The River Saone

70lberThe River Saone is situated just a short ten minute drive from the Bley estate and is home to most coarse fish species. It's often said that this 480 mile long river is the place in France for Catfish, with records in excess of 150lb - and there's an awful lot of them too!

It's also home to some very BIG carp and fish up to 70lb plus have been caught from the river in the past.

Night fishing is not permitted on all parts of the river, but there are stretches that have been specifically designated for anglers wanting to fish at night. Licences are required by law to fish on the river and these will be taken care of by the CarpRuns team.

The Bley LakeThe pre-baiting of swims is carried out on a regular basis and we are convinced that this is a must if you are to stand any chance of success on this massive expanse of water.

Now we don't pretend to know all the answers about this river, but we do know that location is vital and we have spent many days driving along parts of its route and walking some of its many miles of bank in search of fishable swims, whilst on the lookout for some of its bigger inhabitants.

The river can be from 150 meters wide to over 400 metres wide in some places, and with lily pads, overhanging trees and many features to fish to, it's truly magnificent. The knowledge we have gained from the locals about its changing water levels and seasonal differences has been invaluable to us in accessing its possibilities and its potential.

We are sure that our excursions out from Bley to the Saone will become a very popular feature on our trips in the coming season, and I know that the CarpRuns guides are looking forward to fishing this mighty and exciting river again with some of the more adventurous anglers in our parties. Read Tony's recent article for Whiskers magazine by clicking here.