Good Evening.
Another day has passed at Gigantica and the European Cup is drawing to a close. England are in a very strong position and it will take a lot to catch them up in the last twelve hours. Ben-Lux are still their only rival, as struggling Germany have failed to get a single run during the competition. The German lads have all been working very hard and it would be great to see one or all of them net a carp in the next few hours. Come on lads!
The weather really changed this afternoon and it rained for several hours. The skies have been blue all week and the sun has been strong, so the change in weather might make all the difference on the final night. Will one of the larger fish slip up?
I have had a day and a half. I had to go to Germany last night to pick up my remaining spare belongings from the Imperial Fishing warehouse. I left at midnight and covered 367km in the early hours, arriving at my destination at 4.30am. After four hours sleep outside the warehouse, I loaded up my van, then said best wishes to Max Nollert, handed him a finished article and then thanked him for his generous sponsorship with Imperial Bait’s over the last year. I then travelled the 367km back to Gigantica arriving back at 1.30pm. It is now time for a fresh start and there are some exciting new developments happening in the next few weeks. There will be some changes to the blog too, much more information and far less clutter. That is all I can really say for now, but watch this space!!
Gigantica will now be my base for the next few months. It is ideally situated in the Champagne-Ardenne region of France, and is a stone’s throw away from lakes such as the Orient, Lac du Der, Amance and Madine. What a choice! Gigantica is also a water that interests me. Although it may be a commercial fishery, and these are not my first choice of water, there are lots of really big carp in here, and as I said yesterday, they are really stunning. Many of the massive mirrors have small heads and really big shoulders. I really hope I have the chance to hold one in the next couple of weeks! I then fly back to the UK for a quick week, before returning to France to go and fish at Madine before the WCC starts. I am working at the WCC this year, and I am really looking forward to the event. Last year was a great week enjoyed by myself and the dogs!
Carp wise this week at Gigantica, it has been a strange week really. Only three of the nine competitors have caught, but those three have all caught several fish. Arjen has made up the total weight of Ben-Lux, and England have Macmillan and Fairbrass to thank, for the big lead they have managed to secure. Tom Dove has been putting in tremendous amounts of effort but the fish have not played ball. As I write this I can confirm that Tom Dove has just caught one. Well done Tom! Don’t forget too that the really big fish ‘The Giant’ came out last week at 72lb. Perhaps this coming week will be a big fish week too…lets hope so! My old fishing friend from 16 years ago, Ian Abbot, has actually booked a place at Gigantica this week and arrives tomorrow morning, so it will be a fishing reunion for both of us. I am looking forward to seeing you tomorrow Ian. Have a safe trip.
The biggest of the week..so far!!
A stunner for Fairbrass.
That’s all for tonight. There will be a European Cup, final result update tomorrow and I will then be fishing again so the blog will be back to normal. I have still managed to catch a few this week, so that has been good for my carpy soul, and the fact they were all stalked makes them that little bit more special for me. And of course I caught my target. Enjoy your weekends.
Cheers.
Jake Langley-Hobbs & his Doberman dogs!
Tags: Gigantica, Imperial bait's, imperial fishing, jake langley-hobbs, mirror
June 27, 2009 at 11:19 pm |
hi jake love the artical you are doing in international carper just returned form 2 weeks my self on the orient have you thought of doing a long session on there??? great shower tip on boiling the hot water first i had my shower tree going on the orient
June 29, 2009 at 11:32 pm |
Hi Rich.
Thanks for your comments. Glad my survival feature is proving useful, and hope it continues to appeal to the readers. I am fishing the Orient from the first/second week in September till it closes in November no doubt!!!
How did you get on mate?
Jake
July 3, 2009 at 5:30 pm |
not good mate had 1 cat out of mitichelln wich we did 4 night on then i move to gerido and did 10 night on it on my own and had 1 bream my mate who move to bivie city had a 38lb of the rock there but the weed was a major problem cant wait to get back there tho but its a bit like looking for a neddle in a haystack on the orient
July 6, 2009 at 7:23 pm |
Ah well thats fishing..I had a two week blank at Salagou…it happens and that is the real reality of fishing..we don’t catch all the time. Being an Orient virgin I am well geared up for my long session…Hopefully bump into you one day on the banks mate.
Jake
July 7, 2009 at 7:22 pm |
jake you will love the orient is so wild and natural only problem with fish the back end of the year is that the water level is always dropping so always on the move with the spots you find as the spots you find will soon be dry land and the mud were the water levels are dropping on a daily basic but on the other hand if you fish it elary in the year you got hight water levels so even water to try and find the very low stock in may be we should arrange a session on there next year in hopping to do 4 weeks on there next year around may/june time
July 7, 2009 at 10:38 pm |
hi jake as a avid follower of your epic journey around europe i want to send you my up most respect for the job in hand .
every day i look on line at your progress and read in carp world..
if theres anything you need posting out just contact me at sales@reelcarp.com a donation to your quest with pleasure ..
kind regards and tight lines
matthew
July 7, 2009 at 11:15 pm |
Cheers Matthew!
That’s very kind of you mate. Funnily enough I am back in the UK the middle of July. Popping in to see the Angling Publications team etc and have a little ‘local’ fishing business to attend to. I would love to pop into your new shop to say hello mate and have a coffee and a chat etc….How does the 22nd sound!!
All the best Jake
July 8, 2009 at 12:56 pm |
hi Jake hope your morning is goin well
thanks for posting my logo on your blog and the mention of my shop is great many thanks
well weather here has been up and down to say the least
It would be a great honour to have you join me for coffee ill lay out the green carp-et (scuse the pun)for your arrival
cant wait to find out more of your exploits with THE BRUTUS
hey keep on mate i look forward to meeting you soon 22nd the coffee is on …
kind regards
Matthew Birtles
July 8, 2009 at 1:31 pm |
No worries Matthew.
The blog will be undergoing a few improving changes soon and I will include you on my links page permanently. As I have a few links with Sheffield it will be great to support a Sheffield carp based tackle shop. Call me a friend of the shop!!
Strong, splash of milk and one sugar mate!!
See you soon.
July 9, 2009 at 10:20 am |
good morning mate hope all is well with you and the dobermen..
hows the weather?? its stopped raining here at last woo hoo..might get a few hours in after work at my local ticket water nr chesterfield..shop quiet this morn so a quick tidy up and polish (i bet you dont no any other shops that polish )lol lol i smell a fry up from the buttie shop next door ill treat you yo one on 22nd im sure you mis a made for you fry up (sorry if a veggie )they do one as well ..
have you moved on from gigantica if so did you enjoy venue ?
speak soon tight lines
matthew RC