John Llewellyn Blogs

A very busy start to 2011

2011-04-19T13:12:00.000-07:00

I’ve been so busy since the beginning of the year that I haven’t got round to updating my blog. So here’s a round-up of what’s been happening. I’ve had shows and open days pretty much every weekend since January! The shows are a great opportunity to meet carp anglers and talk everything carpy and it gives me and the Big Carp Team the opportunity to show our new products and answer your questions. Have a look at the Team’s blogs and see what they have all been up to.

We changed the layout of our catalogue this year and the reaction has been very positive. We’ve also been working hard on the new website and particularly the Club and Big Carp TV sections of the website, which has video clips which we are organising into categories. It’s a work in progress and we will be adding a new clip every week, so that there is always new information coming into the site and it will keep it fresh and lively. The same applies to the News area which will be updated on a regular basis.

The open days started for me this year in Belgium at Hainaut Peche. Team Big Carp Belgium members Arnaud Minsart and Benoit Bruneau were with me on the stand to help. It is always a big show and there were over 6000 visitors over the weekend.

After that I went to a show at Terres et Eaux near Lille, in France. I was joined by Big Carp Team member Jean Philippe Provenzano and his wife Michelle. Again, lots of visitors and a busy and successful weekend.

This year we have taken on a distributor for the Czech Republic, called Carp Servis. I went to Prague for their annual carp show and the Carp Servis stand was very busy. I had a translator with me all the time as the Czech language is like Chinese to me! It went really well and the reaction from the Czech anglers was really positive.

Next was a show at Vendee Peche Chasse on the 11/12 march with team member Jerome Herve. This was my first visit to this region and this shop does a great job selling Big Carp products in that area. Organisation was excellent and the sales team of Danny and Christophe are experienced carp anglers and did a great job over the 2 days.

April fools day turned out to be very memorable! I arrived at the Easyjet check in desk at precisely 06.h53. The Easy Jet rules say check-in latest 40 minutes before take-off. My plane was scheduled for 07.30, so I was 3 minutes late! Yes, you’ve guessed it. No way was I getting on that plane. I couldn’t believe it, and for just 3 minutes!

I called Thierry who was to meet me at Lyon airport. He thought it was an April fool – sorry Thierry, I had missed the plane.

All the other Easyjet flights were full but fortunately I was able to get on a British airways flight in the afternoon. It made it a very expensive trip, as there was no refund for the Easy Jet flight and I had to fork out for an expensive British Airways ticket. It was well worth making the effort though, as Nevers Peche had gone to a lot of effort to advertise and there were plenty of visitors which made the Saturday a very successful day.

Last weekend was the last show of the spring, at Fonisto near Valenciennes in France. Gerald and his team did a fantastic job of organising the show and carp anglers came from all over the north of France and the south of Belgium. We showed them the new products in the range and answered lots of questions on how to get the best from Big Carp products.

It was a very enjoyable weekend but I’m glad it’s over as that was the last show for this spring. I can finally relax, think about getting the rods out and enjoy the sunshine.

I did manage to find a few days for fishing the week before last and I flew down to Montpelier to spend a few days fishing with Thomas Flauger. Thomas is a really well known carp angler and he particularly likes fishing short sessions for carp or catfish from his small inflateable boat – right up my street.

The Rhone was in flood, so we fished another small river near his home. With the boat positioned just upstream of some fallen trees, we dropped in a handful of pellets and boilies and then drifted our float fished paste baits just in front of the fallen branches in about 8’ of water, only a couple of rod lengths from the boat. It wasn’t long before the first bite and a wild 15lb common was pulling really hard to get back in the snags. Several other carp followed during the morning and we caught some lovely fish up to mid 20s. it was great fun and exciting fishing. I’ll tell you all about it in a more detailed article.

Bye for now.

John

An italian 70 to end the year!

2011-04-19T13:02:00.000-07:00

Sometimes everyting just turns out right. October last year and a four day session at a new lake in Italy turned out to be one of those sessions.

First take and a new lake record at just over 70lbs!!!
What an amazing fish and that was just the beginning of an amazing session. I'll tell you more about it in a detailed article.

A 70 to end the year!

2011-04-11T13:22:00.000-07:00

What a fantastic way to end the year! I flew to Italy in October for a 4 day session to make a DVD with our new distributor Milo, to launch Big Carp products for the Italian market. We fished a public lake I had never fished before, with a good head of good sized carp and a record at just over 60lbs.

A monster 32kg mirror and new lake record - yesssssss!!!!!!!!!

I’ll tell you more about it in a detailed article but let’s just say it turned out to be an incredible session – my first take was a new lake record, a 70lb+ mirror!!! Yes, 70lb. An absolute monster and my biggest ever carp.

