[ENG] - First time carp fishing in France: Alex and Ellie Mae land monsters

Alex and Ellie Mae travel to France for the first time to carp fish at Forest View Carp Fishery. What starts as an exciting and unfamiliar trip turns into a session with huge carp, tough conditions, and moments they won’t soon forget.

First time carp fishing in France

For many carp anglers, a first trip to France is something special. You drive for hours, cross the water, and arrive at a completely different type of carp water. Bigger fish, different conditions, and often a very different style of fishing than you’re used to at home.

In the video First Time Fishing In France And They Caught MONSTERS | Alex and Ellie Mae, we follow Alex and Ellie Mae during their first French carp session at Forest View Carp Fishery in southern France. They travel together with Chloe and Shaun from CarpING Couple to the water. Expectations are high, but there’s also tension, especially since they’ve never fished for carp of this size before.

The journey is intense from the start. From Dover they take the ferry to Calais, followed by a seven to eight-hour drive south. Once arrived, they have to set up quickly as the weather turns and rain pours down in buckets.

Arriving, setting up, and fishing straight away

After arriving at Forest View Carp Fishery, Alex and Ellie Mae first take time to check out the swim. They get a spacious double swim with plenty of water in front of them. The rods are rigged, the bivvy is pitched, and they look for a safe distance between their swim and Chloe and Shaun’s on the other side of the lake.

The first evening is mainly about settling in. Normally the first day might be used mostly for observing, but since night is coming, the rods go out quickly. In hindsight, that proves to be a golden choice.

During the first night, Ellie Mae gets a solid take. The rods haven’t been out long, but the fish immediately shows this won’t be a standard carp session. What follows is an exciting battle with her first French carp.

Ellie Mae lands a giant carp straight away

The first fish of the trip is an absolute dream catch. Ellie Mae lands a carp of over 71 lb on her first night in France. For someone who has never fished for carp of this size in France before, that’s a crazy start.

The surprise is huge. As soon as the fish is in the net, Chloe and Shaun are called over. It quickly becomes clear it’s a carp over 60 lb. When weighed, the fish turns out even heavier: a massive carp of about 71 lb 2 oz.

That moment perfectly sums up why so many carp anglers dream of a French session. You work with longer distances, different swims, and heavier fish, but when it clicks, one take can create a lifetime memory.

Not easy, but extremely rewarding

After such a start, you might think the session will be easy. Yet the video shows the opposite is true. Forest View is not a water where takes come easily. The fish are big, clever, and not constantly active.

Alex and Ellie Mae have to keep thinking about their approach. They regularly pull the rods in during the day, rest at the swim, and focus on the better bite times. Late afternoon, evening, and night seem more important than fishing all day long.

The rigs and presentations are also adjusted to the bottom. Because the lake contains quite a bit of silt, they choose lighter lead weights and slightly longer rigs. This way the rig presents better when the lead sinks slightly into the soft bottom.

Maintaining confidence in your approach

A strong point in the video is that Alex and Ellie Mae don’t immediately change everything after every quiet period. They fish with rigs they trust, like multi rigs and reverse stiff hinges. They also test different hookbait colors and presentations to discover what the carp respond to.

That confidence is important when carp fishing in France. Especially on waters with big, experienced fish, it’s tempting to keep changing. But too much switching can cause unrest. Sometimes it’s better to make small adjustments but keep the core of your approach intact.

The first big fish came on a white presentation. That’s why they continue fishing with white hookbaits and snowman presentations. Not because one color is always sacred, but because during a session you have to learn from what happens.

Alex lands his own French monster

Not long after, Alex gets his turn. During the night he lands a carp named 007, weighing around 61 lb. That makes his first French trip a success right away.

The fish makes a big impression. Alex says they never expected to catch fish like this so early in the trip. For both, it’s a completely new experience. Big French carp demand patience, preparation, and good handling once the take comes.

With a seventy-pounder for Ellie Mae and a sixty-pounder for Alex, the trip couldn’t really go wrong. Yet the rest of the session proves mentally tough. The takes stop and conditions vary.

A tough period with little action

After the initial successes, the session becomes harder. Quiet nights follow, weather changes, and little clear action. The first week is cold, with temperatures often staying low. Later the weather shifts and temperatures rise significantly.

Due to the warmer days, the carp change their behavior. During the day they stay in certain zones where they are visible but barely want to feed. They experiment with zigs, different rigs, and small tweaks, but the fish remain hard to tempt.

This makes the video relatable for any carp angler who has done a long session in France. You can have big fish in your water, see them swimming, and still have days of silence. That’s part of fishing for big carp.

Observing with the drone and searching for patterns

In the second week, Alex and Ellie Mae try to get more from their observations. Using the drone, they see the carp hang out in deeper parts during the day, often in warmer water layers. In the evening and early morning, they move more towards shallower zones.

This information leads to an adjustment in approach. One of the swims is moved towards a shallower margin on the opposite side. During the night, multiple signals, liners, and probably even a pickup that didn’t follow through occur there.

Although that doesn’t immediately produce a fish, it’s valuable information. During a tough session, you sometimes have to be satisfied with small signs. A line swimmer, a rolling fish, or a different route can be enough to see you’re getting closer to the solution.

Catfish, frustration, and still pushing on

As often happens on French waters, unwanted surprises also appear. Alex deals with catfish disturbing the swim and putting the rods to the test. Not every run means the carp you hope for.

But that’s part of such a session. France can be fantastic, but it’s not always just big carp and perfect conditions. Sometimes it’s searching, frustration, trying again, and accepting you can’t control everything.

That’s what makes the real moments even bigger. And those moments do come in the end.

A trip with two 70-pounders and a 60-pounder

At the end of the session, Alex and Ellie Mae look back on two tough but successful weeks. The trip was mentally demanding, with long quiet periods and lots of searching for the right approach. Yet they finish with fish many carp anglers only dream of.

Ellie Mae closes the trip with two 70-pounders, while Alex crowns his French adventure with a 60-pounder. For a first trip to France, that’s an exceptional result.

What sticks most is that this wasn’t an easy run session. They had to work for their chances. The fish didn’t come automatically. That’s what makes the catches extra special.

What you can take away from this French carp session

This video nicely shows what makes carp fishing in France so special. You often fish for big carp, but success requires more than just casting your rods out. You need to understand the bottom, adjust your rigs, recognize bite times, and keep searching for patterns.

Additionally, the session shows how important confidence is. Confidence in your swim, your rig, your hookbait, and your fishing style. Alex and Ellie Mae don’t blindly change everything but keep making small choices based on what they see and experience.

For carp anglers dreaming of their first French trip, this video is definitely worth watching. Not only because of the huge fish, but especially because you see how real such a session can be: long hours, little action, lots of doubt, and then suddenly a fish that makes it all worthwhile.