30 June, 2025
The first time at the venue . With the bait ordered it didn’t take long for the first bite,
Despite being a hot week 31°C, there was a good amount of bites. Even though the carp spawned the week before.
Largest common 21lb, put up a fantastic fight.
Lots high teens both mirrors and commons
Cooler Early evening fishing but no sign of the catfish .
30 June, 2025
A week extrem in term of weather with storms, rain and heatwave for these 2 anglers came at Authentic lake!
But at least 30 carps between 22 to 54lbs !!!
congratulations!!!
28 June, 2025
I ended up week with 9 fish topped with 45lb 8, 43lb 11, 37lb 5 and 32lb 1. The fish are all in such good condition and given how lake fished more than happy with my results👌🏻
The food package was also excellent.
Andy C
28 June, 2025
15 carp landed between 30 and 66lbs
28 June, 2025
50 carp landed between 25 to 58lbs
28 June, 2025
Despite the extreme temperatures a good week had by all.
28 June, 2025
A good week with Ryno coming out spawned out just under 60lbs
26 June, 2025
41,12 lbs
43 lbs
44,15 lbs
42 lbs
33 lbs
23,10 lbs
and grass carp 31,10 lbs
for John during an amazing warm wather
“I had a fantastic week thank you hope to see you soon!”
What else…
26 June, 2025
Philipp came for a short trip of 3 days but he had the chance to meet several of famous carps of Cheshire lake !!!
Carps until 54 lbs….
26 June, 2025
Very hot weather for Eddy but 8 big carps caught until 48 lbs!!!
He presents us 3 of them only because he was alone and it was difficult to catch correctly carps caught during the night…
26 June, 2025
Carps very nervous before spawning but big mums for all!!
with 2 big 50 lbs +++
26 June, 2025
I had an awesome week at the lake as always! Plenty of work got done, plenty of fish were caught and quality time was spent with Malc.
Clock-watching until my next trip…
26 June, 2025
Michael and Jarko have just finished their yearly trip with us. Both caught lots of fish including a pb each. Well done guys, see you next year!
26 June, 2025
The lake has fished really well over the last few weeks with the growth rates being incredible. Going from strength to strength
26 June, 2025
A couple of lovely ones from last week.
26 June, 2025
A couple of weeks ago Matt and Nick came out to help us clear some snags and fallen trees etc. they absolutely worked their socks off but in between the work they managed to get amongst a few gooduns!
Thanks so much for your help guys, see you later in the year.
26 June, 2025
As promised, some catch shots from last week. A decent result considering the weather in the early part of the week. Well done guys.
23 June, 2025
18 carp landed
3 x 50lbs
15 x 40lbs
Biggest 54lbs
21 June, 2025
Roman and Luca had a hard weeks fishing due to the very hot weather but they still managed to catch a few and Roman got a new PB. Dynamite’s peppered squid 🦑 working well.
16 June, 2025
Jason joined us this week for his first french trip and joined two regulars Tim and Dean.
The wind was blowing a strong westerly prior to there arrival and Jay didn’t have many in his swim but managed a brace of 28lb fish Dean caught within a hour of chucking out landing a nice 39lb lump. Tim had to wait a while longer but banked a long mirror at 44lb just after Jason landed the shamrock atv44lb also a brace of 44lb fish with 20 minutes of each other. Jason was made up with his forty smashing his pb by 16lb. He also went on to bag 5 more over 30lb upto 35.8lb . Tim managed a few more the highlight being 38lb leather Dean also managed a few more banking a 36lb common and 37lb mirror aswell.as few more over 40lb and 3 x29lb mirrors. The lads came as strangers and left as good friends and hope to plan a trip together in the future.
16 June, 2025
Stuart and Peter joined us last week from dream carp holidays for there first visit. Conditions were perfect with overcast days and temperatures of around 20° both lads smashed there pbs with them both catching spawned out fish at 39lb that would normally go 40× Stuart switched from peg 2 to 3 then back to 2 and banked 13 fish 5 x 30lb + 3 over 35lb the rest were twenty upto 29lb with 2 small catfish which were removed. Snail and coconut cream bollies doing the business for him. Pete was off to a flyer catching straight away with a 32lb mirror bit it slowed later after the wind swung around when he should of moved to peg 4 but stuck it out again 4 fish over 30lb to 39lb and the half linear at 37.8lb normally low forty and another 37lb mirror a couple of twentys at 39lb and 28lb and a 16lb stocky. Great lads to have on and both ea t to return when Peters had a knee replacement.
15 June, 2025
Ashley Doggett had a amazing week 3 pbs up to 44lb
11 June, 2025
Where do I start….
Just spent a fantastic week at La Petite Martiniere – 53500 french carp fishing with Luke Bonas (24-31 May).
It was our first time in France and we chose this lake due to its size and exclusivity. It turned out that we made a very good choice
We caught a total of 27 fish, with Luke on 16 and me on 11.
Sonubaits Oozing Spicy Sausage pellets proved deadly for Luke, with all of his fish falling to these (over plenty of house boilies & pellet). The spicy sausage pellets smelled and looked great after 10 hours in the water.
I mainly used house boilies and pellet and we got through about 45kg between us (including some particle and 4 tins of sweetcorn).
My advice would be –
1. Listen to Matt and ask lots of questions.
2. The fish eat loads so don’t scrimp on bait.
3. TAKE THE FOOD PACKAGE it was way beyond our expectations with Matt creating stunning dishes befitting of high end restaurants (the photos don’t do it justice). The ingredients were fresh, top quality and you could tell that Matt really cares about the dishes he serves up. The food was amazing and incredibly good value for money.
Matt and Natasha work incredibly hard to deliver the best possible experience and it was a pleasure to spend time with them both on the bank and over some food on the last night. They absolutely smashed it!
We can’t wait to come back and are in the process of working out a date for next year – assuming there’s something left!
11 June, 2025
First timers to La Petite Coquais this week Chris and his partner Jess booked us for our superb luxury cottage and all it has to offer for Jess the hot tub ,pool and pool table and also our great new lakeside cabins on all main swims so no need for bivvys as they have fridges , lights , USB charging points , electric and kettles . Chris was after some of our stunning scaley mirrors and a first time Sturgeon. Just 2 weeks since the carp spawned and Saturday and Sunday was slow but with a weather change on Monday the fish came on the feed and plenty of new pbs for Jess and Chris. 18 fish to the net on our new Karper baits scz sweetcorn boilies fished snowman style on spinner rigs over our house particle and pellet doing the business.
10 June, 2025
Was not an easy week with only 5 people on the lake , you need to have a few more to move the fish around . we ended following the fish all week to try and get a bite. In the end we have 10 fish but lost the Cat two times after 25 min fights. Spotted the sturgeon a few time just cruising around the lake.
2 x 50s best was 52.
5 x 40s best 46.8
1x 30
2 x 20
L overly lake but the cray fish a a big problem and we had to re think the whole approach to trying to keep our baits .
Will fish the lake again just with a few more people but also with new tactics , David the owner was great and helped every day
09 June, 2025
First timers Gordon & Zoe had a tough week due to fish spawning. They still managed to catch a couple. Belle made new friends as did we and they have already booked to return next year. Dynamite’s peppered squid 🦑 doing its job. We are taking bookings for 2026 don’t miss out.
09 June, 2025
24th-31st may
This week we had the Walsh family join us, after a very slow previous week due to the spawning the lake came alive this week with 37 fish being caught in total this included 3*40’s to 44lb 9*30’s to 38lb and numerous upper 20’s and also 3 pike
04 June, 2025
Swim hut2 and swim 5 was active the last days and some locals anglers come back for a second time and caught some good fish.
À, total of 10 fish both including koï and fish close to 40 lbs.
The group on hut 2 appreciated the comfort of the accommodation.
04 June, 2025
9 carp total
2 x 50lb
3 x 40LB
4 x 30lb
Biggest 56lb
03 June, 2025
A good week had with some nice fish caught.
03 June, 2025
NEW LAKE RECORD!!!
Josh Tranter has just landed the beautiful Tarte-aux-pommes from post 14, at a staggering new weight of 72lb exactly!!
This is the lakes first confirmed 70lb+ fish, and it’s great to see Tarte doing so well just before spawning. Here’s hoping that the other high 60’s are close behind. Well done Josh! Better photos will follow
03 June, 2025
Three lads booked the lake last week and had a great session, this is just a few of there catches.
First two pics are John Tranter with a 55lb mirror and a 49lb mirror
Third and fourth pics are Josh Tranter with the record Tarte aux Pomme at 72lbs ( covered in the previous post) and a lovely 53lb mirror
And lastly Colin with a superb PB common at 49lb 4oz
Well done lads
03 June, 2025
And finally from last week here we have Danny Fenton, who had a stunning week on post 6, landing 33 fish with 2 x 50s to 54lb
Here are just a few of the many fish that he landed
Well done mate
03 June, 2025
So last week we saw some nice fish being landed, all be it, the Lake still slow to produce ( not helped by high pressure a cool nights )
However the party leader Adam Taylor was happy with a lovely 59lb mirror and 59lb common
Well done mate
03 June, 2025
The first week of the season saw a great group of lads on their first visit to the lake.
The fishing however was very slow and not helped by a long chilly winter, which would explain the fish not as active as normal this time of the year.
Despite this, a few lovely fish where still caught.
Here we have Gary Ball with a beautiful 52lb mirror caught from post 14
03 June, 2025
Catch report Saussaie
1×20 3 x 30 1 x 40
Difficult week on Saussaie, but the lads still managed a few bites, 5 fish out up to 40lb.
Also a big shout out to them because the lads leave the place very very clean
03 June, 2025
Catch report Saussaie last week;
3x 50s up to 52,10
1x 40s
4x 30
5x 20s
03 June, 2025
Catch report Saussaie
Well done to the lads, with extremely hot weather. Fished well. And congratulations on the pbs!!
4x fish
1x 71lb 6oz
1x 50
1x 30
1x 20
03 June, 2025
Well done to the lads on Saussaie this week, with 3 50lb fish and 2 pbs broken!
Catch report Saussaie week ending 19th of April
54lb
54lb
54.2lb
30lb
29lb
27lb
26lb
26lb
03 June, 2025
Catch report Baleine.
3x 60s to 63lb
3x 50s
7 x40s
10x 30s
11 x 20s
03 June, 2025
Another great week on Baleine, well done to the lads from Liverpool, smashed it……
65 fish in total……
1x 63
3x 50s
18 x 40s
24x 30s
20x 20s
It was a pleasure to meet you all, look forward to seeing you next year.
03 June, 2025
What a great week the guys had on Lac Baleine, with 54 fish landed;
3x 50s
27x 40s,
11x 30s.
Rest 20s.
Well angled lads. The fish are definitely starting to wake up.
03 June, 2025
#lacbaleine is slowly coming to life again this week with 29 fish landed Upto 55lb
Well angled considering the massive change in day and night temperatures
1 x 50
4 x 40s
Rest 30’s and few 20s
03 June, 2025
What a great opening week the guys had on #lacbaleine 23 fish landed including
3 x 50s to 58lb
7 x 40s
Great angling 👌
03 June, 2025
25 carp out for the 2 Dutch Anglers fishing this week.
1 had 2 x 50s, 4 x 40s, 2 x30 and the other anglert Theo had 15 carp to over 50lbs. Still waiting to get Theo’s photos.
03 June, 2025
Brilliant week fishing Frazer was a great host and the food was good
02 June, 2025
Well after spawning we had a group on from dream carp holidays. Not the most experienced of anglers but they got amongst a few but should of had more 3 pbs broke biggest out 43lb from peg 3 . The 2 young lads hadn’t fished for more than 48hours before and the heat got to them by Thursday so they cut there trip short by 2 days. I fished the Friday myself for 8 hours as it was my birthday and had 6 fish to 41lb a 3 30s to 37lb and a couple of smaller ones. The lads should of used the house bait but brought there own shelflife bollies which didn’t help . The fish in foxpool are used to quality fresh frozen baits and the house baits out fish all baits as there used to seeing more of it and it’s quality bait. The 2 older lads want to return next year as they were reluctant to leave but they all said they enjoyed there first french adventure. We have been closed for 2 weeks after spawning to give the fish a break and have 2 more dch guys come on Saturday and both have already broke there pbs with fish upto 39lb out so far but I expect more to come as conditions look perfect.
02 June, 2025
❤️💙HONEYMOON COUPLE❤️💙 Jon and Abi had a cracking week with Abi smashing her PB and making a new lake record of 54lbs 6oz. Between them they had a total of 23 carp with many over 40lbs. They also found time to revisit the village where they got engaged last year and to go to Lac Pardoux for some paddle boarding. They came as customers and left as friends. It was a honour to have you here on your honeymoon.
Abi Elsom & Jon Elsom
Dynamite’s Complex T and yellow pop ups made the week. We are taking booking for next year don’t miss out.
02 June, 2025
24th-31st may
This week we had the Walsh family join us, after a very slow previous week due to the spawning the lake came alive this week with 37 fish being caught in total this included 3*40’s to 44lb 9*30’s to 38lb and numerous upper 20’s and also 3 pike
01 June, 2025
Big session this week at the Lodge swim!
Two anglers landed over 45 fish, including several carp over 45lbs ! 💥
With Eddy Sterckx bait and 200lbs of boilies and pellet in the water, the action was nonstop!
The result? An epic session… and they’re already booking their next trip! 🙌
👉 Proof that at etang Furet , it’s not just luck—it’s quality.
01 June, 2025
🎣🔥 Camalo this week: 5 anglers, exclusive booking, and some serious action on the rods!
Despite tough weather — shifting conditions and blazing heat — they still landed 5 stunning carp, including monsters of 59,8lbs , 42lbs , 33lbs ! 💥
We suggested spreading out across different swims to boost their chances… but they stuck to the Cabin and Kube to keep the social vibes going. 😎
Sometimes strategy > comfort — but hey, it was all about good times and solid catches!
Ready for your own session?
31 May, 2025
On arrival we were blown away by the cabins position it really feels secluded. The inside is really modern and homely feeling. The outside space is very good and the hot tub is a great addition to overlook the lakes below.The children enjoyed the abundance of tadpoles, dragon flies and even the little coypu family.
The fishing was tricky to start with only a few of the mid double to low twenties coming out.It went a little quiet for a full day and we feared the worst but that night it kicked off and we fished hard from there.They do like abit of bait that’s for sure, not piling it in too early is key. We did get through almost 30 kilo of boilie and particle on top.We finished with 33 carp to 38lbs 3 went 30+ mostly average weight of 24lbs,The grassy went 29lbs. Lost around 8 between 2 of us and we fished every day with breaks in between to enjoy the terrace etc. Merci Tudor and we will see you soon !
28 May, 2025
Unforgettable Experience at Cottage Lake! 🎣
We had the pleasure of welcoming a local customer who came with his family to discover our Cottage Lake. He wanted to enjoy our fully equipped safari tent and accessible fishing, with the chance to catch our beautiful carp. He notably caught two stunning koi carp, one miror carp weighing 40 pounds, along with several other carp ranging from 10 to 35 pounds. A memorable 3 days for the whole family.
28 May, 2025
Changeable weather meant that Peter had a hard start to the week but persistence paid off and he ended up landing 10 fish up 21kg. Dynamite’s peppered squid doing its job.
28 May, 2025
2 New PB,s upto 40.07 and naming an unknown 30 with “Lawley”!
Well done Gary and Shaun! Great fishing!
28 May, 2025
We are thrilled to share the feedback from one of our clients who booked the VIP kube swim on our Étang Camalo. For a week, he enjoyed an incredible fishing experience, catching over 10 carp, with the last three weighing between 45 and 50 pounds! 🐟🏆
He found that using sweet corn was the secret to attracting these magnificent fish. A memorable experience that showcases all the potential of our pond for fishing enthusiasts seeking big catches. Come try your luck and experience a unique adventure at Étang Camalo!
28 May, 2025
James group feed back
We had 23 fish in the end averaging from 22lb-39lb, didn’t take some pictures as they were at night thanks for a great fishing trip.
28 May, 2025
21 fish average 35lb
3 fish up 50lb biggest 58lb
8 fish up 40 lb
28 May, 2025
Gary & Foz arrived to a cooler.weeks weather with temps in the teens and round 2 of spawning half way through the week. Despite this, Foz did his PB twice through the week with mirrors of 44 and 45lb 8oz, whilst Gary did his PB with a cracking 51lb mirror too
28 May, 2025
We had Richard and paddy join us this week unfortunately for them the fish started spawning a day before their arrival. They managed to pull out 3 fish two 30 plus commons and a 24 mirror. Was not able to get any photos either which was a bit of a shame. All being well that’s the spawning over for this year
28 May, 2025
A slower week but still lots of good fish caught.
28 May, 2025
A few of the Beautiful carp caught during this week, with Ash landing a perfect 33lb mirror and Garrath our freindly 40lb sturgeon.
28 May, 2025
WHAT A WEEK HERE AT BLUEDART Anton & Matt landing 22 carp both heading home with new PBs. Grassy 48lb & the German at 54lb. Five 40+, six 30+ & a good few high 20s. Dynamite’s peppered squid wafters fished over house pellets mixed with 15mm boilies done the job.
28 May, 2025
Smithy & Angela had a good week with better weather and.the full moon in the middle of their week. Angela did her PB with a 50lb mirror, along with 5 30’s & 2 20’s, whilst Smithy had 4 40’s, 1 30 & 1 20
28 May, 2025
Despite the first tranch of spawning for.the 2025 season kicking off on the 2nd May, Paul and Wayne had a great trip with Paul doing his PB common of 62lb, along with 2 40’s, 2 30’s & 2 20’s. Wayne had a common of 53lb along with 3 40’s, 2 30’s & 5 20’s
28 May, 2025
Very changeable weather all week and tough fishing conditions, Graham did his PB with a 51lb common and Vinnie had a mid 40 mirror
28 May, 2025
Colin and Alex suffered from some biblical rain and flooding but the bites came steadily through the week with fish upto 59lb
28 May, 2025
Damien and Alan arrived with a week involving better winds from the south and slightly warmer nights. Damien started off his week with a new PB Mirror of 47lb, followed by a PB Common of 51lb and then obliterated both with a brute of a mirror just shy of 58lb. Alan did his PB with a 41lb 8oz mirror too
28 May, 2025
A fantastic week for Andrew, Lee, Billy and Evan. All catching a good selection of Carp in some pretty wet and windy conditions
28 May, 2025
I lost count of the number of fish Brendans group had but they all had some big fish and some really lovely ones amongst them! Mid 50’s being the biggest fish of the week
28 May, 2025
Brett and dad came and had a great week in swims 4 and 5 with plenty of bites and fish to low 50’s.
28 May, 2025
Spring just starting to come through however the week was dominated with a cold North Easterly wind until the final day when it swang round to a South Easterly. John had 2 upper 40 mirrors at 48 & 46lb, along with ½ zip & full zip Linear mirrors, with Matt saving the blank with a lovely little scaley mirror on the last night
28 May, 2025
Spring just starting to come through however the week was dominated with a cold North Easterly wind until the final day when it swang round to a South Easterly. John had 2 upper 40 mirrors at 48 & 46lb, along with ½ zip & full zip Linear mirrors, with Matt saving the blank with a lovely little scaley mirror on the last night
28 May, 2025
Rob & Frank only fished days due to the cold weather for the 4 days they where here. Rob had a beautiful little scaley in the 20’s whilst Frank had a chunky upper 30 mirror and a cracker callee “Shoulders” which was 8oz off being a 50lb fish
28 May, 2025
Our regulars Colin and Darren had some nice fish 1st week of the season but none of the big girls showed with fish to upper 40
28 May, 2025
40lb common
28lb common
22lb common
23 May, 2025
In a sport awash with variables and choice, it’s perhaps the use of bait that gives most anglers cause to stop and think. As your hand wavers over your throwing stick or dithers next to your catapult the fundamental question remains – am I putting out too much, or too little?
Carp, of course, can’t tell us the answer directly, but you can build up a feel for what is ‘just right’ on any given session using a mix of experience and trial and error. This is simpler on well-stocked venues where a rise or fall in the number of expected bites is easier to detect and put into patterns, but the carp’s behaviour on trickier waters can also tell you when you’re getting it wrong or right.
Before anything else you need to be familiar with the perils of baiting too heavily or too lightly. Not enough bait can lessen the attraction of your spots and fail to alert carp to the feast on offer. It can also fail to hold carp that do get their heads down on your areas. This means grazing, nomadic shoals could finish off your freebies and drift off to another area before you’ve maximised your chances of getting the most from the feeding spell.
If you introduce too much, statistically speaking you lessen the chances of a fish picking up your hookbait, but you might also create an area that looks too much like a blatant trap, thus spooking the fish. On some waters you also run the risk of attracting nuisance species. In extreme cases, uneaten bait left for weeks on the lakebed can rot and produce water-quality problems and create no-go zones for the fish.
So, what can you do to fall in the sweet spot between too little and too much? Firstly, you can listen to one of the few cliches in angling which actually makes perfect sense – you can put more bait in, but you can’t take any out. What does this glib (but useful) saying mean in practice? It reminds you that taking a gentle, little-by-little approach to baiting is advisable unless you’re absolutely sure of the carp’s appetite.
A standard approach that works so well for day-ticket masters like Tom Maker is to begin your session by introducing some bait – say, six to 10 Spombs – then be guided by what happens next. If you start getting bites from carp, tench or bream, the chances are that at least a few fish are on the spot and feeding, so you’ll need to replenish the area. If action isn’t forthcoming, you won’t want to add too much extra bait, but one or two Spombs, or a few catapult pouches, full of bait can trigger a feeding response thanks to the sound and attraction of fresh loosefeed entering the water. If you start getting multiple takes, then you can obviously increase how much you’re putting in, but pay close attention to any patterns that form. Note down whether introducing some more bait can kickstart your swim, or whether it actually delays bites, and work out when the likely bite time is.
The exact same approach can be applied to whether you are fishing a day ticket lake in the UK where you don’t know how much bait is already in the swim, or on a holiday lake in France where you do know how much bait the previous weeks anglers have applied.
Using high-quality boilies, such as those offered by DNA Baits, is crucial for several reasons —primarily among them being fish health. Premium bait provides a balanced blend of ingredients designed to supply carp with the essential nutrients they need for healthy growth and long-term wellbeing.
The second reason is directly tied to the first: better bait leads to better results. Simply put, using top-tier boilies typically results in catching more fish.
Carp are naturally inquisitive and will sample a variety of items from the lake bed in their search for food. This explains why artificial hook baits, like imitation corn or plastic maggots, can sometimes be effective. However, while carp are curious, they’re also highly sensitive. Low-quality bait lacks the appeal and staying power needed to consistently attract them. Inferior options are often dismissed as non-viable food sources.
One major difference lies in the composition. Quality boilies are usually made with nutrient-rich animal and insect meals, which are high in amino acids—key compounds that emit powerful feeding signals in the water. In contrast, cheaper boilies tend to rely on plant-based flours, which lack the same nutritional profile and attraction.
Additionally, many premium boilies are infused with natural liquids during the production process. These may include marine extracts, liver-based solutions, or bloodworm infusions. Being water-soluble, these liquids significantly boost the bait’s dispersal properties, making it easier for carp to detect. Top-tier formulations also feature potent attractants and appetite enhancers such as betaine, yeast extracts, aminol, and pre-digested fish meals—ingredients that further elevate their effectiveness.
Whether you’re fishing a well-stocked runs water or a rock-hard gravel pit, knowing when bite time is can be vital. It’s obviously easier to work this out on the former type of venue, but a bit of research can help put you on the right track at the latter. Once you know when the optimum time for bites is, you can really use this to plan your baiting approach. Received wisdom suggests you should bait up ahead of bite time, not during it. This creates minimal disturbance when you believe fish will be feeding in your area, but of course you can replenish the spot if you start to get takes. It’s probably advisable not to keep on piling bait in as you get towards the end of the predicted feeding window and it may well depend on what type of baiting you’re using, and the presence of other species, as to how far in advance you feed your spot.
Another couple of things to consider are the actual mechanics of bait introduction. For instance, if it’s a windy day or your lake is deep and prone to undertow, bear in mind that lighter baits can drift quite significantly away from your spot once they hit the water. On calm days or in shallow water, you can bait up with items like hemp and maggots with confidence that they’ll flutter down fairly close to the spot on which they landed, but if a wind whips up then you might want to consider baiting with boilies, nuts and other heavier items for maximum accuracy beneath the surface.
It is also worth familiarising yourself with what exactly ‘a lot of bait’ really looks like underwater. Your perception, as you empty half a bucket of mixed freebies into a few consecutive Spombs, might be that you’re really piling it in, but – as many sub-surface films have demonstrated – anglers largely overestimate how well covered in bait their spots are.
Finally, don’t be confined to thinking of baiting up as a job you only do when you’re fishing. Pre-baiting, even with small amounts, can be the best way to train fish to associate certain areas and times of day with a free meal. As any matchman will tell you, ‘little and often’ is a great baiting mantra, and it certainly extends to pre-baiting days and weeks in advance of a session. Picking a spot you can view from the bank, or up a tree, is ideal for your first pre-baiting mission on a new venue as you can assess how much has been eaten each time you visit the water.
In short, let the fish’s behaviour guide your baiting approach and always look for patterns that can be applied from water to water.
23 May, 2025
37.12 mirror nick
36.12 common Tim
30.02 mirror Andy
36 .02 mirror nick
37.02 mirror Tim
18.10 grass carp Andy
29.08 mirror Tim
30.09 mirror Andy
31.02 mirror Andy
48.12 common Andy
27.09 mirror Andy
38.08 mirror Andy
23 May, 2025
Day session on 17th September:
18lb sturgeon
41lb.8 common
31lb mirror
34lb.8 mirror
42lb,2 common
23 May, 2025
Sturgeon x3
27lb mirror
33lb mirror
46lb common
36lb mirror
41lb mirror
30lb mirror
32lb mirror
36lb common
28lb common
37lb mirror
37.8 mirror
18lb grass
27lb mirror
36lb mirror
33,8 mirror
27lb mirror
28lb mirror
28lb . 8 common
30lb mirror
24lb mirror
28lb mirror
34lb . 8 mirror
30lb mirror
35 lb .12 mirror
25lb.6 mirror
35lb .12 mirror
25lb.8 mirror
36lb . 8 mirror
28lb mirror
27lb mirror
36lb common
35lb.6 mirror
31lb . 6 mirror
26lb mirror
37lb mirror
18lb sturgeon
48lb.12 common
29lb .15 mirror
40lb . 1 mirror
36lb mirror
23 May, 2025
Nick 25lb grass
Nick 26.6 grass
Nick 26.8 mirror
Tim 45.4 mirror
Nick 15lb sturgeon
Nick 26.1 mirror
Nick 32.8 mirror
Tim 12lb sturgeon
Nick 20lb grass
Nick 36.12 mirror
Tim 30.02 mirror
Tim 32.12 mirror
Nick 18.4 grass
Tim 35.7 mirror
Nick 12lb sturgeon
Nick 33.9 common
Nic 37.12 grass
Nick 36.7 common
Nick 36.7 mirror
Tim 42.7 common
19 May, 2025
Father and son time this week beginning of the week wet and cold then turning to red hot conditions for the rest of the week 16 fish landed in total this included 5*20lb 7*30lb 3*40lb and 1*50lb
19 May, 2025
with hot temperatures think the carp are more interested in thinking about spawning than eating
still 7 out this week
good angling
19 May, 2025
WHAT A WEEK HERE AT BLUEDART Anton & Matt landing 22 carp both heading home with new PBs. Grassy 48lb & the German at 54lb. Five 40+, six 30+ & a good few high 20s. Dynamite’s peppered squid wafters fished over house pellets mixed with 15mm boilies done the job.