Tiger Line website now up and running

2010-04-07T08:28:00.000-07:00

The Tiger Line website with PayPal facility is now on-line click here.

Tiger Line, Armure Leader and Mirage XT

2010-01-02T11:12:00.000-08:00

Results on our new Tiger line have been fantastic. Don’t take my word for it, have a look at the Cemex carp forum and you’ll find loads of glowing reviews from happy anglers. Tiger line really is a superb fluorocarbon main line.
We have taken the technology used in our Tiger line to produce two other fantastic fluorocarbon products: Armure Leader and Mirage XT.

Armure Leader
The Ultimate Fluorocarbon Shock leader.
Armure Leader is a 100% fluorocarbon with outstanding abrasion resistance in weed, snags and over gravel, stones and zebra mussels. Like our Tiger Line, it sinks quickly and completely and is virtually invisible on the bottom. Armure Leader is available on 50m spools in 4 different diameters/breaking strains, so you can choose the perfect leader for the conditions.
The 0.37mm and 0.43mm are perfect as shock leaders for long range fishing.
The 0.47mm and 0.60mm are incredibly strong and abrasion resistant and are perfect for fishing over the worst gravel bars and sharp snags.
All 50m spools Armure Leader
Armure Leader 50m spool 0.37mm & 0.43mm　: £12.90
Armure Leader 50m spool 0.47mm & 0.60mm　: £15.90
　
Mirage XT
The Perfect Fluorocarbon Hook Link
Mirage XT is virtually invisible in water, has exceptional knot strength and abrasion resistance and you won’t find a better fluorocarbon hook link material.
Available on 15m spools in 4 different diameters/breaking strains: 0.28mm(10lb); 0.31mm(12lb); 0.33mm(16lb); 0.37mm(20lb); 0.43mm(25lb); 0.47mm(35lb).
All Mirage XT 15m spools　: £5.90

Tiger Line

2009-08-29T10:18:00.000-07:00

I've finally decided on a name for our fluorocarbon line and we are going to call it Tiger Line: perfectly camouflaged and very difficult to see; extremely strong; stealth; stalks its prey.....
Big Carp Tiger Line is available on 300m and 1000m spools in 10lb, 12lb, 16lb and 20lb.
I have had lots of very positive endorsements from anglers who have been using our line and feed back on the forums as been excellent.
I will post more info' about Tiger Line on my blog but in the meantime contact me by email at info@bigcarp.com, or tel' John at 01189 342123.

Big carp and cat fish

2009-06-23T12:47:00.000-07:00

Many years ago, when I was at school, I used to regularly go fishing with three mates, Graham, his brother Steve and Mark. We’ve kept in touch over the years but we hadn’t been fishing together for a very long time, nearly 35 years in fact. I met Mark last year for a few days lure fishing and we talked about organising a week fishing with all four of us. Steve lives in America, Mark lives in Basle on the Swiss border and Graham and I live in England, so it required a lot of organisation.

We decided to fish for catfish on the river Saone for the first two days and nights and then fish for carp for three days.

Me, Graham, Mark and Steve with two monster catfish

I organised the cat fishing with two young guides, Tony and Jerome of Sensation. This was a new experience for us and it was with lots of excitement and anticipation that we met on the banks of the river Saone near Macon. Tony and Jerome organised everything and it was a fantastic two days fishing. We had a guide and boat for two anglers and we started with vertical fishing using lob worms and squid. It was fascinating to watch the reaction of the cats to the sound of the Klonk and we could clearly see the fish coming up off the bottom towards the bait.

Me wih one of our guides Jerome with a nice fish caught vertical fishing with lobworms, a very exciting method

We caught plenty of cats to 40lbs on the first day and the, in the evening we returned to the camp and set up rods with big live baits – 4lb live baits! These were attached to a big buoy anchored out in the main river, using a short length of 15lb line which would break on the take. The line was really tightened to the buoy, the rod placed upright in a beach caster type of rod rest and a simple bell clipped to the rod tip. Tony explained that when a cat fish took the bait, the 15lb linewould snap and the rod would spring back registering the take.

Once all 6 rods had been baited and set up, Tony and Jerome prepared a tasty dinner and we opened a bottle of lovely red wine.
Later that evening one of the rods pulled down hard and graham was in. After a spirited fight, Graham landed a lovely cat fish of over 40lbs. Shortly after, another rod went and Mark was attached to a much bigger fish. This was a much harder fight and when we first saw the fish in the torch light we realised why, it was massive. This one measured 2.02m and Tony estimated it at 70kgs, a massive fish.

Just before light another rod went and Steve found himself attached to a very angry cat fish that was ripping line off a very tight clutch. This was clearly another very big fish and Tony, Steve and I got in the boat as the fish continued to take line. It was a fantastic fight. Even with the powerful rod and strong braided main line the fish just towed the boat around for 25 minutes. It was a real battle and we saw the fish several times before Tony was able to grab it with his gloved hands. Back on the bank, the huge cat fish was measured and was exactly the same length as the other big one at 2.02m. A brace of 70kg + cats, what a result.

