Ben's Tips & Advice

When travelling to France to visit Etang Des Royales there are a few things to remember, here is my check list to make your weeks carp fishing a great hassle free French fishing holiday.

Important notice
We thought we would show our guests how we would like our fish to be handled. Take a look at the Handling our fish section.

Tackle items:

1. Minimum 15lb line, this is an absolute must.

2. Bait, boilies work very well here. Use our unique bait Royal Reds and Winter Royals, these are very popular and catch lots of our carp, these great fishmeal baits contain all the vital ingredients required. The Reds have a very high oil content ideal for the warmer months, whereas the Winter Royals are low oil fishmeal baits and work very well in the colder months. These have become almost a natural food source for the fish within our lakes.

3. A rod pod - our swims are gravel so a pod works very well, you may use banksticks if you wish.

4. You will require a landing net capable of landing fish in excess of 60lb, we suggest a minimum of 42" ideally a 50" net would be better.

5. We would recommend dial scales capable of weighing fish up to 60lb, don't worry too much as we have scales to 112lb on-site should you catch one of our very large fish.

6. Your rigs used in the UK are suitable for our lakes, barbed hooks from size 4-8 are recommended and braid such as 30lb Quicksilver are great for both carp and catfish. If you are not sure or forget to bring these bits, don't worry, we have a comprehensive range of end tackle available in our shop.

7. Don't forget your rods, reels, alarms, bedchair, sleeping bag and bivvy, we're not joking, our guests have been known to arrive without many or sometimes any of these items!

Besides your usual fishing tackle, here are a few items that you may wish to bring:

1. Camera - along with film or these days memory cards.

2. Spare batteries - for your alarms, camera and torches.

3. Mossie repelant - sometimes these can be a pest, the best solutions are the mossie coils or body sprays available from most camping and fishing shops.

4. Toiletries - shower gel, shaving kit and of course a bit of deodorant and don't forget your toothbrush.

5. Mobile phone - if you bring one, remember the charger, we have a UK plug socket for your use.

6. Though we try to bring you the sun, sometimes it does rain, normally when setting up, moving swims or packing up to go home, remember the waterproof clothing.

7. Walkie Talkies would be useful for yourselves so you can contact each other. You can buy these in the high street or online at www.argos.co.uk