Planning For A Euro Adventure

Far and away, the most consistent questions I get asked are about my European fishing. I receive more questions about how to find European public waters and how to approach them than anything else—by a country mile.

I think for many lads, it seems such a long way out of the usual scenarios of angling that they are used to that it puts most people off. Specific and expensive kit, language barriers, toll roads, rules you can’t understand, and no guarantees of success are all part and parcel of the public water angling game and are probably the main reason most lads opt for the safer option of a week or two on a pay lake. For me, though, the singular and most exciting element of these trips is exactly that: the not knowing and the absolute and complete lack of guarantees about any of it. These days we live in a world that is full of guarantees, overrun with insurance policies, and ‘safe’, reliable, but often mediocre and fairly dull options.

Personally, the big-water European carp fishing is as much about an escape from that world as it is anything else. I want a bit of jeopardy. I want some freedom, and I want something unknown to happen, and for the outcome to be uncertain. That is exactly what makes it all so compelling. It certainly isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, and I can see why, but as I get asked so often, I wanted to run through exactly what I use, how, and why, and how to avoid some pitfalls.

1. Understand The Basics 
Depending on where you want to head and what you have in mind, the kit required and the approach will vary significantly. When I first started fishing in Europe back in 2010, my first forays were just a short hop over the water into Belgium. In many ways, it was the gateway that hooked me into the next 14 years of exploring.

Fishing in Europe doesn’t necessarily have to be about 10oz leads, 400-yard tows and waves big-enough-to-surf-on in the inland seas. It can just as easily be about using your usual English kit and being only an hour or two out of the Eurotunnel. It all depends on what you want, and I think the ease of logistics and possibilities in Belgium is the main reason why so many UK anglers start there when they first head over.

For the first five or six years, I used just my standard English kit, and I focused on Belgium and loved it. I caught many lovely, unknown carp and enjoyed the new-found opportunities. It wasn’t until I knew that I was sure I wanted to commit to doing more in Europe, and also when I realised I wanted a bit more space and to get away from the smaller, busier waters, that I finally invested in big-water kit. That opened up a myriad of options for the whole of Europe.

I think, for me, establishing the right attitude and expectations for these sorts of trips is the first and foremost important factor. If you just want to go and catch a stack of forty- and fifty-pounders, this definitely isn’t the way to do it. They’re out there, but they are incredibly hard-earned on the public-water scene and don’t come along every day, or even every trip. I think it is important to get it straight in your head what you want from a trip, and why. With the amount of video content shot in Europe by brands these days, you could be easily forgiven for thinking that it is a barrel of big ’uns every time you head over. That is far from the case. However, if you are up for an adventure, more than likely encountering a big stack of logistical and practical issues, having some strife, and being prepared to change plans almost daily, read on!

2. The Basic Kit
Boats
A number one essential for most European angling. The old, single-chamber inflatable for UK ‘strokes’ was a regular bit of kit in my armoury for a long time, but for the big, rough-and-tough nature of the European waters, you do need a proper boat.

I have three boats now, which I use for different circumstances: a big 270 X Raptor, essential for the big-water French fishing; a little 160 Raptor; and a Nash 180 Rib. The 160 gets used for all sorts of situations, everything from my UK fishing on Stoneacres over the last few years to angling on smaller Belgian and French waters, or as a secondary boat to keep kit in and tow behind the big vessel. The (1.6m) 160 boats are pretty tiny, really, so unless you are built like me (small!), you might struggle with something this size. When there is a battery and a bucket of bait between your legs, it is full, but that said, they are perfect for shorter ranges, ‘discreet’ circumstances, and as a little backup vessel.

The 270 X-Wide Raptor is a beast of a big-water boat. It will accommodate two anglers’ kit for a few days and will handle the roughest of weather and big winds out on the big expanses. They are a dedicated big-water boat, though. I bought mine second-hand, so unless you want to take on the 500-acre-plus waters, something more manageable is probably going to be better suited.