A brace of 150lb+ catfish

The following day we fished again from the boats catching several more cats with the biggest at 30kgs. It was a fantastic two days fishing and we caught 21 cats in total, ranging from the smallest at about 2lbs to the two biggest at well over 150lbs. Tony and Jerome were fantastic guides and I would recommend them to anyone interested in fishing the Saone. They are also experienced carp anglers and it is possible to organise a trip with them combining cats and carp. Have a look at their website http://www.sensationpeche.com/ or contact me by email and I’ll give you some more information.

We then went to a lake I know in the mountains not far from Lyon. The lake is only open for day fishing, so we booked into a local campsite. The fishing was fabulous and between us we caught over 30 carp with plenty of 30s and the biggest a lovely 41lb common for Mark.

It was a fantastic weeks fishing and it’s definitely something we will be organising again next year.

What a start to the year: 3 x 50s in the same night

2009-03-29T00:20:00.000-07:00

The show at Pacific Peche in Metz with team mate Christian Zimmermann, alias 'Big Z', went really well. I've been to this show every year for the last 10 years and Big Carp is well known in the area, so we always get lots of interest. I had been asked to make a presentation in the evening and I decided to change from my usual presentation format and try a different approach. Rather than a slide show type presentation, I prepared several topics that I would present and then invite questions, hoping that it would turn into a debate. I was pleased to see that over 100 anglers had turned up and predictably, the subject of bait and attraction got the juices flowing and it turned into a lively and interesting discussion. It's definitely a format that I will be using again.

After the show I headed towards Macon to meet with Team member Thierry Seon. We had planned 3 days fishing together at a 50 acre lake near his home and I was really looking foward to a few quiet days by the water. Apart from a single night at JBs lake a couple of weeks before when I caught a nice 14lb mirror, this would be my first carp fishing trip this year.

Thierry Séon, Team Big Carp France

Weather conditions were awful. Cold north easterly and bright and sunny with high pressure. The forecast was for the wind to change to the south west on wednesday bringing low pressure, cloud and milder conditions - perfect fishing conditions - only trouble was, that was the day I was ging home. How often does that happen !

Only good news, Thierry told me the water temperature was 10 degrees, which is a good temperature for the carp to feed. The carp wouldn't be really actively munching yet but they wold be feeding regularly. In low water temperatures, the ideal base mix has a low protein content and is high in carbohydrates and fats. I combined my Winter Winner mix, which is a creamy birdfood, high energy mix, with JBs Bio Shellfish mix. To this I added a low level of JBs Plum and AlaSalar which is a fantastic flavour combination that will catch carp anywhere.

There is no night fishing on the lake we were going to fish, so we planned to fish dawn to dusk for the 3 days. By sunrise on the monday morning we were at the lake. We chose the north bank with the strong cold northerly wind behind us and an area of calm water protected from the wind in front of us. In front of us was a large gravel plateau about 3-4 feet deep, an area where Thierry had caught well in early spring the previous year.

The sun was bright and out of the wind it felt quite warm, but with the cold northerly I wasn't convinced that the carp would come up on the shallower water, certainly not in numbers. I whacked the marker well out to about 120yds and found the back of the plateau where it dropped down to about 6 feet with a hard bottom that felt like sand. That felt more like it and I spread 1kg of 20mm baits around the area and along the drop off with the throwing stick. Two rods went there and the 3rd went in slightly deeper water where I found the first signs of fresh weed.

The day was quiet with no signs of fish. I was surprised that we had seen nothing at all, not even the odd bream or roach, and I wondered if the fish were active at night. We packed everything away early evening, just leaving the rods until the very last moment, planning to wind in at 7.30, so that we could be off the lakewithin the rules by 8 o'clock. As if to confirm my thoughts, 7.25 and a slow take on my middle rod at the back of the bar. The fish was really powerful and after a long fight a beautiful mirror slipped over the net - 48lbs...

First fish of the session this fantastic 48lb mirror. Yessssssssssssssssssssssssss!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We quickly packed the rods away and I sticked out 2kg of boilies to the area.

That evening, after a nice hot shower, we discussed our plans over a lovely casserole and a bottle of wine. If the carp were feeding at night, then that's when we would have to fish. So we planned to stay the next night, camouflaged up and hidden in the bushes. Not even a brolly and we would simply sleep by the rods. The temperatue was to drop below zero but there was no rain forecast. The lake is patrolled by guards at night so there would be no torches and we would have to be really quiet.

