A Complete Guide To ‘The Great Escape’
The final episode of The Great Escape is upon us (☹️) and this time we’re off to Italy! Dave Levy and Jay Cater visit the banks of Salasco and Aquatica while catching some mega carp during their adventure…
As we bid farewell to the series, and to get you in the mood for the final big-carp angling adventure, we thought that we’d give you a recap of every episode of The Great Escape there has been.
For those of you who are new around here, The Great Escape is a feature-length film series in which we aim to give you carp fishing tips and tricks to help you in your own angling. Top carp anglers Dave Levy, Dan Hawkes and Jay Cater travel to some of the most amazing carp angling venues that Europe has to offer, as we document their trips from start to finish. Not only are you guaranteed to see carp caught live for the camera, but there are some absolute ‘monster carp’ landed during the filming. Personal bests are smashed, there are plenty of highs, some lows too, but plenty of laughs to be had along the way as well.
So, whether you’re new to the series or a TGE veteran, here’s a rundown of what we’ve got up to so far ahead of the final episode:
Season 1
Episode 1:
The Location: Iktus Main Lake, France
The Challenge: Eating Challenge (not the nice kind)
Funny Moment: There were plenty of pranks to go around this time round!
Biggest Fish: The biggest carp was a 53lb mirror, however, there was a surprise sturgeon along the way that clocked in at over 130lb!
To say the boys were giddy to get out on the first episode of TGE is an understatement! Pranks and funny antics galore. To accompany this, the boys land some mega carp and Jay lands himself a 130lb sturgeon! This mega French water was a crazy start to The Great Escape!
Episode 2:
The Location: Carplantis, The Netherlands
The Challenge: Two challenges for you this time… Go-karting and cycling… in clogs
Funny Moment: Well the cycling in clogs takes some topping!
Biggest Fish: 49lb
Dave, Dan and Jay battle tough weather on this Dutch venue but that doesn’t stop them from landing some incredible carp up to 49lb. We double up on the challenges for this episode bringing the action on four and two wheels. First of all, the guys battle it out on track in go-karts before ditching the engines for pedal power as they compete on bikes. But obviously, we didn’t want to make it too easy for them so of course we made them wear clogs! When in The Netherlands, right?
Episode 3:
The Location: Abbey Lakes, France
The Challenge: Left blindfolded and penniless the boys have to navigate their way back to a finish line, the first one back wins!
Funny Moment: Dave wasn’t happy when Jay moved into the swim next door, I can’t bring myself to type the rest!
Biggest Fish: 64lb
A quick start, wall to wall carp and plenty of 50 & 60lb fish make this episode one to remember. TGE visits the Abbey Lakes complex for the first time with Dave setting up on Heron Lake and Jay and Dan setting up on Kingfisher Lake… Until they decided to move in on Dave’s spot! A tough, exhausting challenge tops off this episode.
Episode 4:
The Location: Zajarki, Croatia
The Challenge: The boys go apple bobbing… Except in our version, we replace water with glug and apples with 3oz leads.
Funny Moment: See above. Our guys won’t be doing that one again any time soon!
Biggest Fish: 78lb
This lake offers up unbelievable carp, of which Dan, Dave and Jay land a serious amount. This episode will go down in The Great Escape folklore as the episode where Dan Hawkes lands his massive 78lb PB mirror. His reaction is one that reminded us all what fishing is all about! Oh, and the challenge was “the worst we’ve ever done” – Jay Cater
Episode 5:
The Location: Carp Dream Lake, Hungary
The Challenge: Eating challenge… This time it’s spicy
Funny Moment: Jay gets his payback from episode 3!
Biggest Fish: 50lb
This one was tough… The boys approach Carp Dream Lake in Hungary, a lake of which they have little to no knowledge of. Facing an entirely blank canvas Jay, Dan and Dave have to use their best angling abilities in order to catch some cracking fish from this tricky venue.
Episode 6:
The Location: Sumbar, Croatia
The Challenge: It’s another eating challenge!
Funny Moment: This time it’s the turn of the camera crew to take on the challenge. The boys finally get their payback!
Biggest Fish: 67lb
We return to the lake where Dave Levy caught his mega 88lb PB! This Croatian venue stocks some ridiculous fish and our guys do an unbelievable job of hauling some mega fish.
Season 2:
Episode 1:
The Location: Weston Park, UK
The Challenge: Yep, you guessed it… It’s an eating challenge
Funny Moment: Jay decides to have a little mess around with Dan and Dave’s swims
Biggest Fish: 30lb+
We stay on British soil for this one! This time Jay, Dan and Dave tackle Weston Park in the UK. Check out this episode to see how they cope on home turf and offer some great advice for your UK fishing.
Episode 2:
The Location: Lac De Pierre-Châtel, France
The Challenge: White water rafting
Funny Moment: The loser of the challenge had a very unwelcome forfeit!
Biggest Fish: 41lb
You won’t find anywhere with more stunning scenery than The Alps. If you are partial to a spot of fishing for some proper French carp with an absolutely incredible backdrop, then this episode is the one for you.
Episode 3:
The Location: Lake Orellana, Spain
The Challenge: Paintball
Funny Moment: Paintball didn’t end well for Dan!
Biggest Fish: 48lb
The biggest lake yet. The toughest lake yet. The longest episode yet. This one is not to be missed. With 30 miles of open water, Lake Orellana provided the toughest challenge The Great Escape has ever produced, but our guys really made the most of it, and came out on top!
Episode 4:
The Location: Abbey Lakes (Attila), France
The Challenge: The Chilly Willy Rig Challenge (don’t ask)
Funny Moment: Check out the end of the episode for some hilarious bloopers!
Biggest Fish: 70lb
This one was a belter! Dan, Dave and Jay are once again accompanied by James Armstrong as they head back to the Abbey Lakes complex in France, this time attacking Attila lake. After a mega session, Dave Levy landed not one but TWO lake records! He put his net under the biggest common in the lake and the biggest mirror! Also, stick around until the very end of the episode to see James Armstrong get a proper PB soaking!
Up next Jay and Dave take on Salasco and Aquatica in Italy in this last ever episode of The Great Escape. The last hoorah, the last dance. You best believe that the guys made this final episode one to remember. Plenty of massive carp and an adrenaline-fuelled challenge made this episode a fitting farewell to our beloved series. So, make sure you check out the final episode of The Great Escape along with the rest of the episodes for some fun, carp filled adventures.
