Date:
March
2010
Details: Bait
I often get asked about bait, I was a bit hesitant to write a piece about it in case people thought they could gain an 'edge' by doing the opposite of what I advise but here goes
Particles
All particles seem to work well with the exception of Tigernuts.
Boilies
The most expensive bait but by far the most constant. A high quality freezer bait, for me, is a must. Freezer baits generally seem to do alot better than shelflife boilies and the cheap high attract 50:50/euro boilies are almost pointless as they seem to catch next to nothing.
Pellets
Again a high quality carp pellet for me is a must. Being cheaper than boilies they're a good way of bulking up your bait and keeping costs down.
Amounts
I often get asked how much bait should an angler bring for a week, it's an almost impossible question to answer as it depends upon so many varibles. However, it's better to take some home than to run out. As a guide, the average size of carp last year was around 27lb and a carp of this size will consume around 3% of it's body weight per day or around 400g.
Grass Carp
Without a doubt the best bait for grass carp are particles and lots of them fished in open water, they're a very greedy fish and are capable of eating massive amounts of bait so if you want to keep them in your swim you need to use very large beds of bait. As an example, I fished for the grass carp last year and ended up using 70 kg of particles over the course of a week, fishing nights only I ended up with 19 grass carp around a third of all the grass carp in the lake!
Catfish
Halibut pellets are by far the best bait for catfish, I've had people try bits of squid and dead baits but halibut pellets outfishes them all. Due to the way they feed a bit of bouyancy added to the hookbait really helps. They also get caught on boilies, in fact the lake record catfish was caught on a boilie.
Date:
December
2009
Details: Winter wonderland!
Cold but looking beautiful!
We've had alot of snow the last few days and with the night time temperature hitting -10c the lake has frozen solid.
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Day bay |
View down the lake |
View from the cabin |
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Toilet Block |
Still feeding! |
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Date:
November
2009
Details: Additional stock arrives....
The additional stock for Molyneux arrived last Thursday.
32 mirrors went into the lake, the smallest was 22lb and the largest 29lb, for an average weight of 25lb.
Regards, Andrew.
Date:
November
2009
Details: Fantastic growth rates!
The last 18 months has seen the carp increase in weight dramatically. The average weight for this season has been around the 28-29lb mark.
The lake has produced about 65 different 30lb+ carp and 3 x 40lb+ carp. With the lake producing three different carp over 39lb this season I'm hoping the number of 40lb+ carp will at least double for 2010.
Regards, Andrew
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Spot at 33lb,caught on 23/03/09 |
Spot at 39lb,caught on 22/10/09 |
30lb 2,caught on 22/04/09 |
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35lb 8,caught on 16/09/09 |
31lb 10,caught on31/05/05 |
39lb,caught on 14/09/09 |
Date:
October
2009
Details: Third new forty of the year....
Lee Milton fishing from swim eight caught the stunning Cluster at bang on 41lb.
Date:
September
2009
Details: Lake record brace
Michael from Holland, fishing from the cabin swim caught eight carp from 10 runs for an average weight of well over 31 lb.
He also smashed the lake record brace, with a capture of a 39 lb and a 35 lb 8 oz mirrors.
Regards, Andrew
Date:
September
2009
Details: New stock
The fishing, at times, has been a little difficult this year. This is due to the large amount of natural food present in the lake reducing the competition for anglers bait, however it has created massive weight gains in the carp. There are more 30+ lb carp than ever before and the bulk of the stock is currently between 25-35 lb with the average weight approaching 30lb. I fully expect more 40lb carp for next year as the carp coming out at the moment over 35 lb haven’t started bulking up for the winter yet.
After consulting Simon Horton, a well respected fisheries consultant and fish farmer over in France, I’ve placed an order for more stock. The order is for in excess of 800 lb of new carp! With the average weight of the carp already present in the lake approaching the 30 lb mark I didn’t want to reduce the average weight too much, so the order is for carp between 22 and 26 lb. This will increase the competition for food and get those bobbins flying again!
Date:
June
2009
Details: Another new 40 lb'er!
Barry absolutely smashed his PB with the second new 40 lber in as many days!
Did I say the growth rates where amazing last year? With the two new fourties coming in 41.10 and 42.15 it's not like they're 'scrapers' either.
Great news!
Regards, Andrew.
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Minus 3 lb for the sling so.. |
42 lb 15 |
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Date:
June
2009
Details: New 40 lb'er!
All the fish have shown massive weight gains this year, after a very successful spawning last summer.
There are more 30's than ever before, indeed some anglers this year have caught nothing but 30 lb+ carp.
The best of the bunch so far being Churchill. Caught from swim 9 by Kenny, who according to his friends bears an uncanny resemblance to a certain dog that sells insurance, hence the name :-)
Regards, Andrew.