The next day was like the first. The lake appeared dead with no signs of life. Soon after dark, at around 8.30, the middle rod was away and again it was a whacker, another 48lb mirror. 50yds down the bank Thierry was also into a fish, a lovely mirror of 35lbs.

Action continued regularly throughout the night with a take roughly every hour and a half. What a night! The size of these fish was incredible. I ended up that night with carp of 50.4lb, 50.8lb, 48lb, 36lb and 52lb. It was an amazing night's fishing.

Beautiful mirrors of 50.4lb and 50.8lb

Two more beauties of 52lb and 48lb

Most takes came from the back of the bar. The line would catch in the gravel and stones on the shallow plateau and grate horribly, sawing back and forth as the fish took line, sometimes for several minutes before I was able to gain line and draw the fish a bit closer in. The line would grate over the stones and I was more than pleased with the performance of our new fluorocarbon mainline. Not only does it cast well for a fluorocarbon but it's abrasion resistance is fantastic. I'm sure that a nylon would have cut off very quickly with that abuse but the extra abrasion resistance really made a difference. I did have to pull off and lose 30yds or so of line twice during the night as it had become really chafed by the abuse but the important thing was that it didn't break. Retackling and retying the rigs in the dark without a torch - that's fun !

We packed up once the sun was up on the wednesday, after the most tiring photo session I've ever had ! I still had nearly 600 miles drive to get home. It was good to get away early but I wouldn't actually get home until nearly midnight, extremely knackered but very happy

It was a fabulous catch and what a great way to start the year.

Bye for now.

Cheers.

John

Carp shows in France and Belgium in March

2009-03-01T13:46:00.000-08:00

With John Baker and the Italian Big Carp Team at the end of the Carpitaly show .

The beginning of the year is a really important period for us. It's the period when there are the big trade shows and lots of shops have open days. All the Big Carp Team are involved and are available to show new products and answer questions about how to get the best from our products. I went to the big Carpitaly show in Italy a few weeks ago with John Baker. There were over 10,000 visitors over the two days and our stand was mobbed continually.

John talking about bait - wherever you go in europe carp anglers love to talk about bait.

It was hard work but very enjoyable and a great opportunity to talk to the italian anglers.

Two weeks ago I was at another big show, this time in Belgium. This was with the shop Hainault Peche and I was helped by my two Belgian Team members Arnaud and Benoit. Again, a very busy worthwhile weekend.

The show at Hainaut Peche in Belgium. Our stand was mobbed for the whole weekend.

With Belgium Big Carp Team members Benoit Bruneau and Arnaud Minsart

Yesterday I was in northern France at a show called Bourbourg. It was at a venue only 30 minutes from Calais so I was able to do make it a day trip. I left home at 03.00 in the morning and was at the venue by 08.00! This time I as on a stand with a big shop called Outreman and it was a very busy day. The show closed at 19.00 and I just made it to my train through the tunnel at 20.30. I was home by 10.30. It was a very successful but VERY tiring day.

This week I'll be concentrating on completing orders but there's a couple of weeks left before the end of the season and I'm dsperate to get out and do a bit of fishing. I'll definitely set aside some time to have a go for some barbel. Next weekend Terry Edmonds is coming over for a couple of nights fishing for carp on a local water, so I'm really looking forward to that. That will be my first rip out for carp this year!

The next show is on the 20th March in Metz on the eastern side of France and I'm panning to stay on in France for 3 or 4 days fishing, so that's something to really look forward to. Hopefully the weather will be a bit more spring like by then.

Who are Big Carp Ltd

2008-12-03T03:15:00.000-08:00

John Llewellyn with Bruno from Dinton Pastures at 52lb8oz. January 2007.

Who are Big Carp?
Big Carp has been trading for over 15 years but you probably haven't heard of us because we have been concentrating our efforts on selling our products in France, Italy and Belgium and Big Carp products haven't been available in the UK, until now. And no, we are nothing to do with the magazine with the same name! We are a small team of very experienced, well known carp anglers from England including John Llewellyn, John Baker, Dennis McFetrich and Terry Edmonds, supported by a dedicated team of some of europe's most experienced carp anglers in Italy, France and Belgium. Have a look at our website http://www.bigcarp.com/ and also the blogs listed to the left of this page. The site is currently in french or italian but we are working on an english version which will be available very soon. Learn more about Big Carp and the Team below. For more info' contact John Llwellyn at info@bigcarp.com.

I started my company Big Carp 15 years ago. I lived in France for a few years in the late 80's and at that time the modern way of carp fishing was totally alien to most of the french. I was constantly being asked about the bait and tackle I was using and where to buy it, so I decided to set up Big Carp to cater for the demand. I decided to concentrate on selling Big Carp products initially only in France and Belgium. I speak french fluently and I also write regularly for two french carp magazines, Media Carpe and Top Carpe. Big Carp products are also now well known in Italy and I write regularly for Tutto Carpa magazine in that country. My aim has always been to include and develop only the bait and tackle that I want to use for my own fishing. If I'm confident using it myself, then I am happy to include it in my Big Carp range and I am totally confident to recommend it to other anglers.

