Weather forecast for Reims | Local | France

I found this site on the net which gives a pretty accurate weather forecast for our region.

Weather forecast for Reims | Local | France.

cheers

Gareth

Hammock Carping

For years now I have been seeking ways to cut down on the gear I take fishing, I remember well when I was a boy I’d be able to get all the gear for an overnighter on my bicycle. But just look at all the clobber we laden ourselves down with now.

I made some progress when I had my camper van as I only needed my rod bag, tackle bag and mats to get out on the bank. But swapping my camper for a 4×4 has meant I’m back to brolly and bedchair.

That is until this week…..I’ve just got myself a “hammock and tarp” to use in the summer months in place of my brolly and bedchair. Shaun Harrison first showed me this system and I must say I found it really cool. Most of us hate carrying a heavy bivvy and bedchair to a swim. Not only are these very weighty items, a Nash Titan with all the bits weighs over 15kg, and even a light bedchair is going to be 10-15kg extra. So you have a combined weight of over 30kg just to bivvy up.

Carp Fishing « EDC » Kit

Most of us that are into carp fishing are also into most other things ’outdoors’, hunting, camping, hiking etc. With all these activities its important to be well equipped, and in carping there is no shortage of gadgets.
Recently I’ve been looking at some of the ‘Bushcraft’ videos on Youtube by a guy called Dave Canterbury and his Pathfinder School site .He’s also doing a survival show on Discovery Channel called ‘Dual Survival’.  His Youtube site is full of good info that also has a utility for carping and camping out in general. One of the items I particularly liked was his ‘EDC’ or “Every day Carry” kit. (I guess this is a US military acronym.) It basically consists of a mountaineering ‘Carabiner’ with a selection of useful gadgets hanging from it that can be clipped onto ones belt or tackle bag. All the items are quickly and readily available at a seconds notice.

Anyway I figured this would be a really good idea for us carpers to have such a selection of kit. As I already had a large carabiner, I decided to add a few items to it to make my own EDC. This is just my own preference but naturally one can add any tools one finds useful…

Why Do Carp Jump?

A question I hear asked regularly by non anglers and novices is :
« Why Do Carp Jump ? »
Now we have all been impressed by the spectacular splashes that a leaping carp can make, especially when a fish over 30lb comes clean out of the water. It is an impressive spectacle and one that gets every carp angler’s heart racing… You know they are there and you’re in with a chance to catch one.

But what makes the fish behave in this fashion?

There are several answers to this question but the principle reason is physiological. Carp, as most fishes have a swim bladder. The swim bladder is linked to their oesophagus and is used to control their depth in the water. By increasing or decreasing the volume of gas in the swim bladder the fish can either move up or sink down in the water. By leaping or swilling on the surface a carp can force air into its swim bladder through its oesophagus, thus allowing the fish to adjust its level in the water.

Best time of the year to go to France

This is a question I get asked frequently and really depends on a number of factors, so there is no single answer that is applicable to all fishing situations.

Weather : I think the number one factor on the likely catch rates of any venue is the weather. As carp are cold blooded creatures they will naturally slow down and feed only sporadically in the colder water. As we’ve seen with winter fishing you can catch fish, but don’t expect to have much action.
The weather and more particularly the sun and its warming effect on the surface layers, can see the fish moving even early in the year. Once the Winter is over the increase in water temperature really is the key to regular feeding and hence more consistent captures. It is worth then getting on Metcheck and keeping a close eye on the weather conditions. Each year is different and often the length and severity of winters is on a cyclical basis.
The same holds true for all the seasons, as once the water gets too hot the fish often go into basking mode and can be see cruising in the upper layers and evidently not the slightest bit interested in feeding. This can often be the case in July and August where many areas of France can see prolonged periods where the temperatures are well into the 30’s.
At the end of the year it’s the same story in reverse. The rapidity with which winter onsets will have a knock on effect to fish feeding. In 2009 we had remarkably mild conditions in November and the fishing remained excellent until winter set in in early December.

Crushing the Barb

I saw a post by Henry Gilbey on his fishing blog about crushing barbs while sea fishing for bass. Now I know that he is using trebles and we don’t in carp angling, but the question of crushed barbs is an interesting one.
I remember when we did the Remy video that they insisted we use barbless hooks only. I have previously written about “Barbed vs Barbless”, so I won’t go over that again. But are crushed barbs not a better way to go than either barbed or barbless. Barbed vs Barbles
I have been doing this for a long as I can remember, for the simple reason that, while I didn’t want to use a barbed hook, I couldn’t find the barbless version of the model I like…ie. Drennan Continental Boilie hook. So for years I’ve been crushing the barbs on these hooks.
I think it was Tim Paisley who wrote about the advantages of a crushed barb, as it leaves a small bump on the hook, that helps avoids the movement and sewing machine effect that can happen with a barbless hook. It remains however far easier to remove, and more importantly give the fish a chance to shed the hook if it breaks you off or gets snagged. The penetration is better than a barbed hook but it does stay in better than a pure barbless.