Date:
May
2009
Details: Another lake record
The lake record catfish has been smashed! The catfish, known as scarface weighed in at 36lb a huge increase on his best weight of 24lb last year.
Date:
April
2009
Details: Leader ban
I don't like to impose rules for the sake of it, most of the rules are there for the welfare of anglers or the fish. Due to fish safety I feel it's necessary to ban all leaders.
A few weeks ago, not being fully booked I decided to get my rods out and fish. On one rod I was using one of new safe style leaders set up as a chod rig. In the early hours of the morning I got a run and was cut off in seconds.
This morning one of the anglers came round saying he was snagged up and asked me if I would go out in the boat and get his tackle back. Imagine my surprise when I found not only his rig but also my chod rig, my rig being well over 100m from where I'd cast it!
What has really worried me is that the bead hasn't ejected from the leader thus fixing the hooklink to the leader. I'd followed the instruction on the packet and hadn't altered any of the components but the rig had failed to act as it should. Luckly the carp has managed to break the 12lb bristle filament hook-link and escape.
If anybody is worried about fishing at distance without a shock leader I would like to remind you all that I have two row boats on site that you're welcome to use if you wear a life jacket that I also provide.
Regards, Andrew
Date:
April
2009
Details: Common record falls
Records are made for breaking. The common record has just been broken by the first Dutch party of the year, weighing in at 16.1 kg or 35 lb 6 oz. The common was part of a haul of 50+ carp took by 4 anglers, every angler having carp over 15 kg or 33lb.
The good news is that the current record common wasn't the biggest common last year, so watch this space
Date:
August
2008
Details: Lake record Cat!
Melvin Baynham took the lake record catfish at 29 lb 8oz, the Cat coming from the gully between the two islands in front of peg 9.
Date:
April
2008
Details: New Rule
After having a few groups using curved shanked hooks, patterns like muggas, long shank nailors and fox series 5, and the amount of damage they have done to a few of the carps mouth I now feel its necessary to ban all curved shanked hooks for fish welfare.
Most people seem to prefer small hooks, sizes 8 and 10 being the most popular, using hooks this small seems to increase the chances of hook pulls and not increase the catch or run rate. I personally use 4 and 6's most and seem to loose less fish in a year than some people loose in a week! My advice is to stock up before you come with a few packs of 4 and 6's
Regards, Andrew
Date:
March
2008
Details: Molyneux Update: Just Ready and Waiting to Go!
.... by Bridget Keep
I was really looking forward to seeing Molyneux again. It’s a lovely setting and the Willow trees around the lake are statuesque & beautiful. Being not too distant from the ports it was relatively easy to include it in my 5 day trip to visit and catch up with a few of the venues.
After a complicated year on Molyneux in 2007 (some will recall the weed was a problem for some of the summer)I wanted to check with owner Andrew Molyneux on the winters works and plans for 2008.
I arrived shortly after some pretty severe storms and the winds and heavy rains had wreaked havoc! Several trees were down and Andrew who had just started to breathe easy after thinking he'd completed the pre-season work was taking a deep breath to get stuck in yet again to prepare everything for the first anglers of the season.
One of the changes for next year is a new chef. After the chef left Andrew had to prepare the meals for the latter part of 2007 himself (not his favourite job!)and it's a relief to him that for the coming season he has arranged for a good local chef to prepare the evening meals, thus freeing up his time.
Grass Carp
Weed was an issue across the whole of France last year for many lakes and changes in the regulations of how weed can be treated has posed serious problems for many owners. Many chemical treatments are now outlawed so Andrew has taken the advice of respected fishery consultant, Simon Horton (Horton fishery Management Ltd) and has recently stocked around 75 grass carp from him to tackle the issue.
Looks like 2008 is just ready and waiting to go!
Regards, Bridget.
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Molyneux in Spring |
Grass carp stocked |
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Date:
March
2008
Details: New Stock!!
Some new stock arrived at Molyneux yesterday... we stocked 300kg of Grass Carp.
These fish were added to assist in controlling the weed and also to add a little variety to the fishing.
Included in the stocking was a 30lb+ and a handful of 20lb+ Grassy's.
I know these are not everyones cup of tea, which does puzzle me, but they are certainly very impressive fish on the bank.
Date:
August
2007
Details: Stalked
Matt Ellis made good use of the on site boat to fish off the island at close range. The result was a 33 lb+ common hooked just inchs from where he`s stood in the pic. A new PB and excellent angling!