Bait specialist John Baker

Bait specialist John Baker is a good friend and lives only 5 minutes from me, so it made sense to talk about baits for Big Carp with John. We decided to combine our ideas and develop a small range of base mixes and top quality flavours based on Johns own flavours. We don't skimp on any aspect of bait and Big Carp baits rightly have a fantastic reputation as carp catchers from waters right across europe: from big european rivers like the Seine and Moselle, to huge continental lakes like St.Cassien and Orient, to hard, pressured lakes in the UK like Dinton Pastures.

I knew Steve Harrison was the man for rods. His reputation as a blank designer and rod builder is second to none, so I went to see Steve. I told him exactly the type of rod I was looking for and we based the first Big Carp rod on one of his best selling blanks. That rod is the 13' x 3.5lb Big Carp Orginale. It is a lovely rod and we still have plenty of demand for it, even now after 15 years.

Since then, we have developed the Mirage range of Big Carp rods. They are based on a superb Harrison blank that is extremely slim, light and responsive and the blanks are built exclusively for Big Carp by Harrisons. The Mirage rods are 12' or 12'6" and they are available in 3 test curves: 3lb, 3½lb and the ULR which is the most powerful version. The feel and playing action of these rods is fantastic. I love these rods and I have 2 sets that I use for all my carp fishing : the 12' 3lb and the 12'6" x 3½lb.

Terry Edmonds with french Team Big Carp member Patrice Lecot during filming of our video 'Carp Long Range' in France.

I met Terry Edmonds through Steve Harrison. Terry had been helping Steve with the development of a range of beach casters and I was keen to improve my casting. Terry's an experienced angler and an awesome caster. His input in the design and concept stage of the new XLR TE200 has been invaluable.

Terry returning a 42lb common caught whilst filming.

For tackle items such as spods, marker floats, Rattlers, Inchers and so on, the MCF range made and designed by Dennis McFetrich is still the most reliable and best on the market. I spoke to Dennis and we selected various items to include in the Big Carp range.

Dennis McFetrich with another whacker!

I sponsor a handful of some of Europes most experienced carp anglers in France, Italy, Spain and Belgium. They write regularly in the magazines and their input in develpoment of new items has been invaluable. They have all got their own blogs, so have a look at what they are up to and the monsters they are catching.

I am fortunate to have all these very experienced anglers as my friends and together they make up a truly awesome Team.

Click on the link to Team Big Carp to learn more about these anglers. You can also learn more about Big Carp on our website via the link. The website is all in french or italian but if you want to know more about Big Carp just send me an email at info@bigcarp.com and I'll send you the information in english.

Autumn is the time for BIG Carp

2008-11-26T04:40:00.000-08:00

I love the autumn and it’s undoubtably one of the best periods of the year for carp fishing. Gone are the long, steamy hot days and short nights of summer. The air is cooler and the nights are getting longer. The water temperature has dropped a few degrees, allowing the dissolved oxygen levels to rise which provides perfect conditions for the carp to digest their food. The carp become more active in response to the changing conditions, actively searching for food and feeding for longer periods. This is the time for big catches and also big fish. It’s a great time to be out carp fishing. 48lbs of muscle, probably never been caught before

Last October, I organised a 6 day session with 3 of the Big Carp Team France to a huge natural lake in the south east of France. We don’t have many opportunities to fish together and this was a great opportunity for me to spend some time fishing with Alban, Arnaud and Francois. We all share a real passion for adventure and this lake of several thousand hectares provided just the sort of challenge we love. The lake has only a small population of carp but they are of a big average size. Fishing pressure is low because of the difficulty of the fishing and also because of the limited number of night fishing areas.

What a beautiful spot!

The key to success in this type of big, natural lake, is location - first find the carp! Once you find a zone or large area where you see signs of carp, then you look for smaller areas and features in that area where they are likely to feed. Arnaud lives the nearest the lake and for several weeks before our session he spent time at the lake plumbing the depths, looking at possible spots, searching for signs of carp and learning as much as possible about the carp’s habits in preparation for our weeks session. A large bay of at least 20 hectares of water seemed particularly promising. Along the west side of the bay the bank is steep and rocky, plunging quickly into deep water. Over-hanging trees and bushes provide cover in the deep margins and the marginal rocks and gravel provide a perfect haven for the crayfish which would form a large part of the carp’s diet. The margins are protected from cold northerly and easterly winds and would be exposed all day to the suns warming rays. The point at the opposite side of the bay is formed by a rocky outcrop with exceptionally steep sided margins, dropping into deep water with a sandy, silty bottom. The centre of the bay is a mass of reed beds, weed and lily pads with large silty and sandy areas. The bay screamed ‘carp’ and this was where Arnaud decided would be a good area for our session. As Arnaud rowed around the bay a big fish jumped clean out of the water near the boat! That was the only fish he saw that day but it confirmed that this was an area the carp liked and where there was one carp there were likely to be more!

