Fishing report for Ian and Gary

The perfect fishing holiday with carp to 53lb

This week we welcomed Ian & Gary to the lake for their first visit to us. They’ve been carp fishing in France every year for the last 10 years. It’s always interesting to see the reaction from anglers that have visited a few venues, and right from the off they knew that this year, they’d found something very special. 

Despite their previous experience, they booked the tuition so I was back the next morning. It’s always interesting to work with experienced anglers and I wanted to see how they went about their fishing as it can sometimes be very different to mine. Gary and Ian liked my ideas so they swapped to two classics. Ian went for the “Basic/Complicated” tied with 35lb Armourlink and size 6 chod Twisters. Gary opted for the Blowback multi using the same materials. They both fished running rigs of course. They also switched to a small trap baiting approach which is quite different to how they normally bait up. We had a really good day together. They particularly enjoyed learning more about carp behaviour and how a lake works.

This trip was very much a holiday with fishing. They were blown away by how nice the gite is so they didn’t actually get the rods set until Monday afternoon just before the rain came. Ian had a very busy and very wet start to the session landing 4 on the first night to 39lb! The rain pushed the carp out of the shallow water where Gary had dropped his rigs so he stayed much drier. The rain lasted all day on Tuesday so in the end they opted for some quality R&R in the gite with some good telly. 

Luckily the rain had eased by Wednesday and they were able to get going again. With better weather, the carp returned to the Island margin and Gary got off the mark with a cracking brace of 39lb and 53lb. Ian also caught a couple more including one of our big commons that hasn’t been seen since 2022. 

Small bait boat traps of boilies and sweetcorn worked a treat again this week. They also limited the number of catfish caught to 3. Ian used the Basic complicated all week and Gary used the Blowback multi. Regardless of rig choice it was a new hook every time… perfect 👌 They both loved their week and enjoyed seeing the results of all the little tweaks that they made to their setup.

Small traps are the new norm

As we continue to focus on improving the water quality for our fish, I find that small traps, like a PVA trap or a bait boat trap, are a much better option for fishing Beausoleil. The results are improving and with less bait, we can maintain higher oxygen levels with less disturbance from the aerators. 

It was great to meet Ian and Gary and we are delighted that they are considering a return visit in 2028.