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  1. Steve Arnold

    River fishing in France

    Seems like a long time since I last posted, the weather has been slowing down my fishing! Early October we still had summer weather and I had to contend with low flow river conditions and sluggish fish. That changed rapidly as it turned to the wettest Autumn I have known in the six years living...
  2. Steve Arnold

    River fishing in France

    Yesterday my wife and I had a picnic on the banks of the river Lot. Of course I packed a rod and first cast had a carp which put up a good fight..... a peculiar carp though, looked like it's father had taken a shine to a goldfish...... Anyway, a bit of sport and the first carp I have...
  3. Steve Arnold

    River fishing in France

    Anyone my age tends to look back at "the good old days" when things were so much better. Not always the truth but often just retro rose tinted spectacles! But I first read about the Lot and its great fish over fifty years ago, and from what I have seen in the last six years living here, the Lot...
  4. Steve Arnold

    River fishing in France

    I had nearly "run out of life" by the time my chance came! Don't give up hope! ;) My health and enjoyment of life has improved since our move to France. Life can have some unexpected twists, you never know what might change to give you a chance! Some photos from recent outings along the...
  5. Steve Arnold

    River fishing in France

    Yes we think it was the ferry as well! We went on the ferry from Holyhead to Dublin, stayed a couple of nights and then home on the Dublin-Cherbourg ferry. Neither ferry was crowded but so many people using stairways from the car deck that there is always that chance of picking up infection. 🤔
  6. Steve Arnold

    River fishing in France

    Just after we returned from our UK trip I went down with Covid, two days later Sally developed a fever as well. My fishing buddy had popped around to drop off some plants he had cultivated for us, he only spent 20 minutes outside our house chatting.....but two days later he had Covid as well...
  7. Steve Arnold

    River fishing in France

    Sally and I have returned to France after 3 weeks visiting friends and family in England, Wales and Ireland. I did not make time to fish! The few rivers I did look at appeared stale, our friends in the Peak district were complaining of their local river being polluted by sewage. So, very glad...
  8. Steve Arnold

    Western Isles Day one, Kilmalaug bay , Skye.

    I do miss the pollack fishing! That was my main source of sport for many years, though I mostly fished from Oban to several miles south in a little boat. There was a time when I fished the rock marks but my various health problems put a stop to that. I have fished Neist Point on Skye a couple of...
  9. Steve Arnold

    Any views on Travel Beach casting rods against 2 piece?

    Another "fix" I have used with tip breaks I have had is to cut the blank just in front of the first guide down the rod from the break and glue in a quiver tip. The rod may not still have the maximum casting weight but might then be even better for more sensitive jobs. Quiver tips can be bought...
  10. Steve Arnold

    River fishing in France

    I think the attitude of younger anglers in France has changed in recent years. There is a great deal of education happening by the fishing associations and the ethos is very much "No Kill" and always sporting methods of fishing promoted. Young anglers here generally seem to have a healthy...
  11. Steve Arnold

    Any views on Travel Beach casting rods against 2 piece?

    I collected a few 3-piece beach rods before moving to France. The standard 2-piece, particularly the long tip format, are not particularly travel friendly. My old Conoflex Safari 45 is bomb-proof, though a little heavy. The Greys Triad is a damned good casting rod for me, though I have changed...
  12. Steve Arnold

    River fishing in France

    I do miss my sea fishing! But on average these river fish are bigger than most I caught sea fishing. It would be nice to catch something worth eating as well! In June I will be in Ramsgate, then on to Anglesey. Hopefully I can fish somewhere in the sea? :unsure:
  13. Steve Arnold

    River fishing in France

    The Lot is a brilliant river! .....and I am a "Jammy" angler! Turn up at a new piece of river, spend a handful of hours fishing with NO PRE-BAITING....and catch three top specimens! Probably said this before....."River of Dreams - please don't wake me up!" The carp and barbel often graze up...
  14. Steve Arnold

    River fishing in France

    Sally and I took the camper van to a village about 90 minutes drive up the Lot valley. First outing of the season for us and try to break things in gently. Of course I would be fishing, some of the time anyway! The fishing was limited to two late afternoon into early evening sessions, maybe...
  15. Steve Arnold

    River fishing in France

    The river has been returning to healthy levels after heavy rain for a couple of weeks. Or course, high on the Massif, it fell as snow! That snow has slowly melted and fed into the river keeping its temperature down to around 8c-10c. The fishing has been slow due to that but I have still picked...
  16. Steve Arnold

    looking for some braid ,

    Yes, I took that suction cup off as well! Easier to put that end in a workshop vice now.
  17. Steve Arnold

    looking for some braid ,

    I did see a YouTube video of someone spraying a PTFE oil on braid, so I have tried it on just one of my reels out of curiosity. All I can say is that it does not seem to do any harm! I rarely (never these days!) get wind knots anyway, but I did wonder if it would make for smoother, longer...
  18. Steve Arnold

    River fishing in France

    Only one of the carp I have caught from the Lot looked like a lake fish. Don't know where this one got its genes from but I reckon it must have been stocked to help restore dwindling numbers of the wild common carp..... Thank goodness the native commons are still fairly numerous, these are...
  19. Steve Arnold

    River fishing in France

    After my mistake with the settings on the digital scale I will never be quite sure about the weight of that big carp. So I am still on a mission for a really big specimen, but the carp here do get to the 70lb+ bracket. I will keep dangling away and maybe one day......🐋 These carp never look...
  20. Steve Arnold

    River fishing in France

    Apart from a few barbel at the start of January the winter weather has slowed the fishing down considerably. First there was snow which stayed for over a week, unusual here, then weeks of frosts and temperatures down to -10c. So I blanked a couple of times and lost interest, my old bones ache...
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