Hydro Liver mix and D88 flavour - a fantastic bait for big carp.

The plan was for Arnaud to bait several times before our visit. I sent Arnaud enough Hydro Liver mix and D88 flavour to roll 30kg of 30mm boilies, to which he added several buckets of hemp. This would be for the pre-baiting. We also rolled nearly 60kg of 20mm and 30mm boilies between us, which we would divide between the 4 anglers for the 6 days fishing. 15kg of boilies each would be a good quantity. Boilies and hemp were thrown here and there in likely looking spots all around the bay, from very shallow water of only 1m in the margins, to depths down to about 10m. The idea was to give any carp in the area a taste for the bait and to encourage them to move around the area searching for the boilies. Carp also love hemp and they would stay in the area much longer, searching out every last seed. Once the carp have eaten a few of the boilies, they recognise the taste and smell and will search actively for it.

When actually fishing, the bait is then concentrated in smaller areas to attract the carp to feed in the area of the hook bait. Another very important aspect of this type of baiting is that bream and other smaller fish are less interested by a single boilie and hemp seeds that are scattered here and there, than by a concentrated bed of bed. This way our bait is eaten by the carp rather than other fish. This is an extremely effective tactic that I have used on many occasions with success in all sorts of different waters. The final baiting, two days before the beginning of our session, was uniquely with boilies and approximately 7 kilos were spread around the area in the same way as before. This would give the carp two days to search out every last boilie and be on the look out for more – that was the plan anyway!

Bait is always a very important factor when carp fishing. I’ve used every possible type of bait since I started carp fishing over 35 years ago and I am now totally convinced, by my own results and the results of my friends, that for consistent results and particularly for big fish, a ‘food source’ bait is the only one to use. The better the food, the more enthusiastic the carp will be about your bait and the easier they will be to catch. Don’t underestimate the value of a good bait, especially when targetting big fish.

To many anglers the flavour is the bait. To the question "What bait are you using?" The answer is often the flavour, such as ‘Mega Salmon‘, or ‘Fruit Bomb’. This is a mistake. The base mix provides the food and it is better to think of the base mix as the bait. So, the answer would be a ‘fishmeal‘, a ‘birdfood’, the ‘BioMix Shellfish’, or the ‘Hudro Liver Mix’. A good base mix is a good food that is nutritional, digestible and attractive and will catch carp used on its own. The addition of flavours, additives and attractors improves the taste, nutritional value, attractiveness and ultimately the effectiveness of that food.

I prefer to roll my own bait, when I have the time (!) but if not I use the TopBaits Pro ready made boilies. These are made with my own recipes and fresh ingredients and the only difference these ready mades and the boilies I roll myself at home is that they contain a low level of preservative so that they can be stored in a bag. They are a great bait and a very convenient option. I always take some of these with me as a reserve in case the carp are particularly active – the worst thing is to have feeding carp in front of you and to run out of bait !
If you do have the time to roll your your own bait, then that’s the best choice. Not only is rolling your own bait more economical but you can also formulate your own personal recipe that ensures that your bait is different from all the other anglers. You can also adapt the recipe and size of bait, to suit your own preferences and type of fishing. You don’t need a complicated recipe to make a good bait. You can make a very effective bait from a simple recipe, as long as you use fresh, good quality ingredients and a proven flavour, at a low dosage level. A very effective bait can be made from a good quality economical boilie mix, such as the PBM (Perfect Boilie Mix) with a flavour and taste enhancer such as ’Sweetfruit’, ’Intense Sweetener’, or one of our Bingo! Additives which really boost the bait’s effectiveness by increasing not only the attraction but also the bait’s food value. Add a little fishmeal or birdfood and the bait will be even better. You can also use a complete base mix which contains a variety of additives and enhancers, as we did with the Hydro Liver.

Carp eat food – not flavours ! Even a good flavour can ruin a good recipe if used at too high a level. So, don’t be tempted to increase the flavour levels. Stick to the levels advised, or use lower levels, and your bait will be attractive, taste good and be an acceptable food source. Get the bait right and the carp will search out every last bit and keep eating it until it’s all gone.
I introduced the Hydro Liver mix and D88 flavour to the Big Carp Team early last year and this autumn session was an opportunity for Arnaud, Alban and Francois to discover this new bait. The taste, smell and nutritional profile of this bait are exceptional and carp recognise it instantly as good food. I knew that if we could find the carp, then we would have a good chance of catching them.