19 May, 2025
We had a fantastic group fishing here last week, Bill, Tony, Alan, Malcolm & Mark. Lots of laughs had with these guys, great company. Here are some of the pictures
19 May, 2025
29 Carp for David and Julian upto 38.14! Good fishing chaps! Well done!
19 May, 2025
Steve had good week at La Cour despite some challenging weather conditions. 26 fish……including Both Mirror and Common PBs…..57.8, 54.6 ,51.8 ,44 ,43,43,38,35,35,34,33,33,33,32,32,32,31 ,31 and 8 x20,s all above 25lb.
16 May, 2025
Big carps in focus for a group came fishing at Authentic lake!
30’s 40’s 50’s until 62lbs during their week!!!!
14 May, 2025
We are pleased to share the outstanding fishing results achieved by Ivan during his stay at swims 9, 10, and 11 at Étang Le Furet. Ivan landed an impressive total of 36 fish, including 5 over 20 kg and one that reached 25 kg. In addition, he caught 14 fish weighing between 14 and 19 kg, a testament to the exceptional quality of our waters.
Ivan expressed his great satisfaction with his stay, particularly highlighting the quality of our well-stocked tackle and bait shop, which helped him maximize his success. He also appreciated our sanitary facilities — toilets and showers — which were impeccably clean.
We’re proud to offer our clients a high-quality fishing environment, paired with top-notch facilities that ensure comfort and satisfaction.
14 May, 2025
Me and a Pal just spent a week at Les Saisons.. hauled in 6×50’s between us and 9×40’s in a 52 fish haul. Andy is the perfect host and cooked us both some banging meals.
More than happy to recommend to all anglers..
Get booked up!!!
14 May, 2025
During an exclusive fishing session at Camalo, our anglers had an unforgettable experience on the VIP post set up at the stunning accommodation. Thanks to a large amount of bait, they captured six fish over 45lbs , with five of them weighing between 55lbs and nearly 61lbs ! They were so satisfied that they are thinking to booked againfor next year soon.Our clients were very satisfied with the structure and accommodations at Camalo. They especially appreciated the outdoor kitchen with electric plancha, the welcome area with our refrigerators and freezers, and the electric charging station. Additionally, the showers and toilets were impeccably clean, providing optimal comfort to our visitors.
A true success that showcases the full potential of our exclusive rentals!
13 May, 2025
Matt had a great start to the week and got a new PB of 47lb8oz, which he was totally made up about 😊 He had a total of 13 carp and 2 beautiful tench for the week. A few days towards the end of the week quietened down with a shift in the wind which dropped the temperature again, but it was nice to finish off with a 26lb mirror whilst packing up 👍 Still managed to also get x4 over 31lbs, x3 26lbers, x3 20lbers, x2 18lbers, and not forgetting the 2 tench 🙃
13 May, 2025
A bit of a slow start this season mainly due to the up and down weather and spawning the lad s cut short there stay the previos week as the fish started to spawn on the Thursday. The next 2 arrived and they were still hard at until Sunday. They new it was going to be a slow start but bites pucked up.on the Thursday especially gor matt who ended up on 13 fish 2 x 50s 10 30s 5 over 35lb and the smallest a 39lb Dan didn’t have as many but two high 30s of 37 & 38lb . They hadn’t been to the lake for 10 year and said how well it was ran and how the food package was a lot better than the last time. They want to return next September when spawning won’t be a issue .some cracking pics of there week nice camera work Da.
12 May, 2025
On the way home after a good week, our group of 5 managed 23 carp between us,
Phil Clarke on peg 1 had 8 carp to 35lbs.
Richard Davis on peg 3 had 3 carp to 26lb but also had 3 big tench to over 8lb.
Tubz on peg 5 had 5 carp to 40lbs.
Tony Etherton and John Goff on peg 6 had 6 carp to 43lbs.
The owners Yan and Christiane Vyt are the prefect hosts and nothing was too much trouble, the shower and toilets are spotless, we all had a great time and thank you.
12 May, 2025
We was recently contacted by a group of lads that were fishing a lake in central France but were blanking they asked if they could use the lake for a few days before they returned back to the uk
They had a few carp between them to 45lb
12 May, 2025
Rob visited the lake for a couple of days for a work party and did a bit of fishing in between landing this stunning mirror!
12 May, 2025
Went to this lake on exclusive deal, full set up provided was a very good set up, between myself and my buddy we caught quite a few mid 20s and a couple above that weight, my best were a pair of 30lb both lovely mirrors,
The owners were very friendly and polite, they did everything they could to help.
As this was my first time fishing in france and needless to say that we will be returning next year,
Budget: well worth the money and I am aware of bigger carp in the lake
12 May, 2025
19 fish average 42 LB
biggest 60 LB
5 fish up 50LB
9 fish up 40LB
12 May, 2025
Fist morning caught à 43 lbs common not a bad start to the week
12 May, 2025
temps went from 30 degrees to 15 with a real cold northerly wind slowed the fishing down but we still saw some great fish on the bank
6 x 30’s
3 x 40’s
4 x 50’s
average of 43lb !
great angling !
11 May, 2025
We welcomed Paul and baz last weekend prior to arrival some of the smaller residents had started to spawn they managed to land 16 fish in total 5*20 8* 30 and 3*40 the biggest fish weighing in at 43.12 mirror
10 May, 2025
Another 2 very happy customers Ben Harris and Ben Edward’s. Ben Harris with his new PB of 44lb Mirror (20 kg ). Dynamite’s peppered squid doing its job here at Blue Dart Carp Fishery and Ben Edward’s with lake record 54lbs Grass Carp
10 May, 2025
The lake slowed a bit this week but still some great catches.
10 May, 2025
This week we had Dale, Emma and Sue with us on Kingfisher. The ladies were out and about enjoying the lovely weather we had while Dale chilled by the lake managing to have 11 fish out up to 61lb
09 May, 2025
A few recent fish
09 May, 2025
Some recent captures
09 May, 2025
Graham , Steve and John this week and with temperatures at 27 degrees on arrival day going down to just 8 degrees the day after the fishing was all over the place with high pressure and a cold NE wind just as the fish were getting ready to spawn made the fishing sporadic and difficult.The lads stuck at it and brought some nice carp , grass carp and sturgeon to the net and also some new pb’s.
09 May, 2025
a really good week with some high temperatures we saw a good lot of fish on the bank including 3 x 50,s
09 May, 2025
We have had 18 carp, biggest 38.5 and 2 sturgeon, biggest 44lb.
09 May, 2025
14 carp caught, no biggens this week. Anglers enjoyed their stay, loved the lake and the wildlife.
09 May, 2025
44 fish caught. Biggest was a 45lb Sturgeon
09 May, 2025
26 fish caught. Biggest of the week was a 38lb Sturgeon
08 May, 2025
Brilliant week of fishing for the Carping Coopers!!
Some beautiful carp caught for their first visit here at Oakview. Was great meeting the lovely family and we look forward to seeing them again. Biggest fish being 40lb .
08 May, 2025
Another great week at Oakview. Stunning lake, fishing was fantastic with lots of pristine mirrors and commons. Hosts Harry and Izzy had lots of advice on where to fish the lake. The lodge has everything you need and more.
Izzys food package is highly recommended, especially the burgers.
Cant wait to come back
Paul, Kim, Rhys x
19 carp: 8 20lb 9 30lb
08 May, 2025
Another wonderful time at Oakview, made amazing memories with our friends that joined us throughout our stay. The lodge and lake are immaculate, the new upgrades made by Harry, Izzy, Brian and Sarah are excellent. Thank you all for your hard work, hospitality and friendship.
The fishing was on the slow side to start with, weather was hot, every day full of sun and high pressure. Luckily enough we still managed to catch 20 pristine fish. Cant wait for the next trip in August
Love Baz and Dawn xxxx
Catch report: 21lb+ 6 30lb+ 11 top fish Two Tonne 39lb 14oz
08 May, 2025
The venue is stunning, the fishing unbelievable and all for a great price!!! From arrival all the way through to departure we were given the very best service and to top it off all three anglers left with new PB’s of 48lb, 51lb and 59lb.
We would like to especially thank John the bailiff (and his lovely dog Jess) for ensuring that during our stay there was never a dull moment. His customer service, especially in helping my 17 year old son with limited angling experience, was second to none. Lac Soupir are very lucky to have him as are all their future guests who I am sure will receive the same level of service we did.
08 May, 2025
Incredible week for friends with liear, koi and biiiig carps until 64lbs!!!
08 May, 2025
Incredible week for 2 anglers at Cheshire lake!
Stunning carps until 55 lbs!
and big sturgeon…
08 May, 2025
15 Carp for Chris upto 38.08 (only fished afternoons)! Well done mate!
07 May, 2025
Had a fantastic week at Etang Rouge even tho it rained most the week Jeff and Shan’s hospitality made up for it with their lovely food and company . Everything was smooth sailing only a 40 min drive to the lake after Jeff picked me up from the airport to arrive at the lake with a spacious two man bivvy ready set up with everything you need for a weeks fishing . There’s certainly some huge carp in there doing my PB easy
07 May, 2025
Welcomed Ben + Ed back for the 3rd year running and boy did they do well.
Banked a total of 80 fish and even went home early as the fish started spawning on the Thursday evening and when they went down the lake on Friday morning they were still at it so they decided to let the fish get on with it and packed up.
Ben beat his PB from his first visit which was 48lb 9oz with his first 50 which went 50lb 1oz, then beat it with a fish of 50lb 6oz.
Not to be out done Ed banked one of 51lb.and taking a Common of 46lb.
See you next year lads for something better.
07 May, 2025
Cracking start to our season for 3 first time visiting anglers Lee, Ben, Lee.
Some cracking fish landed, all 3 caught, Ben & Lee broke PB’s with fish into the 40’s.
Total of 15 x 40’s to 46lb 8oz landed with plenty of back up 30’s.
Fish list is from 2 of the anglers, have not sent any photo’s
07 May, 2025
Bait boats can give carp anglers a massive edge due to their ability to precisely drop bait and rigs with minimal disturbance.
If you are fishing in France for a week you will want to maximise chances of catching and it is advisable to have a bait boat at your disposal should you require it, even if you are not a regular bait boat user.
Bait boats are permitted on most holiday venues due to the lake either being hired exclusively or because each angler will have significant water coverage than they would do on a commercial lake in the UK.
It important to be sensible when using a bait boat. Firstly, don’t drop rigs where it may not be possible to land a fish from. Secondly, be considerate of other anglers and stay within the boundaries of your water. If in doubt, speak with the other anglers before dropping your rig and bait if you think you may be encroaching on another angler’s water.
07 May, 2025
a very nice sunny week at the lake furet. the Loft swimming will bring out very beautiful fishes of which this enormous common of 60lbs.
la nage du Loft has been very productive for several months and is very comfortable with its private shower and toilet.
07 May, 2025
the lodge’s guests came to test the lodge and they didn’t leave disappointed, catching 39 fish up to 49lbs, including two superb koi carp. they wanted to combine comfort and fishing, and they hit the jackpot!
07 May, 2025
a crazy week on lake camalo.
swim 2 the kube was very active. we caught 13 fish up to 59lbs, including 4 up to 44lbs.
swim 1 also managed to catch several fish weighing up to 44lbs.
camalo lake is the lake of all records
07 May, 2025
Swim 5 was a smash with a total of 24 fish from 33lbs to 48lbs, swim 4 left with 4 magnificent fish as well, while swim 2 produced the record for grass carp of 59lbs and also 5 carp between 33lbs and 44lbs.
06 May, 2025
Paul Richards and friends returned to Janine finding the lake blue, no aparant weed growth but a lake unseasonly higher than normal. The week started slow by the end of the week the fish switched on with 10 runs on the last night!! Better late than never. The majority of the fish were commons with a 51 common and a high forty mirror the best for the week.
06 May, 2025
Returning customers Ian, Trevor and Fraser had a fabulous weeks fishing. Ian and Fraser smashed their PB’s.
05 May, 2025
20 fish , biggest 67LB ,5fish up50LB
10 fish up 40LB
Average 45LB
05 May, 2025
14 FISH
Biggest 39.8LB
10 fish up 33 LB
Average 35 LB
05 May, 2025
11 fish biggest 39 LB average 30LB
05 May, 2025
29 fish biggest 54lb average 41lb
05 May, 2025
beautifull fish
04 May, 2025
We said goodbye to Noel & Michael yesterday, two great lads from Ireland who stayed for the week. They had 13 carp between them to 51lb & both had PB’s. Well done lads 🎣
04 May, 2025
Just returned from a very enjoyable week at Cottage Lake where the service and customer care is outstanding. The quality of the fish in this new lake is just breathtaking and you’d take catching these all week over that one huge fish imo. Here are a few pictures of some of the fish caught over the course of a week – we were in the 10 fish each bracket 👌 15lbs – 40lbs 🎣 Callum PriceNigel BrayJordan Bray
02 May, 2025
Warren, Sebi and Steve battled through torrential rain and were rewarded with 15 Carp the biggest being Sebi’s new PB at 45lb with plenty of 30’s and a few 20’s all taken on a mixture of Dynamites Peppered Squid and Crab and Krill boilies fished over house pellet and particle. Well done lads.
02 May, 2025
15 Carp for Callum and Party upto 43.11! Well done boys! Good fishing! (Sorry no Pics provided).
02 May, 2025
2 previous uncaught carp landed from the main lake.
41lb common and 36lb mirror.
02 May, 2025
15 carp landed this week including 2 over 60lbs.
61lb, 62.8lb, 51lb, 5 x 40lbs, 6x 30lbs, 1 x 28lbs
02 May, 2025
The new Monster Crab Boilies seems to be working 🎣🎣
30 April, 2025
Nice venue with supermarket close by hosts were very helpful and couldn’t do enough for you and caught a few nice fish !
30 April, 2025
Fantastic venue so peaceful, Steve and Elaine are amazing hosts and make you feel so welcome. The fish were in such good condition and for the weather conditions being different every day I would say I did quite well with four thirties and three twenties for the week.
Will definitely be going back.
24 April, 2025
Not bad for a quick 48 hr session 2 upper 40 s
24 April, 2025
The weather and Lake starting to warm up a little with depths still around 16ft and fish on the move. Tactics of worm, maggots, lake particle and pellets and yellow or pink pop up produced some good fish and a total weight of over 555lb and 3 PBs … Great angling..
24 April, 2025
Big fish week!
Nicolas beats his PB three times!
24.5kg (53Lbs)
26.5kg (57.5Lbs)
and the lake record at 28.2kg (62 Lbs)
+ a few fish between 10 (22 Lbs) and 15kg (33 Lbs) !
Well done !!!!!!!
Strawberry spice
24 April, 2025
Conditions were up and down with high pressure at night along with temperatures all over the place and fishing was hard but ‘Irini’ came out at 58lb 2
24 April, 2025
Weather all over the place and the fish were holding up about 3ft off the bottom and not moving around too much.
Fishing was alas going to be difficult with the first anglers on the lake for 2025 but they managed to get some fish on the bank..
24 April, 2025
We had four carp over 30lb one common at 39lb mark had his first grass carp and it was a 38 and a half lb
We had 5 twenty’s and lot of teens mark and Ross was great hosts nothing was to much trouble. We when back to the lodge for a spit roast bbq witch was brilliant.
23 April, 2025
good anglers on this week , been told they’ve had over 30 carp out over the week , shame I don’t know the exact numbers to work out the average but I know its big
4 x 50’s in the first 3 days and the rest
???
top angling , conditions were spot on
nice to have 3 ps’s
23 April, 2025
water temps just not quite high enough this week but still managed 3 out to 45lb well angled !
23 April, 2025
started really cold -3 and snow thankfully the weather picked up and so did the fishing
2x pb’s
2x 50’s
7x 40’s
2x 30’s
total of 492lb and a average of 44lb
and a fifty going 53lb !
happy days
23 April, 2025
Regulars PJ , Dave and Chris this week and trying out our great food package for the first which they gave us 10/10 and absolutely loving the home cooking giving them more time to fish.Plenty of fish to the bank fishing days only , no nights, and all going home with a new pb of some sort, including Grass Carp, Sturgeon and Carp with plenty of superb scaley mirrors and 2 fully scaled mirrors amongst their fish.
23 April, 2025
Good friend Steven back with his family and after a slow start due to warm days , cold nights and high pressure not making for the best conditions for getting on the fish he kept on his spots and reaped the rewards as he hit the fish feeding with 12 fish to the net fishing days only ,no nights. House boilie and pellet over house particle landing some of our stunning scaley mirror carp and a new pb @ 38.8 lb , with his family loving the cottage as always going in the hot tub , playing pool , watching Netflix and the kids playing on the Xbox.
22 April, 2025
This week at Le Furêt, peg 10 and 11 delivered an outstanding fishing session. Our anglers achieved a remarkable feat, catching over 35 fish, including nine carp weighing more than 45 pounds to 55 and seven over 40 pounds. The Loft peg was equally impressive, landing four fish over 45 pounds, including a remarkable 58-pound specimen, along with around twenty catches in total. Congratulations to all anglers.
20 April, 2025
29 Carp for Max, Steve and Colt upto 43.05!
2 New PBs
3 x 40s
16 x 30s
10 x 20s
Well done boys!
20 April, 2025
Well after a bit of a slow opening week in the sunshine with only 11 fish out. Neil in peg 3 beat his pb with a 44lb mirror and followed that up with 42lb fish and a couple of thirtys to 38lb. Ryan in peg also beat his pb with a 39lb mirror but struggled as the fish just weren’t in his water which surprised me as peg is the shallowest water and in the sunshine should of been where there at. Neil and Aaron had 3 fish each with Richard bagging a couple over 35lb to 37lb.
Last week was a different story with only 2 anglers on both getting into double figures and some big fish out to 55lb and 5 fortys out followed up with thirtys and twentys for liam and his partner Lauren. Pegs 3 and 4 doing the business after lism switched from peg 2 after only taking 1 fish from peg 2. They switched swims on the last night with liam going into 3 and Lauren into 4 and Lauren bagged her first 50 plus with a 55lb common. liam got his pb mirror also with a 45lb mirror his 3rd 40 of the session.
We are now getting bookings in for 2026 season with 3 bookings in this week both groups have rebooked that have fished this year’s opening weeks.
20 April, 2025
So we had two great guys here last week, Matt & Lee. A very hot week for them both. They landed around 12 carp between them. Here are some of the pictures they sent over.
20 April, 2025
Russel came back for a quick 48hrs. He had 5 carp to 38lb landing two in the first half hour of setting up!
20 April, 2025
We welcomed Dave back here last week staying in the cabin & fishing behind the pads. He done really well landing 5 carp to 31lb
20 April, 2025
Mitch called over for his birthday and stayed with his family and freinds in two of the Lodges up by the Lake and had a few carp between them and also a large grass carp here he is with 52 lb Kev’s Common caught on a Pink piece of corn topping a 15mm White wafter weell done Mitch
19 April, 2025
A FANTASTIC WEEK FOR Alan Lilley on his 5th trip to Blue Dart bringing his friend John Shaw for his 1st time. BOTH SMASHING THEIR PB’S AND LANDING A NEW LAKE RECORD AT 54LBS. THEY TOTALLED 15 CARP 2 x 50’s, 3 x 40’s, 7 x 30’s & 3 20’s. Dynamites peppered squid & 12mm yellow pop ups fished over house pellet and particle did the trick. Look forward to seeing you again in August.
19 April, 2025
“This week at Camalo, fishing has been particularly challenging. However, the last few days have seen a resurgence in activity, with the capture of two enormous common carp within 45 minutes. One weighed 56 pounds and the other nearly 60 pounds. A big congratulations to the anglers for these outstanding catches
19 April, 2025
This week at Cottage Lake, activity was exceptional with over 50 carp caught, the largest weighing in at 44 pounds. Every angler had their share of success, with one even catching three ghost carp! Our visitors reported having an excellent time in the safari tent, enjoying the tranquility and serenity of the surroundings
18 April, 2025
Had a fantastic week here 8 fish in total , toilet and shower facilities were of a very high standard .The owners are lovely and could not do enough for me even jump starting my car. They supplied me with good bait and local knowledge highly recommended
16 April, 2025
New customers David & Scott from Spain had a hard start to the week but with a change in the weather they were rewarded with some stunning carp. Yellow 12mm pop ups fished over particle & peppered squid wafters fished over boilies & house pellet done the job. Well done guys.
14 April, 2025
Two French anglers fished the new swim 3 at camalo for 3 days. The new swim has a lodge called the cabin and can accommodate 2 anglers with 2 guests. Your rods are just 10 meters in front of the lodge.
After 2 days very quiet, they call me for explain they have caught a big mama. After weighting, it was a new personal record at 62 lbs! What a fish.
14 April, 2025
For the opening the week of the season, only swim 5 was booked and Yves had a very good week with a lot of activity. More than 30 fish up to 50 lbs and a good average of 35 to 45lbs.
Only two were under 20 lbs. Big bed of hemp pellet and boilies was the best tactic
14 April, 2025
A local angler fished the cottage lake for first time with his son. The pair were completely in love about the lake and the big safari tent.
The carp were active with the biggest of the week landed 35 lbs. Some koï carp and ghost came in front of the camera 😉
14 April, 2025
After an lipo baterry explosion, we rebuild a new costumers zone with fridge freezer, electricity toilet shower etc…
The carp shop is also full of baits clothes energy drink and nash and ridgemonkey tackle!
14 April, 2025
This week, all the swims were booked.
Over 40 fish were landed with 13 carp over 45 lbs to 55 lbs.
Lodge swim and swim 9 were the most active.
14 April, 2025
nice early morning stalking
12 April, 2025
Nice catch for the French boys this weekend 🎣🎣
12 April, 2025
22 Carp for Dave upto 39! Good fishing mate! Well done!
12 April, 2025
First fish of the year at Carpquarry and its a stunning 50lb2oz , Well done Claire.
12 April, 2025
Had the most incredible time at les Saisons.
Over 80 fish between 2 of us . The biggest at 56lb
4 x50lb , 18x 40lb etc
The lodge was fantastic , fully equipped And very comfortable.
Andy, the owner was really helpful on arrival
We would highly recommend this Lake. Its one of the best we’ve ever been to..
Adam & Tom
10 April, 2025
Good friend James back with us for a solo session without his partner Natalie but a week with me and what a great week it turned in to. With 16 fish banked abd again some more of our stunning scaley mirrors James landed and a new fully scaled PB. The week couldn’t have gone any better and with a big thumbs up from James for our new lakeside cabins with electric and lighting it was a great week for my good friend. No nights and the swim rested during the day proving to be a good tactic that rewarded James with some quality fish on our new Karper Baits range of boilies over our house particle and pellet proving to be the key.
10 April, 2025
Andy back with us again after a 4 year gap and once again the carp did not disappoint with 9 fish to the net to 41.5lbs amongst them some of our stunning scaley mirrors. Andy also netting Truffles our biggest Siberian Sturgeon for a new PB. A good week for our opening week of 2025 with just 23 hours fished in total for the week by Andy with no nights fished .His wife enjoying the delights all our luxury cottage has to offer going in the hot tub and binging on Netflix.
09 April, 2025
Between 2 lads they had 11 fish and lost 2. conditions weren’t the best to start with, but fishing picked up as the weather got better as the week went on.
Mirror 40lb
Grass 25lb
Grass 54lb
Mirror 23lb
Grass 43lb
Mirror 41lb
Common 53lb
Mirror 26lb
Mirror 40lb
Mirror 30lb
Mirror 38lb
Giving a average weight of 37.5lb
08 April, 2025
The gates are open as the 2025 season kicked off , after the lads arrived a tad late we called on route to the lake at the supermarket and once we arrived the lads started setting up as I got dinner ready. The light was fading as they got the rods out and the first 24 hours they all drew a blank as of most french lakes its been a slow start. But as the lads walked up for breakfast,big Neil was grinning as he set the ball rolling in peg 3 vwith a 44lb mirror then a hour late Aaron had a 32lb mirror and just before breakfast Richard in peg 2 slipped the net under a 35lb mirror leaving just Ryan too get off the mark. The sun is shining and we had 22° all weekend which will warm the water up and get them feeding.All
3 lads caught on the island margins. Hopefully the 3 fish is a sign there getting on the bait after the long winer break.
06 April, 2025
Terry Holmes 27/04-04/05/24
CARP: 30lb 12oz, 36lb, 43lb, 30lb 8oz, 31lb 4oz, 33lb, 37lb 4oz, 46lb 8oz, 36lb 10oz, 57lb, 44lb 12oz, 39lb 8oz and 7 twenties
Absolutely fantastic week here at Windmill. Food is out of this world (Thanks Sue) and the fishing equally as good. Managed to get 4 PB’x and the rest high 20’s and 30’s. Woud definitly recommend to others and would also come back in the future
06 April, 2025
Jon & Andy 14-21/09/24
CARP:61lb 8oz, 36lb, 29lb 8oz, 31lb, 32lb, 387lb, 22lb
Amazing host as always. Great food. Good times & memories as always. Feel like part of the furniture now. Love it here, my second home.xx
06 April, 2025
Steve & Diane Kitchen 31/08-07/09/24
CARP: 29lb 10oz, 32lb, 24lb, 22lb 2oz, 29lb 10oz, 33lb 8oz, 21lb 14oz, 25lb, 32lb, 53lb
CATS: 97lb 8oz, 60lb 3oz, 96lb, 5 thirties.
