26 September 2015 – Catch Report from: Jezz & Gill

A fantastic carp fishing holiday with loads of stunning carp and plenty of fun away from the bank too!

This week we had the pleasure of welcoming two French carp fishing veterans to the venue. They’ve been coming for France for the last twelve years and have plenty of stories to tell! I think it’s fair to say that they’ve seen the very best and the very worst of carp fishing in France! In recent years, carp fishing has taken a back seat for Jezz and now he only fishes while on holiday in France. Despite his years of experience, Jezz was a little nervous to start with as there are just so many features to go for at the venue. Jezz and Gill take a wonderfully relaxed approach to their carp fishing holiday and venture out every day for lunch at one of the excellent local bars or restaurants. After lunch, it’s time to chill out in the pool room. They are both keen players and were very impressed by the quality of the table. Jezz headed out late afternoon to fish each day until about 10pm and then retired to the comfort of the lodge. After breakfast, Jezz would spend the time walking the margins and priming spots for the afternoon. I reckon that Jezz actually spent less time behind the rods than any single angler we’ve ever had! The results however speak for themselves….

Jezz was very specific in his approach and it was very much all about the carp this week. He’s caught catfish before but they really don’t appeal to him. Jezz kept to a boilie only approach tight to the margins and it worked perfectly. Jezz caught very steadily all week and often banked two carp in quick succession every time he headed out. By leaving rods out the water, and even staying away from the lake itself, he was able to build the carp’s confidence over a variety of marks by introducing boilies every day. Jezz used 10kg of Blue Oyster and 5kg of Nutcracker during the week and caught well on both baits. Jezz really liked my Beausoleil rig and fished this along with a KD variant. He’s also a massive fan of hook sharpening and again the difference in the results are clear. Jezz banked 12 carp from 23lbs 8oz to 35lbs 10oz without loss! It  is exceptionally rare for a single angler not to lose a fish during a week’s session but it just goes to show what can be achieved.

Jezz is a very modest man. He arrived at the venue with no targets, and no ambitions. He’s caught hundreds of large carp over the years and feels no pressure to add to the tally. For him, there is so much more to life than carp fishing and he was as excited about the wildlife-spotting opportunities as he was about the fishing. The kingfishers and red squirrels were both obliging this week. Despite the fact that Jezz only does two weeks carp fishing a year now he hasn’t lost his touch. He knows all you have to do is find them, feed them and then catch them! For us, it was an absolute pleasure to watch…. like a master craftsman, quietly, diligently going about his work with no fuss, no drama and no self doubt. Bloody brilliant mate, well done!