Carp fishing report from John and Mal – 4th August 2019

Rock solid approach

It’s really interesting to hear John talk about his mindset when he approaches a water: always start in the margins, and take it from there. This is perfectly suited to a lake as spotty and complicated as Beausoleil. John has no interest in fishing the nights anymore but his approach and skills are rock solid and he knows he can catch them during the day, even in the summer.

By Monday, he’d already had three and even caught and nice 33lb common while we shared a brew. Hand sharpened hooks, simple rigs and bait boat traps of boiles, pellets and a handful of particle is all that John uses.

Spot lottery

John uses the classic tactic of moving traps about in search of a bite. I call it spot lottery, you never know what you’re gonna get! Productive spots are milked until they run dry and then new spots are found or chosen from the vast array available.

John jokes that one of the biggest problems with our lake is that there are far too many spots to choose from! He’s right actually, it can be extremely daunting for guests on their first visit which is why the tuition pays off so well for newcomers. For most of our regulars, I’d say it’s taken them four trips before they start to put the jigsaw together.

John prefers to target the garvelly margins but does occasionally explore the open water in search for firm sandy spots.

“I’ve only been fishing for 60 years, I’m still learning”

John is a great example of an angler who is always learning and that is how it should be.

He’s a very modest man who would never dream of telling anyone that he’s a good angler. He’s caught just about every type of fish that swims. In environments as diverse as rivers, lakes and the seas of the world. He loves his big game fishing, especially the highly prized Bill fish (Black Marlin, Sailfish and the like) and has caught some massive specimens.

For me, as a mad keen carper, he’s a fascinating man to share a brew with and his enthusiasm for all things fishing is boundless. John is always keen to pick my brains for any new tidbits of information that I’ve gathered since we last met and I do the exact same thing to him! Mal is always armed and ready to fuel our chats with more tea which is most welcome 🙂

Mildly challenging

John describes Beausoleil as mildly challenging, a thinking man’s water, which is exactly what we aim to provide. It’s not meant to be easy but it’s not hard either, once you understand what’s required. It’s all relative of course and what might be mildly challenging for a man of John’s vast experience could be beyond some but wherever you believe your skills and experience are at, we are here to help or leave you to it if that’s what you want.

Making it look easy

We would never advocate to any guest to do days only at any time of year, let alone in the middle of summer but that’s what John did and he caught pretty steadily all week long. He did have a couple of slow days when he banked just the one but it was made up for by a couple of bumper days when he had three, and then five! It was textbook stuff and just goes to show what can be achieved if you have the skills. By targeting the margins with small bait boat traps and fishing the days, he was able to dodge the cats he wasn’t particularly looking for.

A lovely carp fishing holiday

John and Mal had a lovely time and John had his best session here this year. They don’t come to Beausoleil to smash PB’s, they come because it’s a beautiful place with a good average stamp of carp that are in good condition. It was a pleasure as always to meet them and we look forward to seeing them  them again.