Date:
August
2007
Details: Best laid plans
I`m often asked if I get to fish much, the quick answer is not as much as you would imagine! Anyway last week I had a space on the lake and decided to I`d like to target the grass carp. In the past the grassy`s have always been caught on small bright fruity pop-ups over particles or stacks of maize over particles, so this is how I decided to fish.
Three days of pre-baiting later and I was as keen as mustard to fish the baited spots. In the early hours of the morning one of the rods went into melt down, after a quick but spirted fight a small common lay in the net. During the fight I had lost my line marker so finding the baited spot in the dark was out of the question, so I rebaited with a Quest Special Crab pop-up and cast it randomly out into the dark. A few hours later the delk on the hit and hope rod was screaming, the result was a surprise grassy. It`s a funny old game this fishing lark!!
Date:
June
2007
Details: First 40 of the year!
Finally the first 40+ carp of the year has been caught at Etang du Molyneux and it`s not one of the known 40`s!
The carp, a male fish known as Guinness, was last banked in early September `06 at 35 lb 4 oz.... so an impressive growth rate over the winter.
Roland Van Beek caught Guinness on the new KGB 5 th Element boilie fished over the on site pellet from swim 13.
Date:
June
2007
Details: Cracking Catch
Wayne Scott got his week long session at Etang du Moluneux off to a flying start. Fishing from the cabin swim and only 24 hours into his session he`d already managed to land a cat of 17 lb and three 30+ carp.
All the fish where caught on boilies fished over a large bed of pellets. The two largest carp falling for the new onsite KGB 5th Element boilies.
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30 lb |
33 lb on KGB |
33 lb on KGB |
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Date:
May
2007
Details: Bumper week!!
The record for the most carp caught in a week at Etang de Molyneux was smashed this week.
John from Holland managed to catch a staggering 42 carp to 30+ lb, the fish falling to homemade boilies fished over particles and pellet, dropped with the aid of a baitboat. Strangely enough he said he`ll be back next year to beat his record!!
This catch was just part of the 126 carp caught in the week.
Below is a pic of one of the smaller carp that helped him beat the old lake record of 36 carp in a week.
Date:
April
2007
Details: Fantastic Brace!
Forgot to mention the most important bit...
On Thursday morning at Molyneux had an exceptional hit...7.15am gave me a 25lb 10oz Common, 8.05am gave me a 34lb 15oz Mirror and 9.00am gave me a 34lb 14oz Mirror.
3 fish in 1hr 45 mins, more impressively, a brace of nearly 35lb fish in under a hour. All to the same rod. 3 casts, 3 beautiful fish. Pics attached.
Steve Kilgannon
Date:
April
2007
Details: Happy anglers!
Bridget / David,
Hi, Dave and I just back from Molyneux, thought i'd let you know how it went. Beautiful lake, Andrew and Chris brilliant, hospitality brilliant. Fishing very good too. Between us we had 33 carp, 1 Cat and 13 Tench.
30 Mirrors, 2 Commons and 1 Grass.
5 Teens : 13.2, 17.2, 17.9, 19 and 19.8
23 Twenties : 29.8, 26.8, 26.2, 24.12, 27.12, 25.10, 25.10, 23.9, 27.6, 29.4, 20, 26.7, 28.4, 29.9, 24.15, 24.8, 28.6, 25.10, 24.6, 29, 25.2, 28 and 24.10
5 Thirties : 31.2, 31.4, 34.4, 34.14 and 34.15
Average weight between us a shade over 25lb. Fished pegs 11 & 12. Majority of fish came from tight to the main island margin at about 150 yards. Had steady action all week, fish coming right through the night, from midnight to about 9 in the morning then was quieter in the day time with just odd fish in the day.
Have attached pics of the better fish. Use them as you wish. Article to follow.
Thanks again for a cracking holiday and a very good venue.
Regards
Steve Kilgannon
Date:
February
2007
Details: Bait testing
The samples from Quest arrived in Feb to try on the lake... not the best time to field test a new bait!
Due to the work party still being on, only nights where available to fish and the temperature was droping down to around 4°C. Hmmm, not the most promising of conditions.
The first to try was Special Crap and the Smokey Fish. I decided to make it hard by trying these out against the boilies I used last year, the Carp had already seen 250 kg of these boilies.
All three of the baits where boated out to the island and fished less than a metre apart. By the morning the only bait to catch was the Quest, with Crab being the better bait. The following night the same thing was repeated with the baits fished to the island and the same result. WOW, impressive bait! The Crab just had to be stocked.
The next to try was the Rahja Spices and the Fruity Trifle. Again the baits where boated out to the hotspot just off the snags and fished a meter apart.
2 nil to the Rahja spice by the morning and the best news was an orginal Carp that evaded capture all of last year took a liking to the Quest bait. An easy choice to make, Rahja spice in stock!