The weather was warm and sunny as we excitedly loaded the boats with all the food and equipment for the 6 day session. Arnaud decided to fish the right side of the bay along the edge of the steep rocky bank. Alban chose the centre of the bay and fished along the weed line. I set up on the rocky point, hoping to intercept any carp coming into the bay, reasoning that they would follow the contours of the point around the deep margins tight to the bank .
Early evening, as the sun started to go down, I heard a ‘run’ from across the bay. Arnaud appeared between the trees, grabbed the rod and jumped in his boat - fish on! Alban and I quickly joined him in our own boats to watch the action. After a long fight a huge mirror finally slipped over the net. What a fish! On the scales the magnificent mirror weighed 21kg.300. What a fantastic way to start the session. Arnaud’s first fish on the new bait and the first fish of the session, a real monster after just a few hours fishing! Confidence was now sky high for all of us and we returned to the quiet calm of our own spots as the sun passed behind the hills and day slipped into night.

That night I caught two small commons. Alban’s alarms remained quiet but Arnaud caught another fish at 02.00, another big fish of 19kg. Both carp had taken a single Beton boilie placed amongst the rocks along the cliffs in just 1m of water.

The day was quiet but that night Arnaud again caught two carp. Not as big as the first night but both nice fish, a long common and a 15kg mirror. Interestingly, all the fish had come in water less than a metre deep in rocky, gravelly areas. Alban and I had no action that night. Alban was fishing in shallow water close to the thick weed beds, over a silty, sandy bottom The area in front of me dropped quickly into deep water and I had baited in a line out from the maegins into 9m of water, hoping to intercept any patrolling fish. Arnau was catching in the very shallow, rocky margins, so Alban and I decided to investigate more closely the areas where Arnaud was catching to see if we could find signs of carp and determine what they were feeding on. With the sun at the right angle we could clearly see the gravel and sand in amongst the rocks. Looking carefully, we could clearly make out several areas where the gravel and small rocks had been cleaned and disturbed by feeding carp. Moving some of the rocks revealed lots of small crayfish. So, that was it. The carp were coming in to the warm, shallow areas to feed on the crayfish. Now that we knew what to look for, we discovered similar areas all along the steep margins for several hundred metres.

A move was in order. I found two areas of gravel that had been recently visited and with a lot of effort I was able to set up my bed chair and rods in a precarious position amongst the rocks, 50m or so from the spots I wanted to fish. This would be ideal, as it is never a good idea to fish these shallow marginal areas from a spot too near by. Carp are incredibly sensitive to noise and movement. It also gives a better chance of multiple captures as any disturbance of landing a fish isn’t then on top of the other rods. Setting up on the rocks was really difficult but luckily the weather was good and I didn’t need an umbrella! I carefully placed my baits in areas where there was evidence of feeding and baited with just a handful of broken boilies. All 3 rods were positioned in less than 1m of water in different spots along the margins and I could clearly see my hook bait and freebies lying on the gravel.
Once all was set I was able to sit back and enjoy the quiet and beauty of this lovely lake. I imagined the carp patrolling along the margins as the light faded into evening, searching out crayfish. The signs of feeding activity on the spots I was fishing were very fresh and carp had fed on those areas probably only the night before. On such a big lake there are innumerable spots where the carp could feed and I crossed my fingers that they would return tonight.
All was quiet until 01.00 when I was awoken by an absolute screaming take on the middle rod. The fish had dived off the shallows and I had to give line as it powered out into deep water on its first run. This fish had probably never felt a hook before and the fight was hard and long. It was clearly a big powerful fish. The moon was bright and I could clearly see the shape of a big carp struggling in the clear water under the rod tip. It was a great relief when it finally began to tire and I was able to lead it over the net. I could see it was over 20kg and I carefully sacked it for a photo in the morning. I decided not to replace that rod in case I disturbed any other carp that might be feeding in the margins. In any case, if there were any other feeding fish, they would come across one of the other baits as they moved along the margins. The rods had to be positioned using the boat because of the overhanging trees and I didn’t want to risk scaring any other fish in the area.

Brace of 48s I caught that night

Two hours later the right hand rod roared off. This fish was equally as powerful as the first and it was again a long fight before I was able to net a fish that looked equally as big as the first one. What a night! The sky was already becoming lighter in the east as I sat back with a fresh cup of tea and a big smile on my face. These carp had never seen this bait before and probably had never seen a boilie before and yet they had instantly recognised it as food. Two big fish - what a result - this would be a photo session to remember!

I decided it would be too risky to try to photograph the fish amongst the rocks, so in the morning I rowed over to Arnaud’s spot. We couldn’t believe it when I got the fish out for the photos and we realised that one of the fish was the big mirror that Arnaud had caught less than 2 days before. Same bait, same carp!

