icemaster

Hi there, if you're that paraniod about having broken or free offerings that close to your hook bait, why not try putting a couple of small stones in pva and then attach that to your rig, that way it will keep your hooklink straight and shouldn't affect the area around your hook bait

Depending on your budget try les quis http://www.lesquis.com/ TBH, if you've got transport etc then it will be cheaper so find somewhere that has the facilities, take your own food then you can eat and do what you want when you want. Have a look at www.scarper-carper.co.uk Good luck

What was the catches like?

Cheers Bluebird All my fears have been confirmed, and looking at the photos is a mud bath to boot.

Found this place on the internet, just wanted to know if anyone has fished it. Looks a bit like a Dreamlakes but in the north of France Info welcome

Which mag was it in?

PM sent

TBH when you put the travel section of our trips in to the mix, how many of actually worry about it, lets be honest most of will share a car, van whatever and when we get to the lake probably spend twice as much on bait as it cost to cross the channel.

Used to live in Hawkinge and used to use the Cat every now and again for a day trip if I was bored, that going back about 4 years and it used to be about £50 return then, not sure if it was speedferry then or P & O. Anyway good luck. Going back to my original point, if you've booked a place it's unlikely that they will be able to charge you more when you come to travel, unless they use the fuel surcharge card!!!

Don't want to put a downer on it or anything but I read that the port of Calais had seized the boat over unpaid tax or port duty or something like that. The owners had prior knowledge and where trying to get finance from the banks to pay it. TBH I would say it the end and get yourself booked on the ferry, if you book far enough in advance you can get a return trip for about £80 depending on the time of day your prepared to travel

I've been using Super natrual, use a figure of 8 knot to attach your rig to the quick link. The problem that I've been having with it has been breaking at hook end, particularly if I'd used shrink tube. Have got round it now by the Kurv hooks.

You'll really need to say if your driving or flying. If your driving I would and have taken the following: Everyting you would for a long session in the UK. Loads of clothes to cover all weather, wash kit If it's not a fully inclusive - Some food to cover you for a couple of days until you can get to the shops. That's probably a good start Good luck

It may well be the type of knot you used. Different materials require different knots. Some monos will accept a Blood Knot, yet try that with most fluoros and it will snap every time. It may well be that the figure of 8 knot is not suitable for Dacron, you may have to find an alternative. What who anyone suggest and I will try it, I really like the material except the breakages , so if I can continue to use I would be happy

I was using some Dacron 12lb, it's a really easy material to tie, but then I had 4 snapped rigs all at the same point, where I tied the figure of eight knot to attach to my quick link. I wetted the material before tightening the knot. All the breaks happened on the take. Anyone had the same or got any points as to why this has happened. PS Then tied the same rig with 15lb korda supernatural, not had a problem

Could be a couple of things 1) How old is the braid? 2) What BS? 3) Could be the way that your mate is playing the fish, bearing in mind that there is no "stretch" with braid A couple of things that has just come to mind, if your mate is getting snapped off a fair bit, I hope that he is using a "safe" rig, also depending on how much line he is losing each time is he letting the owner/baliff know as the fish could be getting snagged if it's pulling a lot around.

Where is the line breaking, is it the main line or his hooklink/rig?

Spoke to some guys when we where coming back from last last month who had been there, they seemed happy and had a number of 30's and 40's, I think they said they fished lake 1 but only half the lake was catching. Sounded really expensive, I think they said they had paid around £700 each all in for the trip. For that money you would have hated to be one of the guys that blanked!! It's the same with everything, they advertise and the website is pretty good, most of us are pulled in by the fact we can catch a 50 or a 60, rather than the conditions and surrounding that we are going to be doing it in. For me Dreamlakes is a no, there are lots of other smaller, friendly and exclusive places to fish in France

In answer to your second part, either lightly place the tail rubber over the lead clip or cut the tail down so you have small band, maybe down to half cm, that will dump the lead everytime

Not really Either you lose the lead or you don't, don't really see a way round it. Obviously safety clips can be changed by cutting down the tails or abused by putting the tail on too far. Going to butt out here cos I can't really see an answer to your question, it's pretty black and white to me, but someone else my have a different view on it

That's some balancing act your looking for there. Think you need to look at from the direction that if you do get snagged whilst playing a fish would you want it to be stuck dragging a lump of lead around if and when it frees itself Personally I think that losing a few quid is better than the fish it's life

Hi there I'm off to Scarper Carper on the 14th June, so 2 weeks and really can't wait. Just looking for any feedback from anyone who's been there this year Thanks

Sent you a PM

Trigga - I don't know if it give you an edge or not but as you say it works in princple and I've caught on it so I know it works I've used the combi rig from the Nash web site but armobraid is more supple. I'm hoping that using IQ that is a bit stiffer and will be harder to eject

Thanks for that Tony, Will give it a go on Thursday and let you know how it goes.

I was messing about at home with some bits and peices over the weekend in readiness for a session on Thursday. I started to tie some rigs and this is what I came up with. A combi rig with about an inch of IQ soft to the hook with the hair attached to the hook at the far end bent of the hook with silicon tube and linked to Nash trigga link with the joint being covered in critical mass, I will be using a 10mm dumbell bottom bait. All contected to a shocka rig My think behind it is that the IQ is fair stiff and will be difficult to eject, plus with the hair leaving the hook at the bent the weight will be over the point. Any advise?