Carp France - The Fishing Holiday Specialists

Famous Five - Birch Lake - Great catch of Birch Lake carp!

 There have been some tidy anglers on the lakes already this season not least Dean Cook who had a great haul of carp from Birch Lake a couple of weeks ago - leaving aside his catfish captures.
His best carp was a mirror of 37lbs 1ozs and a common of 35lbs and he had some other superb fish.

Posted by Paul Selman on 06/08/2020 10:43 Categories : Famous Five - Birch Lake, Catch Report

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Famous Five - Birch Lake - ETANGS DE BRETON 2020 BOOKINGS

We still have some vacancies on the Etangs De Breton complex for 2020.

Poplars Lake: £600 per week for exclusive lake and lakeside mobile home use for three carp anglers or the small family.

Birch Lake: £650 per week for exclusive lake and lakeside cabin use for three carp anglers or the small family.

Eagle Lake and Peter's Pool: £650 per week for exclusive use of two lakes and cabin (fifty yards from Peters Pool) for three carp anglers or the small family.

Orchard Lake: £600 per week for exclusive lake and lakeside cabin use for two carp anglers or the small family.

Very quiet and tranquil complex, yet only five minutes drive to shops, bars, beach, etc. In business since 2001.
Fully registered and legal French business, unlike many venues featured on FB, so your holiday is safe.

Contact David at carp-france.com for further information or bookings.

Posted by Paul Selman on 11/01/2020 12:48 Categories : Famous Five - Birch Lake

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Famous Five - Birch Lake - Seventy is the magic number

Jonathon Johnson targeted the cats of Birch Lake last week and was rewarded with three over 70lb at 71lb, 72lb and 78lbs.

Using a variety of pellets over big halibuts was the successful bait.

Posted by Paul Selman on 09/10/2019 09:11 Categories : Famous Five - Birch Lake

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Famous Five - Birch Lake - Birch Session by Alex Denzey

 A very wet few days on Birch but it didn't put us or the fish off.

Fish were caught from all swims, carp mainly in the shallows and middle swim and the cats down in the snags at the deeper end.

Plenty banked and a few lost. A PB cat of 45lb and PB Grassy of 26lb for Rachel. And a PB cat of 78lb for me and although it's not my largest carp ever banked I have a new common PB of 41lb.

Unfortunately our trip was cut short with a family emergency but we loved our stay. Paul was a great host and we will be back.

Posted by Paul Selman on 14/06/2019 08:48 Categories : Famous Five - Birch Lake

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Famous Five - Birch Lake - Forty-Eight fish for the week on Birch Lake.

Leigh Holman and James Jenner enjoyed a brilliant 43 fish catch on Birch in late August, with Leigh taking the lions share. 

Look at this cracking catch report!

Posted by Paul Selman on 24/10/2018 16:07 Categories : Famous Five - Birch Lake

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Famous Five - Birch Lake - Our Regulars!

For over a decade a group of anglers from Somerset and Avon police annually visited the complex.

They fished all the lakes at the complex banking many personal bests, but their favourite venue was Birch Lake for the quality of the fishing and the good bankside accomodation..

One of the policeman, a Traffic Unit boss from Frome called Nigel Butler set a record catch in 2009.

In a single day Nigel landed seven cats with the two biggest at 120lbs and 105lbs making this catch the biggest brace of catfish ever landed from the complex.

A couple of years ago Nigel retired and bought his own carp and cat lake just a few minutes drive away, so we have lost a client but gained a very good friend. If you are coming over in 2017, you may bump into him as he often calls over to see how our fishermen are doing.

Here are the pictures of his 225lb brace!

Could you break his record in 2017?

Posted by Paul Selman on 23/12/2016 12:59 Categories : Famous Five - Birch Lake

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Famous Five - Birch Lake - Our Regulars

The Howcroft family from Basingstoke have been coming to the complex for seven years now.

In that time they have fished all four venues: Birch, Poplars, Eagle and Peters and Orchard. They are equally at home targetting the big cats as well as the carp. I can't recollect a visit where they have no caught well with dad Fred and son David often chasing the big cats. Mum Jan is a very fine angler too and often banks the biggest carp of the week. David's daughter Lauren often comes with them.

In 2017 they have booked in for two weeks laid-back fishing on Orchard lake at the end of September.

Posted by Paul Selman on 08/12/2016 16:13 Categories : Famous Five - Birch Lake

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Famous Five - Birch Lake - Busy at Birch Lake!

Regulars that fish Birch will notice some major work on the far margin tree-line opposite the swims has been completed ready for the 2015 season. Regulars will know that in several spots on the far bank we have allowed the overhanging trees to spread out up to several meters over the lake to provide cover for the carp. However it was obvious last season that some of these trees had really come out too far, and some were in danger of falling into the lake and in the process taking much of the bankside with them. On the advice of our tree surgeon, Anthony, we have removed a number of the overhanging trees making the far bank much more accessible to the angler whilst at the same time still preserving the unique Birch atmosphere. We think this work will make the fishing easier as it will encourage the carp to move around the whole lake more rather than have them sitting tight to the far bank as they have tended to do in recent seasons. Another bonus is the lake will now get more wind on it and for the benefit of our many lady visitors to Birch more prolonged sunshine!

Posted by Paul Selman on 03/02/2015 10:38 Categories : Famous Five - Birch Lake

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Famous Five - Birch Lake - Top-Up Stocking

Every year we add a few thirties to increase the percentage of 30lb plus carp in Birch Lake, which is very popular and produced a best of 43lb last season. Last week we introduced two new mirrors of 30lbs and 33lbs, and two commons of 31lbs and a real stunner at 36lb plus. We hope to add one or two more thirty plus carp soon in readiness for the 2014 season.

Posted by Paul Selman on 01/12/2013 18:18 Categories : Famous Five - Birch Lake, New Stock

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Famous Five - Birch Lake - Simon has great catch: despite the weather!

Last week Simon Palmer from Chicester, West Sussex, had a great catch on Birch Lake in a very cold week, with rain, snow and frosty mornings: just about the worst conditions for catching carp! Simon’s catch was made up of three thirty pound commons with a best of 33lbs, two mirrors of 31lb and 33lb, six big twenties and two 19’s - plus he lost a monster catfish! With the very cold conditions Simon opted to use the minimum of bait, which was the correct approach. Many visitors to this small estate lake put in far too much bait at the start of a session rather than opting to fish for a single fish at a time. Start with minimal baiting, then if you then find the fish start to feed strongly during the session that unfolds, you can then bait more heavily to maintain the feeding spell. Once you have put your free offerings in, you cannot take them out! Simon also relied on bright hookbaits in the murky water, fishing popped-up corn or White Chocolate pop-ups with just a few free offerings around them. His hookbaits were very visible to the carp. He placed his hookbaits and freebies by hand from the small rowing boat we provide clients with. Although we recommend bait boats on Birch and these are a great aid, you can never achieve the accuracy of placement with a bait boat which you can achieve by placing by hand from a boat. His catch also shows you don’t need to fish bivvy sessions to be successful on Birch because Simon fished for just a few hours every day, resting the swim of lines for some of the day. Even if your lines are pinned down, it often pays to rest any swim for a few hours in the quiet part of the day so the carp can mooch around the baited areas with more confidence. Birch is a tricky little water and I know this is why it has so many devotees who return to the lake year after year. It is not one of those easy waters where you are pulling fish out one after the other day or night, it is one on which you need to think and where every fish caught is meritorious.

Posted by Paul Selman on 09/04/2013 16:13 Categories : Famous Five - Birch Lake, Catch Report

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