He was a slippery character who attracted such devotion that he got the blame for breaking up several marriages.

But despite being responsible for so much heartache, the sudden death of angling legend Two Tone has left legions of followers in mourning.

The body of Britain’s biggest freshwater fish was found floating on the surface of Conningbrook Lake in Kent this weekend by a devastated fisherman.

Known as Two Tone because of its uneven colouring, the enormous mirror carp weighed almost 68lb and was believed to be 45 years old.

Read more here >>>>> Two Tone Carp Dies

We will be adding the best carp lakes in france, reviewing most of the best french carp lakes and more

FACILITIES

Catering Facilities

Jenni’s back!  She is providing a 7-day a week catering service here during the summer and a match-day and weekend service during the winter; offering fresh sandwiches, burgers, bacon and sausage baguettes.  There is a clean seating area and ice-creams available.

Read more here >>>>>>>> Monk Lakes

Danny changed the name to Gigantica to represent the huge carp that swim there, the long term plan is to create a lake with only big fish in it, long term professional fishery management will achieve this, something the lake has not benefited from before.

Gigantica is and will always be a serious carp water for the dedicated carp angler wishing to fish a ‘proper’ lake with plenty of room, we have dropped the maximum number of anglers down from 26 to only 12!

Previous stock suggested between 300 and 600 fish. Detailed catch reports began in August last year, our best week since then produced 90 fish, including the lake record ‘The Giant’ at 72 ½ pounds.

Huge changes have been made to the lake this winter, all swims have been rebuilt, there is a new toilet block plus a luxury heated ‘wet room’ for showering and shaving.

The Lake

Gigantica is 35 acres (14 hectacres) of water, the water is cobalt blue because of the heavily alkaline gravel it has been dug from.

Depths range between 18 and 25 feet, there are no ‘deep holes’ contrary to rumours from anglers. The bottom is fairly flat with very few lumps and bumps, it is therefore better to establish a baited area at a comfortable range and then stick to it.

The margins drop off very quickly so fishing over to adjacent margins in the corner swims can be very productive.

The bottom is soft clay and you get a ‘donk’ with the lead everywhere you cast. The clay is very light in colour so bring light coloured rig items, the Korda ‘Gravel’ colour of tubing, safe zone leaders and hooklinks is perfect.

There is no weed, no crayfish and no poission chat so there is no need to use hard baits or mesh up. There are big bream and roach so baiting with high quantities hemp or trout pellets will attract these, and maggots are a waste of time. This is why our particle mix has mainly larger bits in it. The bream are caught from time to time but the roach are not, as the bream have been caught they go straight into the newly built stock point so they never get caught again.

read more here >>>>> Lake Gigantica

Come and discover

One of the most beautiful and tranquil carp fisheries you will ever find.

Owned and run by an experienced English fisheries manager in association with a respected French fish farmer.

On top of that, the fishery is home to perhaps the most exciting stock of carp anywhere in France with around 1000 young carp, half of them are already above 30lb with many big carp from 40lb to approaching 60lb.

The stock continue to grow at an incredible rate and some of the best carp fishing in France in 2010 is happening here ( 139 x 30’s and 38 x 40’s caught in April 2010… 57lb mirror in May plus 44 other 40lb+ carp and catfish upto 132lb ).

3 lakes of 6acre, 19acre and 29acre offer the angler a fantastic choice, all of them are low pressure venues with a low maximum number of anglers allowed each week.

Each lake can be booked exclusive for as little as 200 euros per angler.

The 6 acre and 19 acre carp lakes have both been netted this winter to control the biomass and both lakes are will offer fantastic angling in 2010.

A  new clubhouse will be fully open in 2010. It is situated in the centre of the fishery under the canopy of ancient oaks and giant beech trees where you can relax and soak up the forest’s enchanting atmosphere whilst sipping on a cold beer or enjoying one of our freshly prepared meals (if you can tear yourself away from the water’s edge, of course!). There are also 2 shower blocks (male and female), charging points, power sockets, fridges and freezers for our guests to use free of charge.

A few dates are still available for 2010 so if you are considering booking your Carp Fishing Holidays in France  and you want to enjoy genuine top quality fishing with the Freedom to enjoy some proper angling we gaurentee you wont be let down or dissapointed if you choose to come to Freedom Lakes.

The big lake offers a real challenge due to lower stocking levels but the carp average 35lb+ with lots of commons and mirrors over 44lb and a new lake record 57lb mirror in April 2010. This lake allows anglers to use a fishing boat and with Scarface, the resident catfish probably weighing 200lb+ these days, you may well need it!