The other thing a big boat often comes in useful for is transporting you and your kit around on big, inaccessible lakes. None of the public waters in Europe are ‘designed’ for fishing, so access is often limited. Using a slipway to load up a big boat and head off is standard practice on many places.

Motors
If you are using a boat, a decent outboard is essential. Personally, I have always used the Minn Kota outboards. I have three of them now: two 55lb-thrust ones, and a smaller water/small-boat 30lb model. I also have a bigger Fox outboard with an 80lb-thrust output, which is more suited to the bigger waters, and their weather—55lb thrust will get you nowhere in a big wind on a large sheet of water. If I were investing in a new outboard now, I’d be going for a 1hp Haswing, as the extra power can be essential, and they are reasonably priced. As well as the electric outboards, I also have a 4hp, four-stroke petrol outboard for the really big stuff, but in all honesty, that rarely comes out to play for what I do in the main.

Power Supply
Next down from the boat and motor is the power to run it, and if anything, you could argue that having a suitable and reliable power supply is as important as anything else. When I started out I was taking five or six 110Ah leisure batteries for a seven- to ten-day trip, but realistically, that was never quite enough. I’ve blazed through a full battery in a day before now on a big German pit, just fighting the waves and looking for carp and access points, and I’ve run out of power more than once towards the end of a trip, having either to then paddle or even cut short a trip short before now.

With the plethora of lithium options available these days, there are far better, albeit much more expensive, options out there. I invested in a big Rebelcell 12.70Ah lithium Outdoorbox about four years ago, and it was a game changer. It gives me the same power capacity as around three big 110 leisure batteries, but at a fraction of the weight and charge time. You can also charge your phone, laptop and anything else from it. Ideally, for a seven- to ten-day trip, you could do with two of those, but as they’re so expensive I use just the one, and still take four or five leisure batteries as back-up. 

Echo Sounder
For the big-water work, and even for making sense of the smaller waters far quicker, a good echo sounder is essential. I use a Lowrance Elite-7 Ti, which is perfect for the job and has served me well, despite it dying on me once. The service and support were great and I got a new one for a fraction of cost as a replacement. Many of the big European waters have vast depth changes, and some have pretty wild topography, with their big shelves, huge plateaus, and rock and snags. Learning how to read an echo sounder is a skill in its own right. It takes some getting used to, but it is absolutely invaluable on the big waters. I’ve also used mine on smaller waters to work out the extent of snags, and to pinpoint carp holes in the silt.

My model has a downscan and a sidescan as well, so imagine a ‘slice’ view from directly under the boat, as well as a left and right view heading out, away from the boat. I have found mine pretty intuitive to read and learn, and after a two-minute bit of guidance from Samir (Arebi) the first time around, I’ve not looked back. Until you get it dialled in, it can be disorientating trying to out when features are exactly underneath you, so once I’ve found something interesting, say a deeper, firmer hole or a plateau, I’ll drop a marker and circle back around to check it a few times from different angles, reading the echo screen from a few different approaches to pinpoint exactly what I’m after, alongside using a marker to donk for a direct contact. You can also ascertain things as subtle as mussel beds from the echo, from the peppered white reflections amongst the softer silt, which reads as a different colour.

Alongside the feature-finding capabilities, one absolutely key feature is the ability to GPS-pin spots for future reference. H-blocks and bottle markers regularly get moved, either by hooked carp or over-zealous predator anglers, so being able to navigate back to a spot is key, especially at night—big waters can be massively disorientating. By pinning spots you can easily navigate back to within a metre of them, which is more than close enough to then pin it down by other means.

The other essential function of an echo is using it to navigate in a straight line back home, once you’ve dropped a rig, or have been out playing one. If you have four rods out of a swim, or are fishing with a mate, so potentially eight rods, then heading back in a dead straight line is vital with your tips up and tight braid stretching out at range. At night, even with a home-light on in the swim, and if it is flat calm, you will never come back straight unless you follow the navigation. In a big wind you have even less chance, and the end result will be a load of mangled braid from other rods wound into your prop and a whole load of drama you didn’t need.