Been a fantastic week. Great fishing – Excellent hosts. Great food. Loved the Fajitas! And loved the 53lb PB for Matt! We will be back.
06 April, 2025
Steve & Diane Kitchen 31/08-07/09/24
CARP: 29lb 10oz, 32lb, 24lb, 22lb 2oz, 29lb 10oz, 33lb 8oz, 21lb 14oz, 25lb, 32lb, 53lb
CATS: 97lb 8oz, 60lb 3oz, 96lb, 5 thirties.
Been a fantastic week. Great fishing – Excellent hosts. Great food. Loved the Fajitas! And loved the 53lb PB for Matt! We will be back.
06 April, 2025
Chris Maple 17-24/08/24
CARP: 44lb PB, 34lb, 37lb PB, 30lb, 37lb 4oz, 34lb PB,32lb 4oz PB, 36lb 8oz PB, 37lb, 32lb 5oz, 34lb, 40lb 6oz, 39lb 6oz 35lb 8oz, 50lb 8oz PB, 47lb 8oz PB, 30lb, 37lb, 38lb, 30lb 8oz, 36lb 8oz, 47lb, 33lb, plus 22 twenties
Great week, both hit P.Bs, food was great. Sue & Dave made us feel welcome. Thanks for the journey. Hopefully see u next year.
06 April, 2025
Ryan Dale 10-17/08/24
CARP: 30lb, 33lb, 32lb 7oz, 31lb 3oz, 34lb 6oz, 35lb 9oz, 41lb 9oz PB, 47lb 5oz PB 38lb & 10 twenties.
What a week, lots of fish between us all, even better food and hospitality. Couldn’t have asked for a better week. Thank you to Sue and Dave, can’t wait to come back next year, see you soon!
06 April, 2025
Dave Elliott 03-17/08/24
CARP: 30lb 31lb 2oz, 36lb, 48lb PB, 30lb 4oz, 31lb 2oz, 31lb 1oz, 40lb, 36lb 4oz, 38lb, 45lb 7oz PB, 30lb 10oz, 35lb 10oz, 30lb 12oz, 38lb, 30lb, 30lb 7oz, 35lb, 50lb 4oz, 36lb 6oz, 38lb, 41lb 7oz & 18 twenties
CATS: 57lb 10oz, 55lb 10oz & 3 Thirties
Another brilliant 2 weeks fishing again. 2 x PB’s broken. Food was amazing. Thank You to Sue and Dave for their time to make us welcome. Roll on next year 🙂
06 April, 2025
Dave Elliott 03-17/08/24
CARP: 30lb 31lb 2oz, 36lb, 48lb PB, 30lb 4oz, 31lb 2oz, 31lb 1oz, 40lb, 36lb 4oz, 38lb, 45lb 7oz PB, 30lb 10oz, 35lb 10oz, 30lb 12oz, 38lb, 30lb, 30lb 7oz, 35lb, 50lb 4oz, 36lb 6oz, 38lb, 41lb 7oz & 18 twenties
CATS: 57lb 10oz, 55lb 10oz & 3 Thirties
Another brilliant 2 weeks fishing again. 2 x PB’s broken. Food was amazing. Thank You to Sue and Dave for their time to make us welcome. Roll on next year 🙂
06 April, 2025
Jason Platt 27/07-03/08/24
CARP: 40lb, 31lb 14oz, 32lb 8oz, 30lb, 32lb 12oz, 45lb, 34lb 4oz, 31lb, 40lb, 37lb 9oz, 55lb 2oz, 51lb, 35lb 12oz, 41lb 10oz, 34lb 8oz, 30lb, 41lb 6oz, 45lb, 35lb 15oz, 45lb 12oz, 38lb 12oz, 34lb 12oz, 42lb 8oz and 11 twenties
Wow, Wow, Wow. What can we say that hasn’t already been said. 44 fish, biggest 55lb 2oz. Food even better than last year. Thanks Dave & Sue. All the best. See you next year!
06 April, 2025
James Moody 20-27/07/24
CARP: 52lb, 36lb 5oz, 30lb, 32lb, 30lb, 45lb, 52lb, 32lb, 32lb, 36lb, 30lb, 38lb, 38lb 8oz, 41lb, 33lb 5oz and 8 twenties
Always hav ethe best of times and great food. The fishing is even better. We would like to thank Dave & Sue for the best hospitality.
06 April, 2025
Thomas Denty 22-29/06/24
CARP: 30lb, 31lb 6oz, 47lb 6oz, 37lb 8oz, 33lb 12oz, 32lb 12oz, 42lb 2oz
CATS: 35lb 12oz, 48lb 4oz, 86lb 5oz, 55lb 12oz, 58lb 2oz, 42lb 2oz
Great hosts, very good lakes. Cat and Carp was perfect , will be booking again for next year. I want to say a massive thanks to Sue and Dave and a great big thanks
06 April, 2025
Thomas Denty 22-29/06/24
CARP: 30lb, 31lb 6oz, 47lb 6oz, 37lb 8oz, 33lb 12oz, 32lb 12oz, 42lb 2oz
CATS: 35lb 12oz, 48lb 4oz, 86lb 5oz, 55lb 12oz, 58lb 2oz, 42lb 2oz
Great hosts, very good lakes. Cat and Carp was perfect , will be booking again for next year. I want to say a massive thanks to Sue and Dave and a great big thanks
06 April, 2025
Dan & Dawn Hursey 08-15/06/24
CARP: 44lb, 45lb, 39lb, 30lb, 39lb, 33lb, 37lb 3 twenties
CATS: 97lb 8oz, 85lb, 98lb, 89lb, 87lb plus 9 others
Dave & Sue are just absolutely amazing hosts, fantastic venue, caught lots and had so much fun, sad to leave but cannot wait to return to see them again.
Thank you xx
06 April, 2025
Dan & Dawn Hursey 08-15/06/24
CARP: 44lb, 45lb, 39lb, 30lb, 39lb, 33lb, 37lb 3 twenties
CATS: 97lb 8oz, 85lb, 98lb, 89lb, 87lb plus 9 others
Dave & Sue are just absolutely amazing hosts, fantastic venue, caught lots and had so much fun, sad to leave but cannot wait to return to see them again.
Thank you xx
06 April, 2025
Adrian Standon 18-25/05/24
CARP: 48lb, 36lb, 35lb, 45lb, 32lb, 32lb, 46lb, 37lb 14oz, 32lb, 34lb, 30lb, 38lb 2oz, 38lb, 44lb, 50lb, 44lb, 48lb, 32lb 5oz, 34lb 12oz, 38lb, 36lb, 38lb, 32lb, 54lb 4oz plus 10 Twenties
Dave & Sue have been just the best hosts. Venue is a very special place. Fish are of the best condition and quality. We will 100% be back.
06 April, 2025
Tony Griffiths 11-18/05/24
CARP: 31lb 5oz, 33lb, 30lb, 32lb, 33lb 8oz, 53lb 5oz, 43lb, 35lb 9oz, 43lb, 30lb 5oz, 41lb 5oz, 36lb 12oz, 42lb 4oz and 10 twenties.
Fantastic week, great food and superb fishing. 24 fish caught inc. 1 x 50 & 4 x 40’s
Dave & Sue are great hosts, will 100% be back. Thanks
06 April, 2025
Matthew Roper 04-11/05/24
CARP: 34lb 7oz, 33lb 2oz, 38lb 2oz, 47lb 2oz, 34lb 10oz, 30lb 2oz, 37lb, 38lb, 33lb, 44lb 4oz, 31lb 4oz and 6 twenties
Absolutely great week apart from the weather. Fishing great, lovely place. Many thanks to Dave & Sue. All the best Matt, Shane and Fred
06 April, 2025
Jon Warman 20-27/04/24
CARP: 46lb 2oz, 31lb, 56lb, 50lb 2oz, 30lb 12oz, 42lb PB, 35lb 8oz and 7 twenties
Lovely place, had a great week with a new PB so very happy. Great food as well, I’ll be back.
06 April, 2025
CARP: 34lb, 46lb, 35lb 4oz, 30lb, 34lb 4oz, 58lb 4oz, 34lb 8oz, 32lb, 31lb, 37lb 4oz, 45lb 4oz, 30lb, 32lb 4oz, 46lb, 40lb, 40lb 4oz, 45lb 4oz, 40lb, 44lb, 34lb, 40lb 8oz, 50lb, 39lb, 35lb, 32lb and 15 twenties
Fantastic week, the carp were on the move. 44 Carp between myself and Jon. A new PB 50lb Mirror for me and a new Lake record Common of 40lb for Jon. As always Sue’s food was hearty and delicious.
All in all another fantastic week, look forward to next year.
06 April, 2025
Glen Harris Party
Great week, lovely service and food. Despit the wet weather we managed some good fishing.
3 Anglers, 11 fish with 3 new PB’s with a magical 56lb Mirror. Thanks Dave & Sue All the best.
05 April, 2025
Over 25 Carp upto 40lb for Rich, Trevor and Henry! Well done boys! Good fishing!
03 April, 2025
First week of the 2025 season and the week started with 48 hours of sleet and snow! Below average temperatures followed for the first half of the week until Wednesday when Rocky had a lovely looking upper double. Phil then had 2 cracking looking fish of 36lb and 31lb on Thursday, finishing up on the Friday with a big mirror, “Angela’s Apple”, just off the 50lb mark
03 April, 2025
Regular customers Andy, Andy & Shay had a tough start to the week but with a change in the weather they started landing a few. Dynamite’s 12mm yellow pop ups fished over a mix of particle, house pellet and monster tigernut boilies done the job. The boys totalled 11 carp from 26lb to 50+ including some mid 30s and 40s great angling and still had time to eat out and watch the football.
We still have some availability for this year.
03 April, 2025
7 Carp for Gary upto 39! We’ll done mate!
01 April, 2025
A few fish from the lake up to 53lb
Caught on a yellow pop up and wafter
Fished to far margins on gravel bar
30 March, 2025
DGF particles with Monster Crab pop ups
20 March, 2025
We had two great guys on last week Dean & Mike. Weather wasn’t great for them, unfortunately it was still very cold and there were a few lost runs but Mike hit his PB more than once with the biggest being a lovely mirror at 47lb 😊🎣
18 March, 2025
First angler came last week from local city close to the lake.
The water was very cold and the carp was little bit active. Finally he caught 5 carps in 3days. Not so bad for a winter trip.
We have now finished to build the safari tent and add all the new fish up to 50+lbs. The season could start now!
18 March, 2025
Two friends was on lodge swim last week. It was a present from their wife’s. The first 2 nights was not productive with only one small carp and 2 crucian carps. The first idea was baiting hemp and small Particules. The two last days, they try to baiting only pellet and boilies and it was the good choice!
An incredible monster common caught and 3 mirors with a total average close to 42 lbs and a top at 53 lbs.
18 March, 2025
Unlocking the best times to fish
As spring is on its way and nature starts to wake up after winter the fishing Season has already started in France. Spring months are ideal
for fishing. Our private lake will be open in a few weeks time.
We look forward to meeting some new guests and some regulars .
A great venue for couples, friends and families.
17 March, 2025
Four Lovely fish on a cold day well done lads 🎣🥶☃️
15 March, 2025
24 hours 5 Nice carp Weather not good 🥶🥶🥶but DGF baits are still catching 🎣🎣
15 March, 2025
Weather very cold 🥶🥶 this carp fell to DGF particals
09 March, 2025
First day of fishing 5 fish out with two Lovely 40 +
09 March, 2025
First day of fishing 5 fish out with two Lovely 40 +
09 March, 2025
A few fish from this week at Les Saisons.
05 March, 2025
Winter fishing didn’t scare our anglers, who succeeded in catching 3 big fish
-51lbs
-62lbs
-62lbs
Good job
05 March, 2025
Well only a month now before we open up for the 2025 season and I’m excited to see what the lakes throws up after last year’s results . We had 10 new forties ladt year and a new lake record mirror at 53lb. I think the long mirror will soon be the biggest fish in the lake as its got a
Huge long frame on it and it’s not as old as the biggest resident two tone.
We have fed heavily over the closed season with pellet and maize and I’m hoping we get some big growth from out stock. I will.put a few kilo of bollies out a few weeks before we open to get them.used to the little round balls of goodies.
It’s been a long close season as we shutdown the 1st week of October and we reopen on the 5th of April. The fish haven’t seen a line since then and will be well rested. It’s going to be busy season thoughh with anglers on week after week with only a few free weeks left in may and October and the last week of September still free. I have put the bait orders in to the bait companies ready for when the anglers return.
The fish are getting more active now as spring is on the way. The birds on in song and the daffodils starting to flower. We had nice days but frosts are still regular.
We have invested heavily again in new tackle with new nets slings and cradles . We also bought new fox 2 man bivvies and skins and new fox day chairs all bedchairs have been new in the last 18 months I also got a new set of delkims and shimano baitrunners for the new season.
This my 7th year running foxpool and it’s gone from strength to strength and it’s our best year for bookings ever. I can’t wait to see anglers getting amongst a few big fish again and everyone will made welcome at foxpool. We have a few drive and survive lads on but the majority are flying and enjoying the excellent food package. We have a few weeks spare October is still quite and the fish are in great condition and full as guns that time of year I hope to get my rods out then and bank a few.
Availability 2025
MAY 17TH & 24TH
SEPTEMBER 27TH
OCTOBER 11TH. 28TH &25TH
I LEAVE YOU WITH A FEW MEMORIES FROM LAST SEASON.
Thanks Graham foxpool.
05 March, 2025
The safari tent awaits you, as do our fish, such as this magnificent 45lbs mirror caught on the lake in recent days.
In the middle of the woods and in the peace and quiet, with beautiful fish, there’s no need to hesitate!
28 February, 2025
Chef de ville lake is fantastic. Antony the owner could not do enough to make us feel welcome, he went above and beyond to make sure our stay was great.
The food was excellent, we had the food package that consisted of breakfast & dinner every day, this was served at the communal cabin in the middle of the swims.
It was February so fishing was slow as expected for the time of year, but Antony took the time to make sure to show us the right spots to catch even taking each of us out on his boat to show us the swims and where the fish sat.
You can get all your bait at the lake also, the facilities are great the shower & bathroom is really clean and there is plenty of charging points at the communal cabin.
I can not recommend this place enough, and we
look forward to going back in the Summer.
I give Chef de Ville a 5 star rating 👌
28 February, 2025
The team that joined us from February 15th to 22nd, 2025, faced a challenging fishing week due to the extremely cold winter temperatures. Despite these tough conditions, the entire team managed to make the most of it and still landed some fish. Their determination and persistence paid off, proving once again that even in difficult circumstances, success is possible on the water.
19 February, 2025
New stock carp add in the lake with huge 38 lbs miror carp.
The safari tent is now available.
USB plug and light, two bed rooms including 4 beds. Kitchen table sofa, just at 10 meters from your rods.
15 February, 2025
Absolutely beautiful venue. My fiance and little boy loved it also. Great location, lovely surroundings, perfect accomodation. Perfect for a fishing holiday ♥️
13 February, 2025
Kieren and Geoff joined us for their first ever trip to France and as you can imagine they were just a little excited to get set up and fishing. After helping them round with their gear, the lads chose their swims and managed to set up in the dry. The weather this week was a little bit on the wet side but the lads were not phased in the slightest and fished the conditions well. Plenty of house boilies and pellets went in and this proved a good strategy, with fish coming out both day and night. All in all a good week, the biggest fish out was 43lb and several high 30’s made up the tally which the lads were over the moon with.
13 February, 2025
Chris returned to La Petite Martiniere this week, but unlike normal he was not alone. Phil joined him for his first trip to France. Chris knows the venue very well so I left them to decide who fished where and Chris to give Phil all his inside knowledge of the lake.
After always fishing the from the same swim, Chris chose a change of scenery for the week and fished from the monk swim, leaving Phil in the middle swim.
It turned out to be another great week and Phil smashed his PB carp with a 41lb 14oz mirror.
13 February, 2025
This week we welcomed back returning guests Lee and Jane. Lee enjoys the fishing while Jane just relaxes for a well earned week away (well tries to chill out except for when the fish play ball and Jane gets the shout to be a great photographer).
The weather was mainly warm for the week but there were a few heavy rain showers, but that did not put the fishing off. Lee managed 22 fish in total, including back to back 40’s within a few hours of each other.
11 February, 2025
Final week of the season and the fish were very active but it seemed they were on naturals. The lads did well and had a few stunning fish and loved the venue. Both lads had fish over 40 so certainly some happy anglers to finish the season
11 February, 2025
Always nice to have regulars Clive and Kev back on the fishery. A nice steady week once they worked out what the fish wanted and where they wanted it. A few 40’s amongst them too so plenty of smiles all round.
11 February, 2025
James had booked to come in covid which never happened so we were only too pleased to finally have him at the lake. A bit of a slower week but that didn’t stop them landing commons and mirrors over 50. Well done fellas. Hope to have you back again soon.
11 February, 2025
Sam and his step dad smashed it this week with lots of the big girls slipping up. Some really lovely looking carp banked too. Fishing swims 1 and 2 and having a social week they thoroughly enjoyed themselves. Great week lads well done.
11 February, 2025
Alan and Mark really enjoyed their 2nd trip to the fishery and have already booked their 3rd! Some crackers banked as the sun shone including new pb commons. Well done boys. See you again soon
11 February, 2025
Dans week produced plenty of bites and they had some cracking weather to boot. Some lovely fish banked and plenty of 30s and 40s. Well angled lads.
11 February, 2025
Steve and son Sam came for a week in August and were well impressed! They had a great weeks angling and Sam caught some fantastic fish. Thw smile says it all. Very happy chappy!!
11 February, 2025
Dels week was hot but the fish still fed and the lads had some stunning fish throughout the week with commons upto mid 40’s. Swim 1 did the majority of the bites this week
11 February, 2025
Brendan is fast becoming one of our most regular visitors and his captures back it up. Numerous big fish for him this time to upper 50’s. House bait and pellets doing the bites
10 February, 2025
Dale, Mark and Jamie had a fantastic week for their first trip to the venue. All catching well with some good 50’s coming out to the house baits. Swim 1 fishing tight to the dam wall doing most of the bites. Well done you lot and look forward to having you back next spring
10 February, 2025
Our regulars Clive and Darren had a tough act to follow after last weeks captures but did well banking some stunning fish. They know the lake well now so can always put a few fish on the bank even when it gets tricky. Well done both of you. See back soon
10 February, 2025
Matt and Paul had another epic opening week with lots of big fish landed. Plenty of 30s 40s and 50s. All fish caught from swims 1 and 2 which are always an early season favourite. Well done to them.
07 February, 2025
From last week the lads on the Lake had a great trip.
We start with Gary Kemp who fished post 14 and had a huge haul of big fish 30s 40s, and 50lb carp.
And to cap it all landing the queen of the lake Tarte aux Pomme at 66lb 6oz ( a little down in weight but understandable after the hot summer )
These are only some of Garrys many catches, well done indeed Gary
07 February, 2025
A superb week of fishing for Jason Cox who landed huge number of quality carp. Which included a good haul of 20s, 30s, and 40lb carp.
But to top it all, Jason also landed five 50lb plus carp, the biggest ( first pic ) just under the 60lb mark. Obviously I can only show some of his many catches, so here are his five 50s
Well done Jason on a great week
07 February, 2025
Callum Roper also had a great session beating his PB with this lovely 58lb 8oz mirror ( first pic ) .
Callum also backed this up with a good haul of 30 and 40lb carp, here are a few of his catches
07 February, 2025
Last week my friend and Q Baits owner Sjors Quaedackers fished the lake with some friends, and despite a slow start, had a great session on the Lake landing some stunning fish. Between the 2 of them they landed 27 fish. 6x 40lb +
2x 50lb + till 57lb 1x 62lb.
07 February, 2025
Four lads last week had a superb session on the Lake, with 49 fish landed. Tarte aux pomme just under 69lb ( Tony Morgan) first pic.
Plus the other Angers, Aidrian Wily, Andy Mac, and Phil Cooper, all had a share of 4 x 50lb plus carp , 16 x 40lb plus carp and 16 x 30lb plus carp.
Well done lads
06 February, 2025
Phil fished for 48 hours in swim 7 and landed 3 carp: 26.5lb, 27.5lb, and 30.8lb. The fish were caught at dusk and at first light in the middle of winter.
31 January, 2025
Mirror Mirror!
2024 was an epic season for us at Rushes… We have collated some of our wonderful Mirrors that were caught… Works of art! Should be in the Louvre
17 January, 2025
Well a little over 10 weeks until we open the doors on the 2025 season the fish have been rested of angling action from when we closed at the end of September but we’ve continued to feed heavily with maize and pellet going in twice a week.
We’ve stopped with pellet this week as sub zero temperatures have put a lid of ice on the lake bit we will continue with the maize over the next few months until temperatures rise again.
We invested heavily over the last 12 months with new rods pods bedchairs cradles slings and nets bought over the winter and new daychairs and 2 man bivvys on order for the start of the season.
We are adding another 10 carp from the stockpond and will continue to remove any catfish over the new season.
It’s going to be a busy year with April July August sold out and only 1 week left in September a couple of weeks in May and June free and October there’s 3 weeks left if you fancy a week on this pretty little lake with fish over 60lb and a few 50.plus monsters to go for there’s a ever growing head of forties with 10 new forties pushing through alone last year alone . Individual and group bookings are available and we offer food package. Transfers from limoges and tackle hire please check the availability calendar for what’s left as its kept up to date thanks Graham.
08 January, 2025
A few Pics from our guests over the last few weeks .
If you fancy a Autumn/ winter break in November or December we can accommodate you . Its normally pretty mild here that time of year and the fishing is good
08 January, 2025
A few more photos of some of the fish that have been out, in-between the weekly downpours .
08 January, 2025
I can honestly say what a great few weeks we have had at Cavagnac with our new friends . Cracking week with the lads from Liverpool (lake exclusive) Tony from Pro elite baits Spain and Mirza from Imperial baits Austria
08 January, 2025
At last we have some sunshine , Its been a very strange year with extreme weather changes every week.
This has not just impacted the fish feeding but also the planned new roof on the lodge .(still in work)
We have had some great guests over the last month and a big shout out to the British Army lads that came to fish with us .
Thank you all !!
08 January, 2025
Well done Victor, Victor won a competition run in Spain by corbisascarp
08 January, 2025
A few of our guests photos from the last few weeks ..
03 January, 2025
Winter 2024 December stocking. 31 new carp stocked in the lake last week. 14 commons and the rest mirrors.
Nothing smaller than 27lbs and the largest a mirror of 42lbs.
01 January, 2025
Nice end of The year weekend session gave two thirtys and a nice uppercut fourty
28 December, 2024
Another unknown common 😃
28 December, 2024
Very bad weather but still managed to get a couple
28 December, 2024
Its The beginning of December and the carp are still feeding well 🎣🎣
29 November, 2024
A couple of weeks ago now we had regulars Paul and Leanne here at Etang Les Burons, it was a slow start to the week but Paul made up for it in the end catching around 2 dozen fish up to the high 30’s. Unfortunately, there was no members of the A team banked which is unusual for Paul so we know he’s gonna make up for it next time.
29 November, 2024
A couple of weeks ago now we had regular Russ with his mate Ian here at Etang Les Burons. They fished extremely well, especially in regard to their baiting approach as despite the lake still being slightly moody they managed to catch 27 fish between them the biggest being 42Ib. It was a fantastic week as always, a pleasure to meet you Ian, and thanks again for the lovely review
29 November, 2024
A couple of weeks ago we had Matt and Ben here at Etang Les Burons, they fished extremely well catching around 16 fish between them. It seems the lake is well over its moody spell now and Matt and Ben did their upmost to take full advantage. However, the big girls are still proving to be a bit elusive. Nonetheless, it was still a fantastic week
29 November, 2024
The second part of the 2 social weeks here at Etang Les Burons saw the return of Antony and Darren after they helped us out in the winter. The lake was still being a bit temperamental but was definitely easing up as we managed to catch around 15 fish between us, however, there was still no sign of any of the A Team . Nonetheless, it was a great week which we can’t wait to repeat next year.
29 November, 2024
Recently we had a couple of social weeks here at Etang Les Burons with some friends and family, the weeks were great fun with the fishing slowly but surely picking back up. The first week we were joined by Ellie and Taylor where we managed to catch some lovely looking fish. However the A team are still yet to make an appearance with the biggest that week being 39Ib. Overall, it was a great time and we can’t wait to do it again next year
29 November, 2024
The fishing continues to be tough here at Etang Les Burons, a couple of weeks ago now we had Peter here and the lake was extremely active with carp showing everywhere at all times of the day. Despite this, they were not at all interested in any tactics/bait Peter deployed. We can only surmise that they are purely focused on some naturals that have become plentiful just recently. However, with some good angling Peter still managed to bag a few carp the biggest being the secondary 49Ib grass that resides here.
29 November, 2024
Last week we had Paul, Mark and Rob fishing here at Etang Les Burons. Unfortunately the fishing is still being extremely difficult but that didn’t stop them from trying, with some good angling and perseverance they caught around 8 carp the biggest being the grass at just over 49Ib. Overall was still a great week, good angling and looking forward to seeing you guys again.
29 November, 2024
We had Kieth, Alex , Rob and Steve here at Etang Les Burons after our summer break. Recently the lake has been fishing extremely difficult and this week was no different. Despite this, the boy’s persevered and halfway through the week the lake switched on. They managed to have 15 fish between them, including a stunning new pb for Alex at 36Ib. Great angling guys considering the circumstances
29 November, 2024
Last week we had some regulars here at Etang Les Burons Dan, Russ, Dave and Michelle. Right from the get go they were up against the weather as it was miserable for the majority of the week. However they all persevered and managed to bag some nice fish during the sunny spells. Overall they had 23 carp, the biggest being the grass at 49Ib. It was a fantastic week great angling by all and we can’t wait to have you guys back next year.
29 November, 2024
Last week here at Etang Les Burons we had Peter, Geoff and Vicky here as our final guests before we give the lake a well deserved rest for Spawning. It was a great weak with over 30 fish caught including two tone at her biggest weight yet being 50Ib 5oz as well as a few other 40Ib’s and some other absolute stunners.
29 November, 2024
Last week here at Etang Les Burons we had Steve, Steve, Nigel and Scott here fishing. They caught 26 fish between them resulting in new pb’s for everyone the biggest being 46Ib. It was great week with loads of laughs, good weather but most importantly nice carp. Good angling guys and thanks for the great week.
