danm1

The cheapest way of getting across mate is definitely the Tunnel. Use Tesco Clubcard tokens to pay for it and each token's value is trebled! So you can generally get your return crossing for under £50 in clubcard vouchers. SpeedFerries used to do return crossings for £50, but think they've ceased training. Was also not a great option as if it was a bit rough, they couldn't run the catamaran, and you were stuffed!

I've been there several times. I liked it - wouldn't have said it was particularly hard - least I caught in a week was 11 fish, most 22. The fish generally showed a lot. Last time I went - 3 years back - I was plagued by tench on boilies - strangely a switch to plastic corn started to single out the carp?!!

I'm guessing the third one was the Nash missing link - I just couldn't see it whatever colour background I changed to.

Has anyone been to this venue? Heard mixed reviews on it from other forums - just wondered what your experiences had been please.

For the life of me, I cannot imagine how you could possibly get a tangled rig when using a bait-boat! And why would a running rig be more likely to tangle than, presumably, a fixed lead?

Agree with the other posters. Tubing was used in the days were we used Dacron and then the uncoated (very supple) braids - all of which were notorious for tangling (unless you used helicopter style set-ups). With many of the popular rigs these days being based around relatively stiff fluorocarbons or coated-braids, there really isn't any need for tubing to my mind. How often do you stand next to your mate when he's casting and you're both looking intently to see if it tangled! Say no more!

Not sure of the official reason I'm afraid. However, my own experience was that it was very unpredictable. Some rigs tied with it gave me no issues - others would "fail" for no apparent reason. I stopped using it over a year ago - other than for mending the holes in my landing net.

I haven't got a picture of it I'm afraid. As Nick says - it was Frank Warwick I believe who develop it, or at least took the credit for it if he didn't develop it himself! And yes, it's exactly that - a stiff bristle inserted through the shrink tube at 90 degrees to the shank of the hook. If you imagine the shape of your hook - with that bristle going across - you can see why it's called the "anchor".

Never mind! It's not what a rig looks like in your hand, but what it does in the water and in the fishes chops that is the key. The anchor rig - with a few little tweeks - is one of my all time most prolific fish catchers. As for the comment about the stiff bristle damaging the fishes mouth - it doesn't - I've never seen it.

The anchor rig has been around for years - and that's the only name I've ever known it by. I don't see anything wrong with your proposed approach mate - I've never actually used it since coated braids were widely available, but have used it with both relatively stiff set-ups (i.e. Amnesia) and also supple, like multi-strand and uncoated braid.

I just tie two over-hand knots - pull tight onto the bait - then the same through the ring and blob the ends. Easy.

I've read some very mixed reports on other forums about this place - any more opinions?

Got it somewhere myself. Not one I refer to very often though - I still remember Andy Little giving me nightmares as a kid - he caught some fish, for sure - I just wish the Editors had realised we'd take their word for it the photo was of him and cut his head off. Talking about hitting every branch on the way down!

I remember it exactly as Nick as said. I also seem to recall that one of the rigs he reckoned-on in the book was the "no-hook" rig - with a boilie PVA'd to the hook - which he reckoned was a good option for confidently feeding fish (they'd suck up the bait and the hook would go up there too). That's just far too smart!

It was a long time ago so a lot may have changed since then - and Lake 1 and 2 are very different venues. Hope you have a good trip.

Peg 7 is one of the better ones on there from what I understand. I went there a few years ago - to Lake 2 - and the guys in Peg 7 were catching lots. Seem to remember they had quite a few grassies, but plenty of carp. There was a plateau / bar not that far out in front of the swim that the fish seemed to like - you could see it easily from the bank. Not sure the fish in there are particularly fussy - particles bound to be worth a go (think they caught a fair few on maize and tigers).

Not a bad experience at the same venue presumably?! Castaway's one of those venues that I like the look of, so interested to hear how you far. Be lucky!

Don't forget your beam deflectors either. A fire extinguisher is also recommended - you'll not get done for not having one, but if your car catches fire and you have no means to put it out, then you'll get done. Bless!

Alright Nick. Do I think it affects catch-rates........I couldn't say for sure, but I don't think it helps put extra fish on the bank. I'm not one of these "camo everything up" folk - with respect to the end tackle, but I do think the way tubing can sit doesn't help. And I don't mean that it's sticking upright - just the way it lies over any debris on the bottom, or an uneven bottom etc. could work against you. Similarly in clear water it can stand out like a sore thumb - again, I don't think that helps.

I don't know who dreamt up the "lifting scales" story, but it's something I've never ever come across in many years of fishing. I suspect it was probably someone with an interest in selling a bit more tubing. Surely, by the time the fish has picked up the bait and moved back towards the lead it will have realised something is up anyway, so I personally wouldn't get excited about the effect of the tubing. [That said, I hate tubing and never use it - but not for the reason you've raised]

Probably not going to be a huge amount of help as I don't know that time of year. I fished end-Apr before about 90 mins form Calais. We had 4-seasons in the week, but it wasn't cold - just wet, windy, then dry, sunny. Maybe 18/20 degs in the day - not much below 10 at night. I then went another 2 hours "down" - into the Champagne region - for the next week - and it was 25+ in the day - with ice on my mat (I'd caught!) at night! Quite a big "swing". It all depends on the venue though - the first wasn't a prolific water and I caught "not a lot" - the second, despite the low overnight temps - was a well stocked venue and yielded a good stack of fish!

Having seen your profile - reckon you should stick to the golf!

You're wondering how long your hooklinks should be in France? I think trying to have a "one-approach-fits-for-the-whole-of-France" is probably a bit ambitious - maybe you could narrow it down a bit? Maybe there's a right answer for North France - and one for South France?

Thanks for the info - but I was thinking more for a section on here rather than for me personally. I'm afraid I don't agree with you entirely - whilst the two systems your refer to are "safer", there are still scenario's where they are wrong. If someone fishes those in a snag situation - and is fishing badly such that the fish careers through a series of snags, snagging the mainline above the lead, then when they inevitably pull for a break, the lead probably won't discharge! For me, that's not the rig being unsafe, but poor angling - which is my point.

I've scanned those links - to be honest I've not read every post word-by-word - but from what I saw, the rigs displayed are "idiot-rigs" as I chose to call them - or "death-rigs" as most people call them. I didn't see anything there that suggested that leadcore or leaders in themselves are an issue, when used sensibly. [i should point out that a large number of the pictures are now "missing" ] My view - and I'll open myself up for abuse (but please make sure you can back it up with real facts!) - is that any rig is only as safe as the angler. So educating them properly is what it's all about - are there similar topics on "safe rigs" with appropriate photo's?