Our lakes offer a rewarding angling challenge in a very atmospheric woodland environment and we only allow a small number of anglers on each lake in order to keep it that way.

Carp Lakes

The setting

Imagine wandering through an untouched forest surrounded by big oaks and beautiful beech trees with natural trails leading you around undiscovered corners, with the bird chorus above your head and the sound of deer disappearing back deep into the woods and then that magical sound of a big carp heaving itself out of the water. As you walk along you catch a glimpse of water through a gap in the trees revealing the whereabouts of hidden lakes, this is what it is like to stroll around this carp fishery, no roads or railway lines just you and nature as it should be…

History and development
The lakes were originally created back in the early 1970’s and each lake seems to have its own unique atmosphere and character, almost like different worlds. Some of the lakes will remain untouched by anglers, used only for growing our future generations of fish but 3 of the lakes hold fish beyond your wildest fantasies and it’s on these lakes where you can experience carp fishing that is so exciting it makes you want to stay by the waterside forever.

The fishery is privately owned by Mark Beldom and Jean Noel Retailleau, the latter is a highly respected fish farmer handling around 100 tonnes of fish and emptying many lakes each winter and has the advantage over most people of seeing lakes and properties that most of us could only imagine in dreams, this is how he discovered what has become les 8 etangs and well known as Freedom lakes around Europe.

Back in 2004 a long term plan was formulated and for 3 consecutive winters, Jean had been hand selecting some really special quality fish and keeping them in one of his big lakes in anticipation of this project. Imagine having over 10,000 pristine carp and then selecting the very best 10% of these and you can perhaps understand why the stock have such enormous potential. Jean asked Mark to became a partner during the early stages and with his fishery management and carp angling experience adding to Jean noels ability to maximise water quality and growth rates, the carp lakes continue to develop into the very best carp fishing that France has to offer.

What will you find at Freedom Lakes?

9 acre lake
The 6 acre lake is nestling in the western edge of our property, it is bordered on all sides by dense woodland. There are lots of interesting features in the lake to fish to, there are several small islands, sand and gravel spots some lily pads and a densely reed lined far margin. The lake is stocked with around 150 carp and 8 big catfish. The lake is very shallow with depths ranging from 2ft to 6ft which means the lake fishes very well all year around, it warms up very early so the spring period can be very productive as well as being a good winter water with the fish reacting to any small change in conditions.

19 acre lake

read more >>>>>>> freedom lakes france

But for Ambrose Smith, it was worth the struggle – the catch has smashed the 94lb world record for the biggest fish ever caught.

The British angler snared the big one during a family fishing trip to a lake in Dijon, France.

99lb world record mirror carp

The giant fish tipped the scales at 99lbs – just 1lb short to the ‘holy grail’ 100lb weight that every carp angler across the world dreams of catching.

The carp also beat Mr Ambrose’s 58lb personal best.

The 40-year-old roof contractor was on a week’s holiday with his wife Ruth and teenage daughters when the fish took his bait of fish and fruit.

After a 20-minute fight, he managed to (read more here>>>>> 99lb record carp

The whopper, a 52lb leather carp named Heather, was found lifeless beside rushes at the edge of her lake.

Fishing fanatics from all over the world had spent years waiting for a chance at hooking the monster.

Heather the Leather – thought to be 40 years old and worth £30,000 – had been caught and set free again an estimated 1,000 TIMES.

Last night angling forums were bombarded with tales, tributes and even poems praising her.

Caught … Heather the leather at 47lb in 1998

Read more here >>>>>>>>>Heather the Leather dies

rip Heather the Leather

YOU CAN EVEN CONNECT USING YOUR FACEBOOK ACCOUNT

Click here now to visit>>>>>>>>Carp Book

If you are going to vist menards carp fishery or thinking of visiting then check back soon and we will tell you how we got on

Here is a brief description of menards carp fishery :-

Here is the link to sell your fishing tackle >>>> sell fishing tackle

Regards – Chris Blunt.
Linear Fishery Officer.

Hunts Corner Lake. [09/02/2010]

Eddie ‘Towerpower’ O’hara from Blackpool with a 17lb mirror caught from Hunts Corner Lake over the weekend using pop-ups.

