Carpin' in France..., ... is tough in the winter... Options

[Jerome]

For the first time of my life, I've been fishing for carp in France... Which is a bit of a surprising statement given that this is my homeland and I lived there my entire life before moving to the US 6 years ago... But I started serious carp fishing only 3 years ago, which explains.

Actually, I did fish a bit for small carp in France when I was a teenager, but my PB by then was an absolutely stunning four pounder...

Anyway, so here I am, two weeks of vacations, end of February, lots of carpy waters (near Paris) with very big fish (so I'm told). So I fished. And fished. And fished. So I blanked. And blanked. And blanked.

I fished the Bois de Boulogne (92) where twenty/thirty pounders are known to exist. I'm speaking in kilos... Multiply by two for pounds... One week-end, I learned that a 25 kilos (~54 pounds) grass carp was caught the day before.... And I blanked, again and again (3 sessions).

I fished Vert-Le-Petit (91). A quite famous fishery (according to local guys!). Again, very big fish out there. I was a picture of a 16 kilos caught one week before I arrived by a local angler. I tried once by myself. And blanked. Then my new friend (the local angler) had organized an 8 hours session (up to 11pm where we were frozen solid). And we blanked. Actually, it was better, I had a drop-back beep, but nothing at the end of the line.

I fished a tiny pond (Etang Colbert, Sceaux, 91). One time, two times, I blanked.

BUT I had a secret weapon! Iain "redcoat" Murray came from England to help! He knew about a warm water discharge close to Fontainebleau (77), so I went there twice. First time, the water was warm, looked good. I blanked. Second time (with Iain this time), the water was NOT warm. We blanked. We tried a back water of the Seine nearby (a hidden spot only known by English guys, I suspect!). We blanked. And Iain fished with us to no avail at Vert-Le-Petit...

AAAAAAAARRRRRRRRGGGGGGG.

THERE IS NO CARP IN FRANCE.

[Jerome]

Then it was the last saturday... Which was supposed to be dedicated to a family party my wife organized...

Everybody has to wear a special hat (yes, I know, we're all "mad hatters" in this country). Of course, Iain and myself built a crazy angler hat....

Well, my wife was kind enough to let Iain and myself sneak out for a couple of hours in the afternoon and fish the local pond (Etang Colbert) that we baited in the morning.

And then the secret weapon delivered. Iain had advised to try to fish close to a small water outflow. And one hour later, miracle, beeeeeepppppp. And I landed my first French mirror carp, a very nice fish of 13 pounds. Almost no scale, really beautiful. Notably after blanking two weeks in a row...

So... there is carp in France... but only when you're fishing with an English guy... <_<

PS. I will post pictures, but it's on a regular camera roll, so it will take a couple of weeks.

[Ol Captain]

Jerome:

Thanks for the post! It made me feel better about my recent results

Horace

[Jerome]

Well, Horace, one lesson learned the hard way... When you don't go fishing, you don't catch... And tenacity ends up paying... But it can be real hard...

[Jerome]

Post-scriptum: end of the story...

I tried to fish again today (very last day!)... being quite confident I would catch another one at this Etang Colbert.

I started at 2PM after driving Iain at the airport. And got kicked out at 4PM by a cop claiming a non-sense local regulation "no fishing in this pond on Sunday afternoon"? What? Crazy country... Can't fish at night (BIG national debate raging), can't fish Sunday afternoon?

I'm starting to understand why French workers are happy with 35 hours... Even if the economy is not...

[Keith]

Jerome - you just experienced what most of the anglers who fished in France at the 'non-commercial' stage of carp fishing in France used to experience. I had lots of trips to lakes and rivers that had large carp that turned out to be 7 day blanks. I had one memorable trip to Salagou that was 15 days before a bleep registered on anyones indicators (there were 5 of us with 4 rods each) and another to Cassien that I had one run within the first 2 hours of setting up then nothing else for the next 19 days, followed by 2 runs in the last 6 hours before I had to leave. Of course the the three carp I landed were 33lb 12oz, 48lb 2oz and 39lb 6oz. so that makes it worthwhile.

[Big Carphuna]

Jerome,
Im jealous! Ive only got 2 7lbers this year, and the Merrimack WWD is gonna be a problem (low water). I should be able to get some soon, but none in France....

[Jerome]

Im jealous! Ive only got 2 7lbers this year, and the Merrimack WWD is gonna be a problem (low water). I should be able to get some soon, but none in France....

If you behave (say make us win the ATC, just as an example ), you may get an invite for St Cassien one of these days... I discovered that this famous lake is located quite close to where my sister lives (in the south of France, close to Nice & Cannes)... As Keith puts it, it may be "worthwhile"...

[Alan Kowaleski]

I cant believe a carper like Scott that catches 300 plus carp a year is going to start complaining that he is starting off slow.

I never thought anyone could approach the carping talents of Nigel Griffin who once confided in me WITHOUT bragging that he dusted about three hundred carp a year for the last decade.

It goes to show as we get older someone fills the vacuum.

Well done, Scott!

Thanks for sharing some highlights of the trip Jerome. PS, do French police take bribes?
al

[Matt]

Way to go Jerome, nothing better than getting carpy in your homeland - I'm looking forward to the picture. Do the french carp like stinky bait just as the French like stinky cheese? Unfortunately, I too have been blanking in my homeland....


Best, Matt

P.S - I'm surprised they let gun totting special agents into France...
P.P.S - I like stinky cheese

[Keith]

I cant believe a carper like Scott that catches 300 plus carp a year is going to start complaining that he is starting off slow.

I never thought anyone could approach the carping talents of Nigel Griffin who once confided in me WITHOUT bragging that he dusted about three hundred carp a year for the last decade.

It goes to show as we get older someone fills the vacuum.

Well done, Scott!

Thanks for sharing some highlights of the trip Jerome. PS, do French police take bribes?
al

Al - there are some guys out here in CA that get 300+ carp every year too (heck some of us get 150 in a 4 day weekend up at Clear Lake) - Karl is a good example of someone who catches way more than 300 a year.

[Dave Moran]

Great stuff Jerome!
Experiencing something in your Homeland that you didn't get to do while you lived there!

[Sodbury Steve]

Vive la difference

( ps all the big french carp have been nicked by the Brits apparently )

[diabolo38]

How can u say there is no carp in france do you want me to post in here all the one i've catch
Honestly feb was a very hard time for carp fishing water was cold, it must have been when the weater turn from warm to cold .and further more you start fishing an hard place .... Boi de boulogne may hold nice but well educated fish !
You shoud have went to 'fighting dream' or over "prvivate lake' to give yourself more chance to catch.

I've not fish a lot yet this year ... catch some small 5 to 10 lbs carp on hte-savoie lakes .. but i did blank a lot to achieve this. The only Very good session i've done was fishing Rhone river on the 20th of feb water was 15c amazing no ! Normal that was just a couple yrd aways from a nuclear plant !

[Big Carphuna]

Yeah but Karl doesnt toot his own horn quite the way "I" do.
Al, I see a trip to MA soon for you...I see it in my crystal boilie....
Jerome, Ill behave. I really will. Im up to 4 (2 last night with Bob)....weeee