By Tuesday morning at Woods Lake, we already had a brilliant start behind us. The second half of our French trip brought more big fish, more time in the boats and a few chaotic evenings before the long journey home.

If you missed the opening days, read France Part 1 for Wayne’s 44lb PB, Foxy’s 50lb common and the monster catfish that got away. This time, Jay’s fortunes changed, Kingy added a PB of his own and the grass carp kept us busy right up to the finish.

Back in the boat to find new spots

The quieter side of Wayne and Foxy’s fishing still felt as though it should be producing more. Some of the areas were snaggy and weedy, while other water looked clearer, so Tuesday started with another trip out to look for different spots.

We also found a gravel-bar area for Jay’s left-hand rod. The week had already shown how much the presentation mattered, and the search continued rather than leaving every rod exactly where it had started.

A quiet spell left time for toast, a barbecue and the usual commentary from the lads. Then, just as we were talking about how little was happening, another rod went. That timing became a familiar theme.

A change in the weather

The weather turned sharply during the afternoon, bringing heavy rain, thunder and lightning. Foxy’s turn on the rods produced a 35lb carp during the downpour, followed by a very wet set of photos.

The storm is part of the film, but the joking commentary should not be read as safety advice. The lads acknowledge on camera that handling fishing rods during an electrical storm is dangerous.

By bedtime it had been a day of work for relatively few carp. There were smaller catfish keeping Old Man River’s alarms busy too, earning him a few comments about becoming the trip’s catman.

Wednesday starts with a mirror

Old Man River’s persistence brought a welcome mirror in the early hours of Wednesday. It broke a quiet spell for his carp fishing and gave us another reason to keep working at the spots.

Breakfast was a more relaxed affair: toasties, coffee and a verdict on the ham-and-cheese croissants. Then it was back to the boat, the bait and getting the rods into position again.

Grass carp keep the action coming

Wayne’s next big fish was a grass carp weighing 44lb 2oz. There was the usual guessing game around the scales, with Kingy calling the weight correctly before the number was confirmed.

Foxy added a 38lb grassy after several attempts to persuade it into the net. The grass carp were welcome fish, although we were starting to hope for more of the chunky commons and mirrors as well.

Kingy also found more action after another look at his spots. The running joke was how often a promising take seemed to turn into yet another grass carp, followed by the lively business of netting and photographing it.

Jay’s 59lb catfish changes his week

Jay had spent a lot of the trip waiting for his fishing to come together. His breakthrough came with a huge catfish battle involving Wayne and the boat, taking the action a long way from the swim.

There was a moment when they thought the fish had been lost in the weed. Eventually, though, they got it back on the bank and weighed it at 59lb.

Jay was clear about how much Wayne’s help mattered. After a frustrating stretch, landing that fish softened the blow and gave him one of the standout memories of the week.

Kingy lands a 40lb PB common

The next busy spell brought bites around the island. Kingy landed a common weighing 40lb on the nose, giving him another personal best to celebrate.

Old Man River also added a 34lb 6oz common during the later stages of the session. With a mirror, grass carp and catfish already in his catches, it completed a varied week on his rods.

Not every take ended in a photo. Weed remained a recurring problem, and later there was discussion about a snapped line and possible mussels in the area. Some battles ended well; others meant resetting and trying again.

Beer of the Session, French edition

It would not be a Fresh Fishing trip without Beer of the Session. This time we tried a keg of blonde beer, with borrowed cups, an assortment of glasses and opinions that ranged from smooth and enjoyable to a rather less flattering aftertaste.

There was no shortage of debate about the scores. A bottle of champagne supplied by Pascal also gave us a chance to celebrate the trip and the PBs together.

The island setup helped make those shared moments a big part of the week. We could fish our own areas and still come together in the social hut. For more on that layout and the facilities, see our Woods Lake guide.

The last big grass carp

As the final day arrived, we began packing equipment away while keeping rods fishing. A late take on the shared fishing produced a 46lb grass carp, a welcome result before departure.

Kingy then had a double take, with both grass carp weighing around 35lb. Even with only a few hours before the early start, the lake was still giving us plenty to do.

Old Man River’s final memorable battle took him around to the next swim, into weed and beneath the trees. It ended with a 36lb grass carp and his first fish landed in daylight during this trip.

One last pack-down and two trophies

The final pack-down was under way around four in the morning. Bivvies were coming down, the remaining rods were being watched and the long drive back to the ferry was waiting.

At the port, Foxy took the biggest-carp trophy for his 50lb common from Part 1. Jay’s 59lb catfish prompted the obvious joke about why the trophy said biggest carp rather than biggest fish.

The other award was the lads’ tongue-in-cheek “Dick of the Week” trophy. After plenty of explanations, interruptions and counter-arguments, Kingy took that one home. All part of the banter, and a fitting final scene for the films.

Would we go back?

We finished with big carp, personal bests, boat battles and plenty of stories. The fishing took effort, particularly around the weed, but the social side of the island made the week feel like a proper trip with the lads.

At the end of the video, we had not booked France for 2027. Watching the footage back had already started to change the conversation, though. Nothing was confirmed, but the enthusiasm for another trip was very much there.