It’s the little things, like if you’ve been out playing one, you’ll need to navigate back to the spot you hooked it from, and then head back in a straight line from there, rather than cutting through the swim, and other lines, at an angle and potentially wiping yourself out. Trust me, I’ve dug more than enough braid out of my prop over the years to know how easily you can get in a mess. The Black Diamond Moji Lanterns are amazing bits of kit to clip on to your sticks as a home-light, and an absolute essential for me.

Markers
H-blocks are fine, and they do work, but the bright orange definitely attracts attention from predator anglers. They love to either nick them, or anchor up right next to them and jig for perch, pike and zander. The bait often attracts silver fish, which in turn attract predators. I use little clear 250ml water bottles with 5–10 metres of braid wound around the neck and a big 10oz lead on the end. They’re cheap, and they attract less attention. I just wrap a single twisted loop around the neck to lock off the braid once I’ve found a spot. Plus, the transmission from lead through braid is way better than the rubbish spongy cord on H-blocks.

Oddities
Other public-water essentials I use include downrigger clips for canals. These allow me to ‘washing line’ down the edge without running yards of line down snaggy margins. One thing I’d never be without is what I call a ‘boat box’. Living in the boat, it’s just a small, snap-top plastic box with a spare torch, spare leads, scissors, baiting needle and a couple of rigs in. Dinking a hook point or bouncing a lead off 350 yards out are frustrating scenarios!

The Rest
All the usual stuff is a little more obvious, so I won’t go into it in detail, but 9- or 10-foot rods make things infinitely easier in a boat—dealing with dropping big leads, playing and landing fish with a 12-footer in a boat is no fun, trust me. Big-capacity reels, loaded usually to the brim with 30–40lb floating braid is also another essential for the big waters. Then, spare spools with a sinking braid for shorter range and clear-water scenarios are something I always carry. I always take half a dozen spools of heavy 40lb and 50lb fluorocarbon leader as well, to use as big snag leaders, and to conceal the last 20 feet of my presentation. Big storm poles to use as single sticks, heavy bobbins, etc., are all essential for the big waters as well. A spool or two of spare braid is never a bad thing either—there’s been more than one trip when, for whatever reason, I’ve needed a full re-spool.

3. The Approach
Finding Waters
The key thing to remember, and I believe should always be foremost in your mind, is that you are on someone else’s home turf. Consider what it would be like if someone turned up at your local water back here in the UK and started breaking rules, catching fish and then inviting all their mates over. Just because the waters are public in Europe, it doesn’t mean that they are a free-for-all, and most have sets of regular local anglers who treat them like home. Respect, friendliness and being courteous are really important, I think, and also help build and maintain relations between ourselves who are travelling anglers, making use of another country’s resources and great waters.

I would say that, over the years, 95 per cent of my interactions with other anglers, from all over Europe, have always been positive, and a willingness to engage, be friendly, and chat is almost always the way forward. Plus, you’ll learn loads from European anglers, especially on the public-water scene.

When it comes to actually finding waters, I would highly suggest not just sending direct messages to anyone who has just come back from a trip to France or Belgium, who you have seen on Insta, and asking for a location or pin. I get asked weekly for waters, and I tell everyone the same: that I worked hard to find out any information, usually through years of making friends and being respectful, or just exploring, and that those locations are not mine to give away. Sharing pins too freely and easily is one major contributing factor to certain lakes and waters encountering problems and causing frictions, and in extreme circumstances, even rule changes which have negatively affected the waters for the future.

Unfortunately, I’ve been at the wrong end of that, so I am much more careful these days. There is plenty of information online, and if you look hard enough you’ll find what you are after and get a starting point at least. The rest will follow once you get stuck in out there.

Research
In terms of doing some research and being prepared, as I just mentioned, you can find out a lot from digging around online, although very little of the best information is put on a plate, so that will have to be worked for a bit harder. Once you have pinned down a water or two to go and investigate, Google Earth can be absolutely invaluable, not only for working out some of the topography and structure of the lake itself, either through being able to see visible, shallower ground or by looking at the surrounding gradations of the margins but also simple things like access points that can sometimes take hours to find if you haven’t done some groundwork in advance. Back-up waters to check in the surrounding area is something else that Google Earth can be really useful for.

