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For the last three years I have had my sights set on a 40 lbs +
Common Carp. This is a target I had been trying to achieve without
much success. The reason I was in pursuit of this size of common is
because I had already caught linear Carp, mirror Carp and leather
Carp to over 40 lbs in weight and desperately wanted the common to
make up 'my set' of different types of carp over the magic 40 lb
mark!
I had the ferry booked to coincide with the last week of legal
night fishing on Chanty, (Lac Du Der Chantecoq in Central France).
This was the same approach I had followed the year before, giving me
great success in achieving a 100 lb plus brace, a weeks fishing I
will never forget!
I hoped one of Chanty's larger commons (much more of a rarity
than the large mirrors or leathers in Chantecoq), would be kind
enough to grace my landing net this trip.
With only one week to go my regular fishing partner, George,
informed me that he would not be able to make the trip due to
pressure of work. As I had already booked the holiday for this
particular trip with work, days my company owed me, I certainly
didn't want to cancel.
The ferry was booked and paid for, the bait was made and ready to
go, the trailer was packed with all the usual equipment, i.e. boat,
electric motor, echo sounder, walkie talkies etc. The only problem
now was such very short notice, it was not going to possible to find
some one to accompany me and take Georges place on the trip. To fish
Chabtecoq by yourself, at this time of year, is a very large task
and for me realistically a non starter. I had tried it about four
years before and, although I did catch several nice fish, it was
defiantly not enjoyable.
The options ran through my mind, I would need a venue were A) I
could cast the baits out, as boating baits out a distance is
definitely a two man job. B) The freshly made bait and flavour I
would be using would suit the lake or river I chose to fish. From
past experiences, I have found that bait (Fresh or Shelf Life) can
make a large difference to the amount of success you will encounter
on certain waters. C) The water chosen contained some large Commons!
I weighed up all the pros and cons and finally settled on a lake
I had not actually fished before, but I had friends who'd fished
there and I was armed with all the latest information I would need
to hopefully have a successful trip. I have several Dutch, German
and French Carp angling friends with whom I am in constant dialog,
either via letter or on the Internet. We regularly share information
on different waters and our results. As far as I'm concerned, it
pays to go on your trips with as much background information as you
can acquire.
The trip turned out to be a trip to remember, I landed a total of
sixteen Carp, with five of these being Commons, and yes not only did
I have my first forty plus Common at 43 lbs 12ozs, but was lucky
enough to land second during the week at 41 lbs! Hence the unusual
title of this article - "You wait for ages and then two come
along together, Just like the buses!!"
'Big Ron' Woodward
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