Pat Gillett answers a query for Molyneux, advising on his baiting tactics early on in the year…Â
Spencer wrote: Hi, I’m fishing at lake Molyneux in France on the 19th to the 26th March and was just wondering what the best bait would be & maybe best tactics?  I was looking into taking Quest Chilli Chocolate ? Any help would be great.  Many thanks, Spencer.
A lovely 31lb common from my 2007 trip
Hi Spencer,
I have fished Molyneux a couple of times. These were in March 2007 and June 2010. The lake is around 13 acres, and is very peaceful and picturesque with a lot of overhanging willows and depths ranging from 2ft to around 6ft.
One end of the lake is dominated by a large island, which is where most anglers tend to fish. Seventy five per cent of the island is within 100 yds of the bank so casting and baiting up isn’t really a problem. If you fish at the back of the island (pegs 12 and 13 if my memory is correct) then you are looking at 130 yds plus. Therefore to make things easier you may need a bait boat.
When we went in March 2007 we took the Quest Baits Rahja Spice and caught very well considering the conditions (very cold most of the week with frosts and some snow).
35.02 mirror
As you are going in March I would start off baiting very lightly and then react to how the carp are feeding. If you fish the island I don’t believe that you need loads of bait anyway. The fish follow this as a natural patrol route and so will come across your bait regularly without you having to try and hold them in one area.
The average size of the fish was about 26lb in 2007 but this is now around the 30lb mark. A lot of the swims have pontoons on them so you will need to take a pod with you.
To give yourself a break from the fishing each day, I would highly recommend the food package which really is excellent.
Bait comes down to personal choice, but I have found the Rahja Spice Shelf Lifes to be very effective wherever I have used them in France. They are also a good proven bait for the cold weather conditions which you may face during your stay. Take a variation of 10mm, 15mm and 20mm and feed a mixture. Try different variations on the hair and see which is the best.
Have a look at the venue homepage on the Angling Lines website and you will see the articles where Paul Cooper and myself fished the venue.
https://www.anglinglines.com/docs/ourvenues/lakes/molyneux/articles/paulcooper.html
https://www.anglinglines.com/docs/ourvenues/lakes/molyneux/articles/paulcooper2.html
There are also articles by other anglers, so you should be able to find plenty of relevant information. I would also contact Wally (the bailiff) for all the latest information.
Hope this helps a bit, and have good trip.
Pat Gillett
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