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It always amazes me why people still decide to travel by coach or car to France nowadays - all that packing and preparation and then, of course, all the travelling by road and boat – when, after a short flight of just over an hour, you can arrive by plane at Rodez airport in the south west of France. Ok, it’s a small airport and there’s not much to do but that's to your advantage.

Bags and luggage are delivered in minutes and, before you know it, you’re in a luxurious people carrier on a short drive to the fantastic lake they call Lac Chateau Cavagnac.

On arrival, you are greeted by the warm and welcoming staff who have prepared food and drinks for everyone - normally a beer is on hand to celebrate all the new arrivals.

While taking in the superb beauty of the place, David, the head bailiff, runs through the brief but sensible rules. To be fair, they are there for your own safety as well as for paramount fish care. The fish are big and need to be treated carefully and with respect at all times.

You then are taken for a trip in a boat around the lake and David explains where fish have been caught recently and where the HOT SPOTS are. Take note - this boy really knows his stuff and knows the lake like the back of his hand.

Once in your desired swim, it's down to you to start working and catching those huge fish. With all the major fishing tackle supplied all you need is to take your reels, alarms, terminal tackle and of course your sleeping bag. I found I didn't see much of my bag as most of the fish seemed to be coming out during the night. With the lake being around 50 acres in size there is lots of water to search for interesting spots on the lake bed. This can be done by using the boats supplied. Using the markers as prodders you will soon find different depths and silt patches that will take your fancy.

During the year the lake can get weedy and, although the guys work very hard to keep the weed at bay, it’s inevitable that with hot sun combined with rich water content, experiencing the weed will be a possibility. Use this to your advantage. From a small number of swims, casting a bait out is not possible but with the use of the boats supplied you can place your bait, spot on the money, and ensure precision baiting ever time. With the lily pads in full fettle and the weed at full strength it is highly recommended that a safe rig is used at all times. No running leads or systems where the lead might drop off. You have to be sure every time. This might mean that you lose a few leads but, hey, what's the price compared to the chance of a 60lb carp? Three kilos of my weight allowance, on the flight, were leads and I still had to get more from the on-site tackle store.

I always use the Armaled Lockjaw clip. I find this fail-safe and, combining this system with a strong leader of leadcore or flouro, and a sensible line of 15lb and above, you won't be going far wrong. The line that always fills me with confidence is Nash Bullet. Although not the thinnest line on the shelf, the pure brute strength of this line will see that you won't lose the fish of a life-time to a snap off.

This year, I took my friend, Glen, for his first taste of French fishing. A few years back, Glen was involved in a bad crash that left him disabled. To be honest, I was a little concerned that he wouldn't cope very well and, not having fished with him before, I didn't know how he went about catching his fish with his disability. With around four of the swims being ‘disabled friendly’ and the staff willing to help with everything, and anything, his week was made up and although he struggled to find the net until the Wednesday he finally managed to break his PB later on the week with a nice 29lb common. Not the biggest fish in the lake but it sure put a smile on his face and at the end of the day isn't that what it's all about?

The Lac Cav commons are lean, mean, fighting machines with long bodies and massive tails. You sure know when you’ve hooked one. As I said before, I found that most of the fish came out during the night. Let me try and explain the buzz I get when getting a run at night. Some people may be put off by the thought of using a boat while fishing, especially when its 3am and the only light you have is your Petzel. I don't. I absolutely love it. After hearing the Delkim scream off, you connect with an unknown fish of anything up to 63lb then, after placing your life jacket on, you climb into your boat and, although being unsure of your surroundings, you slowly make your way across to where the fish is stranded - or to where the fish decides to take you.

Mozzis and moths hitting your headlamp and the mist rolling off the water, all add to the intense feeling of the situation. With the carp powering up and down in the deep murky water, trying to control the fish is very hard and exhausting. You can end up being towed around by these monsters! After a tiring battle between you and the fish, and having ended up 40 yards from your swim, it’s over and the monster comes near to the boat. Slowly placing the net under a fish is a great achievement. The battle is won!

Everyday you report back to the lodge for food, drinks and a good old chat on last night's events. There is always something to chat about. It's never dull. There's always something to keep you busy. Remember, this lake is 50 acres in size so move if you think the fish are elsewhere. Don't just plonk your gear in a swim and say that's it - maybe the fish will find you, maybe they won't. I guess that goes for all fishing. Of course, a good bait and a smart presentation always helps but, without doubt, a key factor to catching carp - home or abroad - is location so be prepared to move. With bivvies and bedchairs in each swim, it's so easy you might - if you’re lucky - get the bailiffs to help you - so take advantage!

After a fantastic week, I’m sure you won't want to leave. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.