29 November, 2024
Last week at Etang Les Burons we had Marc, Rod, Paul and Simon. Despite the weather being all over the place they managed to bank 30+ fish between them up to 49Ib. Fantastic week, great fishing from everyone, hope we get to do it again.
20 November, 2024
We were really excited to see Gary and his mates back at Clay Lakes, last time round they had a fabulous week with some amazing fish out Gary banked our current lake record Common at 61lb 4oz, however this time round was just a little unfortunate as both lakes were slowing down from spawning and with high temperatures the guys tried their best spread over both lakes and finished the week on 20 fish, Lake two up to 33lb & Lake One up to 30lb.
20 November, 2024
We were really excited to see Gary and his mates back at Clay Lakes, last time round they had a fabulous week with some amazing fish out Gary banked our current lake record Common at 61lb 4oz, however this time round was just a little unfortunate as both lakes were slowing down from spawning and with high temperatures the guys tried their best spread over both lakes and finished the week on 20 fish, Lake two up to 33lb & Lake One up to 30lb.
20 November, 2024
Decent week for Shaun, Lee & Simon especially as we start to see less spawning activity now. 23 fish for the week in awesome weather fishing both lakes between them, a beautiful 46lb Mirror for top rod on lake two and some nice fish from lake One also. Cheers guys all the best.
20 November, 2024
Decent week for Shaun, Lee & Simon especially as we start to see less spawning activity now. 23 fish for the week in awesome weather fishing both lakes between them, a beautiful 46lb Mirror for top rod on lake two and some nice fish from lake One also. Cheers guys all the best.
20 November, 2024
Chris & the lads had a fabulous week for their first time fishing in France along with a few stories to tell about their new adventure 🙂
19 fish for the week between them & 49lb Common topping the scales some PBs smashed in the group they absolutely loved it and booked in for 2025 cheers guys see you again next year.
20 November, 2024
Chris & the lads had a fabulous week for their first time fishing in France along with a few stories to tell about their new adventure 🙂
19 fish for the week between them & 49lb Common topping the scales some PBs smashed in the group they absolutely loved it and booked in for 2025 cheers guys see you again next year.
20 November, 2024
Great week for Steve & the guys all things considered as some of the fish were spawning in both lakes upon arrival, however they did manage some lovely fish for the week including a 49lb Mirror & ‘Tango’ our resident Koi. The guys planned their spots carefully and had a nice chilled time.
20 November, 2024
Happy end to the week for Jim and the guys with a lovely 48lb Mirror from the swim closest to the cabin.
First signs of spawning on the Friday 31st.
The guys still managed to bank some nice fish during the week including 33,32,31 & some mid 20s.
20 November, 2024
Great time for Andy and his friend on Clay Lakes One 42lb biggest of the week, after a slow start it gradually picked up pace. Nice mix of 30s & 40s.
Unpredictable weather at the moment with pendulum temperatures. A little rise during the daytimes and then chilly once again in the evenings. PVA bags and grinded boilie seem to be working for the moment.
20 November, 2024
Cracking week for Daniel, Shaun, Aaron & Dave from Hull over 30 fish for the week including a brace of 50s and some lovely 40s the boys really enjoyed themselves, gave us some positive feedback and looking forward to seeing them back at Clay Lakes.
20 November, 2024
Slower week than usual for Spencer and the guys 32lb common biggest of the week.
Nice chilled out time for the lads some positive feedback and we hope to see them back at Clay Lakes for another crack at it another time.
20 November, 2024
Latest trip
20 November, 2024
A quick overnight session cave this upper 30 to Vincent well done FC boilies Loirbaits
20 November, 2024
This week saw the return of Nigel and Carol who had fished Lac Lucie the last two years and had a total of three carp out in these previous visits. They had not given up though and with the addition of a new bait boat bought on their return home last year they were hoping for a better result this year.
We had been contacted the week before they came for a weather update so that they packed sensibly and we were sorry to have to inform them that the forecast was for rain the whole week but they were not deterred and came prepared and Maisie was pleased to see them again no matter the weather.
They started the week with determination and although they were not fishing nights they were down by the lake by 7am most mornings and broke for tea and then were back with their rods out until about 9pm when they packed up and had some time in the hot tub with a glass of something watching the stars and the Milky Way (when it wasn’t raining)
The first fish of the week was landed by 10am on the Sunday morning, a lovely 42lb 7oz common caught by Nigel, and a new PB for him. This was closely followed by a new PB for Carol, a 38lb 8oz mirror. Nigel had two more out before the day was done meaning that they had already caught more fish than they had in the last two years put together! And the sun came out for a while in the evening allowing them to dry off a bit.
On Monday they woke again to rain but with wet weather gear on and the bivvy set up to shelter in their spirits were high. Nigel had a further two fish over the day, a 27lb 4oz mirror and a 29lb 12oz common.
The day was mostly dry on Tuesday with a few showers here and there and we had a message through in the afternoon asking for Nigel to go and help out. When we got down there Carol was just having a photo taken with a 27lb 8oz mirror and Nigel also had a fish on. His fish was very active though and had zig zagged across the lake and back and wiped out four out of the five rods that were still in the water. Birds nests of line everywhere. With our Nigel’s help and a bit of untangling, they managed to land the fish, a 36lb 8oz mirror. This was photographed (with Maisie photobombing) and returned to the water and then they untangled the rest of the lines. Luckily only one rod was total mess and had to be started again with some new line.
They both managed another fish that evening making it Nigel with seven and Carol with three carp after three days of fishing and halfway through the week.
Over the week we spent several pleasant hours with Nigel and Carol, with a beer and glass of wine or two and thoroughly enjoyed their company and sense of humour. Both do a lot of fishing in the UK, mainly sea fishing in the south-west and have lots of great stories to tell. They also introduced us to a great Aussie singer called Kevin B****y Wilson who has a great song called Nigel F*****g Legend. A tribute to both Nigels this week.
And the second half of the week continued in much the same vein. On Wednesday the couple had six runs and managed to lose five of them but Carol managed to land a 29lb 7oz mirror. It rained heavily for most of the day on Thursday and water was pouring into the lake from the stream and the overflows were working well. It was a great day for the fish though as Nigel managed to land another four carp, a 38lb 2oz common, a 38lb 8oz mirror, a 33lb 6oz common and a 21lb 8oz mirror. Carol also had a new PB, a 44lb 10oz mirror as well as a 34lb 12oz common.
And Friday came around far too soon, but managed to stay dry for most of the day. The couple fished until tea time and landed a further three carp, Nigel with an 18lb 2oz common and Carol with a 34lb 4oz common and a 28lb 5oz mirror.
With 20 carp on the bank between them (Nigel having 13 and Carol 7) they are above the average catch rates for a week and with so much rain it is commendable that they stuck it out for such lengths of time.
On the final evening Carol presented us with a little ditty she wrote, which we thought we would share with you. Enjoy!
So final catch summary is zero babies (even though Carol was desperate to catch little Matty), 1 at 10lb+, 9 at 20lb+, 8 at 30lb+ and 2 at 40lb+. We will look forward to seeing them again next year so until next time à bientôt….
20 November, 2024
39 Carp upto 40.08 for Stuart and party! We’ll done mate!
20 November, 2024
3 new PB,S for Brett, Neil and Dean! With over 30 carp upto 40.09! We’ll done boys!
20 November, 2024
Steve has been coming to France carp fishing for a number of years with various members of his family and he and his dad, Dave, like to book a good long session so that they can take their time and rest the lake regularly and just enjoy being away and fishing. This year they also bought Steve’s son, Ben, for the first week. Last year they had been over here fishing in August and Dave, our eldest angler so far at 83, found it a bit warm, hence booking for the last few weeks of the season.
Steve and Dave had driven down, staying somewhere en route on the Friday night and arriving on Saturday afternoon. Steve then raced off to the airport to collect Ben and returned via the supermarket. As they were here for the long haul they waited until Sunday morning to get set up, with Ben on the far swim on the side bank and Steve and Dave on the main bank. Dave has a mobility scooter and used the side ramp to get down to the lake but most of the time managed to get to where he needed to be with it.
The fish seemed to be mainly at the top end, under the willow for the first few days, ideally located for Ben and by the end of the first day he had caught the first fish, a 27lb common.
It is always good to see someone off the mark on the very first day and with Ben only here for one of the three weeks everyone was pleased he had caught the first fish.
But so it continued and week one proved to be The Ben Show with a 47lb common out in the early hours of Monday morning, giving him a good slap on the chin whilst he was holding it. This was followed by five further fish on the same day, a 35lb 10oz common, a 24lb 8oz common, which we were there to see, a 15lb 12oz common, a 27lb mirror and a 30lb common.
We thought perhaps he would give his dad or grandad a turn on the Tuesday but it was not to be and all Steve could send us was a photo of his empty cradle although he did join in one of Ben’s photos just to prove he was here too. Ben went onto catch a further three big carp, a common weighing 25lb, and mirrors weighing 37lb and 40lb and he also had a tiny common of about 2lb and had lost three. With eleven fish out already he was aiming for a record week.
Wednesday was a repeat with a 36lb common followed by a 23lb common, both again for Ben.
To give him credit Ben was fishing fairly solidly, sleeping out in the bivvy and rarely leaving the lake whereas Steve and Dave stopped before nightfall and got down to the lake later in the morning. And the weather was quite variable with a bit of rain on the Sunday, lots of wind on Monday, heavy rain on the Wednesday and a bit of sun on the Thursday. Perfect conditions some might say but the fish definitely seemed to be staying up in Ben’s third of the lake. It was almost as if they knew that Ben was only here for the week and the others would have a chance to catch after he had gone home.
Then Thursday, Steve at last got lucky with a 28lb common, having endured the jokes and questions about what they were playing at down on the main bank. He said it was worth the wait though and he was ready for some more but it was only Ben who caught again on that day with another 27lb mirror. This made it Ben = 14 and Steve = 1 with only Dave blanking so far.
On Friday we were suffering a bit from the fall out of hurricane Helene which had battered Florida and it bought some trees down in the woods as well as numerous branches and the dreaded sweet chestnut fall. It is probably a good job that Dave and Steve were sleeping in the chalet as their bivvies would have been bombarded with them and acorns from the trees on the bank.
Ben managed another 29lb common and a lovely 27lb 12oz scaley mirror at the end of the day.
With Ben flying home on Sunday he was all out to get what he could on Saturday and ended his session with a further two 30lb+ commons before he called it a day.
So we will call this part 1 and do a quick summary of the first week. Ben had 18 carp out in total 1 baby, 1 at 10lb+, 8 at 20lb+, 6 at 30lb+ and 2 at 40lb+ and Steve had 1 at 20lb+. Not a bad first week but Dave and Steve were hoping that their turn was coming.
The weather the second week was not too bad with some sunshine and some warm sunny days and Dave and Steve had a good routine for getting themselves down by the lake and setting up each morning but it wasn’t until the Tuesday that another fish made it to the bank with Steve catching a 38lb mirror off his spot on the left bank mid morning and Dave having a 46lb 2oz common at lunchtime from his middle rod which was over some of the showing fish from the morning. They were all off the mark and Dave ended up with another one before the end of the day from the right hand corner, a 26lb 8oz mirror.
They decided to have a day off on the Wednesday, mainly because of the rain which did not stop all day and was accompanied by some strong gusty winds – storm Kirk had hit us although by reading other catch reports we seem to have got off quite lightly both in catches and in damage. They were quite happy to rest the lake and get some rest themselves so they could tackle things afresh the next day.
By Thursday the winds had died down and they were ready to go again. Steve had the first fish of the day, another great mirror weighing 33lb 4oz and Dave had another two mirrors, 28lb and 26lb.
On Friday Steve had another couple of 30lb mirrors and that was it for another week. Saturday was spent going to the supermarket and relaxing in the chalet again. With the ground very wet around the lake Dave was starting to struggle a bit more with his scooter and he felt he had to give it a good wash down before they went to the shops. But the ramp down to the lake was holding up and he was still managing to get up and down ok.
The weather forecast for the beginning of their final week was pretty good with sunshine and warm temperatures and on Sunday Steve was up and down at the lake at 8am and the lake was fizzing all over but despite their best efforts they only had the one out between them, a 23lb common.
We have not had a 50lb+ caught for several months and were beginning to wonder where they all were so it was a lovely surprise to get a photo of this 50lb 2oz common from Steve who had caught it on his left hand rod again mid morning on Monday. What a great fish!
This was followed by a 22lb common from ‘Ben’s corner’ for Dave and a 36lb 8oz common for Steve, the first fish from his rod that was by the tree opposite him so all was not wasted there either.
With the forecast for the end of the week looking very wet and rainy Steve and Dave made the decision to leave us early so spent Tuesday getting their tackle up from the lake and packing their things back into the van. They left us early on Wednesday morning for the long drive back to the UK.
So the 10 days that Steve and Dave fished for after Ben had left saw zero babies, zero at 10lb+, 6 at 20lb+, 5 at 30lb+, 1 at 40lb+ and 1 at 50lb+. Steve had a further 7 fish and Dave had 5.
A total of 32 carp were caught by these anglers over the time they spent with us and we have thoroughly enjoyed their passion and enthusiasm for our last weeks of the season on Lac Lucie. Hope to see you all again some day and until then à bientôt…
20 November, 2024
What a magnificent Zip linear – buzzing!!!!
20 November, 2024
Chris has been to France carp fishing for many years and used to go with some friends but in recent years his wife, Ingrid has been with him to help and support and enjoy the peace and quiet that comes with fishing, away from the hectic life of a care worker which Jo understands well. This year Ingrid’s daughter, Sarah also came along for a break from everyday life. The weather forecast before they came was not looking very hopeful but with no anglers on Kingfisher for the past few weeks we were optimistic that Chris would land some good fish.
Chris chose to set up on the first swim nearest the chalet and had chosen to have Nigel’s maple syrup boilies and using a bed of maize and parti-blend. He had bought his own bait boat with him to help with getting everything out to where he wanted it and fished over towards the aerator, in the trees over on the far bank and under the willow tree.
Nigel puts some bait in when the lakes are empty so that the carp still have something nutritious to hunt for but this is generally spread out along the far bank rather than in particular spots and Sunday saw nothing until the evening when Chris landed a 51lb catfish. Chris was obviously not a big fan of the ‘slugs’. It was not what he had come here for but it was a start.
Monday was dry but cloudy and Chris was down by the lake early ready to go again. He was rewarded with two mirrors by the end of the day weighing 47lb 7oz and 31lb 5oz and had Ingrid and Sarah on hand to gilly for him.
The weather was not great on Tuesday with rain all day but it wasn’t cold and the fish were evidently enjoying the piles of bait. Chris had a 20lb 4oz common at 10.15 but that was it for the day. It looked like it might be one of those weeks where one fish a day got to the net.
The weather was drier on Wednesday and the sun even appeared from time to time and Chris a baby common at 9lb at around 11ish which he told us about so that we could move it into our stock pond. This was followed by 3 more over the course of the day, a 38lb 6oz, a 15lb 3ozand a 39lb 8oz to finish the day off. The fish were obviously finding Chris’s piles of bait.
Thursday saw a drier day again and a further two carp weighing 34lb 7oz and 48lb 5oz and on Friday Chris caught three more, 14lb, 18lb 2oz and 30lb 4oz. Chris reckoned that the fish have specific feeding times as he was regularly getting bites at similar times during the day! Most of his fish were caught on the rod near to the aerator and although he did try to move up a swim on one day he found that most of the action was where he had fished from the first swim so moved back there.
Over the course of the week Nigel enjoyed spending time with Chris, who has a wealth of knowledge about tree management and they discussed the different trees we have here and the best way of looking after them, as well as the best time to prune rhododendrons etc.
Chris had booked the lake for ten days as he likes to make sure he has unwound properly after a long drive from mid Wales and have some good time fishing before heading back across the Channel. This meant that when Saturday came around again he did not have to worry about packing everything up but still had a good three days fishing left.
Chris only fished during the day and a few hours into darkness, preferring the comfort of the chalet for the night. The three of them enjoyed a few meals out including a visit to Camping de l’etang at Le Lindois about 5 minutes away, where they had a lovely French meal
Saturday saw a further two mirrors, a 31lb 7oz and a 28lb 8oz landed and on Sunday just the one, a 19lb common which will grow on to be a stunning fish in the future.
And Monday came around, Chris’ final day fishing and we just happened to be there when this lovely 26lb 8oz common was caught.
And Chris followed that up with a 46lb 7oz, a 36lb 4oz and a 17lb 1oz, so a great day to finish up with.
So the final summary for not a bad ten days fishing was 1 baby, 3 at 10lb+, 5 at 20lb+, 7 at 30lb+, 3 at 40lb+ and 1 catfish at 51lb. We hope that Chris, Ingrid and Sarah enjoyed their time with us and that we will see them again one day. Until the next time à bientôt….
20 November, 2024
difficult start to autumn but carps until 52 lbs and sturgeon near 85lbs!
Congratulations to anglers for their strategy!!!
20 November, 2024
Jethro had booked a week on Kingfisher for himself, his brother, Barney and his friend, Will. Unfortunately right at the last minute Jethro was unable to come so with everything packed up in their Mercedes van Barney and Will made the long journey from the south west of England over to Roscoff and then drove down to us, arriving mid afternoon on the Saturday.
You can never quite work out how the week is going to start. Some anglers arrive and are unpacked and have everything set up before tea time and others take it nice and slow and steady, spending time watching the water, having a few beers and recovering from the journey.
Barney and Will were the latter and when we walked round with Maisie on the Sunday morning the only angling we came across was Barney on the dam wall with a single rod, just chucking it in and seeing what was about. There was loads of activity on the lake with bubbles coming up all over the place. Barney was convinced that the fish were feeding and he told us that they had put some bait in the night before, along the dam wall and in the margins on the far bank so that they could fish from the house swim and the 2nd swim along.
By Sunday evening they were properly set up, well Barney had put his bed up in the van on the house swim and Will had his bivvie up next to him. They were keeping it social by camping out together but had their rods spread across the two swims so they were easily got to but close enough to give each other a hand.
On Sunday night they landed the first carp of the week, a 33lb common for Barney. A great looking fish and obviously the water was warm enough still to get in the lake for a great photo.
The weather at the start of the week was amazing for the start of October and the lads made the most of temperatures in the mid 20s and loved throwing the ball for Maisie when we walked round, knowing that it was set to turn mid week with showers rolling in.
By Tuesday afternoon Will had had a 50lb+ catfish and Barney had caught a new PB and was thrilled with this one – 46lb 2oz mirror in great condition and some nice scale patterns on its tail and back.
The weather remained good for Wednesday morning but by the afternoon torrential rain was coming down and they were glad of the van parked by the lake to take shelter. The pair had not needed to leave the lake much, just to pick up a few things from the Spar in Montamboeuf as we went out most days as Jo’s mum was staying so we always got any beers or anything that they had run low on.
Midweek saw Will catch a 47lb 3oz mirror. A stunning fish and well landed.
Fishing continued at a steady pace over the rest of the week and luckily the rain stopped on Friday afternoon giving them some hope that their gear might dry out by the time they had to pack things up. Barney sent us some further photos on Saturday morning when we went round, two commons weighing 17lb 5oz and 30lb 8oz.
Both of them managed to land 5 carp each over the week and Will had a couple of catfish up to 50lb+. Here are a couple more of Will’s fish
This is our final guest catch report of the season but we will keep you updated over the closed period with anything we are doing on or around the lakes. We have quite a lot we would like to do, and some things that we have to do, such as finishing the compliance works on Kingfisher. We are hoping for a drier winter than last year so we can spend more time outside than in. So keep checking back and until the next time à bientôt…
20 November, 2024
Some nice fish upto 40.03 for Paul! We’ll done mate!
20 November, 2024
Some nice fish for John upto 40! We’ll done mate!
20 November, 2024
three returning anglers on this week , very tough with the fall in temps and very high weather pressure but still managed six carp , 1 x 30 , 4 x 40’s and 1 x 50
nice for them to have two new pb’s
well angled
18 November, 2024
Post vip with the kube lodge starting well. 3 fish including two big one at 60lbs and 44lbs. We stay open during winter and make discount winter price. Fish stay active!
18 November, 2024
We are starting to stocking the new carp. Eloïse the owner with a huge common of 49 lbs and a 51 lbs miror carp.
We add some pictures about the wild and the lake. Other stocking pictures will coming soon. Stay connected.
18 November, 2024
40 fish for the guys this week on Lake Two including 3 x 40s biggest of the week being 48lb 5oz.
Big thanks to Richard & the guys.
18 November, 2024
I’d like to thank Alan & Max. Had a belter of a week. Caught 41 fish, total weight just under 800lb of carp. Would highly recommend to anyone keen on carp fishing. Smallest fish was 18lb & biggest 50lb 6oz.
Review posted on Facebook 14th May 2024
18 November, 2024
22 fish in total for Neil and his friend on Lake One this week. Temperatures definitely on the up now for night times.
Some great pics and a lovely 43lb 8oz Mirror biggest of the week.
18 November, 2024
30 fish in total for the week biggest was a lovely 45lb 6oz PB Mirror from swim 3.
3 Grass carp up to 32lb.
Big thanks to Tim, Leon & the guys they fished from swims 3, 4 & 5.
18 November, 2024
Great week for Chris & Tim, 26 fish in total including 8 x 40s & 12 x 30s.
Chris having a belter again at Clay Lakes in swim 4 this time round, crushed boilie, maggot & worm seem to be edging it.
Non stop rain during the week however lots of activity up and down the lake. Tim in swim three & Chris in swim four.
18 November, 2024
Big welcome back to Luke & Barry they have both fished at Clay Lakes for a number of years now as regulars.
Decent week for the guys Luke with a lovely 47lb mirror from Swim One closest to the Cabin & Barry with a 43lb Mirror from swim 3. The lads had 17 fish in total for the week.
Slowly rising over night temperatures at 8 degrees+
18 November, 2024
More rain for Kev & Andy but worth it after lovely a 56lb mirror from swim 4 on the Crazy Onion using grinded boilie in pva bags. Slow start to the week but picked up once there was a slight rise in overnight temperatures, the lads enjoyed themselves and did well with 17 fish in total for the week between them.
18 November, 2024
Josh & the guys had a great week to kick off their season, 27 in total biggest 48lb from swim three on the social peg.
Lots of rain daily & temperatures ranging from 6 to 10 degrees.
18 November, 2024
Visited Clay Lakes with my wife for one week, starting March 31st 2024.
We booked online after reading some reviews and found the lake to be fairly priced for a drive and survive lake.
What to say about the week, well the weather was not the best, however that did not stop us pulling out 11 fish between us, ranging between 17 and 42lb. Which I think had we seen warmer weather would have been much more.
The onsite cabin, with UK power, functional oven/hob, fridge/freezer and toilet (with working hot shower) was a huge bonus! Considering this was drive and survive.
And the cherry on top, the owner (Alan) what an absolute top bloke he is, kept our spirits high in the glum weather with plenty of banter, gave some great advice on rigs, best spots etc…. and genuinely was just a pleasure to be around during our trip!
All in all, I’d highly recommend this place, consider that me and my wife are not advanced anglers, and got all the help we needed, still caught a bunch of decent fish, a few new PB’s and was well entertained.
Thank you Alan for hosting us, see you next year!!! (In the summer though 😉)
Review posted on Google.
18 November, 2024
48, 44, 41, 39, 38 & 6 x 20s
Good week for Dan & Alan. Cabin swims fishing centre of the lake 140+ yards.
13 November, 2024
Last week at Etang Les Burons we had returning regular Paul have the lake to himself and he did not disappoint. He caught over 30 fish, including two tone at her biggest weight yet being 49Ib 8oz, a 48Ib Grass carp and a brace of low 40Ib commons. It was a brilliant week, great angling from Paul and we can’t wait to see what he catches next time in September.
13 November, 2024
We had our first party of anglers here at Etang Les Burons last week and what a start to the season it was. There was over 30 fish caught including 7 40Ib’s up to 48Ib, with three new pb’s for the guys I think we can safely say it was a good week all round
12 November, 2024
Tough conditions for Antony Smith and his fishing group but they angled well and still landed some good fish.
12 November, 2024
31 lb 38 1 lb
10 November, 2024
Recently returned from Domaine de la Baronne, what a stunning looking lake but it needs work. 6 of us fished 26/10/24 to 02/11/24, by all account allot of lakes in the area and France have been fishing difficult of late, also it was very high pressure whilst we were there, as a group we managed 12 carp and 1 small catfish, with 5 fish being lost due to snags. This lake is very weedy but there are plenty of clear spots to fish you just need to find them, this is easy from a zodiac that you can rent off Rafal, one huge down side to the lake is it’s full of snags. Most the margins are lines with over hanging trees which are easily assessable and fishable when using a bait boat or zodiac to place your rigs, but the snags in this lake are next level, all fish lost were due to the snags that this lake holds. I would even say it’s dangerous for the fish, if you crack off or get cut off whilst playing a fish it could lead to them getting tethered. For fish welfare these need removing. My dad and I fished from the island, which is brilliant to really immerse yourself into the fishing away from the crowd, the “VIP cabin” is not VIP it’s a nice shed with a 2 gas ring cooker in it, and 2 shoddy beds that’s all, we both opted to set up our bivvy and sleep on our bed chairs in front of the rods instead of sleeping in the shed, but we did use the shed to cook in and store all our bait, rod bags clothes etc. You cannot cast from either of the swims on the island, allot of work needs doing to remove over hang trees and a few need felling to open the pegs up to be able to fish and cast from the swims on the island, this was easily fixed by using the the zodiac and bait boat though. One reason we opted not to sleep in the shed was due to the snags, you have to fish locked up, an I mean solid so no line can be taken from the reel, so you need to be on your rods as soon as you get a single bleep, this did lead to very exciting fishing and a few boat battle to land the fish.
To summaries – the facilities at the lake are basic. The showers are poor, toilets are adequate eco toilets, no running water (Rafal will fill up your containers) pegs are good but some under water and the platform on the island is damaged, but with the rugged nature of the lake it is not easy fishing at all which may deter some anglers. Personally I loved the challenging nature of the lake but the over hanging trees need removing on the island and ALL the snags need removing from the lake for fish safety and aid in moving the fish around more as I saw allot of fish held up in snags whilst I was there. It SHOULD be advertised as very weedy and snaggy as this is the true nature of the lake, but there are spots to fish if you put work and effort in to find them, and finally the fish, what stunning looking fish, it’s hard to tell from the images but these are hands down some of the most stunning fish I’ve ever caught, the colours, the shape, the depth, and width the bellies, the fish were just outrageous. The lake is a real chocolate box of fish. The 6 images attached range from 23.8 to 30.10. But every single one fought like a 45lb’er.