Mirror Carp

Hunts Corner Lake. [09/02/2010]

Nick Walsh from Blackpool with a 28lb 01oz mirror caught from Hunts Corner Lake over the weekend using pop-ups.

hunts corner mirror carp

Visit us here >>>>>> Brunos Carp Tackle

See where were at here >>>> AIR RIFLE STORE

John has been a keen angler all of his life, but has only recently started to take it more seriously by targeting bigger carp by design. This also coincided with him getting completely kitted out with Fox gear to help in his quest to smash his PB!
Hide…“Ever since I was a kid I’ve loved fishing, but my football commitments have meant that I haven’t been able to fish as much as I would have liked. However, I’ve started to take my kids more in the summer and whenever possible I’ve tried to do a night by myself after big carp,” said the Chelsea star.

My good friend Bobby Zamora (Fulham FC) got me on a great syndicate water and introduced me to the guys at Fox International – so I am now fishing a great venue and using the best gear,” he said.

It was on his first visit to the syndicate water that John got agonisingly close to beating his PB of 30lb 1oz. The 29lb 5oz specimen being his only fish of the 24 hour session.

“I wasn’t looking to beat my PB on my first trip. To be honest, I just wanted to get to grips with the venue and new techniques. The fact that I got so close to my PB has only fuelled my drive to smash it next time out,” he said.

John picked a swim that offered him a number of options, most notably a small cast to a tree-lined island. He put one rig directly under an over-hanging tree, a second just off the point of the island and his third was put in open water. This, he felt, would give him the best chance of sneaking an early fish. Each line was fed heavily with Mainline Cell boilies.

It wasn’t until 4am that his alarm screamed into life, with the rig presented under the tree doing the business.

“I was gob-smacked at the fish’s power. As soon as I hooked it, it wanted to kite around the island. I had to really apply some pressure to get in control and then steer it into open water,” commented John.

A further five minutes of battle later and John had the fish in the net. His rig was a combi-rig tied using a six-inch length of Fox Weedy Green Coretex, a size 7 Arma Point SSC hook. His bait was an 18mm Mainline Cell boilie, with a PVA bag of Cell Response pellets and broken boilies.

So, what now for John’s fishing?
“With games coming thick and fast and with preparation in full swing for the 2010 World Cup, I don’t get much chance to get back on the bank. But, as soon as I have another day free I’ll be back on the lake, desperate to break the 30lb barrier,” he said.

So, what gear does the England and Chelsea captain actually use?
Rods: Fox Horizon SFD 12’ 2.75lb (CRD095)
Reels: Fox Stratos FS12000e (CRL032)
Alarms: Fox Micron NX (CEI100)
Shelter: Fox Eclipse 1-man (CUM096)
Mainline: Fox Aquos 15lb (CML096)
Hooklink: Fox Coretex Weedy Olive (CAC168)
Hook: Arma Point SSC (CHK020)

The Titan

I have to say that all in the Nash team are absolutely stunned at the response surrounding the return of the Titan. In fact, I cannot think of one example of where an old design is revived and it seems it will be even more popular than before. When you consider the Titan is the biggest selling bivvy in the history of carp fishing that is some statement! Why did we bring it back? Put simply – due to demand. We have been continually contacted by carpers saying their trusted Titans are coming to the end of their life or asking us to reconsider and bring the NASH Titan back. The general view amongst many is that the pram-hood and other bivvy designs still cannot rival the Titan for strength, speed of setup and ease of use. The new Titan, which will simply be called Titan, will be available in April. We have used the best factory we know for manufacture. Nonetheless, because of the complexity it has still taken getting on for three years to reach the highest level of technical excellence I demand. Luckily, I invented the Titan, so have grown up with it, knowing all its idiosyncrasies and technical challenges. That I believe, incidentally, is the single reason why it has never been rivalled. I have seen at least two copies over the years that have failed dismally. The Titan is an excellent example of the fact that if you copy something you cannot possibly understand it in the way the innovator did. So, it is likely you will miss valuable detail.

We delayed the launch last year to put the Titan through long term field testing. We have been testing two and have exposed them to some pretty rigorous conditions. This proved invaluable and enabled us to further tweak. Now, I am 100% confident that this new Titan will out-perform even the Titan Viper (which out of all the Titan’s was the best and biggest seller). However, there is a difference between a prototype and production. What I mean by that, with volume production a lot more people are involved. So, quality control is critical. For this reason we have ordered only one batch of 500. The thinking being when this first shipment arrives, we can carefully check the quality before release. Rather than the situation of having a series of orders in place whereby a problem could occur throughout the batches. This will mean that after we have checked the first 500 and are satisfied then the next order will take possibly three months to arrive. Therefore there will be disruption in supply. This may be frustrating to many of you, you might have to wait even longer to obtain a Titan. I trust you understand our reasons for this.