Maps,Navigation and GPS

Not really a fishing topic this, but one about something that I find useful when travelling to a new venue.

I’ve already written on a couple of occasions about GPS units and how much I like them as navigational aids in France. In fact I’ve used the Tomtom One now for a number of years and would be lost without it. Most of the units on the market are of the street navigator type, which are perfect for getting from A to B and finding ones way around a city, but they give very little  or no information about the type of terrain one is on and many don’t have any info at all on lakes, tracks to lakes etc. For this an Ordinance Survey topographical map is the best tool.

Now topographical GPS devices do exit also, aimed at hikers and offroaders they are like an electronic geo-referenced Ordinance Survey map. They give you your exact position and allow you to install very detailed maps of your chosen area. But, and this is a big BUT, they are extremely dear for the best ones. The Garmin Dakota 20 or Twonav Aventura are in the 400-600€ bracket and that is without the 25:000 scale  maps that cost over 100€ each. This for me was a real deal breaker…I just can’t afford that amount on a gadget.
However recently I have found a great plugin on a French GPS site that allows you to turn your Tomtom into a great off road/fishing tool. The plugin is called “ttmaps”.

Coolest Carping Accessory Ever!

Well now we have all seen « Realtree », clothing, bivvies, rods..Well everything imaginable in the ubiquitous camo pattern.

Everything?

Well perhaps not quite. I came across this accessory in a French tackle shop “Realtree” seat covers for my 4×4. Now as I was in the market for a set of front seat covers to help protect the upholstery from wet dog, dirty fishing clothes and all the junk I end up carrying in the car,  these Browning camo covers seemed just the ticket.

The sales blurb reads:

BROWNING: UNIVERSAL SEAT COVER
» Universal bucket seat cover fits most standard bucket, seats including GM seats with built in seatbelts
» High quality, heavy polyester fabric is treated for water repellency and dirt resistance
» Foam backed fabric keeps seat coller and helps it breathe in hot weather
» Browning logo on a quality woven patch is prominently displayed
» Patent Pending custom fit

Anyway I couldn’t resist them so now have a set what has to be the coolest Realtree accessory ever for my car.

Cheers
Gareth

Five Best Fishing Vehicles!

by Gareth Watkins
Over the years I’ve had a whole range of different vehicles that I’ve used to get myself fishing. In the early days it was my parent’s cars, so whatever they had at the time, and varied from an Audio 80 to a Triumph Dolomite. Not always very practical… Since then I’ve had several different types of car and they all have advantages and disadvantages. Here then, is my choice of Carp fishing vehicles. My latest car is a Nissan Terrano, that replaced my beloved camper… the camper was great but not a practical car for working around the lakes.

Vans :
The first type I had when starting my own fishery was a small compact Renault Express van. Now in the UK the Escort Van was virtually de rigueur in carp fishing circles.. I saw so many of these. These type of vans are small, compact and carry a vast amount of gear. Only real draw back is they are two-seaters. If you have more people to carry you need to look to a larger vehicle.

Why France for Carp?

by Gareth Watkins

Carp fishing as we all know is  immensely popular now, with more and more people coming into the sport every year. This puts a huge pressure on the ticket lakes, club lakes and syndicates across the UK. Most anglers outside the ‘A’ list are faced with long waiting lists and the slim chances of getting on a water with big fish. Ticket lakes are often crowded and fish sizes modest.
For a number of years carpers have been looking towards France.

But is it the Carpfishers ‘Eldorado?’   What does France have to offer?

1) Access to bigger fish: Well firstly in the majority of cases there are no syndicates or waiting lists to fish the top waters. You can simply book up with a lake  or go it alone to a ticket or public lake.
Whatever you choose you’ll have access to bigger fish than the majority of lakes in the UK.
The continental climate in France gives us just that few degrees extra average temperatures, which is enough to get the carp feeding longer throughout the year. You gain on average one degree for every 100 km you travel south. Also the strains of carp stocked into France have generally been fast growing mirrors and they can reach 30lb in just 5-7 years.