier, it is also well known for cat fishing holiday france . Etang du Vivier realistically offers the angler a carping holiday of a lifetime where mega catches of large carp and cats are caught each week.

Red Hot Lakes is the best place for Carp Fishing Holidays at Etang du Vivier, it is also well known for cat fishing holiday france. Etang du Vivier realistically offers the angler a carping holiday of a lifetime where mega catches of large carp and cats are caught each week.

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Fishing Tips

Finding Where the Fish Hides

Before you attempt to catch fish, you need to find out where they are. Remember that fish are found nearly everywhere there is water with sufficient levels of food, oxygen, and cover. You are certain to be within a relatively close distance to a body of water that has fish living in it. For an angler, this is good news. They are there – now you have to find them! 

All fish are different. Because of this, they do not all live in the same kind of waters. Fish tolerate different environmental conditions. Some of these include differing levels of salt, amounts of oxygen, types and amounts of food, water temperature, and hiding areas. The most distinguishing element of fish is salt. Some fish do not live in areas where there is a lot of salt.

On the other hand, some fish need salt to survive. There are also some types of fish that can live in both saltwater and freshwater.  Freshwater ponds, reservoirs, and rivers contain significantly less salt than the ocean. North America has a majority of freshwater bodies. Some of the fish that you will find in these freshwater bodies are the bluegill, carp, catfish, crappie, and bass. In contrast, many species of fish live in the ocean’s salty water. Thanks to their kidneys, these fish are able to keep the proper balance of salt in their body. The more popular saltwater fish are the bluefish, cod, sea trout, tuna, and flounder.  

Another factor that weighs heavily on where you will find certain fish is oxygen. All fish must have a certain level of oxygen to survive. Some fish, such as carp, survive on less oxygen than fish like trout. The living plants within a lake or stream directly affect the amount of oxygen in the water. They add oxygen to the water through photosynthesis. This process uses sunlight to make food. Oxygen also makes its way into water from the surrounding air.  You will find certain fish in certain bodies of water based on what kind of food is there. It is based on the amount and type of food available in a setting. All fish need to eat, so the amount of competition with other fish is a factor that determines which fish will be in certain areas.  

Fish prefer different water temperatures. Some fish are flexible. They have the ability to live in a wide range of temperatures. Other fish, however, need either cold or warm water to survive. Trout is an example of this. You will only find trout in cold water. Your best bet for finding a certain type of fish is to learn about the type of water it prefers. They are most often found in water that is close to their preferred temperature. We, as humans, can control one factor when it comes to where fish live. Water quality often determines where a fish will live and we have the means to ensure a high level of water quality. All fish must have water that has adequate levels of oxygen. Good-quality water will obviously support more species of fish than water that is polluted. Water that is stagnant, polluted, or lacking adequate oxygen simply cannot support a large group of fish.

While some fish, such as carp, live in water that is not very clean, most fish need a high quality of water in order to survive.   Discovering the places where fish live is the first step to successful fishing. Several factors come into play when looking for a fish’s habitat. Some of these are the levels of salt and oxygen found in water. Another factor is the temperature of the water. All fish are different. Because of this, it benefits you, the angler, to take the time necessary to find the bodies of water in which they live.

Information on goldfish care can be found at Aquarium Fish Care.

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HOMEMADE CARP BAIT RECIPES and Making Readymade Fishing Baits Catch More Fish!

 

When you need some powerful advice on designing carp and catfish baits and recipes for boilies, pastes and pellets, here is some very practical advice that really works on big wary fish and easy small fish, that will not merely help your catches right now but improve your understanding of how to achieve better results in summer or winter for years! These bait tips will work for anyone; so read on and reap your big rewards now!

 

Many anglers want a bait recipe. But how is this going to really help when still fail to create opportunities that are possible to catch more fish, or fail to maximise situations that result in potentially great catches being missed! What is important is that you really get to understand far better what fish are really about and how and why they do what they do in their watery medium. I say this because the watery medium aspect is totally vital in improving your success equation OK!

 

So many anglers merrily put out free baits and expect miracles. A very big part of fishing success comes down to ground baiting or free baiting skills, knowledge and experience. But remember one key thing. Fish can be excited or repelled by what you put out there and even if your bait is a popular and previously successful readymade bait it can actually work against you or reduce your chances if you do not realise what that bait is doing in the water, how and why it impacts of fish, and why it may make them excited or make them unduly suspicious.

 

Familiar ingredients additives and flavours can all be a turn off for fish for many reasons right down to simply not requiring the nutrition from a certain bait because they have been filled with them for so long, quite apart from being afraid of familiar baits and their potential dangers of hooks and capture etc.

 

One thing most anglers must have noticed is how many anglers us the same format of baits these days. Boilies are so commonly used in big carp and catfish fishing, and certainly they catch the majority of big carp around the world. But part of this is because so many anglers use them. I make my own pellets because they are different to standard boilies and unique baits in the presence of very wary fish can be a massive advantage and this is well proven time after time.

 

Whether you use readymade baits or homemade baits here is one thing I advise you to consider OK! Consider how hard and how well sealed your baits are in water, and how long it takes for the majority of soluble material and liquids to become soluble and become solution as part of the water column – thus attracting fish and inducing feeding type of responses that we require in order to most efficiently hook them.

 

So many readymade baits are hard, even if they sit in dips or bait soaks for a long time. Such baits might be useful in situations where nuisance fish and crayfish abound but even in such situations I have always found it far more effective to use soluble baits that break down pretty quickly –say within 5 hours as opposed to 12, 24 or 48 hours plus! Ideally what I want is my baits to actually become part of the water and not sitting there as a bed of baits on the bottom.

