All that time spent gathering your gear together, do I need this and shall I need that? The decisions go on and on, not to mention the extra visits to the tackle shop… just in case. Is this ringing any bells with you?

Then of course there is the actual drive itself, the booking of the channel crossing, the fuel and the toll road charges. All of these things can turn a simple holiday into a mini expedition in regards of preparation.

So, what is the alternative?

Well, with the cost of flights being at an all-time low, you can now fly to France on the budget airlines for a fraction of what it would cost you to drive a few hours through France.

Last year was the first time I had done this myself; I flew out to Limoges to catch up with Neil Shipman and shoot a little footage of his incredibly tranquil and beautiful venue, Quarry Bank Carp Pool. My return flight cost less than the car parking at the airport!

This really opened my eyes to just how much money I had saved. I’m no stranger to flying with my tackle – having flown into the U.S.A. Slovenia and Italy in the past to fish – but this had always involved paying excess baggage allowances to be able to take a lot of my own gear. Having flown without my gear to Quarry Bank this time and seeing the quality of the fishing gear already sat waiting there, I have started to think much more seriously about flying in and not bothering to take all my own kit.

May 2019, I boarded a plane to fly into the same Limoges airport to try a fly in angling visit to Neil’s friends lake, Étang Caché, and Neil met me there too for a marvelous couple of days. This was my very first ‘fly in’ where I was to use the fishery gear and all I needed to pack of my own, other than spare clothes, was a sleeping bag, reels, terminal tackle, alarms and a torch.

Never once did I feel that I was compromising in any way. The bivvies, beds, chairs, rods and everything else were perfect for the job and that is from someone who has been spoiled with top of the range gear for years.

So, will I do it again?

You bet I will, I was sat at home Saturday lunch and was angling at Étang Caché by late afternoon.

Best fishes,
Shaun Harrison