I would fish here again as the carp are stunning, and drive and survive is my thing.
10 November, 2024
Nice fish, Paul Timmis, 24.10.24
09 November, 2024
I thought I would leave a little review on my recent trip to 3 islands. I wanted to book somewhere to take my dad away but with the added bonus of a lodge (with him getting old) but we treated it as a drive and survive holiday anything else would be a big bonus. And there was plenty off them with the shower block being run on gas so a continuous supply of hot water, a kitchen lodge with all your must haves, knifes forks spoons microwave air fryer bbq station English charging points. The lake it’s self even though still being weedy from the hotter months didn’t disappoint (it’s beautiful)
With minimal reviews or catch reports to go on we was going in blind. We was set up in the lodge swim and even though there was still a good head of weed with a marker lead and marker rod it didn’t take long to find some nice bottom to present our baits on. With it being a double swim and the weed still being present I took the choice to drop down to two rods each. We ended up with 16 bites landed 15 of them up to 39.12 along with a couple of sturgeon.
With this being said its not a really busy week and we had to work for our bites with all but two coming through the hours of darkness of the baited spot the other two coming from pre baited margin areas as the fish didn’t give a single show away for the week we was there, but the fish we did catch were in pristine condition with plenty of room for growth.
Over all for the convenience of how easy it is to get to and being within two hours of the ferry and the price I couldn’t moan at all about the venue fish or communication from 3 islands from the booking to checking in to make sure our holiday was going smoothly.
Tight lines we will be back.
07 November, 2024
Very nice lake with some amazing wildlife. The fishing was tough. Our group of 5 anglers each with between 30 and 45 years carp angling experience (3 of which are fully qualified angling coaches) could only manage 5 bites between us. 1 was lost on a sunken scaffold pole, 3 were lost in the weed and just one sturgeon landed. The odd fish did show during the week but most were tench and sturgeon. Seems to be very few carp left in the lake and had we known this together with the weed situation before our trip we would have been better prepared. We still had a good weeks camping and even got the float rods out for a bit of roach fishing once or twice.
07 November, 2024
Very nice place . Very helpfully and well managed nothing to much trouble . Could ask for more . Fishing was a bit hard but that’s fishing . Very happy with the whole week . Quality of the fish we did catch was top draw.
We will be going back .
07 November, 2024
What a lovely lake although the fishing was slow we caught several 20s but no big girls.
Would definitely do to baronne again.
07 November, 2024
Great lake small and intermate. Some good stalking spots around the margins. Theirs some chunks in their to catch which I unlucky to catch but manage to get some of the smaller ones still welcoming to have. The facilities are good clean and tidy, the food there was great. Chris the owner was brilliant he will go out of his way just help you catch.
Great place
05 November, 2024
Few fish but carps until 41 lbs and the return of the big sturgeon!!! More than 130 lbs!!!!
Congratulations!
05 November, 2024
Sometimes you wonder what carps feed because fishing is difficult. You see carps but your baits are still here…
This is that anglers this week thought… may be…
but congratulations for the caught of White Tail at 50lbs!!!
And big sturgeon…..
31 October, 2024
Another great week of fishing, Josh, Molly & the guys really hit the ground running with a staggering 10 fish on the first night. Both lakes hired between them they thoroughly enjoyed themselves over the week and some great pictures to show for it. Many thanks and all the best see you back again soon at Clay Lakes
31 October, 2024
Another great week of fishing, Josh, Molly & the guys really hit the ground running with a staggering 10 fish on the first night. Both lakes hired between them they thoroughly enjoyed themselves over the week and some great pictures to show for it. Many thanks and all the best see you back again soon at Clay Lakes
31 October, 2024
32 fish for Mike & Rick on Lake Two last week including 3 x 40s & 15 x 30s. The lads also had a great time on Lake One the week before having 30 fish between them. Always a pleasure guys see you again in 2025 🐳🐳
31 October, 2024
Great
30 October, 2024
The season has now come to a end and gates are shut tol April 5th to give the fish a long rest before we go again.
It’s been a good year with lots of new 40lb fish pushing through and a new lake record mirror of 53lb. A lot of guys smashed there pbs and the lake has fished pretty consistent apart from around spawning which is only to be expected.
We had a fully scaled mirror out at 39lb for the 1st time since I took over 6 years ago last out in 2017 at 25lb. Which is a great result and the highlight of the year for me as I thought it was lost. Its amazing how it’s avoided being caught on a lake this size for so long. We had unprecedented rainfall in France this year and the lake is overflowing already.
We have started our winter feed program and the fish will ve top weight and condition when we re open with pellet and maize going in over the winter. A big thanks to all the boys and girls out this year for there support we only had 1 guy blank and that was spawning week and I’ve offered him a free week next year which he accepted.
We still have a few spaces left in April may and June then late September and October are free if you want a trip out in 2025 . No nuisance species like crayfish or poison chat and very little weed airport transfers available aswell as food and tackle hire. I will leave you with a few fish pictures from the brutiful
29 October, 2024
Another unknown fish first time caught 35.6 lbs
28 October, 2024
Fantastic week for Father and son, Steve and Oli landing a great haul of 29 carp, smashing their PBs with carp to over 50lb. All fish fell to Dynamite’s 12mm pink Hit and Run pop ups fished over a mix of 15mm Complex T boilie and house pellet. Well done lads.
28 October, 2024
The MD of Dynamite baits Duncan and his best friend Steve (Trigger) flew in for 3 nights. Bad weather didn’t hinder them landing 11 carp to over 50lb including a couple of 40+. Dynamite’s Crab & Krill wafters fished over matching 15mm boilie & house pellet doing its thing. Great angling lads
28 October, 2024
Cousins Andy and Shane had a good week both breaking their PBs with carp to 53lbs. Dynamite’s peppered squid 🦑 & house pellets produced the goods.
25 October, 2024
Had 12 fish in all for the week.
1 50,1 40,6 30s,4 20s.
Lovely venue,would fish again.
22 October, 2024
We are not all out and out carp fishermen, this was our first trip away as a group.
Jason has been amazing with his help and commitment prior to and during our stay.
The main lake was a challenge however this was possibly due to the amount of bait put in the previous week.
The accommodation was of a good standard with everything you need, thanks to Marie for the evening meals and the massive breakfast baguettes.
We all would be happy to return to Domaine de Grand Felin.
Thanks to Jason for all his help and advice which contributed to making our stay enjoyable.
We caught a couple of 30lb+ Mirrors several 20lb + and as you can see a nice 28lb Grass Carp and a 30lb Koi
17 October, 2024
Carps until 56 lbs and 2 cats like a gift!
Big fish at Authentic lake during a very difficult week for friends came hunting carps records….
Congratulations!
16 October, 2024
Hi guys, this week we have a few from earlier on in the year and some newbies.
Adi, Chris, Scott, Deano, Tony and Nathan.
Fishing swims 3,4,5,9 and 10.
Baits being used some Archiepeachy white/red various boilies the guys brought with them and our pellet.
Nathan swim 4 tripped up Scar the common 48 lb new PB Chris on swim 5 and Ade swim 10 both off the mark with stockies. Into Tuesday evening and it’s very quiet on the lake Chris swim 5 tripped up a nice 41 lb common . All about commons at the moment 3 out this morning Wednesday 35,37 and 38 swims 5 9 and 10 won’t be long b4 one of the A Team trips up 🙏
Weather for the week will be changeable some sunshine lots of showers but staying warm day and night water temperature is around 18 degrees PH 8.4 after all the rain and oxygen levels excellent staying on a southerly.
16 October, 2024
Hi Guys, this week is a new group from the Northampton area.
Jeff, Charlie, Lee and Steve.
Fished swims 4,5,9 and 10
Various boilie baits being used from DNA baits the bug being one !
What an epic week so pleased for them lots of PB s common and mirror many memories were made, 60’s club hoodies were awarded to Jeff for the capture of Daisy on swim 5 @ 67lb 8 oz and son Charlie on swim 4 tripping up Charlie’s shoulders @ 66 lb 1 oz a best weight for this male fish, Steve swim 10 just missed out on a hoodie with Katie @ 59 lb 8 oz next year Steve 😄Jeff also tripped up Solar @ 56 lb 2oz while son Charlie did his PB common with White tip 53 lb 8 oz. Swim 9 only did the one fish so a 31 lb for Lee , lots more action Steve had several other fish in the mid 40’s upto 47lb 8 oz chunky lumpy @ 45 lb 8 oz and Sip @ 41 lb 12 oz a best weight for this fish, Charlie shoulder scale 47 lb 8 oz and Hulk @ 47 lb 12 oz and clover @ 41 lb 8 oz what a fantastic week and what a lovely group hopefully they are back this time next year respect to you all !
Weather was very stormy strong gusty winds a new southerly which brought heavy showers with torrential rain some sunny spells.
Water temperature was 18 degrees oxygen levels excellent PH is around 8.2.
16 October, 2024
Back this week are Bob and Nick with a new addition another Bob.
Fished swims 5,9 and 10.
Guys used various different boilie baits that they have brought with them and some of our pellet.
Nick swim 10 carrying on from last week with a 38.4 mirror and 37.4 common and Bob on swim 9 tripped up the Hulk @ 44 lb 8 oz over the other side Bob on swim 5 had a 51 lb , 54 lb and Katie 61 lb 60’s club hoodie awarded, Monday during driving rain and strong winds Bob swim 9 new PB leather Marley @ 50 lb and a 31 mirror Ambler @ 48 lb 8 oz Nick had a couple of mid 20 commons followed by a 35 lb 8 oz only fish out Thursday was a 32 lb common named by Nick as whiskers after what looks like a old cat injury on it, foggy Friday !
Weather was a right mixed bag warm sunshine and showers some rain temperatures still a touch below average warm nights winds mainly from the north some southerly. Water temperature dropped right off 19 degrees after all of last weeks rain oxygen levels are good PH 8.4
16 October, 2024
This week we had regulars father and son Peter and Simon on a lake exclusive.
Fished the usual swims 9/10.
Guys used various Bait works boilies and some pellet.
Well what an epic week they had 28 runs 26 banked let’s start with the one and only been on the missing list for nearly a year Daisy @ 68 lb 10 oz nice healthy weight tripped up by Peter on swim 9 his second capture of her catching her early in the year in 2023 @ 73 lb, let’s go through the others lots of named fish Abby 51.12, Tash 50.2, Marley the leather 49 lb 8 oz new pb for Peter, sunshine koi what was on Simon’s list, vinnie, China plate, Hulk, Archie, Starburst, 3 stripes, Turkish, baby Turkish, Tropicana, Bullethole, pumpkin, apple slice and several 30’s and stockies !
Weather was changeable lots of heavy showers very strong winds for there last 2 days below average temperatures, staying warm at night looks like a southerly all the way water temperature is around 20-22 degrees PH is 8.4
16 October, 2024
Hi Guys. This week we had brothers Dave and Keith back for second time this year.
Fishing the usual 9 and 10.
They used some Archiepeachy white boilies and brought various other boilie baits with them some maize, particles etc
We’ve been run ragged by a little black/tan demon pup so I’ve been behind on catch reports so here goes 🤣
Swim 10 done the fish 30’s 40’s and Abby the common @ 52 lb 14 oz so Keith was happy another swim 9 let down Dave struggled lost a few but had a 30 !
The weather was sunnier and warmer than we’ve had this last couple of weeks, it was a nice sunny dry day for getting set up, winds mainly north easterly swing around late in the week water temperature holding 22-23 degrees PH 8.1 oxygen levels are excellent.
16 October, 2024
Hi guys, firstly I had to report the loss of Stallone one of the A Team having its top weight just over 60 lb possibly dying of a tail injury infection, on a better note we welcomed Georges our new Rottweiler puppy at just 9 weeks.
This week we had two returning anglers Paul and Ben and two new anglers Rob and Mark, Ian has stayed on for another week on swim 12 other swims being fished are 3,5,9 and 10.
Guys are using particle, pellet Archiepeachy white and red, cell and various other boilie baits.
Mega slow week only Rob on some decent fish on swim 5 newly named and microchipped at the start of the season Danny 34 lb 2 lb and shoulder scale @ 45 lb 4 oz, Castle Al @ 48 lb 15 oz, Brutus 41 lb 1 oz other guys have struggled with only several stockies out between them
Weather was a wet set up after suffering very heavy rain through Friday night it was changeable throughout well below normal temperatures for this time of year winds mainly from south west water temperature has dropped a lot around 24-25 degrees oxygen levels are good PH 8.2.
16 October, 2024
Hi guys, this week we had back for another crack at it Tony, Lee, Ian they all live here Jordon and Rob over from Uk.
Guys fished swims 1,2,5,9 and 10.
Guys used pellet and various boilie baits they brought with them !
18 fish out this week Tony on swim 10 having the better of the brunch 3 nice upper 40 commons to 49 lb Barrel, Sylvia and the other one was unknown other side Lee on swim 5 fish to 44 lb 8 oz which was chunky lumpy Ian on swim 12 took 7 fish to 36 lb swim 1 and 2 nothing this week !
Weather was much cooler with some light rain before set up much more cloudier week water temperature still around 26-28 degrees PH around 8.1 and pressure for the week is lower winds are southerly.
16 October, 2024
Hi Guys this week we had individuals set up by Neil on our individual FB page.
Neil, Darren, Kyle and Paul.
Swims fished 3,5,9 and 10.
Guys used our freshly cooked particle our pellet some Archiepeachy white boilies and various other baits by sticky baits, mainline .
Very hard this week only a couple of stockies and Scales out @ 33 lb 12 oz 🎣which Neil on swim 3 tripped up, never good when the fishing is hard going and someone loses a fish but it was the case this week with several being lost !
Weather was a sunny one again lots of hot sunshine into the 30’s winds come from the north changed midweek to southerly then finishing for the guys on a northerly again.
16 October, 2024
Hi guys, this week had another new group,
Phil, Max, Lewis, Jerry, and Tyler.
Fished swims 3, 5, 9, 10, and 11.
Guys used various boilie baits sticky baits, mainline, homemade, and outlaw pro banoffe lots of different combinations.
Didn’t take long for one of the lads to catch Lewis swim 10 tripped up the unknown fully @ 31 lb, swim 10 carried on being productive over the week Lewis done his PB with China plate 44 lb 10 oz also stretch the common @ 44 lb 8 oz Three stripes and several stockies, swim 9 only done one fish which was a PB for Jerry his son Max over on swim 3 done 2 x 50’s Conky and Jess also a 40 and several stockies, Tyler moved from swim 5 to swim 1 and tripped up some nice commons while over on swim 11 Phil got amongst several fish nothing bigger then 30 !
Weather was a wet set up torrential rain then showers but we were back to sunshine Sunday as per usual the winds are all over the place, water temperature was barmy 28-30 degrees we now have a large aquarium 🤔
16 October, 2024
Hi Guys, this week we had a new group to us.
Kiren, Steve, Barry and Colin.
Fishing Swims 3, 5, 9 and 10.
Couple of the guys tried Archiepeachy but they had a wide range of various other boilies S7 being one of them.
Well we hit 40 degrees on the Sunday only Barry swim 10 mid 20 common stockie followed by a well spawned out Katie @ 56 lb smashing his PB out of the ball park, into Monday touch cooler because of a nice breeze from the north only Colin swim 9 tripped up Me Duck @ 37 lb 8 oz, then another for Colin late afternoon clover @ 41 lb followed by Castle Al @ 49 lb, into Friday a couple of nice commons kiren swim 5 38 lb 6 oz and Barry 33 lb 8 oz, Steve had a couple of nice fish both well spawned out China Plate @ 45 and The Barrel @ 49 lb 6 oz, Barry on swim 10 tripped up Archie @ 39 lb followed by a 38 lb common on the other side at same time Steve swim 3 pale stockie, kiren swim 5 nice bar of gold stockie !
Weather was very hot on set up much the same for rest of the week creeping up in to the high 30’s maybe up to 40 ! Water temperature was 28 degrees winds are all over the place during the week, oxygen levels are good pressure around 989.
16 October, 2024
Hi Guys, this week we had Charlie and Carol on a lake exclusive.
Fished swims 9 and 10.
Bait used was from RG baits Red sea squid and Arctic Crab also some of our freshly cooked particles.
They both had good week lots of runs only a couple of females out rest were male fish well spawned out Barrel 49.8 and chunky lumpy 42.4 others were Rumble 44.12 Hulk 43.4 the old one 40 lb another unknown 40 lber bacon tail showed up again 🫣 another named fish Terminator, they had some very nice high end 30 lb commons several other 30’s and several stockies. Lovely couple can’t wait to meet up again with them quality angler’s good skills !
Weather was much cooler still hoovered around the low 30’s lots of sunshine over the week winds were mainly from the north, water temperature was around 26 -28 degrees oxygen levels are good and PH is around 8.2
16 October, 2024
Hi guys, we are back now until the end of October no more breaks,
This week we welcomed back Chris and his family Harry, Jake and wife Lauren it’s been 2 years nearly to the day when they were last here and Chris took the place apart with 22 fish lots of names including Daisy !
Fishing same as before swim 5.
He is using our Archiepeachy white boilie with some other boilie baits he brought with him mainlines Essential Cell and the Cell !
It was a slow start for Chris and the boys they had fish all over them from the start to the finish question was what were they eating ?
It was never going to be a red letter week once we started through the week with the fishing being very slow to respond to bait and the only time they were catching was around the same time every day and that was late afternoon, all fish caught were healthy and well spawned out which is fantastic and great to see !
Chris as always still managed to trip a few up Coup 45lb 6oz, Chunk 42lb, Rudder 35lb 2oz, Nutty 25lb 10oz and newly microchipped and named by Jake Comet @ 33lb 10oz
The weather is much the same as two years ago very Hot up to 40’s high 30’s changeable winds northerly, southerly and a bit from the west, pressure has gone up to 1012 oxygen levels are good water temperature a crazy 24-26 degrees, PH 8.2.
16 October, 2024
Hi Guys, we are back this week with a group of 5, Chris, Paul, Glyn, Adie, and Ollie.
Fished swims 3,4,5,9 and 10.
Various boilie baits were used from mainline, CC Moore etc ………….
Proper hard lots of moody fish about guys still had a great week with us swim 9 still hasn’t shined this season but Ollie did get fish off the Daisy spot 46 lb common a well spawned out Sylvia fishing live system, Dad Glyn swim 10 stockies and a 30 lb 8 oz mirror white wafter fishing over Archiepeachy white boilies and our pellet then the Sunshine koi @ another well spawned out weight @ 25 lb.
Fred 41 lb 8 oz off swim 3 for Adie who also lost a couple swim 5 only just into the 30’s for Paul and swim 4 couldn’t find a fish after trying everything!
Weather on set up was red hot 29 degrees sunshine cloud winds were from the west but wasn’t staying it was as a right mixed bag, pressure 987 PH 8.1 and water temperature was around 24 -26 degrees, lots of sunny hot days into the mid 30’s followed !
16 October, 2024
Incredible week for Arnie and Steve with big mirors, common, leather and beautiful linear during there trip!!!!
Until 52 lbs … what else?
Congratulations!!!
15 October, 2024
Wayne, Gary and Aaron were at the lake last week. Fair to say they smashed it! Lovely to see you guys. Already looking forward to seeing you next year.
15 October, 2024
Another catch report from a few weeks back when our good friends Ian and gang came out for their yearly jaunt. It was, as always, a pleasure. See you next year guys!
15 October, 2024
What a beautiful lake and the facilities are outstanding in a peaceful environment.
The fish are stunning and immaculate with the chance of a really BIG fish as we got up close with one and unfortunately lost it but it looked a 60lb mirror.
Now to the owners Alan & Shelley well their hospitality was outstanding they really couldn’t do enough for us from spending a lovely evening socialising to helping us move swims and load our van they really are a team.
Many thanks Alan & Shelley for a holiday that gave us many memories.
14 October, 2024
Around 15 Carp for Steve upto 39.02 fishing days only this week! We’ll done Steve!
14 October, 2024
When carps are distrustful but anglers have talent, big carps go on the mat!!!
Carps untils 50’s with 4 40’s and the rest more than 25-30lbs…
And grass carps until 41 lb
Congratulations!!!!
14 October, 2024
Some of the stunning fish out last week. 🔥
We had 2 great guests Si and Caine, who were lucky enough to have the complex to themselves! So they fished between Noah’s & Jack’s Lake! Look at some of these old dark French warriors! ⚔️
14 October, 2024
A few of the catches last week on Jacks Lake! 📸🌿
Loved having anglers Vic & Duncan over here – top guests and can’t wait to have you back again! 🙌🏼
14 October, 2024
Noah’s Lake W/C 29th June…. Some LOVELY old carp out that week…. Darren & Friends had such a good time they’ve already booked up again and this time they have treated themselves to Noah’s & Jack’s Lake exclusive use together!! You don’t mind lads 🤣👌🏼
14 October, 2024
What a week 😮💨😮💨
Safe to say Noah’s Lake had a post-spawn feed up during the middle of June for this group…. And this isn’t even all of the fish…. They also had “The Friendly” (pics to follow) and a couple of home grown Lac Soupir bangers in the making!!
Well in lads great to have you 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
14 October, 2024
Another cracking week for our Chalet guests last week for Matt & Ken! So many absolute bangers landed and Ken landed himself “Black Tips” – one of our target fish for many! Well done guys what a week!! 👏🏼🔥
14 October, 2024
Congratulations to the anglers who came fishing at Authentic lake!
Fantastic pictures of there big and beautiful carps!
13 October, 2024
Tricky week
But produced a pb common for myself
Plus 6 50s most of which were pb for the other guys
Certainly not easy but a lot of very big fish
13 October, 2024
Last minute decision to do a overnight session gave me this lovely scarlet mirror carp 39.8 bait tigers and H Berrie boilies
11 October, 2024
Spent a week on the lake with 2 new anglers and myself. Mark, was amazing and very helpful to teach and spend time with the 2 new anglers. Who all caught their first carp. One of them caught buster at 55lb. We all had a good range of fish. The food cooked by Alison, is out this world. It’s amazing. Both mark and Alison make sure you are looked after. Would 100% recommend. Nothing was too much trouble. Mark, came to help Bob who had buster past 10 in the rain. Amazing lake. 100% going back. They look after the fish, and will point you in right directions to make sure you catch. Lovely tench as well.
The fish, fight good as well. Even the small 10-20lbs fight like they big boys.
11 October, 2024
We was a party of 3 unfortunately are 4th couldn’t come at the last minute. Cavagnac lake is a brilliant place to go and visit if you are looking for big fish. You will need to listen to the lake owner he knows his lake. They also great fun to be round when you are taking out five minutes of the fishing. If you are lucky enough to be there then they are doing a BBQ I would recommend it. We caught plenty of fish lost plenty too unfortunately on big one and no PB broken on this trip. We looking to go back soon
09 October, 2024
Youngsters Charlie and Ollie fishing for the week with some great results and new pb carp and sturgeon for both lads with the rest of the family loving the cottage , hot tub , pool and garden bbq area in the warm weather.
09 October, 2024
Richard and Elaine for 2 weeks and what a great two weeks it was with settled weather Richard caught constantly and had new pb Sturgeon ,Carp and Grass Carp with some lovely fish with wife Elaine loving the cottage and hot tub with a bbq most nights in our stunning Gite garden and playing French boules in the evenings and having a drink round the gas fire pit when the evenings chilled off.
09 October, 2024
Hard week for fishing but great for the size of carps!!!
Sophie at 64lb 10oz
Carp unknown at 52lb 04oz
Ben at 50lb 08oz
Rest of carps between 25lbs to 44lb 13oz
Average more 39lb !!!
Congratulations to anglers came at Authentic and found the solution!!!
09 October, 2024
Fantastic carps for Stephen and James at Cheshire lake!
Stange week for fishing but result very good!
Carps until 50lb+ and average around 38lbs+
09 October, 2024
Fantastic venue with some stunning fish, the Baliff was a great help and the owner was extremely helpful, can’t wait to go back
08 October, 2024
First of all I need to start with the very warm welcome we received from Portia and Will the owners. We first had a walk round the lake and after chatting to Will I chose a swim. Will helped me with my gear to the swim. With 4-40s and 3-50s for the week was crazy with a very large average weight. I will say this if your looking for a water that produces some cracking carp with many unknown carp still to be caught then you must book Yellowstone as you will not be disappointed. First class lake and facilities thoroughly recommend to any Carp angler .
08 October, 2024
We booked the lake exclusively, 3Anglers the accommodation and the lake side cabin was awesome, the lake owners Steve and Dawn were absolutely fantastic they went above and beyond to make our trip one to remember, alls that’s left to say is we have already booked for next year.
08 October, 2024
Steve and his wife Shirley this week and a good week for Steve with plenty of fish to the net and new pb’s , carp and sturgeon with wife Shirley relaxing in our luxury cottage.
08 October, 2024
Kevin , Kevin and Gavin and their wives and partners and it was a good week for all three anglers with new pb’s for every body of some sort or another. Ladies loving the accommodation and all it offers and a great week had by everyone.
08 October, 2024
James and Nat this week a tough week with we gather all over the place warm sun , rain and cold nights but they kept on the spots and it paid off with new pb carp and sturgeon. Absolutely loved the cottage and all it offers and as we have no availability for 2025 rebooked for 2026.
08 October, 2024
Kean and Jane this week and all targets achieved for Kean as he wanted to get into the 30’s club, catch one of our superb scaley mirrors and his first ever sturgeon. A good week and they also sampled some of the excellent local restaurants in the our area eating out most nights and chilling in the cottage when taking a break from fishing and enjoying the hot tub and Netflix.
08 October, 2024
swim 1 start slow but after 3 quiet days, the fish became active in the swim. 12 fish carp were landed including 2 over 55lbs a a 60lber!
32, 38, 44, 46, 55, 56 and 60 lbs!
A big bed of boilies and fish pellet was the key of succes
08 October, 2024
6 friends booked Furet in exclusive lake booking.
All swims caught between 10 and 20 carp over to 45 lbs however swim 10/11 was on fire with a total of 63 fish during the week including many carps over 40/45/50 lbs to a top at 63 lbs common and 62,7lbs miror.
08 October, 2024
Regular customers Alan and Paul on their 3rd visit to Blue Dart who have been breaking PB’s with this visit being no exception. Alan with this 53lb mirror which fell to Dynamite’s Peppered Squid wafters fished over boilie and house pellet and Dynamite’s tinned corn. Look forward to seeing you again in April.
