Winter Carping at Abbey Lakes

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Hilary Barker
6 years ago
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With carp anglers not hanging up the rods until the first heavy frosts, or like myself, not at all and

1 Winter Carping at Abbey Lakes My veiw from Heron lake With our winters becoming milder and even more wet, with fewer cold spells until the later months of winter, carp fishing is changing all the time. With carp anglers not hanging up the rods until the first heavy frosts, or like myself, not at all and choosing to fish all winter. With fewer anglers on the lakes there is less pressure to get on fish, which is a great benefit.

With English waters now selling winter tickets for a good few years now, it was not long before French carp fisheries got on the band wagon too. One such venue is Abbey Lakes in France.

2 With English waters now selling winter tickets for a good few years now, it was not long before French carp fisheries got on the band wagon too. One such venue is Abbey Lakes in France. Being only 2 hours from Calais it is an excellent choice for short session carping for 2 or 3 nights if you choose. Also with the euro tunnel prices coming right down it makes your trip more affordable and with cheaper winter day ticket prices it s really not that more expensive than fishing some of England top day ticket waters. Then there s it s stock, I had not been back to the Abbey complex since 2002 when I fished the Fox Lake in an event called the Abbey challenge celebrating the English booking agent Rob Hughes birthday. Although in November, me and my partner Stu Wallis still managed 7 fish to mid thirty s, winning the event it seemed the average size being upper twenty s with the odd thirty and occasional forty. Seven years on, me and my current fishing partner Lee Merritt, were invited back to the event, as it was Rob s 40th birthday, apparently we were the entertainment for the weekend. My first fish of the trip Just before the event I took a look at the website to find that Fox Lake and the Heron Lake had become premier big fish waters with the average size being 35lb-40lb with a considerable head of 50lb-60lb. Just before we left England the complex record was caught at 73lb. Me and Lee were really looking forward to the weekend event and within four hours of leaving home we were at Abbey, one of the advantages of living in the south east area of England. The lakes had matured nicely and both lakes looked very carpy. There were a few anglers on Heron and so Fox was looking more promising. Lee opted for peg 17 at one end of the lake while I chose swim 12 at the other end. It was a great event with Lee winning with a 47lb mirror and I got second with a 42lb mirror. Me and Lee managed to land 39 fish between us which was great fishing for the winter. On the way back we both had decided that we were going to get back as much as possible to try and catch some of the real biggies.

With everything ready and the van packed it was time to spend a bit of quality time with missus as I was booked on the 5.50am train so I would have to leave at 4.00am.

3 The invaluable bait boat with the echo sounder on fox lake Back in England I could not stop thinking about getting back to the complex. After a couple of weeks and a chat with Rob Hughes it was planned for a trip at the end of the week for 3 nights. With everything ready and the van packed it was time to spend a bit of quality time with missus as I was booked on the 5.50am train so I would have to leave at 4.00am. The trip went well and I arrived at the lakes at 10.30am. There were several anglers on Fox Lake and four on Heron. I looked around for a good hour but I did not see any signs of fish so I opted to fish peg 2 on Fox. This would allow me to fish a couple of rods behind me on Heron Lake as it was not busy. I got set up. My rods on Fox were fished to a silty area at around 120yds, bait boats are invaluable on this water as they are used by all the French, Dutch and Belgium anglers that fish the lake regularly. Most of my foreign fishing have been with traditional boats but after seeing just how effective the bait boats really are, especially when fitted with an echo sounder, I was converted. I still brought my dinghy in case I got a fish weeded but I would only use the bait boat for my rigs. This stunning big plated fox mirror was more than welcome

I was just looking for some features on Heron when one of my Fox rods was away. The fish managed to find a few little clumps of weed but it was soon in the net.

4 I was just looking for some features on Heron when one of my Fox rods was away. The fish managed to find a few little clumps of weed but it was soon in the net. A lovely common, not a bad start within an hour of setting up and on the scales it went 33lb 12oz. I was doing the photos when a fish leapt clear of the water like a dolphin right on the spot I had just had the common from. I returned the fish and got the rod back out. I was only using large pva bags of pellets, Hinders mini combi and Mainline response pellet chopped and Mainline 10mm boilies in cell and fusion. The rod had not been out 10 minutes when it was away again. After a good battle I slid the net under a cracking heavily plated mirror with scales like saucers. It went 31lb 4oz, the fish looked awesome in the afternoon sun. I managed to find a couple of spots on Heron over the back of a weed bed at 150yds and to another large weed bed to my left at about 100yds. I managed to get all my rods re-baited for the night before the heavens opened. The weather forecast for the next couple of days was for heavy showers although the temperatures were up to 15 degrees so it looked very promising. My first fourty of the trip It was soon dark, I got my tea cooked and decided to hit the sack. I awoke with a rod in my hand playing an angry Heron carp. The weed in Heron was proving a different story, twice I managed to extract the carp but on the third different weed bed the hook link parted. The weed is covered in razor sharp mussels so even with the toughest hook links it can be a big problem. I decided if got another chance I would land the fish from the boat. I got the rod back out and got back in the bag, it was 1.30am. I was awoken with that familiar shriek from my alarms. This time it was one of my rods on Fox. After a good battle I slid the net under what appeared to be a good mirror, with the fish weighed in the recovery sling from venture I popped her back in the lake at 41lb 14oz. I was well chuffed. I was just sorting out my camera when my other Fox rod was away. Another hard fighting mirror hit the spreader block. It looked close to forty. Suddenly my Heron rod was away, I jumped straight into the boat and pulled myself out towards the weeded carp. Once above the fish she was soon mine. I struggled to lift her out on to the mat on the floor of

Another cracking fox fourty I then got the kettle on after a more than welcome cup of tea. I got the rods back out and managed to get an English angler to take some pictures and got the fish back.