 

Even in stronger currents of rivers I aim to have such baits constantly breaking down and pulling in and triggering feeding. For rivers I might make baits square or disc shapes or rectangle odd shapes and make them using certain heavier ingredients but note in such baits you do not have to compromise on bait impacts and you can easily add things like crushed egg and oyster shell to add weight to soluble mixes OK! Crushed finely these kinds of ingredients are great too for when you want to launch hook baits and free baits into the distance.

 

In fact fishing moving water situations is an ideal place to seriously hone your bait effectiveness skills. Many barbel anglers have benefited from my experience of combining refining baits adapted from carp and catfish recipes, and used in search of river chub and other species where baits get washed out very quickly in moving water.

 

Imagine the power of being able to refine the impacts and potency of your bait in moving water, and then using those skills in the pretty still waters of lakes for instance. The impacts of such refined, so well adapted baits on fish and fish responses and feeding is hugely increased – by comparison to conventional baits, and catches differ very significantly! This is especially when compared to boilies made using eggs and the boiled or steamed; thus sealing inside the baits the vast majority of more water-soluble material and liquids within these baits!

 

I like countless anglers used to boil lots of my homemade baits. In fact I regard boiling as very detrimental to your baits in so many ways. All you need to do is compare the amount of stimulating bait material left in the water baits are boiled in, to realise that you are losing loads of potential catching ability of the baits – by leaving it behind in the boiling water!

 

I noticed my catch rates using homemade boiled baits really improved when I used to boil my baits in water that was first treated with additional soluble substances. Sure some of these lowered the boiling temperature of the water, among other effects but they really worked to improve my catches. For instance you might add condensed milk, evaporated milk, flavours, enhancers, marine and vegetable extracts, Horlicks powders, milk powders, milkshake powders, honey, chocolate source, raspberry puree or tomato puree, salmon, shrimp or crab paste etc, condiments of many kinds, sugars, sweeteners, syrups, yeast powders, enzyme-treated fish or liver among an endless list of others I know work.

 

The list is endless, but I advise you to look into hygroscopic substances and form you own personal list! But I would not only add these to water if you want to boil your baits, but soak these into readymade baits freshly defrosting, and to air-dried baits and also to particles, pellets, meat and marine baits, ground baits of many kinds including stick mixes, method mixes, spod mixes and so on! Take good note of this and you will reap big rewards! Revealed in my unique readymade bait and homemade bait carp and catfish bait secrets ebooks is far more powerful information – look up my unique website (Baitbigfish) and see my biography below for details of my ebooks deals right now!

 

By Tim Richardson.

Seize this moment to improve your catches for life with these unique fishing bibles: “BIG CARP FLAVOURS FEEDING TRIGGERS AND CARP SENSES EXPLOITATION SECRETS!” “BIG CARP AND CATFISH BAIT SECRETS!” And “BIG CARP BAIT SECRETS!” For these and much more now visit:

http://www.baitbigfish.com

FOR FREE BAIT SECRETS VIDEOS FROM BAITBIGFISH SEE:

http://www.youtube.com/user/BAITBIGFISH7KAIZEN#p/u/1/eUbFBwq6l9w

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Have you always wanted to set aside a section of your home where you can retreat and enjoy endless tranquil moments in front of your very own aquarium?

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Keeping Fish

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    Fishing Trips A Very Wholesome Experience

    Have you ever heard the old saying, Give the man a fish and feed him for the day or teach the man to fish and feed him for a life time? Sure you have, and you know what, it is very true. But, where do you suspect that they learned to fish? Probably as a youngster setting out with a fishing adventure with they’re parents or grandparents. Fishing is a great sport and a way that many have Sunday lunch. The kids absolutely love it. Not only is a fishing trip for the kids educational it also spends that desperately needed quality time with them.


    Some dads do not suggest a fishing trip because they think mom would balk at the idea. Men do not hold your tongue, women are not as fragile as they would like everyone to believe! Many women truly enjoy the outdoors and can learn sometime from catching a fish. Also moms like to see their children sharing an educational and loving experience with their family! Families that play together stay together, remember that!


    Fishing trips can be relatively inexpensive. Pitch a tent in a state park and enjoy the rest of the weekend. If you do not want to purchase fishing equipment there are many outfitters that will allow you to rent equipment. You may not have the need for fishing rods, reels and bait at home so go ahead and rent them. For safety sake don’t forge the life jackets for everyone. Never scrimp when it comes to safety.


    Children of all ages can learn to bait the hook and wait patiently until they feel that little tug! You may want to help them reel it in because some of those fish can be quite the handful even for us adults. Fishing can be found in just about every state around the world, but some places are much better than others are. Here are a few tips for choosing the perfect location for your next fishing trip.


    The lone star state of Texas offers many activities and some of the best fishing ever. They have catfish stocked ponds that can leave you with the best meal of your life. Bass fish, trout, redfish and carp are all fish commonly found in the Texas freshwater areas. There are also saltwater fishing experiences in Texas as well. Look for the Flounder, Macrerel, Shark, Snapper and many more.


    Colorado is another popular fishing trip spot. The serene lands with snowy mountaintops are a picture perfect vacation. The different species of trout is one of the leading fish that anglers are looking for in the area. From the brown trout to the cutthroat trout they are all delicious. Salmon is another popular fish in the Colorado area.

    For more information on all aspects of planning your fishing trip, and to download a free guide, visit The Fishermans Guide

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