Design

The new Titan’s shape and size is similar to the Viper, but not exactly the same. This new Titan is more rounded in the back panels, enabling the user to get his bedchair further into the back, so there is less storage space behind the bedchair, but more in front. My view is that storage space behind a bedchair is an awkward place to get to your gear. One of the questions I have been asked is whether the Viper Winter Skin and Extreme Canopy fit? We tried it and at the back where we have changed the shape the skin is off the ground by some 10 inches. I am sure you could use your existing skins if you added a cord to your pegging points. Whilst it may not look quite as nice with the skin off the ground at the back, it will be functional and perform adequately.

Frame

Again, similar to the Viper except the dimension difference. Also, there are new mud feet and a mud foot on the back pole instead of the back pole spike to prevent sinking on soft ground. We have replaced the plastic spigots in the block with metal ones. I have heard complaints from anglers, who have had their original Titans uprooted in winds and as a result the spigots broke. My original thinking with the Titan design and for making the spigots out of plastic was to install a situation similar to electronics where you have a fuse i.e. in the instance of overloading the fuse blows, preventing significant and costly damage to the appliance. The same as with the Titan. It was relatively easy and cheap to replace the spigot, but not cheap to replace new legs or block. As this concept was not fully grasped we have changed to all metal. So whilst the Titan is stronger, if your pegging points fail because you cannot get adequate grip and the Titan is uprooted and blown away, then there is a possibility of frame damage. When you consider though part of the Titan’s legend is two anglers lives being saved when half tonne tree boughs fell on top of them, this strength is now further enhanced.

Cover

Much discussion and testing went behind our final decision on material choice. Recently there is a swing towards lighter weight materials and so called breathable materials on bivvies. Of course everyone has their own ideas and preferences, so if I give you my thoughts you can decide if a Titan suits you. We have used a heavy-duty armoured material, recommended by some of our army friends whom have experience of its performance. Therefore, it is not lightweight or high-tech or breathable – but it is bomb proof! We could easily have used a lighter and cheaper material, but we take the view that lighter materials can never be as strong or have the tear strength, such as for example when setting up next to brambles or a thorn bush. With regards to breathable materials I have one word to say – bull**** hype! The fact is a breathable material can never function as it is suggested on a bivvy. Breathable materials work by forcing moisture from the inside out. This can only be achieved if the material is close to the skin, enabling the body heat to force the moisture through the pores. So it is ineffectual on a bivvy. Also, it is worth pointing out that breathable materials only work when the material is dry and totally clean. Not a lot of use I would suggest on a muddy lake when it is pouring of rain! I would acknowledge they soak up some condensation, but I do not believe on wet, damp nights you will see any difference on the underside of the bivvy skin – it will still be wet. The Titan is no different – we noted there was condensation on damp, cold nights, but on no occasion was condensation drip experienced. I still believe there is only one way to mostly eradicate condensation and that is to use two skins that then act like double glazing and also increases insulation. It seems mostly the experienced carpers agree with me as this awesome material has greatly impressed, judging by the comments the Titan has received at shows. I do not think at 9.1kg anyone will complain at the weight. Like I said above we could make it lighter, but refuse to as this would mean a sacrifice in strength.

Infills

The waterproof infill is similar to the Viper, with side clear windows and see-through storm window on the door. It has see-through windows that are fully storm proof and provide light. However, there is a secondary full mosquito mesh infill and just like the waterproof infill this can be zipped on or off. I think this is superior, allowing for a much more airy and comfortable sleep on summer nights. With previous Titans we provided a lightweight groundsheet with the costly heavy-duty groundsheet available as an accessory. The new Titan comes complete with a heavy-duty groundsheet, as well as bivvy sticks, storm adapters and pegs, so it is complete and ready to go. Planned accessories are the BushWrap (that I will write about separately as soon as I have time) as well as the Winter Skin, which to my mind is just that – only necessary if you intend to fish through the colder months to enhance storage area and insulation. There are a number of other tweaks and subtle changes that, whilst I will not mention to save space, have been implemented as a result of the years of experience I have with the Titan.

I think that covers most of the questions we have been asked. Of course you can check the Titan out further on our website.