Droitwich angler Chris Roadknight has hit the carping headlines after a trip to France saw him set a new venue record at Island Lake at 81lb 12oz.

Chris fished the venue last year as well when he set a new personal best with the second biggest fish at the venue 70 miles south of Paris – a 67-pounder.

This time he fished at 135-yards range over a gravel area he’d baited up with Sticky Baits Krill boilies, tempting the big mirror on a 20mm boilie fished in conjunction with a combi rig.

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Chris, who used to run Spa Baits but is now sponsored by Sticky Baits, landed the fish himself in the dark and it was so big that when he came to lift the net up, he thought it had snagged the bottom.

“It was only then I realised how huge the fish was,” he told me. “There were fish showing in other parts of the lake, but I set my stall out to fish away from them as I figured that the big females would want to be away from where the males were showing off. And it paid off big time.

Island Lake near the villas of Bazoches-les-Bray about four hours from Calais is jointly run by Mick Hall, who was one of the pioneers of the early days of carp fishing on Lake Cassien. About 20 acres in size, it’s set in 40 acres of mature tranquil woodland.

The lake has been given time to mature over some 37 years, and it’s been run as a carp fishery for a decade. Although not classed as an easy water by any means, there are caprures of 40lb and 50lb carp most weeks. More information at http://www.theislandlakefrance.co.uk.