08 October, 2024
what a great week for a single angler on this week
4 x 40’s and 3 x 50’s
smallest going 44lb and biggest 56lb
total weight of 340lb of carp in 7 fish and a average of over 48 lb !
great angling
07 October, 2024
Far from it. It’s been almost a quarter of a century since its inception. Conceived by the fertile minds of Frank Warwick and Jon ‘Shoes’ Jones on the banks of Birch Grove, it was designed to fish a pop-up or wafter very close to the lakebed. It has recently come back into focus due to a version of it proving successful in countering repeated ejections in Korda’s latest Underwater video.
The shot on the hook rig
Although various versions exist, the mechanics are fundamentally the same, and the rig’s effectiveness is derived from its defining feature—a shot on the hook. The split shot not only balances the hook bait but also, when positioned just below the barb, makes the hook point heavier, allowing it to hang down in a prone position and grab hold of the bottom lip instantly—and we do mean instantly.
The shot on the hook rig grabs the bottom of the mouth
No, it shouldn’t hinder the hooking ability, regardless of the version you use. The original version has the shot attached via a loop of braid, which slides freely. Later versions are tied more tightly but still allow for some movement. There are also ready-made weights available from a few brands that slide over the hook point and grip it lightly, enough to move when a fish is hooked.
If you use proprietary weights or tie the shot securely, you should have no issues. To use the sliding version, add a hook stop at the bottom of the bend to prevent the shot from slipping off.
That’s a slightly tricky question, as the concept of the Shot-On-The-Hook Rig is more versatile than just one rig. The shot element can be applied to several hooking arrangements. It started with a long-shank hook knotless-knotted to a coated braid with a standard hair rig trapped on the back of the shank, roughly opposite the barb, secured blowback style with shrink tubing. It also incorporated a shrink tube line-aligner (well before kickers were a thing). Designed to fish a pop-up or wafter, the rig sits with the hook point and eye touching the lakebed, while the shank remains upright.
One method is to use a piece of braid coming off the bend of the hook to attach the shot
Variations now use Ronnie rig or turbo German setups to facilitate changing the hook. A curved shank hook is clipped to a small quick-change swivel tied to the hook link, offering options for different materials and rig rigidity. Braid (coated or uncoated), nylon, and fluorocarbon can all be used, allowing the rig to suit the lakebed and lead system—bonus!
Now, for the crucial part—the shot on the hook. The size of the split shot depends on the buoyancy of your hook bait. A shot between no.4 and BB is typically suitable, with no.1 being a popular choice. The weight can be attached in one of three ways:
It depends on which incarnation of the rig you choose. Danny Fairbrass’ version was created to solve a specific issue—fish repeatedly ejecting the hook bait and evading capture (as seen on underwater footage). It would be ideal to use if you suspect the same is happening to you. This version was used with an inline lead for maximum hooking efficiency over firm ground but could be paired with a lead clip on softer, siltier terrain.
Frank and Jon’s original design also addressed a specific challenge: fish being caught on singles. They would take wafters close to the bottom but avoid pop-ups sitting higher. This rig allowed pop-ups to sit very close to the lakebed while retaining excellent hooking efficiency. It soon proved its worth in many other scenarios.
One version or another of this rig will be useful in many situations, from light to heavy baiting, and from tightly baited spots to broad spreads of boilies. The main requirement is clean ground. It can be used on gravel, but remember that the hook point sits on the bottom, so regularly check its sharpness. Firm silt, sand, and clay are all ideal substrates for presenting this rig.
The shot on the hook rig may not be your go-to for every situation, but it’s a valuable addition to your rig arsenal. Have you been on fish but struggled for bites? Do you sometimes leave the water thinking you should have caught more? Do you ever suspect you’re getting done? If the answer to any of these is ‘yes’, then perhaps it’s time to try the shot-on-the-hook rig.
06 October, 2024
Another unknown fish caught in the willow lake 52 lbs well done
05 October, 2024
50 runs, 37 carp between the 4 of us for the week, the biggest was a 50lb 4oz common and 47lb 6oz mirror as well as a few bream and one small cat fish.
Very weedy in places would recommend jumping in a boat if weeded up as soon as poss as we lost 8 or 9 due to being weeded up! Most runs came at night from 12pm to 5am but had a few day bites. Owner pointed out a few spots that produced fish but others spots didnt. All in was a good week!!
02 October, 2024
Reuben had a great time at Yellowstone Lake.
The owners were great – very friendly and so helpful.
The lake and surrounding areas were beautiful which made for a wonderful stay.
The owner was very knowledgeable about carp fishing and Reuben learned a lot from him.
The facilities were great – including showers, kitchen etc.
Everything showed thought and was very well planned.
Altogether a fantastic week – looking forward to coming back.
And – Reuben caught quite a few large fish!!
02 October, 2024
#etanglasaussaie catch report
7th – 14th September
57lb common 54lb mirror 53lb common
43lb Mirror 31lb 25lb 1 double
Congratulations to Curt in beating his pb 3 times during his week
02 October, 2024
Well done guys on Saussaie this last week
64lb 39lb 45lb 15lb 25lb 29lb 35lb 39lb 47lb
Well angled guys 🎣
02 October, 2024
Catch report #etanglasaussaie 24th – 31sr August 1 x 40 to 45lb 2 x 30s 2 20s and a couple of loses
02 October, 2024
Catch report #etanglasaussaie
18 fish landed
1 x 50
4 x 40s
5 x 30s
8 x 20s
Great angling guys 🎣🎣🎣
02 October, 2024
Catch report #etanglasaussaie
2 x 40s
2 x 30s
5 x 20s
1 x double
Well done guys some great photos
02 October, 2024
Some stunning carp caught by Harry this week while no one was on #etanglasaussaie
Well done buddy 🎣
7 in total up to 59lb
02 October, 2024
I do love a catch report from #lacbaleine 64 fish landed including
1 X NEW LAKE 60LBER
1 X 50
17 X 40s
27 X 30s
10 X 20’s
Well done guys superb angling 👌🎣
02 October, 2024
💥 Great angling this last week on #lacbaleine
With 69 fish landed Upto 58lb
Some cracking photos 👌
3 x 50 to 58
8 x 40s
29 x 30s
Rest 20s and doubles
02 October, 2024
Catch report #lacbaleine
41 fish landed
1 x 60 to 65lb
4 x 50
9 x 40
15 x 30
Rest 20 and doubles
Cracking week guys we’ll angled 🎣🎣🎣
Have a safe journey home
02 October, 2024
Cracking week on #lacbaleine
47 fish landed
2 x 50s to 53lb
11 x 40s to 49lb
26 x 30s to 38lb
8 x 20s
Great angling
02 October, 2024
Catch report #lacbaleine
24 fish in total
1+60
1 +54&half
2+ 40s 46& 47
6+30s rest 20s and doubles 3 pbs broken
02 October, 2024
We were a party of six anglers. The lake and it’s surroundings were truly beautiful. The facilities were more than adequate. And talking to Rafal, who again was a perfect host. We understand he is looking to improve on what’s currently there. Although the week we fished was incredibly wet, we did manage to catch a number of fish. Including two 60’s one being a Mirror and one a Grass carp. Rafal could not be more helpful actually going to the local supermarket for us during the week. And also charging our devises including a leisure battery for the boat motor.
I would advice using a boat, as it gives you so much more scope on the water to explore.
We are definitely going back as it was a lovely place to spend sometime. If not over to soon.
01 October, 2024
real tough week with the weather this week with the lovely anglers we had on they still managed 5 x 30’s and 1 x 40
great angling and so pleased they’ve already booked for next year !
30 September, 2024
Yesss first time out seen it lots but nobody has ever caught her what a beautiful 30 + koi 🥰
30 September, 2024
Nice fish to go with Nemo the koi
27 September, 2024
Second time at BDP and definitely not the last. Did not catch as many fish as I should due to only fishing four and a half days due to the euros and my birthday. Lost 5 good fish early but with help from Dave managed to get my rigs adapted to the lake and got 7 fish to 34lb. I have fished France for over 25 years and this is the best gite I have come across , Dave and Doreen are really friendly and helpful and always good for a few drinks and a chat. Perfect venue for a family holiday, back soon.
26 September, 2024
What a smashing week for the 3 lads here, they bagged an impressive 22 carp up to 55lb, pleasure to have the guys here again, having not seen 2 since 2016 and 1 since 2019, they loved the improvements to the site and already booking their next trip in 2026 👌🏻
26 September, 2024
Was great to see Ross and Pete again sadly after the passing of Alan that was in their group last year so this week meant a lot more than normal weeks, was lovely to meet Ruben, they ended up with 17 fish up to 48, was a lovely week with much laughter and a pb, plenty of fish we’re still waiting to see which just haven’t been out this year, well done to Ross catching the elusive “wana be lin” of which hasn’t been out since 2020 , see you next year guys 🎣
26 September, 2024
These guys had a few fish out including 2 x 50s despite some of the fish holding up in the vacant swim area, it’s not an easy water but they had a great week – lovely to meet you all and hope to see you again!
26 September, 2024
Was great to finally have anglers back on the lake as it had been a bit of a break here, we didn’t really know what to expect but they pulled it out the bag with 20+ fish to 56lb , was nice to see some of the new fish that we stocked last year doing well too, thanks lads was a pleasure having you here and glad you enjoyed your trip 👍🎣
26 September, 2024
Venue was absolutely incredible. Definitely kitted out for a family party, 3 double bedrooms with en-suites, plenty of outdoor seating areas, all the facilities (big fridge freezer, washing machine, tumble dryer, outdoor bait freezer, bbq, air fryer, oven, slings mats and weight tripod provided). Couldn’t ask for much more. Also very well kept. The bailiff Carl was more than helpful, absolutely fantastic bloke. Only thing I could maybe say could be better was the average size of the fish. I caught around 40 fish by the end of the week. So I can’t really complain. Recon 20 fish were around 20-25lb mark. 10 were between 25-30lb. Then the rest in the 30 bracket. Biggest two weighing at 38lb and 42Lb. Overall was an amazing trip. I’d say the place is perfectly suited to a family holiday, also having an outbuilding with a bedroom/ensuit and a small living area… perhaps a mixed party. Anglers that are relatively new to European fishing. Or those who are just looking for a chilled out week and want to catch a few along the way. The local town is amazing too, plenty of places to do you food shopping or go for a look around with bakers and things of the likes ect… brilliant holiday cheers again.
25 September, 2024
Just finished a weeks fishing at this venue
Firstly the hosts Jason & Marie very very professional & welcoming
Jason’s very knowledgeable about his lakes and does his best to put you on them
There are two beautiful lakes to fish and a river stretch so really spoilt for choice and 1 week is not enough to enjoy all what’s on offers
Caught some cracking fish from the many features these lakes offer
Had one day in the river with only 1 barbel caught but really needs more time exploring as it’s looks like it would produce some brilliant species
Accommodation had everything you need for a pleasant stay inside & out and surroundings are beautiful/picturesque and my highlight of the week was seeing the Osprey’s flying overhead & then one of them crashing down in the lake after it’s breakfast amazing sites to see
All in all top venue with everything you could ask for
No doubt see you again soon and once again thank you for sharing your home&lakes with us
24 September, 2024
Great week for Brandon,Lewis & Lucas AKA The Barnsley Boys who all smashed their PB’s and had multiple fish between them, including 1 x 67lb, 1 x 52lb, 4 x 40’s, 9 x 30’s and 1 x 20.
24 September, 2024
Had another great trip – caught 24 fish ranging from 28lb – 44lb. Booked again for next year!!
24 September, 2024
Some nice fish upto 39.04 and a new PB for Mitch! We’ll done mate!
24 September, 2024
Around 30 Carp for Mark and Katy upto 36.08! We’ll done!
24 September, 2024
Deep Quarry madness 🔥
After fishing this deep Quarry pit for a fair few years now….. on a social with my brother….. we’ve always managed to get amongst a few of these old relic carp…. But never managed one of the real mega big ones what are in this amazing deep pit
This trip it all changed, fishing to some spots I have previously found what are around the 15/20 ft depth mark on some ledges coming of the cliff edge. I managed a few bites of some smaller angry males….. with dropping down large amounts of Amino Marine chops and bollie crumb soaked up in the liquid getting it to sink faster down to the spot. Then the crayfish moved in, I did manage one more bite from this ledge until the crays started to wipe me out…… with the weather changing, the pressure dropping and strong winds coming in I knew a change up was on the cards. So I went out on the boat to find a new deeper water spot, which I did at 37 ft. 2 traps were dropped on this zone with a huge spread of Amino marine chops and Amino ester chops. Knowing if the crays did find me at least there would be enough for the carps to home in on the spot too. Night fell with the temps dropping and the morning started with stationary rods…. I stuck with the deep water spot and around midday I was woken up by 2 bleeps and the swinger tight in the alarm. The battle was on 🔥 straight out on to the boat trying to get above the fish as I’m fishing 37 ft and plenty of boulders and snags to cut me off on. After an intense battle in the gin clear deep water we saw a huge dark lump finally making its way to the surface. Then seeing the split tail on this carp knowing what fish this was from a previous picture I saw…. I knew what I was hooked into. Adrenaline was through the roof, With another huge lunge striping line back down the cliff edge, I just held on and started pumping her back up and a big gulp of air from her, the job was done and in the net she went.
I finally had one of the mega collosal big girls what lives in this quarry pit.
Just look at that carp and to share the moment with my brother is what it is all about.
The Highs and lows we have fishing … 💪
24 September, 2024
Just some of the fish Charlie caught last week on Jimmy’s lake – biggest catch 43lb.
24 September, 2024
Lenny and Michelle chose Lac Lucie for their first French carp fishing holiday and what a week they had, enjoying the peace and quiet (apart from the rutting deer) and making the most of the sunny days. Michelle is certainly not as avid an angler as Lenny who spends much of his time ‘down’t river’ fishing for anything but enjoying pike fishing in the winter months.
As they had flown in from Leeds/Bradford airport on the Friday they spent Saturday morning looking around Limoges before Jo collected them and took them to the supermarket for a few essentials (beer and wine mainly). The excitement on the way back to the lake was palpable and it was obvious that Lenny just wanted to get fishing. Leaving Michelle to unpack all the suitcases in the chalet he went down to the lake to set his rods and tackle up so that he was ready to get fishing after tea.
Michelle went down to join Lenny after they had had their tea but had decided that she wasn’t going to fish all night, partly because the forecast was for some cold nights at the beginning of their week and partly because the chalet was warmer and comfier and she could watch Strictly in peace. She had agreed, however, that Lenny could call her whenever he had a fish so that she could rush down and take photos for him.
The first fish arrived on the bank before 10pm on that first Saturday night, a nice long, dark common weighing 20lb 13oz.
And so it continued, well for Lenny it did, but maybe that was because he was putting the hours in and coming up with new strategies all the time to try and out wit them. Over the next few days he had a nice selection of teens and 20lbs out including these few.
Every fish that Lenny caught was bought into the bank nice and slowly, ‘I’ll not bully them in, Michelle’ was one of the things we heard often when we down by the lake. They were played and allowed to run when they wanted and consequently Lenny lost a few over the week as they got into the mud and shook the hook out. So every catch was a nicely hooked fish and every fish was weary by the time it got onto the bank.
Lenny had refused to tell us what his PB was at the beginning of the week, saying he was saving it til the end but by Tuesday he had smashed it with this 40lb 4oz mirror.
Then the panic set in, was he weighing the fish properly? He had not been convinced about some of the weights of the fish, so Nigel had lent him his old fashioned analogue scales. As they had rented two tackle packs from us they also had two sets of digital scales and Lenny was not sure that he was using the same set of scales each time he caught one. One evening Lenny bought all sets up to the house so that Nigel could have a look at them. It appeared that one set of the digital scales were already tared and one set were not. Now Lenny was worrying about what scales he had used for what fish and it was evident that he was a stickler for accuracy.
By Wednesday lunchtime Lenny had had 7 carp out and Michelle had none. She had dutifully got up at all hours of the night to take photos, or even take Lenny down a piece of toast or cup of tea. And on Wednesday afternoon he had had two more mirrors, including one of the smallest, scaliest in the lake.
Then at last it was Michelle’s turn, a lovely 35lb 12oz common just before tea on Wednesday. Too heavy for her to lift but she was happy that she had smashed her previous PB by over 25lb. No messing about with the little ones for her. Nigel took Lenny to Mamie’s bar for a celebratory drink whilst Michelle had half an hour in the hot tub with her book.
It took until Thursday for Lenny to remember that he wasn’t fishing on the river. Every night after tea he would get up and say he was off down’t river and it didn’t matter how many times we told him it was a lake he was always going off down’t river. But he took the jesting in good humour, thank goodness!
Thursday saw four more fish out for Lenny, with three in the 30s and Michelle had another 30lber too.
On Friday they managed another two each, with a new PB mirror for Michelle and were starting to think about packing things away.
Lenny was thinking he would be going home with a new PB of 40lb 4oz and with just the one 40lber but the either side of sun rise on Saturday morning he had his final two fish out, the last one being another PB, a 48lb common.
So Lenny certainly had the most fish, 19 in total with Michelle catching the 4 but she was just as happy and both had smashed their PBs easily. The original deal was whoever caught the biggest fish the other one of them had to jump in the dip pool but with night time temperatures being below 10 degrees most nights the water had cooled considerably so Michelle decided to leave it for another time.
The final summary is zero babies, 3 at 10lb+, 10 at 20lb+, 7 at 30lb+ and 3 at 40lb+. With the weights being as accurate as they possibly can! What a great week for this lovely couple and we hope to see them again some day. Until next time, à bientôt….
24 September, 2024
A great weeks fishing, Weather didn’t quite play ball but great fun was had by all. Everyone caught from around the lake had 22 fish up to 49lb. Would recommend the lake.
24 September, 2024
Have been going over to france since 2005 once and sometimes twice a year you rarely get excellent facilities and fishing at the one venue but peter lake owner has got both excellent facilities and fantastic fishing and a second to none bailiff back up service giving you tips to succeed in your catch rate which worked very well the 2 of of us caught 35 fish to 43 lb and had a great trip at a venue which tops any other over the last 20 years what a place and what excellent staff thank you Peter & co
24 September, 2024
Me & Jacquie had a really lovely time at Hunnyfields which is very peaceful & full of wildlife. Stephanie & Keith were available if we needed them but mainly just left ourselves to enjoy the place. The weather was cold for the time of year and fishing was slow to start but improved as the week warmed up. I fished days only and caught 8 carp (lost 1) 5 pretty scaley mirrors to 20lb & 3 lovely commons to 38lb.
23 September, 2024
Over 30 Carp for Luke and party. With 4 PB,s broken! We’ll done boys!
22 September, 2024
James and Jamie are two brothers from Nigel and Jo’s neck of the woods back in the UK and had never been to France fishing before. James is an avid angler who works to fish which we are sure many of you can relate to. Jamie came along for the holiday as the two of them try to get away for a break together every year and having spent some time at Jamie’s choice of Rome last year, it was James’ turn to choose and he booked a week here on Lac Lucie.
Arriving on Saturday Nigel collected them and took them to the supermarket for supplies of beer and snacks and they got back here in time to get themselves set up on the main bank before their tea. They had decided they did not want to risk bringing hooks and weights in their luggage as they only bought hand luggage so bought some Pallatrax Stonze and Gripz from our little shop and the end tackle did them proud.
Saturday night Jamie caught a 37lb 4oz mirror during the night and the competition had started. James was not too happy that his brother had caught the first fish and got his head down thinking where the fish could be. They moved over to the side swim on Sunday and then round to the left bank for a while on Monday but with no fish out all day on Monday, James decided that they were going to move back to the main bank on Monday night and stop there as all they seemed to be doing was chasing the fish around the lake.
The brothers had chosen not to fish all night but to fish most of the day and pack up at around midnight; autumn is starting to take hold and the nights are definitely getting colder, even if the days are still seeing some sunshine.
And it paid off as on Monday evening at about 10.30pm James caught his first of the week, a 47lb 5oz common caught on Nigel’s spicy fish wafter. Not the greatest photo, but Jamie did suffer for it afterwards and so improved his photography skills over the week.
On Tuesday they decided not to fish in the afternoon and relaxed up at the chalet. Nigel suggested that they try using the bait boat to get their bait and rigs exactly where they want them and they ended up having a great evening after tea with Jamie catching one at 23lb 10oz and James clocking two more up at 38lb 2oz and 29lb 8oz. Jamie has not done a lot of fishing before and did not feel confident holding the fish so we do not have a photo of his.
On Wednesday they didn’t fish. It rained all day so Jo took them to the supermarket for more supplies and they caught up on some sleep and some Only Fools and Horses on the TV in the chalet. By this point Jamie had decided he wasn’t a big fan of fishing although he was evidently enjoying spending time with his brother. He was missing his new 13 week old puppy more than anything and Maisie was providing a good substitute but not quite the same.
James had another couple out during the day on Thursday with a double take around lunchtime. A lovely 28lb 8oz mirror and a 33lb 4oz common.
James was happy with what he had caught so far but on Friday when they came up for breakfast he told us he had had two more a 39lb 12oz mirror and a 37lb common caught after the sun had risen.
Friday saw another 40lber caught by James and you can see that he was thrilled with this, and Jamie had mastered the photography by the last day.
James was pretty much fishing on his own now although Jamie was down there during the daytime to provide him some company and James stayed out til late on Friday night knowing that it was his last chance for another big one. But he finished the week with the smallest fish of the week, a 24lb 8oz mirror.
Not a bad final summary considering for most of the week it was only James fishing and even he was only fishing until about midnight each day and had some good time off up at the chalet. Seven of the fish were caught using the spicy fish wafters, with one on a hooker, one on a pop up and one a snowman rig. So they had 11 carp out in total, 0 babies, 0 at 10lb+, 4 at 20lb+, 5 at 30lb+ and 2 at 40lb+
We have enjoyed our week with these two and hope to see them again someday, although we guess that it might just be James on his own. Until next time à bientôt…
22 September, 2024
Lower temperature and South westerly winds provided Dave, Jimmer & Paul with better conditions for their week at Etang Rouge. Jimmer started the week with a stunning PB 63lb common and Dave achieved his goal of double figures with a number of 40’s, 30’s and 2 20’s
22 September, 2024
Playing catch up again. The Devon lads were on last week and the lake fished really well again with all 4 smashing there personal bests by a mile with over 3o fish out between them and few small carp and catfish which have been removed. Unfortunately non of the A team hit the bank but all bar Henry landing fish over 35lb plus, upto 39lb. The westher was up and down wet and dry all week which didn’t make the fishing easy bit the lads were full of enthusiasm on there 1st French trip and were using the house bait union jack bollies and baitboats with particle pellet and free offerings of bollìes to there spots .
They had a swap around Wednesday to give everyone a fair shot as pegs 1 and 4 were fishing best again although peg 3 did the bigger fish
Henry in peg 2 struggling the 1st 2 days before landing a 29lb common in peg 2 then went on to get into double figures. They have vowed to return next year to push there pbs on again.
22 September, 2024
Despite a cold north easterly wind for the week, Chris & Shaun both managed PB’s during their week with Chris breaking his PB 3 times consecutive fish including 3 50’s with 2 fish at 54lb, 2 forties including a PB common at 48lb and a 33lb mirror for Shaun
22 September, 2024
Fantastic week for Father and son, Steve and Oli landing a great haul of 29 carp, smashing their PBs with carp to over 50lb. All fish fell to Dynamite’s 12mm pink Hit and Run pop ups fished over a mix of 15mm Complex T boilie and house pellet. Well done lads.
21 September, 2024
Our first time on Etang Furet on swim 10/11 , but it didn’t disappoint. Good mixture of mirrors and commons, amazing 59lb common PB.
Total catch report
2 x 50lb+ to 59lb
9 x 40lb+ to 49 lb
11 x 30lb+ to 39lb
7 x 20lb+ to 29lb
1 x 19lb
Facilities good, host excellent, thanks for another great week 😁
20 September, 2024
Had a lovely week at La Froterie .
Gite was very clean and well equipped .
Good supermarket a few minutes up the Road .
Lisa and Heath were very helpfull and relaxed hosts giving advice where ever they could on the surrounding area and fishing .
The weather was a bit changeable with a couple of cold nights but didn’t affect the fishing too much .
Had plenty of perfect hard fighting commons and Mirrors .
Largest was a 30 lb mirror but as I was fishing mainly on my own that was the only fish where I could have a photo taken holding the fish .
The remaining fish averaged around the 16 to 20 lb mark with next best a 24lb common .
All in all a great week relaxed fishing in lovely quiet surroundings .
20 September, 2024
In one word PARADISE
We has a fantastic week and the lodge was absolutely amazing 👏 it had everything you need plus so much more
Many thanks to Jean claude who was the perfect host and we would very much love to return next year
20 September, 2024
We had 2 good friends on the lake this week, Glen and Craig, and both getting PB’s and both joining the Lac de Lumiere 40+ club.
Craig with a 59lb 2oz Grassy and Glen with a 48lb 10oz common along with some lower 20’s and 30’s and Glen also managed to bag himself a rather large roach of around 3lb!! Not bad considering very few nights fished due to some social evenings had!!
Along with the fishing/socialising they also helped us move the tree that had come down in the shallows which was causing a great safe haven for a lot of fish!!
A big thank you to both and we look forward to seeing you again next year 🙂
20 September, 2024
Not a bad start for Sam and family.. 49lb ‘Two Toms’ and ‘Irini’, again at 47lbs, with some nice small commons and mirrors to follow it up.
‘Blue Moon’ tonight so fingers crossed more fish to follow!
20 September, 2024
Conditions again last week were hard with temperatures going up to the 30s but Peter and Karen Turner managed to winkle out a few fish and more importantly had a good social with friends Byron (EX 216 Sigs) and Hillary Sinclair who stayed over for a few days with them.
Fishing on and off through the day and fishing to 10pm they managed to join the Lac de Lumiere 40’s club with 48lb & 42lb mirrors along with a 31lb common and a few of the smaller fish.
Thank you for the odd wine or 2, and great BBQ by Byron
See you again next year 🙂
20 September, 2024
Fishing was difficult again last week but Krzysztof still got a PB and joined the 40’s + club and got his Polo shirt given on the last day but no soaking!
As he said he learnt a lot and will be back 🙂
20 September, 2024
41 carp this week the biggest was a 40.2lb common.
The breakdown was 1 40, 9 30s and the 13 20s and the rest doubles.
