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INSIDE THE SEPTEMBER ISSUE: ON SALE FRIDAY AUGUST 26TH IAN RUSSELL ON… FISHING IN FRANCE IAN RUSSELL is a veteran of fishing abroad but what it is that appeals so much, where does he go and how does he approach each trip? We met up with him to find out… So, Ian, how many times have you been to France now, and is it a yearly thing? Blimey, over 40 times for sure, maybe even more like 50. I love it and now make up to five trips every year. When Sticky Went To France… DAN WILDBORE ventured to the South of France to the mightyCassien, where he and friends enjoyed plenty of success on the famous 1,300-acre-plus lake… Being totally honest, the idea of fishing in France had never appealed to me. My holiday time is valuable, like all of us, and I wanted to spend the few weeks I had going away with my girlfriend or mates.

With most of my fishing being quick over night sessions or 24hour sessions it is important for me to make sure that I know exactly what type of lake bed I'm fishing over when I arrive and to find any feature that it may hold. Finding features such as plateaus, gullies, gravel bars and weed beds are all key features that can help catch fish in the right situation. It's also very important for me to find out what type of lake bed I'm likely to be fishing over so I can decide what type of rig to use as I want the right rig for the right situation. In order to do this I like to map out the swim and the area that I will be fishing in, nine times out of ten I will do this with a marker rod and reel with a dedicated braided main line which I would always wet before using just to prevent tangles and to allow it to come of the reel as smoothly as possible I would also use a textured lead 1.

Big-Carp Tactics Once you’ve decided on a venue, JACK BROWN reveals a few ways in which you can copy his tactics and target larger specimens this year. Accuracy is absolutely vital, both with the rods and, of course, baiting. Make this year the one in which you set targets and catch a few bigger ones, possibly even a new PB. With the fish being more active and feeding a lot more positively now winter has passed, you can start to think about maybe upping the baiting levels, which falls perfectly into the style of fishing I like – fishing multiple rods on one tight spot and then baiting as accurately as possible with a good amount of bait.

7 TOP TIPS If you’re thinking about sharpening your hooks then here are a few pointers to get you started. Do you like what I did there – hooks, pointers? Anyway… 1 THERE’S A TIME AND A PLACE Okay, so it’s all the rage with big-fish anglers, but the first thing we have to ask ourselves is whether sharpening your hooks is really necessary? The guys who spend limitless hours honing every single hook point with near-surgical precision are invariably those who are chasing one life-changing bite and, so, it’s one of those percentage points that they are using in their favour. It makes perfect sense, right? Of course it does, as they can take no risks when it comes to that fish of a lifetime. But what about anglers like you and I, fishing more highly stocked waters, especially at this time of year, in search of a bite or five in a few hours? Is sharpening our hooks, only to have to change them after every fish or even slightly wayward cast, really worth it? Well, not at around £5 per packet it probably isn’t.