Francois joined us later in the day. We stayed another night in the same spots but none of us saw any more signs of fish. Arnaud decided to stay in his spot as he felt there was a good chance that the carp would return. I wasn’t so sure and I felt that the carp had probably moved out of the area. On these huge lakes the carp can move large distances very quickly and Francois and I decided to spend the day looking for carp and another area to fish. We spent most of the day and travelled several kilometers in the boat visiting different areas before finding what we were looking for. Probably 2 kilometers from the first spot, we decided on an area with deep water close in and fallen trees and snags in the margins. The bottom was mainly sand but the fallen trees and snags would be a haven for crayfish. As well as the marginal areas that looked interesting, the bottom shelved evenly then dropped off quickly in 7-10m of water. This created a real feature that also looked like an area where the carp would feed.

When I fish this type of lake with big, wild carp, I always use strong, solid tackle. These fish aren’t shy and the emphasis is on a strong, simple and effective rig that will ensure good presentation and land a big, powerful fish. There are often snags and rocks, so I use the 60/100 Armure Leader which is a brilliant shock leader that will resist all sorts of abuse. The 115g or 140g lead is mounted on a Speed Clip and the 25cm hook link is made with fluorocarbon Mirage XT which is very strong and abrasion resistant. Hook is a TT size 1 and the bait is mounted on a ‘D’ rig. Simple, strong and very effective.
In areas with lots of crayfish, the bait must be very hard. For this I make extra hard hook baits with the Beton Mix which I formulated specifically to resolve this problem. Boilies made with this mix are rock hard and I either use a single large boilie of 35 – 40mm, or a snowman presentation with a Beton boilie and a pop-up. Over sand and silt, and in areas where the crayfish are less active, I often use a single large Equilibrée boilie. These are hook baits made with a mix of 1/3 Pratique Pop-Up Mix and 2/3 mix which makes a bait that sinks very slowly. This ensures a perfect presentation and also optimises the efficacity of the rig. The Equilibrée boilies are available ready made in 24mm or you can make your own – see recipe below.
I like to dip my baits in the Bingo! Food Boost before casting. These are ‘Food’ dips made from a combination of natural extracts and attractors, and the same flavour used in the boilies. They diffuse a strong ‘food’ single that enhances the bait’s natural attraction.
We couldn’t find any signs that the carp had visited the marginal areas but Francois and I both placed one bait in shallow water in the margins, as we had caught from the shallow spots in the previous area. I baited with 3kg of boilies in a line across the drop off only 20m out in front of me, the line covering depths between 5m and 10m. Two rods were placed along this line of bait.
Francois was set up 100m along from me and early evening I walked along to see him. Francois had made extra large 50mm Equilibrées and his 3 rods were placed in different depths of water in front of the fallen branches, amongst a scattering of a couple of kilos of the Hydro Liver boilies. Just as I got there his rod placed in 6m, on the edge of the fallen trees, roared off and he was into his first fish on the new bait. The fish fought hard and was another big one. Incredible, another fish over 20kg. This one weighed 20kg.500.

That night Francois caught 2 more small carp. My alarms remained quiet and I awoke to a very misty morning. Whilst I lay looking at the rods, the middle rod tip pulled down and as the indicator registered the first bleep, I picked up the rod and pulled into a very heavy weight. That was the rod placed along the line of bait in 9m of water and from the very heavy weight and powerful lunges, this was clearly another big fish. I got in the boat so that I could fight the carp in the deeper water away from the marginal snags. I couldn’t believe my eyes when I netted the fish and saw a big recognisable scale on its shoulder. This was the same fish that Francois had caught the evening before! The same thing had happened to me just two days before when I had caught the same carp that Arnaud had caught on the first evening. Same fish, same bait less than 24hours later, twice in the same session. Once the carp get a taste for this bait they just can’t leave it alone. Incredible!

We now had only one night left. Arnaud had seen no more activity in his first spot, so he came to join us for the last night as there were clearly carp in the area we were fishing. That night both Francois and I caught small fish. In the morning we heard a very happy Arnaud approaching through the mist in his boat, singing the Marseillaise. He had obviously caught something big on the last night. We weren’t to be disappointed. In the sack was a magnificent mirror of over 23kg, the biggest fish of the session. Fantastic.
Tired but satisfied, it was the last morning and time to go home. We had moved several times and worked really hard for our fish but it had been an incredible session. We had caught 9 big fish with 6 over 20kg, one of 19kg, one of 15kg and several smaller carp. An amazing average size and the Hydro Liver and D88 had once again proved itself as an amazing bait for BIG carp.
As you read these lines we will once again be in early autumn. So, find the feeding spots, use a good bait and get out there. Good fishing.