I received an email from Tony Davies-Patrick the other day asking if I wanted a copy of his latest ‘Carp Adventures France’ DVD to review for the site. The words ‘bears’ and ‘woods’ sprung to mind as I immediately fired off a reply penning a hearty approval!
I must admit to waiting on the post over the coming days with eager anticipation – not a healthy way to pass the hours at the best of times, least of all when in the midst of yet another postal strike, but nonetheless, on an afternoon when the post did finally make it through the door, a packet of DVD-ish proportions immediately caught my eye and I headed straight for the door to investigate further.
On opening up the package lesser mortals might have made straight for the DVD player there and then, however, knowing the likely quality of the two-hour production which I now held in my hands, I decided to put it to one side until I could devote the necessary amount of time required to enjoy what was obviously going to be a full-on visual treat without fear of interruption from work, phone, kids, or the wife!
After a couple of days I’d still not managed to put aside enough time to watch it, work updating www.northwestcarp.co.uk was manic, but more pressing was a heavily pregnant wife who was already overdue with our second and needed to be pampered with comfy pillows and dark chocolate at regular intervals! To make matters worse, every time I sat down at my desk the DVD cover shot of Tony with a couple of stunning French kippers kept looming up at me, not to mention tantalising cover text informing me of the 35lb, 45lb, 55lb and even 65lb plus monsters the DVD was ready to offer up at a moments notice!
Enough was enough. Last night after getting Izaak off to bed, I settled the wife upstairs with a large bar of Dairy Milk and headed back downstairs to hatch my plan. After switching off all the phones, shutting down the pc and bolting the door, I made a brew, crashed on the sofa and hit ‘play’.
Two hours later and the only thought in my head was how long after the imminent birth of our child could I leave it before raising the topic of a session away…
‘A night on the Syndicate Lake, love? No problem.’
‘Err…., no, I was thinking more of a three month sabbatical around France…?’
I can just see her face!
But that’s the problem with reading or viewing any of Tony’s work, it leaves you with a burning desire to drop everything, grab your passport & tackle, and head off into the sunset!
The camera work on this DVD is first rate, nothing less than you’d expect from a guy who’s probably the worlds most travelled angler, and who has searched for big carp in no less then sixty different countries! This second DVD offering from Globetrotter concentrates specifically on France and covers the fishing exploits of Tony himself and other angling companions on Maurepaire, La Horre, Brocard, Lesmont, Jurassica 2, Chateau Moulin, Etang 5, and Croix Blanche. It’s reportage in style and the depth of content varies from venue to venue. On some you get an in depth look at the lake, the swims and the fishing that follows, on others you get more trophy-shot style camera work as some truly outstanding captures are held aloft in all their glory – if you want to see some absolutely awesome lumps in front of the camera, then this DVD is just the ticket!
In addition there is a nice piece following a stalking expedition on a lovely little snag-littered and overgrown water (no surprises for guessing this is one of my favourite bits!). Close up work shows some impressive lumps taking floating breadcrust from just beneath the surface, immediately prior to rods being bent double and line being taken at pace �" all of which makes for excellent viewing!
Of the above named waters, my personal favourite in terms of viewing was Chateau Moulin. There is some outstanding work with the camera and you feel you are right there in the thick of it. What’s more, it’s clear to see the joy which carp fishing can bring as one of the venue’s regulars bags a couple of very special fish from areas of the lake most tend to ignore.
I won’t bang on about weights and numbers – that’s not really what this DVD is about – and quite right too! There are some truly massive lumps, granted, but it’s more to do with soaking up some of the most tranquil and picturesque settings the sport has to offer, and on that score alone this stunning production is worth every penny… and then some!
Julian Grattidge
Carp Adventures France is priced at £16.99 which includes postage and packing.
Available online at: http://www.carpfilms.com/
