KRISTOF CUDERMAN HOW TO PREPARE FOR BOLSENA
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Big lakes are a special experience for every carp fisherman. A lot of pitfalls and puzzles await for us, so some planning beforehand is very important. For this kind of fishing the angler has to
be well prepared – physically and mentally. Along with that all the equipment has to be durable and work impecably well. For me fishing sessions at big lakes have always represented a special challenge and one I have great respect for. By that I mostly mean rapid and extreme weather changes that can quickly give you big problems if you’re not well prepared. In this article I will explain how I normally prepare for fishing sessions like World Carp Classic at Bolsena.
What are big lakes?
Everyone has a different answer to that question. Some think that a big lake is a lake bigger than 50 ha or some say it is the one bigger than 100 ha. It all depends on one’s experiences and
views. I would say big lakes are the ones bigger than 1000 ha! In the past, France has been most famous for big carp caught at big lakes. The best known lakes have been Forent d Orient and Lac du Der. Twenty years ago big carp in those lakes attracted anglers from all over the world. The number of fisherman grew more and more each year, which started the carp fishing bloom at other, less known, big European lakes.
Preparing for Bolsena
In the last few years, lake Bolsena has become renowned in the carp fishing world. A big credit for that goes to the organizers of WCC who brought the prestigious competition to this lake. Last year I was invited by my sponsor Dynamite Baits to fish it with my father and my friend and I was very thankful for the opportunity. However, the invitation came two months before the competition so we had to hurry to gather all the information needed and prepare for the event.
Gathering information:
I had heard about lake Bolsena before fishing there, but had only seen pictures of the lake and angler’s photos with beautiful common carp caught there. I got the basic information from my friend, Sandi, who had spent his vacation at
My pride and joy: This 35.9kg stunner was my personal best
the lake a year before the WCC. He bought the map of the lake with all the depths drawn in. I have to say I was shocked to see that the lake is down to more than 150 metres deep in places. Although I had fished many lakes in many different countries, I had never come across a lake like that. It quickly became clear which sectors I’d like to avoid! To confirm my assumptions I marked
the sectors from last year on the map and wrote in how many fish were caught in each sector. My predictions proved to be right. The shallow water meant chances for success while in the much deeper water you could only hope to catch maybe an individual carp. As ever, being lucky in the draw is always a big factor when it comes to competitions.
Preparing the equipment:
One of the key things when fishing are preparaton and organization and I always pay a lot of attention to that. When we go fishing for a longer period we usually head a few hundreds of
kilometres from home and the worst thing is to arrive at the lake only to realize that we had left one of the most important pieces of tackle at home. Luckily the WCC had already listed must-have equipment in their rules – the things you cannot compete without. It is mostly safety equipment and that has to always be the number one priority.
Well-equipped boat:
For fishing big lakes you must have a good quality boat that is big enough. Without it you won’t even be able to get to some positions that are unreachable by car. The boat has to have an electric engine that is strong enough and you have to ensure you have plenty of back-up batteries for it. Paddles are a must as a back up. When choosing a boat, keep in mind
that big lakes usually mean big waves. A light has to be placed so others can see us and have an appropriate anchor in case of a malfunction of the engine - otherwise you could be carried miles away by the currents. Use of a lifejacket is obligatory.
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