20 September, 2024
Over 25 carp landed ranging from 25lbs to 45lbs. Happy anglers
20 September, 2024
In a word, yes. Carp find worms irresistible, and their use can be absolutely devastating. Worms have a distinctive aroma and ooze natural attractors and amino acids that man-made baits simply cannot compete with. While they might not smell sweet and delicious like your favourite pop-ups, carp can sense the “eat me” signals from far and wide. It’s no wonder they’re so popular with carp match anglers.
Worms can catch fish when other baits aren’t working. During those times when it’s a real struggle to get a bite, worms are the bait that can rescue a session and catch a carp when nothing else will. They’re also very versatile and can be used on their own or in conjunction with other baits. They work as single hookbaits or over a bed of bait and can be used on the hook or merely as a background attractor. Carp fishing with worms can be used in a multitude of situations and on a wide variety of venues. They’ll definitely help you achieve big hits, and they can also catch you a big one.
There are more than 25 species of worms native to the UK. Of the two that are readily available for use as bait, Dendrobaena are the smaller and come in different sizes, while the king of worms, the lobworm, is the biggest native species and is also bred commercially. Brandlings, redworms, and black-headed worms also make great bait if you can get hold of them. Dendrobaena will cost you £20 to £25 per kilo (around 400 worms), while lobworms are sold by number, with 100 costing a similar amount.
Worms are a relatively expensive bait, but their potency means a little goes a long way. Those willing to put in the effort can use them without spending a fortune. A well-kept compost heap or wormery will yield a regular supply of redworms, Dendrobaena, and brandlings, while lobworms can be found sheltering under stones or collected from lawns in damp conditions.
Kept in rich soil or moss, worms will last a considerable time, but make sure you remove any that are dead or damaged, as the rest will die very quickly. Store them in a container that can breathe, such as a maggot box, and keep them in good condition with some shreds of wet newspaper, cardboard, moss, dead leaves, or peat. A bucket with a pierced lid will be required for longer-term storage, and some vegetable peelings should be added for feed. Keep them in a cool, dark place, but not the fridge, as it is a bit too cold. Lobworms are similar but need to be kept a bit cooler, around 6°C.
A worm-only approach is probably best kept for winter due to their cost and the way they attract a whole host of species. Bream and tench will clear you out in no time if you use pure worm in warmer conditions. Cold water can make it very difficult to catch carp, so when the bites dry up, it’s time to get the worms out.
However, worms will do the business at any time of year, so it doesn’t mean that you can’t utilise their qualities throughout the seasons. Lesser quantities can form an important element of your baiting scenario and enhance your chances of success whenever you like.
You’ll be fishing on the deck, so a clean bottom is preferable, with silt, clay, sand, and gravel all good areas. Rig-wise, you’ve got a few options. A basic hair rig, blowback, or slip D are all suitable. Any standard bottom bait rig will work nicely as long as it incorporates a hair. Feel free to employ a kicker or line aligner to help with the mechanics. A fat, juicy lobworm or several smaller worms are a big mouthful, so there is no need to drop below a size 4 or 6 hook. The big bait requires a longer than usual hair, especially as we’re going through the worms several times.
Worms wriggle, and a normal boilie stop won’t be sufficient to keep them on the hair, so you’ll need a buffer of some sort. We’d recommend rubber casters as they are a similar shade to worms. Thread one onto your hair, followed by your worms. Lobworms will be used singly if they’re really big or in pairs or threes, while Dendrobaena, being smaller, are better in multiples of three or four. Each worm will be folded and passed through twice or three times for big lobs. Cap them off with another rubber caster, followed by your hair stop, and you’ve got a great big gobful that any carp will find hard to ignore. For a more discreet version, try snipping your lobworm into ½” pieces and threading them on the hair like a worm kebab.
Alternatively, smaller worms can be fished in conjunction with a little wafter and tied off medusa style. The benefit of this is that you’ll still have a viable hookbait in place should silver fish nibble the worms away. A single lobworm, either directly on the hook or on a hair, makes a superb stalking bait and, when freelined, will sometimes be taken on the drop if lowered close to a carp. You can even use a big, fat, juicy worm as a single hookbait. Make sure you pierce it several times to allow the feed-inducing juices to leak off.
Using just worms as free bait is pretty simple. For them to be at their most attractive, we need the worms’ juices to penetrate the water column. The way to do this is to chop them up into little pieces. Although your rig scissors will do the job, it’s much more efficient with a pair of multi-bladed worm scissors. The soil that worms are supplied with contains loads of wormy attraction and will act as a binder, so this goes in too. You’ll need a spomb to introduce them, with a small one being preferable as it’s rarely necessary to use much.
chop up worms to release natural attraction into the water
To enhance your normal bait with worms’ pulling power, you can either do the above and add a few spombs over the top of your baiting scenario or add them into the spod mix. A blend of corn, pellets, chopped boilie, and chopped worm (including soil) will give you plenty of hookbait options as well as making a tempting carpet which leaks out lots of food signals, including lots of magic worm juice.
There will be plenty of times when it simply isn’t necessary to employ worms, but when it’s difficult to get a bite, you’re on a very busy venue and need an advantage, or when it really matters… get on the worms!
18 September, 2024
Simon was back this week, he also bought along Dominic and his wife Faye. This was their first time here. Great company. See you all again next year 😊
17 September, 2024
some of the beautiful fish caught last week at Belenos lake by the British team. Congratulations 👏🙏
17 September, 2024
After some sturgeons and a beautiful 9 lb tench my English friend Chris have caught a stunning leather carp 44 lb
Congratulations Chris ! 😜👍👏🙏
17 September, 2024
Beautiful fish caught last week at Belenos lake. Congratulations ! the grass carp was 44,7 lbs the commons were 24 lbs each and the mirror was 29 lbs 😉🙏
17 September, 2024
Mirrors, commons and sturgeon landed for the 2 anglers this week.
17 September, 2024
The anglers finished on about 31 carp for 4 nights fishing last week, to 37lbs.
17 September, 2024
Mr Mallard and co. The group were absolute troopers and put up with an infestation of mozzies (which have since vanished thank god!)
Anyway, despite being covered in bites they persevered and all caught fish with the biggest being in the upper 40’s bracket. Great bunch of guys who we are looking forward to seeing again next year!
17 September, 2024
Last July we told you about 3 lads from Borehamwood who fished Lac Lucie and Darren, Danny and Sam knew they would be returning this year. With Darren and Danny having also been out in March to help us with some of the winter jobs they had already had a stab at Kingfisher, albeit that they spent some nights in the chalet due to the cold. Last week, as well as bringing Sam for his second carp fishing trip they also bought along Dan and Charlie.
It was looking like it was going to be a messy week from the start. Whilst Jo took Darren and Dan to the supermarket to stock up on food and beer for the week, Nigel was supposed to bring the other three back here to start to get the bivvies and tackle set up. They appeared to take the wrong road home and ended up at Le Soleil Couchant, a lovely English run pub on the edge of Lac Lavaud. In fact Jo got home before them and it wasn’t long before she worked out what had happened to the others.
After a leisurely walk round the lake showing the lads where the good fishing spots were we left them to it to get themselves sorted out for the night.
When we went over late Sunday morning it was very quiet, with very little signs of life, even with Maisie sniffing round the bivvies. Darren and Danny were in the third swim on the main bank, with Dan in the first swim and Charlie and Sam on the dam wall. There were a few rods in the morning but the main thing we noticed was the number of beer bottles. It looked like it had been a busy night socialising as they had not spent much time together for a long while.
By 4pm on Sunday they all had 2 rods in each and were set up for the week. With the barbecue and picnic bench down by the first swim they had a place to all get together and cook their meals and socialise whilst still being able to get to their rods if they went off. Danny had run all the way round the lake when he was here in March and had timed it at 45 seconds. With them all being young we reckon they could all do it at least five times as fast as we could!
By Sunday evening the beer supplies were running low and with no fish out they decided that Charlie and Sam would go with Jo to the supermarket on Monday morning. Thinking they had now got enough food and beer for the rest of the week fishing was the main focus.
There were no signs at all on Monday and when we went round late Tuesday morning they were all starting to feel as if they were doing something wrong. Darren, Danny and Dan were all experienced anglers and could pretty much cast to where they wanted but Sam and Charlie were less so and were struggling to hit the spot. Nigel took the bait boat round so they could target their spots more easily and it paid off with two fish out on Tuesday evening. Sam caught a 12lb common and Darren a 37lb common.
Danny also had a run in the night and Darren had to wake him up, telling him he would follow out of the bivvy with the head torch etc. Danny completely misjudged the distance between the bivvy and the swim though and ran straight into the lake, fully dressed and with his sliders on. He told us that he didn’t think he woke up until he was actually in the water and Darren was still laughing when he got back down after changing his clothes. He also sadly lost the fish.
On Wednesday night Charlie managed to land his first fish, eventually as he played it for nearly an hour. At one point they thought it had got snagged up on something on the bottom of the lake so Darren got in to relieve it only for it to swim off again. Many of you will recognise this as typical behaviour of a catfish, where they stop to rest on the bottom of the lake before swimming off again. Charlie wasn’t disappointed with his catch though and eventually they managed to land it. Weighing over 70lb it took two of them to hold it but as they were all awake anyway this was not a problem.
The rest of the week was pretty quiet. They tried some stalking up in the shallows but got nothing from there. Danny and Dan did eventually have one during the week and Darren had this lovely 27lb mirror..
They did run out of beer again on Thursday so we popped them to Montamboeuf to the Spar and a quick drink at Mamie’s bar. On Friday Charlie went with Jo to the supermarket again to get some more meat for that evening an yes, you guessed it, some more beer to have on Friday night.
They packed up on Friday, in the rain, and spent the early evening in the man cave playing pool and darts with Nigel.
Final catch summary is zero babies, 1 at 10lb+, 2 at 20lb, 2 at 30lb+ and 1 catfish weighing over 70lbs.
We have enjoyed having the lads here again and meeting Charlie and Dan for the first time and we hope they will be back again next year. Until the next time à bientôt…
17 September, 2024
Afternoon all
Last week’s catch report for mate and I, didn’t start fishing until Sunday sometime and i missed lots of afternoons. Yeah yeah, excuses excuses right 😁
I had 16 on the bank
Mate had 13
He also had one on my rods
Biggest of the week
Mirror 35-8
Common 33-5
I may of put a few buckets of bait out to a shared spot that produced a few runs but mostly fished over approx 2kilo of particle for each rod. Most of my runs came from shallower water, around 4ft.
Happy fishing all
Final capture of the trip, 32-5
17 September, 2024
some of the marvelous fish caught on Belenos angler lake by a friendly British family team. Congratulations !
17 September, 2024
This was my first time fishing in France, and I wasn’t disappointed beating my pb 6 times . The fish were in perfect condition.
I had one of my best weeks fishing ever , and Nigel and Jo were brilliant host , they made us feel at home with lovely home cooked meals. Which were awesome I’m missing jo deserts and pudding , I forgot a couple of things regarding rig stuff etc . But Nigel didn’t hesitate in helping us . I wish I could go back next week but I will have to wait till next year .
The challat was really nice, and very clean with all mod cons , I enjoyed having a nice warm coffee in the morning and nice hot shower plus watching some tv . Also having a nice cold beer after catching a massive carp roll on next year , take care Nigel and Jo and a massive thanks see you soon
17 September, 2024
2 60s
2 50s
7 40s
11 30s
25 fish in total .most of the 30s were over 35. Clean hard fighting fish in a nice tranquil environment. Owner is really nice and a venue to keep you eye on.used 70kg of boilies and 200kg particle and pellet. Fish responded really well to bait and normally followed 24 hours behind it.
16 September, 2024
Just got back from a lovely session at Etang Camalo. A very natural lake and very peaceful. Fish responded really well to the bait although I kept us on our toes. I had 25 fish in total with only 2 under 30lbs. The average was over 40lbs with the best being 56, 58, 60-08 and 60-12. The host was great and everything secure. The fish are in great condition and fighting really well with the oxygen levels right up. Definitely will be back. Not easy fishing but rewards effort and bait application.
16 September, 2024
First cold week in France but good result for 2 friends came to fish at Cheshire lake!!!
15 September, 2024
we have a lot of feedback and photos to publish but we wanted to share with you in a first draft, this very beautiful fishing in the month of August with several fish from 40lbs 50lbs but also 55lbs and up to more than 62 lbs.
carp activity is present in all locations but more particularly in the shallowest, therefore warmest, areas. particularly on swim 9 and the lodge.
large common and mirror were there.
Note that this group achieved this excellent result by fishing 90% with our range of baits, seed pellets but especially skrillex and krill bill boilies.
Finally, they had booked a complete food package for evening meals which allowed them to concentrate almost all of their time fishing. congratulations to all of you, we hope to see you again on Camalo or la Loubière.
15 September, 2024
Martin was the 2nd single angler on the lake for 2 weeks in a row when he visited Etang Rouge. The weather turned to autumn overnight which made the fishing difficult due to greatly reduced temperatures and lots of rain thunder and lightning towards the end of the week. This said, Martin still managed to bank some nice carp with the biggest being a long, muscled bound mirror which was the right side of 51lb
15 September, 2024
This was our second time at Etang Loubiere and it didn’t disappoint. The tranquility of the lake is something special, natural rural location, but it does have sufficuent accessible facilities including fridge/freezer tiolet/shower and electricity.
Good weeks fishing, 22 common and mirror carp to just under 48 lbs , most over 33 lbs, most during night
Sunsets are spectaular !
14 September, 2024
david molina team korda pro angler from spain and his friends both from team pro Elite baits was on camalo during summer. they had an incredible week with many big fish up to 60 lbs+ many fish was over 40/45 50 lbs!
they have fished with krill boilies from pro Elite Baits.
dam wall was best spot.
david molina have posted movie on you tube the 14 september about his trip at the very popular lake camalo. David call Camalo lake of gigantic fish!
13 September, 2024
Matthew and Gillian were originally booked for 2023 but due to health issues they had to postpone it so this was a long awaited trip. The couple spend about 5 weeks in France every year, with Matthew fishing various lakes in the area and Gill just enjoying the peace and quiet. In fact Matthew has fished our friends lake Etang Vilotte for many years, before Nicki and Paul have owned it and he was aware before he came here that we were friends as he has been following our catch reports and seen that we have been involved in each others fisheries.
So after a few days at Etang Vilotte, Matthew and Gill arrived and got themselves acquainted with the chalet and Matthew quickly set himself up at the bottom of the steps and started studying the lake. He loves casting so quickly got his rods out as far as he could, mainly to the left hand bank but with one in the middle. He used a spod rod to get his bait out as well as a catapult for some single boilies.
On Sunday morning at breakfast Matthew told us that he had caught his first three fish, a 25lb mirror at 11.30pm, a 25lb common at 1am and a 23lb mirror at 1.30am. A great start, and he said that he had lost one as well. And so this was the pattern for the week.
By Monday morning Matthew had had a further five carp, a 26lb common, a 34lb common, another 25lb common, a 34lb mirror and a 30lb common but he was still hunting down those elusive big ones.
On Monday early evening when we walked round Matthew told us that he heard a huge ‘splosh’ coming from the left hand bank at about 4pm, like someone throwing a brick in the water, he said. He said it took him a while to get in and whilst he was doing so his other rod went off. As he was down by the lake on his own all he could do was put the clutch on and make sure the rod was safe and get one fish in before he tackled the other. The second fish went and sulked up by the monk valve and he landed the first – a lovely 42lb 6oz common.
After getting this in and safe he then landed the other one, a 22lb mirror.
Matthew didn’t catch any fish at all on the Tuesday but didn’t give up hope of getting some more during the week, even though he had already had 10 carp on the bank and he kept watching the lake and seeing where the fish were feeding.
On Wednesday he had a further three, a 25lb common, and mirrors at 14lb and 17lb and he was convinced the numbers were going backwards but still he persisted and by Friday morning he had landed a further four commons and two mirrors ranging from 19lb to 37lb 2oz.
With the weather changing to wet and chilly he wasn’t sure how Friday would go but was planning on fishing up to 5am on Saturday morning. At breakfast on Friday he had had another two mirrors in the early morning, weighing 21lb and 34 lb. He spent some time up at the chalet catching up on some sleep and went down again in the afternoon. At 2.30pm he caught the biggest fish of the session, a 44lb 2oz common
Whilst he had planned on fishing all night the rain did not look like stopping and thunderstorms were forecast for duing the night so in a short dry spell, Matthew got his gear packed up and called it a week. With a total of 22 fish out by one single angler he has had the best catch rate of the season, the previous being 19.
Matthew has been fishing for over 40 years and developed an ‘umbrella’ style boilie stop and he gave some to Nigel over the week for him to try. We will let you know how he gets on with these but they have since been copied by the big tackle companies like Fox and Korda.
Final catch summary zero babies, 4 at 10lb+, 10 at 20lb+, 6 at 30lb+ and 2 at 40lb+. No 50s but we hope that this lovely couple will visit our lakes again some day. Until then à bientôt…
12 September, 2024
Hi
Me and my wife had a good trip, weather was hot and dry. Only fished 5 nights, had 17 takes and landed 16 fish to 47lb 8oz, had 5 x 30lb ( 38lb 2 x 37lb, 36lb and 30lb 8oz) fish including a lovely fully scaled mirror.All the fish fell to a homemade birdfood / fishmeal bait flavoured with Garlic oil and Crab flavour, 4 oz drop off lead with a size 2 wide gape hook, 2 x20mm boillies bottom baits, on a 125mm 20lb mono hook link. Most the takes came to 3m off the far margin over pellets and boillies. Only had one fish under the trees on the lefthand side of the swim.
What a beautiful place to be the facilities are very good, clean and well kept, We will be going back in the future.
Kind regards
Simon and Chelle
11 September, 2024
Very well kept fishery clean accommodation food excellent . Mat and Natasha lovely couple and very helpful would recommend
11 September, 2024
We had a fantastic week. 19 fish landed. Biggest was 25lb. My wife and son thoroughly enjoyed the trip. The cabin is beautiful and the hot tub a lovely touch. The super U shop is 9 mins away and stocked with lots of amazing food as well. Tudor trés bien!!
11 September, 2024
Great moments and fun for Marijn who came fishing at Cheshire lake with carps until 52lbs!!!
You can follow her on Instagram
@marijn.fishing.girl
11 September, 2024
August arrive at the end with big carps at Authentic Lake!!!!
Congratulations to anglers who came fishing at this moment!
11 September, 2024
Martin was the 2nd single angler on the lake for 2 weeks in a row when he visited Etang Rouge. The weather turned to autumn overnight which made the fishing difficult due to greatly reduced temperatures and lots of rain thunder and lightning towards the end of the week. This said, Martin still managed to bank some nice carp with the biggest being a long, muscled bound mirror which was the right side of 51lb
10 September, 2024
Had a fantastic time in the most peaceful and tranquil setting Mark and Yvonne are the perfect hosts. The Gite has everything you will ever need and the swimming pool is a lovely bonus . The fishing was slow but to be honest i really only fished over night and the fish i caught were in pristine condition. would highly recommend this venue
10 September, 2024
Looks like DGF particle mix with the pellets are working well let’s hope we get some big surprises for the end of this year 🎣🎣🎣
10 September, 2024
Some nice original fish from the willow tree lake
10 September, 2024
Father & Son Kevin & Carl had a holiday to remember, both smashing their PBs with carp to over 40+. Dynamite’s Crab & Krill fished over house pellets worked like a dream fooling some of our trickier residents. Great angling.
10 September, 2024
Great week Andy who unfortunately came on his own as his fishing partner was unable to come due to family reasons. Andy broke his PB 3 times during the week and managed 4 x 40’s to 49lb, 3 x 30’s to 34lb and 2 x 20’s
10 September, 2024
Eliza and Stanley bought their mum and dad, Jess and Alan, and granny and grandad, Anne and Dave with them from North Yorkshire for a family holiday on Lac Lucie last week. With Alan and Dave fishing the others enjoyed the comfort of the chalet as well as the dip pool and hot tub and made the most of all the facilities we have here.
It was evident from the Saturday when they arrived that Alan and Dave are quite competitive and soon got themselves set up after tossing a coin for swims. With Dave on the dam wall swim and Alan at the bottom of the steps, they were both hopeful that they were in the right places. They had chosen our bait package with a mix of spicy fish and maple syrup boilies to go with the pellets and parti-blend and Nigel suggested they had a couple of pots of hard hookers to try and keep the bait from the crayfish. They tended to use the hookers at nighttime and also had some wafters that they switched to during the day.
Alan was first off the mark with a 27lb 9oz common at 9pm on the Saturday night, closely followed by a 36lb 5oz common at half past midnight, a 35lb 11oz mirror at 2.45am and a 40lb 4oz common at 5.00am. As you can imagine we were very surprised to hear that Alan had had four fish within 12 hours of putting his rods out and Dave was starting to think that he had picked the wrong swim and wondered if he would ever catch up. (Unfortunately we don’t have a photo of the 40lb 4oz common but this one is a lovely looking fish.)
On Sunday afternoon Dave landed three in very quick succession, a 23lb 13oz mirror at 5pm, a 23lb 8oz common at 6pm and a 26lb common at 7.15pm and luckily enough Nigel was there to help as in between Dave’s three, Alan also had another one out a 24lb 6oz mirror at 7.10pm. Dave went on to have another two over night and Alan another one so by breakfast on Monday morning Alan had caught 6 fish and Dave was on 5.
Dave carried on on Monday morning and landed his biggest of the week at 9.45am and they did get a photo of this lovely 45lb 10oz common.
He then went onto have a 30lb 4oz common at 10.15am and a 42lb 4oz common at 7pm with Alan just having this 27lb 9oz mirror at 6.50pm.
By 8am on Tuesday morning, with Dave having a 26lb 1oz mirror at 5.30am the scores were Dave on 9 and Alan on 7 so the lead had changed.
They managed another 5 each over the next 24 hours and Alan had been up onto the dam wall bank and fished a bit up there as well to spend some time with his dad and not miss out on the fish that were feeding around there.
And so the week swapped and turned. The children were having a great time with Eliza mesmerized by the wildlife and collecting ants to feed the tiny lizard she had found and Stan loving the hot tub and throwing the ball for Maisie when she visited. They enjoyed some time away from the lakes at the château at Rochechouart and at the Plage la Guerlie, swimming in the lake and having a pizza at Le 16 Beach.
By 8am on Thursday morning things were starting to even up a bit and Dave had had 14 carp, including little Matty, the baby of the lake and Alan was on 15. What a stunning mirror Dave has here. Both Eliza and Stanley spent a night in the bivvy with their dad and thoroughly enjoyed it the excitement and looking at the stars.
Thursday evening saw some more fish landed, another two for Alan and three for Dave which made it 17 all going into the last day as Alan and Jess and the children were heading home very early on Saturday morning. Alan had this 28lb 2oz mirror and Dave a good 24lb 14oz mirror before the children went to bed.
So with both anglers on 17 carp on Friday morning they sat and waited to have another good day but nothing happened until later in the afternoon when Alan had a 25lb 14oz mirror and a 23lb 10oz common both within 15 minutes of each other which took him 2 in the lead. They were both reluctant to pack up and hung on for a few more hours, despite the ladies wanting to get tea sorted and the packing up done. At 7pm Dave caught a 19lb 1oz common and they decided to call it a day with Dave letting his son beat him by 1 fish.
This is the most carp caught by any group of anglers since we bought the property last May and was great to be a witness to a lovely family enjoying the lake and the fishing.
Final catch summary was 37 fish in total 1 baby, 2 at 10lb+, 20 at 20lb+, 11 at 30lb+ and 3 at 40lb+ with the largest being 45lb 10oz.
Thank you for an amazing week and with Alan only having one more fish than Dave we hope that one day you will return for a rematch. Until the next time à bientôt
10 September, 2024
Sam, Steven & Poddy arrived from Northern Ireland to more hot weather at the start of their week. Thankfully, it cooled down over the course of the week and all 3 anglers did their PB’s with 3 x 40’s to 47lb, 6 x 30’s to 37 & 2 x 20’s
10 September, 2024
We had Martin here for 4 nights last week fishing during the day, he had a lovely mirror out at 25lb.
10 September, 2024
A week we donated to raise money for sick children which was win by Gareth & Luke. Again very hot weather made the fishing very tough, however Gareth still managed to break his PB twice with an upper 30 mirror and then a 61lb common
10 September, 2024
Paul & Bob had a tough week with rhe heat but still managed fish in the 50’s, 40’s, 30’s and 1 x 20 including a new PB for Bib with a cracking 52lb mirror
10 September, 2024
Great week for Brandon,Lewis & Lucas AKA The Barnsley Boys who all smashed their PB’s and had multiple fish between them, including 1 x 67lb, 1 x 52lb, 4 x 40’s, 9 x 30’s and 1 x 20.
09 September, 2024
2 anglers on this stormy week , one having a better week than the other but having a PB at 46lb
total of 8 x 30’s and 6 x 40’s
09 September, 2024
La Froterie far exceeded any expectations for myself and family spending a week there in August. The lake was very productive throughout our stay only fishing days managed close to 1100lbs in 6 days, dusk till dawn. Some real character residents I was fortunate enough to bank which really made the trip. The accommodation was bursting with cottage charm throughout and the hosts, Heath and Lisa, went above and beyond to make our stay as comfortable as possible, giving us all the advice we needed throughout our stay making it a memorable trip. We really enjoyed it and would hope to return in the future. Thanks !!
05 September, 2024
Walter , James and myself (Andy – lake owner) just finished a 24 hr session on the lake, seven fish landed in total, Walter even managed his first birthday carp 🥳
05 September, 2024
Nearly the end of a great week, three anglers celebrating their 50th year, one of which had a PB . Some lovely carp caught and of course ‘good times‘ 🥳
05 September, 2024
A fantastic week for Dean and family. Plenty of carp and even a few perch!
05 September, 2024
Mike , Sandra and their son visited the lake last week and a good few nice fish including these.
05 September, 2024
Amazing time first time in France and what a pleasure couldn’t be happier friendly people on arrival had 53 fish in a week between three of us so not a bad week of fishing biggest at 47lb
05 September, 2024
Andy and Karen have been together for a few years but have never fished together before they came here. Andy has always loved catfish and has fished for them in France before but had not had his rods out for about 8 years and Karen has fished in Australia but has been caring for her parents for the last few years. Having tied the knot a few weeks ago the happy couple decided to spend their honeymoon with us. For both of them it was as much of a holiday and break from routine as it was about the fishing and it was important for them to get away, take their time with everything and enjoy the peace and quiet of our little piece of paradise here in France.