5 the boat. I zipped it up and rowed back to the swim to sort out the total carnage. It was now 6.30am so I decided to sack the first forty till first light. I then weighed the Heron fish that went 46lb 12oz so I sacked that one as well. The other Fox mirror weighed 36lb 6oz so I got a couple of shots and returned. Another cracking fox fourty I then got the kettle on after a more than welcome cup of tea. I got the rods back out and managed to get an English angler to take some pictures and got the fish back. I was just cooking bacon sandwiches when I had a couple of bleeps on one of my rods on Fox. I looked at the line, it was very slowly lifting out of the water. I lifted the rod and was soon bent into another Fox carp. The fish was soon wallowing in the margins. It looked another good mirror as I slid it into the net. I lifted the sling onto the scales and they settled on 40lb 9oz. A couple of anglers came down to do the photos for me. With the fish returned and my bacon sandwiches finally eaten I tied a few more rigs and prepared some pva bags. The day was very quiet and I saw no signs of fish but I was hoping the night would be a bit more productive. With the rods set for the night I cooked some tea and then sat and watched a film on my laptop. I got to sleep around 10.30pm. My new Heron lake PB 46lb

At 1.30am I was playing another angry Heron carp. I jumped into the boat and slowly pulled myself towards the fish. Once above with steady pressure she was free and soon mine.

6 At 1.30am I was playing another angry Heron carp. I jumped into the boat and slowly pulled myself towards the fish. Once above with steady pressure she was free and soon mine. Back on dry land the fish was unhooked and weighed. It turned out to be a 35lb 3oz mirror. I slipped her back, not bothering to take any pictures, I got the rod back out and got back in the bag. I must have only been asleep for a short while when my left hand rod on Heron, fished towards the large weed bed, was ripping off again. I got into the boat and slowly pulled myself towards the weed bed. The fish was not moving. I rowed towards the back of the weed and applied as much pressure as I dared. Very slowly the fish started to come towards the boat, a few kicks of the tail and the fish was weed free. A couple more lunges and it was in the net. It looked another good fish as I lifted her into the boat. Back on the bank I unwrapped a cracking scale perfect common. On the scales she went 38lb 12oz. I sacked her and got back to sleep. At first light I was sitting drinking tea watching for signs of fish when I was in again on Heron. Once again I slowly pulled myself towards the fish and once above she was mine. Back on the bank and on the scales I had a 35lb 8oz common. Barry, an English angler, to my right came down and helped me with the photos of both fish. With the rod back out I got some more pva bags ready for the night. A big Heron common Suddenly I was in again. As I picked up the rod the fish had travelled at least 80yds up the lake. I jumped in the boat and proceeded to get towed up the lake. This fish felt really big, my mind was filled with thoughts of seventy pounders. Ten minutes and I still had not got a glimpse of the fish. I was now a long way from my swim and very close to some Dutch anglers fishing on the point. I had to give the fish a load of pressure to stop it going through the Dutch lines. The fish popped up and to my surprise a sturgeon was in my net. If I had lost the fish I would have sworn I had lost a massive carp. I had never caught a sturgeon so I got a couple of pictures.

A real surprise when this creature apeared from the depths It was my last night and I had to leave at 9.00am the following morning. Just as it got dark I was in again.

I slipped her straight back and the rod back out and then got a new change of clothes and a cup of tea. No sooner had I drunk my tea than I was in again.

7 A real surprise when this creature apeared from the depths It was my last night and I had to leave at 9.00am the following morning. Just as it got dark I was in again. It was tipping down with rain so I got the fish in the net as soon as I could. The fish was a mirror and went to 28lb 7oz. I slipped her straight back and the rod back out and then got a new change of clothes and a cup of tea. No sooner had I drunk my tea than I was in again. On the same rod on Heron, so I was out in the boat. I soon slid the net under a mid twenty mirror. It was still tipping down as I unhooked the fish in the boat and slid her back. Another change of clothes later and I was in my bag and soon asleep. At 5.30am I was out in the boat playing another good carp. As usual once above the fish, the battle was won and another good common graced my net. On the scales she went 37lb 2oz. I popped her in the sack and got the kettle on. It was not worth going back to bed so I started packing up. With everything nearly away I got the photos done and I was away at 9.00am. Last gasp fish before packing up I had a great trip back and within 4 hours I was sitting on my sofa drinking tea. It was a great 3 nights and the best thing was I would be back at Christmas.

8 With one week before my four night session at Abbey I awoke to find eight inches of snow on the deck. The weather forecast was for freezing conditions over the whole of Europe, with the Tunnel already booked it was going to be touch and go whether I made the trip or not. Christmas Eve and the weather for the Abbey region on the 27th was wet weather and although it had been frozen, it would hopefully be free of ice. As I left England it was raining heavily. Calais was the same but you could imagine my surprise as 50 miles down the road everything was covered in snow. Every lake I drove past was frozen. This could be the quickest trip ever. I was 5 miles from the lake and several water sports lakes to my surprise were not frozen. Chances were that abbey would be fine. The lakes were only partially frozen, the area that I fished last time was free of ice and with the mild weather forecast I would be fishing. I got set up and it was soon dark. I was knackered so I got my head down. The lake beginning to defrost. At 1.30am I was playing a fish on Heron lake but not for long when the hook link parted. My rods were white with the heavy frost so I got back in the bag. At 3.30am I had those tell tale signs with bleeps on all the rods. On closer inspection Heron had totally frozen and nearly all of Fox the same. The rain did not turn up until the following night but the trip turned out to be a big blank but that s carp fishing. There is always January. As I sit here now and finish this feature the weather man is predicting the coldest winter in 100 years! I should have kept my mouth shut! But happy days!

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