23 October 0216: Catch report from Gary and family

A great carp fishing holiday for Gary and his family on their first trip to France.

This week we had the great pleasure of welcoming Gary, Tracey, Albert, Jack and Stephanie to the venue. This would be a very important holiday for Gary as he’s celebrating his 50th birthday this year and he wanted it to be very special. This would be Gary’s first trip to France and he’d been looking forward to it for a very long time. On arrival, Gary confessed that he’d never put so much effort into preparing for a week long session. Gary was blown away by what the venue has to offer and he could hardly wait to get started. The first night passed quietly but Sunday night was more hopeful with a few short runs that petered out quickly.  Gary didn’t need much in the way of help but he was keen for any tips and advice I had so we made a few tweaks and later that evening he banked his first carp at 27lbs. By Wednesday he’d added two more and smashed his PB with a cracking mirror known as Moonscale at 36lbs. He was beaming from ear to ear when I saw him next and full of compliments about the quality of the stock and the fight they give.

Gary’s dad Albert joined him on this trip at the last minute to see what this French carp fishing lark was all about. Albert was enjoying the experience but found the waiting between runs rather different to the fishing he was used to. I had a waggler rod to hand so Albert set to catching some nice roach and C2 carp on sweet corn to while away the hours which he thoroughly enjoyed. Also new to the sport was Jack, Gary’s son in law. With some help from Gary, Jack was able to bank his first carp, a fantastic mirror of 34lbs. Jack enjoyed his time at the venue so much he’s seriously considering taking up the sport! While the lads enjoyed the fishing, Tracey and Stephanie made the most of the venue and mixed some quality R&R with visits to locals towns. It was so great to see how much this lovely family enjoyed their holiday and how into it they all were.

Gary finished up with 7 carp in total with 3 x 30’s which is excellent work for his first trip to the venue. He adapted his approach quickly, in line with what his instincts told him. Technically and tactically, his approach was spot on. Again the stiff hinged rig proved highly effective when coupled with an effective baiting strategy. It was an absolute pleasure to meet the entire family. I know Gary’s chomping at the bit to book again for next year!