Tickets
Actually getting a ticket is something that a lot of people ask me about, and it seems to be a tricky exercise for many. Belgium is fairly simple: you need only find a post office and ask politely. They usually speak fairly good English, although finding an open one is often the hardest part. Belgium is actually split into two regions, so you’ll need a separate licence for each, with the southern half only being available online.

The French Carte de Pêche runs from 1 January to 31 December. The national licence you require to fish in France, and is also available online, costing roughly £100. A quick search on Google will find you the site. The page can be translated, although, for some reason, it can often be temperamental. You just have to persevere! For the price of the ticket, and what is available on it, though, you can’t complain. 

Rules
Even though there is a huge amount of freedom on offer on the European public waters, there are also a lot of restrictions, and unfortunately, many of them have been put in place because anglers have taken liberties, having either broken existing rules or not being respectful to other water users. Public waters are just that: public, and they are not there exclusively for us carp anglers.

Belgium only allows two rods, and a fair few of the waters are ‘no nights’ as well. Finding out information on what is permitted where can be tricky, though, so if you can’t find out and there is no signage, you take your chances of a licence check and possible fine. Once again, being polite, apologetic and respectful is always the best option, and will keep relations for the future in as good a stead as possible.

France is a slightly different beast to Belgium, insomuch as many of the big public reservoirs have signs that show the night zones, reserves and out-of-bounds areas, so there isn’t always an excuse there. On some waters you can use boats, on others you can’t; on some you can use outboards, on others you can’t; on some you can use petrol outboards, on others you can’t not; on some there is a 100m limit for how far out you can fish; on others there isn’t. You can use four rods, but again, lots of the waters are days only. The Alps, for example, are almost entirely days only. The Garde-Pêche have the right to confiscate your kit in certain circumstances as well.

Each and every water varies, as does the demeanour and strictness of the Garde, so stay on your toes, don’t take the mick, and if you do get checked, be polite and respectful, and you’ll probably be okay. At the end of the day, you’re getting impossibly cheap fishing, on incredible waters, for carp that are maintained by a national stocking policy, so I see it as something to be grateful for, in whatever form it takes. 

4. Carp Food

What
I think the temptation to take huge amounts of bait to Europe is always there. Being a long way from home, and away for a week or two, the insurance policy of having a van full of it is the usual approach. There is a notion that the big waters of Europe also require these huge beds of bait and sit-and-wait tactics, but my experience has always been completely to the contrary. I tend to take a mix of shelf-life and freezer bait, so I have both. I use the fresh first, and keep the shelf-life as back-up for later in the trip if need be. That also reduces waste, as any shelf-life bait can simply be taken home and kept for the next trip. I take Baitworks CreAmino and Atlantic Heat, usually using a mix of the two in a roughly 50/50 ratio. I almost always take large, 18mm baits, or the 24mm if I am heading to a big water. For Belgium, or the canals and smaller waters, I’m likelier to go with a more UK-based approach and take 15mm.

To this, I add a few jars of the dense, amino-based liquids, usually the Crustacean Compound and Liquid Fish, and also some Krill Powder, GLM and salt. The light glaze of the liquid with the addition of a few layers of the powders is a deadly efficient way of pepping your bait. It’s a quick and simple process that takes just minutes.

I also take a bucket of Dan Kilgour’s Big Dog Tigers, and a bucket of crushed tigers as well. It is a simple baiting strategy, but one that has never let me down anywhere I have ever been. Hookbaits will be big, balanced tigers, or Baitworks Hard Hookers in 18mm, doubled up with 15mm bright ones usually, either Scent from Hell or PineapHell. Once or twice I have come across waters where the silvers cause havoc with smaller hookbaits, so I always carry a few tubs of rock-hard 24mm and 30mm hookbaits now as well, and some wrap and mesh, for whenever the crays are bad. Having fished scores of waters now all over Europe, I’ve only ever needed these once, at Salagou. It’s simple stuff, but 100 per cent trusted, and it just lets me focus on the far more important things.

Approach
I keep my approach as simple as the baiting. I find the carp, then find good spots in a suitable depth of water as near to them as I can, and fish for a bite at a time. I tend to only ever use a few handfuls per rod, partly as it just works, but also because I’m rarely planning on staying in one place for too long. It keeps me nimble and doesn’t mean I ever invest too much in any one area. The nature of the public-water fishing means you often need to stay mobile, responsive and have a willingness to move for all manner of reasons, so fishing for a bite at a time is almost always king.

Location is always vital, but it is more vital than ever when you on the really big places, waters where you could be hundreds of acres from a carp. In Belgium, or on the smaller waters, fishing for them as you would back home will stand you in good stead. Once again, it is all about location. As there are often fewer anglers around, you have more options, and you can make use of that. Even when faced with a few thousand acres, if I have found some carp, I will still most likely put out only a few handfuls of boilies and tigers per rod, and have found no need to fill it in just because I’m on somewhere big. Pinpoint the carp, and the good spots, and there’s no need to play the bait-and-wait games.

Spots
Good spots are good spots anywhere, but when you have a massive sheet of water in front of you, and sometimes huge depths and mad topographies, it can be daunting. Where do you start? My advice would be to simply start with your initiative. Whatever you know from back home already about location will often be applicable out in Europe. If it’s been an easterly for days, and a fresh, warm southwesterly kicks in, the likelihood is that you’ll find some on the end of it. If it’s hot, check the shallows. If it’s bitterly cold, check the back of the wind. First-light shows are always a giveaway, and if you’re still scratching your head and have nothing to go on, spend some time just looking at the lake itself, either in front of you or on Google Earth. What are the logical interception points? Where might you expect to find them given the weather conditions, and perhaps where are the other anglers? The puzzle is changing every single day, so learning how to read a situation, how to interpret it, and then how to make good decisions based on what you’re seeing, mixed with some intuition, is the key to consistent success. Excessive boat use will almost always see the carp do the off, so don’t assume that because you are on somewhere big and wild, that they will stand for it. I try to minimise the boat use at all times, wherever possible, especially if I know carp are already in the area.

As for the spots themselves, firm spots amongst the silt, and deeper craters and carp holes can be found on the reservoirs, as can vast beds of mussels. Both of these are great spots. Sandy spots amongst rocky areas are also great areas to look for if you can find them, as are big areas of weed in otherwise featureless water. Old riverbeds, even old structures such as roads, pathways and walls, can be found in some of the big flooded reservoirs. The features can be so varied that it is impossible to give advice for all of them, and the variety means you are often working it out on your feet, as you see it, each time. For me, though, that is exactly what keeps it interesting and compelling. 

5. End Tackle Arrangements
When it comes to rigs on the European waters, my approach is incredibly simple. I take a highly stripped-down kit with me when travelling. Ninety-nine per cent of the time, I use a lead clip, a big heavy fluoro leader, a simple rig incorporating a size 2 or 4 curve point hook, a simple, stripped back 35lb Camstiff link with a shrink tube kicker. It is incredibly effective and works everywhere. The only adjustments I ever make are to the link length, based on the lakebed and the spot I’m fishing, and the hookbait. I almost always use an 8 or 10oz lead on the big waters, although for Belgium, again, I revert to my standard English tactics and rigs.

Once again, and similar to my thoughts on bait, I think these are the least important factors for European and public-water angling. As long as you have strong, suitable kit, you will be fine. The success of a trip rests entirely on your willingness to work hard at finding the fish, and staying adaptable to whatever situations present themselves.

That is the beauty of it all, though: there’s no real information available, no wraps for spots, no swim maps and lists of the stock and lodges full of photos of them all. There are no guarantees, and no pre-booked breakfasts, but there are literally thousands of possible adventures out there, on everything from tiny canals to vast inland seas, and a set of situations that will undoubtedly challenge you mentally as well as physically.

Be lucky, stay respectful, and enjoy the journey.