Andy had heard of our lakes through the catfish association he is a member of and had seen the Passport to Catfish video that had been made many years ago about the catfish that have been caught in the Kingfisher lake. He was determined to catch a big one and had all the gear with him to enable that to happen….as long as they were taking the bait.
Arriving in the rain on Saturday afternoon after a tour of one of the nearest supermarkets, we showed them round the lake and chalet and gave them the bait they had ordered. They got the bivvy set up but then called it a day and spent the night in the chalet after the long drive from the Isle of Wight. After breakfast on Sunday they got to it, setting their rods up with Karen fishing to the dam wall and aerator and Andy to the middle and the far bank. Andy had bought some of his own bait too by way of tins of tuna, sweetcorn and kidney beans, rolling them to snowball size balls and leaving them to dry out in the sun. They also had spicy fish boilies, pellets, maize, parti-blend and chilli hemp so were hoping the cats would be hungry.
It was 6pm before Andy got the rods in the water and they cooked some kebabs on the barbecue down by the lake and were just enjoying the sunshine and peace and quiet along with a glass or two of wine.
Monday morning when they came up for breakfast Andy had caught something, unfortunately not a cat but a mirror carp weighing 38lb, but at least it was something and they were off the mark and as Andy said on more than one occasion ‘it is what it is’.
Karen loves shopping and exploring French supermarkets so on Monday they went out to stock up on some more bits and wine and came back and got the rods back out. No other fish were caught on Monday but they slept out all night in the bivvy in the hope of catching something else at night. Autumn is coming and although the days are generally still nice and warm and sunny, the night temperatures are dropping and the two of them were a little cold by the morning.
On Tuesday Karen caught her first ever catfish in France – a small kitten in its 20s but was a good practice for her and she was thrilled with it. Andy was not so sure as she managed to tangle up every line in the process of brining it to the bank.
Andy kept up the baiting and eventually on Wednesday evening, after a long slow battle he managed to land the heaviest catfish that has been out the lake since we bought the property. At 88lb this was the best way to have a photo with it.
There were no more carp or catfish but the happy couple enjoyed their time by the lake, watching the kingfishers with a glass of wine and enjoying the peace and the stars at night time.
The final catch summary is 1 carp at 38lb, 1 catfish at 20lb+ and 1 catfish at 88lb. We think that this week has renewed Andy’s passion for cat fishing and we have enjoyed their company and thank them for choosing us to spend their honeymoon with. We hope that they will return to us again sometime and until then à bientôt…
05 September, 2024
Paul, Michael, Oliver and Thomas had fished Kingfisher in 2023 and gone away with several PBs and plenty of soakings. This year they left Kiona at home and bought Dave with them, a family friend who had not done much carp fishing for several years but was obviously very fond of the lads and the banter was nearly as good as when Paul had fished here in June with two other friends, commonly known as ‘The Calendar Boys’.
We were hoping that with 5 experienced, albeit young, anglers on the lake the fish would have nowhere to hide, especially as the previous few weeks there had only been one or two people fishing. As last year, Paul and Thomas took the house swim, closest to the chalet and Michael and Oliver went down onto swims 2 and 3. Dave set himself up on the dam wall, exactly where Nigel had fished for a couple of nights the week before
Oliver arrived with a bit of an ear infection so couldn’t hear (or ignored) most of the others but was first to catch on the first night with a 62lb catfish which ended up being the biggest of the week.
Oliver also caught a 43lb and a 36lb mirror in the first few days but then he had nothing for the rest of the week but kept hoping and enjoyed being involved when the others were catching and helping them out.
Dave was second off the mark with a 22lb catfish and got his rods quickly back out for more but ended up with some big issues with his reels which kept braking, even though they were new. He persevered though and finally landed a 56lb catfish with a lot of support and cheering from the others as well as a 43lb mirror.
Michael consistently caught throughout the week with a good mixture of commons, mirrors and cats and 7 fish on the bank in total. he even did a bit of stalking down the far end of the lake and caught a roach. These were his biggest three
Paul took some time to get started, because he was helping everyone else, probably….but finally on Tuesday he had his first fish out, an 18lb cat. Funnily enough it was Tuesday that he caught his first one when he came in June, as Thomas reminded us. Later in the week Paul had a go at stalking down in the shallows and landed a lovely 31lb common.
And finally Thomas, who knew exactly who had caught what, how much each fished weighed and what time it had been caught. As well as about 24 little roach which he caught down at the shallow end stalking spots he also had 3 carp, two commons weighing 30lb and 33lb and a mirror at 27lb. The biggest common was one of the last fish of the trip and a new PB for him so he got a soaking, just before they were about to pack the truck back up to go home.
So why the title? At tea one evening, Thomas was telling us that he had found a bank stick on the far side of the lake. Nigel suggested that it was one he used to mark where the crayfish traps are and asked what it was made of. Thomas told him it was wood which confused us all. Paul explained what a bank stick was and Thomas said he hadn’t known that and his ‘bank stick’ was just a stick he had found on the bank. Never will we look at them in the same light again!
So, fishing was not as good as it had been last year but they all had some great fish out and some fun times and they all slept well on the way home. All fish were caught on our house boilies (maple syrup and spicy fish flavours) with a bed of pellets and parti-blend and using our hookers and glug in matching flavours.
The final report of the week was 0 babies, 1 at 10lb+, 3 at 20lb+, 6 at 30lb+ and 2 at 40lb+ as well as 6 cats up to 62lb and oh….and about 24 roach.
We will look forward to seeing you all again next year, especially as Chris from Paul’s June trip will be on Lac Lucie at the same time so à bientôt….
05 September, 2024
It was lovely to see Paul back last week & great to meet his friend Ron. They had 9 carp between them to 30lb. Also a huge thank you to Ron for making us an owl box to hopefully encourage our tawny owls 😊
05 September, 2024
We had Lauren, Luke & the kids come back to visit for the weekend. They had 8 carp 3 x 30´s 2 x 20’s & some doubles between them & the kids had great fun float fishing & playing in the lake 😊
05 September, 2024
We had Damien & Gemma return last week. The lake was still fishing slow since the last spawning but it picked up towards the end of the week. One of the new mirrors were also out which was great to see! A lovely week spent with these two, fantastic company with alot of laughs had. Until next time 😊
05 September, 2024
Although it’s been quiet over the last few weeks due to spawning, Dan,Eduardo & Geof had one out each, there were a few lost runs. Paul was asked to put the rods out too for a few nights and caught an 18lb mirror. Geof’s being the largest with a 30lb mirror (one of the new stock) As always it was lovely to see everyone return.
05 September, 2024
We said goodbye to Dave yesterday. It was a slow week with all commons 12lb, 21lb, 28lb & 31lb. We also had Russel here for a few days, he had commons as well 31 & 32.8.
05 September, 2024
It was the end of Ken & Mike’s week today, great guys and good company. They had a week of mixed weather with heavy rain to start, a big storm then highs of 25 degrees. Spawning also started late yesterday afternoon and it’s carried on all day today.
05 September, 2024
Another good week for this couple with carp to 53lb . Lauren got off to good start with a couple of fish first night and a new pb 31lb mirror she also had a lovely linear at 32lb from peg 1 nd a few more from the jot peg 1 , before moving into peg 3 after a few nights as liam moved to 4
where she had 2 blank nights before moving into peg 2 to take a 44lb mirror and 32lb carp the last night for a total of 9 fish. A few lost aswell one just before they left.also a few catfish.
Liam bagged 16 fish after starting with a 36lb mirror 1st night in peg 2 he went on to catch the big common at 53lb and blackspot out at 39lb for the 1st time this year. nut brittle and ensign from mb baits doing the business for him. He also dropped a few but broke his pb with the big girl. The hot weather slowed it mid week as we got into the mid 30s but some nice fish out again and 2 new happy anglers both smashing there pbs.
They’ve both booked to return next yesr and we look forward to seeing them again.
1 x 53lb
1 x 44lb
10 thirties to 39lb
05 September, 2024
Had a great week. Not the easiest French lake but work hard the rewards are there. Lost a few which was gutting. Def go back. Owner is a great guy, helpful went out of his way to make it all work for you but also left you alone to get on with it. On the Island swim so def quiet. If your into casting and catching forget it.
04 September, 2024
We had a great time at Furet. We was looked after very well. Any issue with anything Elouise was very helpful. Our meals were very tasty and fantastic. Most importantly the fish were beautiful and we caught 47 carp between us. Brilliant week and we will go back again!
04 September, 2024
Over 50 carp upto 41lb for Jack and party! We’ll done boys!
04 September, 2024
Michael, Emma and their two daughters, Freyja and Eryn arrived on Kingfisher on the Saturday afternoon ready for a family holiday with some fishing for Michael and Freyja. Michael has done a lot of carp fishing in France before and has managed to persuade Freyja to take up the hobby alongside him.
We have had several single or pairs of anglers on Kingfisher the last few weeks and we were a bit concerned that if they fished on the first swim near the chalet they would not land a lot of fish but with some heavy baiting in that area the week before there was a chance that the fish were still feeding in that area. With Michael using his van to sleep in rather than putting his bivvy up he decided that that was where they wanted to be, with the plan for Freyja to sleep in the chalet ready to leap into action should her rods go off.
Michael had bought a variety of different baits with him, things that had bought him luck in the past and was confident that these would work for him here. And so it was to be with his first fish out on the Saturday evening, a 29lb 8oz mirror.
This was closely followed by two other mirrors on the Sunday weighing 29lb and 26lb and another mirror at 25lb on Monday.
The weather at the start of the week was glorious with temperatures up to 30+ degrees and the girls were loving the pool and the space to explore, walking up onto the meadow to pick blackberries and generally just enjoying being outdoors. Emma was enjoying the peace and quiet to read her books, knowing that the girls were safe and everyone was happy.
On Monday evening Michael caught a nice catfish at 51lb and you can see that the girls had mixed feelings about this!
Every morning when we walked round Freyja and Eryn ran out of the chalet, not to see us but to have their morning fix of Maisie who absolutely loved their attention, chasing the ball for as long as they would throw it for her and sometimes even following their training and staying sat until they gave her the command to go and fetch her ball. On Tuesday Eryn celebrated her 7th birthday with a big pink badge to prove it and all she wanted was for Maisie to visit her on her birthday!
On Tuesday afternoon, despite the fact that he had landed six fish already, including a 34lb 8oz common at 7am that morning, Michael rested the lake for the afternoon and went out with the others to do a bit of supermarket shopping and to have a pizza at Le 16 Beach on the Plage La Guerlie and they even managed to bring some left overs back for lunch the next day.
At 10.30pm on Tuesday evening Michael had his best fish of the week, a 45lb 8oz mirror. Freyja had had very little action on her rods which were fishing to the right of the swim on the dam wall and into the aerator stream but at 6am on Wednesday morning she was woken up by her dad calling her as her rods were going off so it was a good job she was going to bed with her clothes on ready. After a bit of a battle she managed to land this lovely 27lb 11oz common.
During the afternoon on Wednesday as the temperatures hit their peak for the week and Michael needed a bit of shade he went stalking on the far bank, under the trees where the fish like to hide. He used a few bits of dog biscuit as bait and just dropped his rod in with the hope that they would fancy an afternoon snack. And they did just that as he landed a 25lb common and a 23lb mirror. Freyja meanwhile had caught a few roach which she decided to put on her rigs just to try something a bit different, and it paid off with a 65lb catfish which she took ages to get in the net but it was well worth it. At the age of 11 this is some going and she should be very proud of herself.
Michael had a further two catfish out that evening and the following morning as the weather changed. It had been a very hot sticky night on Wednesday and then the pressure dropped along with the temperature and it rained most of Thursday. The family had planned to go back to the beach and hire some paddle boards and were wondering whether to still do this because of the weather but they decided they would be wet doing it whether it was sunshine or showers so off they went, and had the whole lake pretty much to themselves with no rush to get the paddle boards back for other people. They all had a go on the solo paddle board doing the parcours course and also shared a larger one so they could all jump off it. They had a great afternoon there, along with another trip to Le 16 Beach.
At the Base Nautique on Lac Lavaud
Friday saw one more mirror on the bank, caught by Michael and weighing 31lb and then it was time to get the gear packed up ready for an early start for the drive back home on Saturday.
Catch summary: zero babies, zero at 10lb+, 7 at 20lb+, 2 at 30lb+ and 1 at 40lb+ along with 4 catfish up to 65lb with this being caught by 11 year old Freyja.
We have really enjoyed getting to know you all and Maisie has had one of the best weeks of the season playing with the girls, she has been so excited to get her ball and walk round every morning and she will miss you I am sure. Thank you for the lovely drawing you did of you throwing the ball for her (we love the waggy tail) and she has put it on the fridge to remind her of the fun times you had. We hope to see you all again one day so hopefully à bientôt…
04 September, 2024
Barry, his son, Bjorn and his friend Paul arrived from North Yorkshire on the Leeds flight on the Friday, hired a car and made their way to our friend’s B&B in Montamboeuf for a night, enjoying a meal at our favourite bar, Mamie’s there before coming to the lake on Saturday lunchtime, armed with drinks and snacks and plenty of banter.
Barry and Bjorn go carp fishing a lot in the UK but Paul had not been for several years and had pretty much come along for the jolly and a few laughs. With some great weather forecast and a record catch week the week before they were hoping for great things and Lac Lucie did not disappoint them.
Barry set up on the main bank next to Paul who they knew would need a lot of support and coaching and Bjorn went up to the side swim (for some peace and quiet he hoped). They were quickly set up and had baited out using our maple syrup boilies, pellets and parti-blend and were ready to get their rods out after tea. By the time they came up for breakfast at 9 o’ clock the next morning Bjorn had already caught three carp with two coming out in the first two hours.
They all slept out on the Saturday night but Paul was not sure he could handle it all week so decided that if he started catching during the day he would sleep in the chalet overnight. Luckily for him he got off the mark on the Sunday with a 28lb 8oz mirror and Barry also caught one a similar weight at 28lb 6oz
There was some money on the most fish caught and Barry was determined to try and keep up with Bjorn so stayed out for the whole week, whilst Paul stopped fishing late in the evening and chose to have a good nights sleep in the chalet and rejoin them in the mornings after breakfast.
The fish kept on coming, thick and fast at the start of the week with both Bjorn and Barry being pretty much neck and neck most days.
The weather was very hot at the beginning of the week and they all made the most of it, with Bjorn enjoying the heat in the afternoons and Barry and Paul finding it hard to understand how it could be so cool on the main bank and then when they walked up to the chalet it was so hot. Bjorn was the only one of the trio who made the most of cooling off in the dip pool first before relaxing in the hot tub and considering what the next tactics should be.
Temperatures peaked on Tuesday and Wednesday at 30+ degrees and both Paul and Bjorn caught their PBs. A 45lb common for Bjorn and a 37lb 4oz mirror for Paul. Both were very happy with this result and some nice looking fish.
Wednesday was a very sticky night for all of them, whether in the chalet or in the bivvy but then the pressure seemed to drop and the fish were showing on the lake all night. And then on Thursday it rained on and off for most of the day and they did not have very much luck.
By Friday Bjorn was several fish ahead and Barry realised he would have to give in to defeat but they were all really happy with what they had had out, a total of 27 between them and new PBs for both Paul and Bjorn.
The summary of the week is zero babies, 2 at 10lb+, 9 at 20lb+, 13 at 30lb+ and 3 at 40lb+. With a total weight of 811lb (the fish, not the three of them) they had had a great week and we have thoroughly enjoyed their company although it is a lot quieter now they have taken Paul home again! We hope to see you all again someday but until then à bientôt…
04 September, 2024
What a place,hosts Jo & Nigel were great. We had the food package breakfast were very good and kept us going till evening meal which was also very good you won’t be disappointed if you have this package.
The cabin is nice and comfortable everything you need, the pool & hot tub was great for a relaxing time away from fishing for a while.
The fishing was fantastic with a few pointers from Nigel we was soon into them , with a couple of teens,10 high 20s,12 high 30s & 2 x 40s with one tipping the scales at 45lb. Two pbs were broken so all in all some great fish was caught.
The lake and area was stunning and quiet, Jo & Nigel nothing was any trouble for them and not forgetting the dog Maisie very friendly loves ball catching.
Barry,Bjorn,Paul
04 September, 2024
What can I say about HIDE AWAY, after a wonderful 7 days of the hospitality from Steve and his family I can honestly say it was worth every penny.
The food was amazing and left you feeling more than full and the pods on the lakeside were perfect, they were spotlessly clean and had mains power which is always welcome.
The fishing was slow to start but after picking Steve’s brain and a slight change to the rigs we were off the mark with my dad landing a lovely common to 20ilb.
This was then followed my myself having a common of 28ilb and a few lost runs. The fishing isn’t easy to say the least but it defiantly pushes you to focus on the fishing.
All in all between us we landed 9 fish to 33ilb and of those I managed to bag 2 of them off the top from the margins while stalking. I have been told I am only the second to achieve this since Steve has had the lake.
We will defiantly be booking again and hopefully get one of the many bigger chunks on the bank.
I strongly recommend anyone to book this wonderful lake as it won’t disappoint. Oh and if stars are you thing then the night sky is out of this world (no pun intended).
04 September, 2024
Arrived at the lake sat 24th Sept but didnt fish untill the following day . Only fished 3 nights and 4 full days due to day trips out with the family . Caught 36 carp for the week up to 36lb but 9 of these were 30s . Average size was between 24lb – 28lb .unfortunately the 40s and 50s wernt playing ball however the fishing was superb and runs were coming even in the day with high weather pressure. Carp were stunning and you can see these fish are going to increase in weight and this will become a big fish venue in the future. Tactics were pellet and corn to margins at night but the fish move out in the middle of the lake in the daytime. Rigs were simple either D rig / blowback rigs and found fishing with corn topped with a a fake maize produced many runs.
Will return again most definately . A plus venue and a great support team with Carl, Lester and co.
Thankyou Mongenet.
02 September, 2024
We had a lovely family break at Berbet , my son breaking his PB 3 times ! Plus catching 2 new species. Chris and Katie lovely hosts , with Chris showing my son what bait to use and where to fish , house bait recommend.Lovely peaceful location,we stayed in a cabin with all the facilities we needed including Wi-Fi for the children and English tv.lovely clean accommodation and comfortable beds.A village was close by for all you grocery needs.Also swimming pool and games for non fishers.A lovely relaxing week had by all the family.
02 September, 2024
Superb hosts and accommodation,the mobile home provided with the hire of the lake was very comfortable and everything we both needed.the fishing was a little slow but me and my friend managed to both bag pbs,my friend caught a 39 lb mirror and I caught a very respectful 45lb mirror,all in all a great trip would recommend 👍.
02 September, 2024
Over 30 carp for Luke and party! We’ll done boys!
29 August, 2024
Good to see the young kids getting into carp fishing after giving them some advice and helping them with their rigs this magnificent 40 + common in the net well done boys 🎣🎣
29 August, 2024
This small beautiful 2 acre lake is surrounded by forest, making it breathtaking for me and my son the fishing was kinda slow due to the extreme heat we had but nevertheless we landed a few cats two beautiful carp 1 24lb common and a beautiful 37lb mirror, also the hungry sturgeon weighing 28lb came out 9x in total, the cabin has everything you can need and is clean and tidy and well looked after, there is no 240 power but has a 12v charging point and 12v lights this dint hamper our holiday at all, Mark & Nicola were absolutely fantastic with hints and tips and extremely good information, also we didn’t go for the full food package as there’s an outside bbq when when we ordered food it turned up piping hot and was delicious, I would highly recommend this lake and hopefully will be going back in the future
29 August, 2024
Absolutely A1 lake great location and nikki done everything to make our stay special
28 August, 2024
35 carp banked between 4 anglers with the biggest a 49lb common. 7 over 30lbs and 25 between 20 and 29lbs.
27 August, 2024
30 carp landed this week ranging from 27lbs to 46lbs. Happy anglers 😀
27 August, 2024
Alexis and his father went at Cheshire lake during their holidays.
Result:
15 carps until 46lbs with beautiful linears inside!
And a strong fight with “Mimil” one of the 2 white sturgeons…
27 August, 2024
When we bought the property last May, Jo’s sister, Julianne was talking to Nic, a colleague/friend about it as her husband, Gary and son, Oscar did a bit of fishing in North Wales where they live. Not carp fishing but young Oscar was learning all about different types of fishing and they had a friend at football who had just got into carp fishing. So they booked last July and arrived without any gear and to be honest very little idea!
Luckily Julianne has fished lots in the past and gave them a few pearls of wisdom before they came out and lent them her tackle which has been here since last September. She also came out with them, partly to see Jo and Nigel and to be on hand if they needed any help. They flew in from Manchester and Julianne hired a car for them so they could get out and about if they wanted to.
Gary and Oscar didn’t plan on fishing nights but we set them up a bivvy and a couple of chairs so at least they could all relax down by the lake as and when they wanted to. Julianne spent some time showing them how to tie rigs and they bought some of our Pallatrax ready made rigs along with some Pallatrax Stonze to try on some of the rods where Julianne had not set them up. Both of them were pretty good at casting.
Sunday came and went with no fish caught and Nigel was beginning to think it was going to be a very difficult week. On Monday morning Jo went to get some shopping done and Julianne went to the supermarket with Nic and Nigel took his son and daughter and the grandchildren to the lake to go on the pedalos. At just gone 2pm we were all pleasantly surprised when we got a message that Gary had caught the first fish, a 39lb mirror and without any of us on hand to assist, not that Jo would have been much help anyway but moral support is always helpful!
This was followed at 5pm by Oscar when we were called down to the lake to show our support. Nigel was impressed by how he bought the fish in nice and gently and gave Oscar some guidance as to how to bring it into the net and get it into the sling. A great result with a 35lb common – a new PB
So they were both off the mark and Oscar ended up with another common at about 7pm, and 10lb heavier at 45lb this obviously called for another soaking by Julianne.
With Oscar being a normal teenager, mornings were not really his sort of thing in the school holidays so we were surprised to hear that he was up at 7.30am on Tuesday morning, ready to go and catch some more fish. Gary and Oscar spent most of the day by the lake, trying the spots they had used the day before and putting some more bait out, or own boilies, parti-blend and pellets, and Nigel took his bait boat down to help them to get a more accurate presentation in the lake. Unfortunately there were no fish bought to the bank all day.
On Wednesday they did not fish until late afternoon, having spent the morning at Piegut-Pluviers market and the afternoon visiting the memorial village at Oradour-sur-Glane and again they did not catch anything.
With additional stocks of parti-blend and pellets they were hopeful that Thursday would bring them some more fish out and it certainly did that. Despite the temperatures getting up to just under 30 degrees they managed to have 5 runs land 3 fish between them, the first by Gary with a 27lb mirror at 2 pm, followed by Oscar losing 2 fish by 3pm and then landing a 37lb mirror at around tea time and a 25lb mirror at 9pm. Oscar’s last fish put up a good fight in the lake trying to get it in but got it’s own back when Oscar was trying to lift it by giving him a good tail slap!
Nic, Gary and Oscar made good use of the chalet and facilities each evening, enjoying the pool, catering facilities in the chalet and the hot tub until well into the evening looking at the stars and spotting the shooting stars, things that are not nearly as good on the outskirts of Wrexham where they come from.
Friday saw them start late morning and they made the most of their last day on the lake staying out there until the early evening. Oscar landed another 3 fish and Gary caught his last one of the session. Nigel was there again to see Oscar land the 44lb common and got a drenching when they were putting the fish back into the lake.
Gary got a soaking for his new PB common as he had missed out on it for the heaviest carp he had caught in the week as we were all out!
What a great week they all had, having come to France with no experience of catching carp they all thoroughly enjoyed it. Oscar asked if he could come back after his dad had caught the first fish and was keen and eager to get his rods back out every time he caught one. We sense he is going to have a long Christmas wish list but sure he will continue fishing the rivers and waters near him for tench and pike etc in the meantime. Nigel has been thrilled to see someone catch their first carp and show such enthusiasm to learn and we really hope that they will all be back one day (and they can always be escorted by Julianne who is always welcome).
The summary of their week is 0 babies, 0 at 10lb+, 4 at 20lb+, 4 at 30lb+ and 2 at 40lb+. A great week considering they did not fish every day, did no nights and often did not start until late in the morning. Well done and until next time à bientôt…
27 August, 2024
Martin, Ronnie and Jamie joined us from Dover for a rematch on Lac Lucie last week, along with Wendy, Tracy and Charlie and Charlie’s girlfriend, Jess who had come again to enjoy the chalet, pool and hot tub and what a great week they all had with a lot of fun and laughter, even with temperatures up to 40 degrees during the day and mid 30s at night.
Last year Ronnie had won the trophy for the most fish, with Jamie a close second and Martin bringing up the rear with no carp and only a couple of catfish. They have been following all of the work we have been doing over the winter on social media and Jamie was hopeful that he would be able to get the trophy off of his dad. This year they were going for a total combined weight so as soon as they arrived they got their gear set up before tea ready for their first night. With the chalet only sleeping 6 they were prepared for fishing every night and had come in 2 cars with trailer and borrowed their bivvies from us.
Instead of all fishing off of the main bank as they had last year, Martin decided to leave Ronnie and Jamie there and go up to the far end on his own. Ronnie had got himself a bait boat this year and was confident that this would make life easier for him and be able to drop his rigs in a more accurate location each time. Jamie and Martin were both fishing properly and casted their rods each time.
We were not expecting much the first night as they had left home at midnight and after a long drive down from Calais where they had got caught up in Olympic traffic and an accident they were all shattered but just before we went to bed Ronnie messaged us a photo of the first fish out, a 36lb 8oz mirror. A pretty good start and the tone was set for the week.
Sunday saw the start of the ‘canicule’ (French for heatwave) and we thought that the extreme heat would put the fish off feeding but with the aerator on 24 hours a day there was obviously still enough oxygen in the water for the carp and Sunday afternoon Ronnie landed a new PB, a 43lb 9oz common.
Martin and Jamie were starting to wonder if it was going to be a repeat of last year but Martin had his first fish on Monday afternoon in 37 degrees. Another common weighing 30lb 9oz.
Charlie and Jess spent the first part of the week between the sunbeds and the swimming pool, cooling off the sun burn and generally just having fun. Wendy and Tracy were up and down the bank with provisions and had borrowed a jigsaw from us which they were determined to complete before the end of their week (even if it did mean staying up half the night some nights!).
Tuesday was the best fishing day of the week. Ronnie had a common weighing 30lb 8oz at 7am, Martin had a 21lb 8oz mirror around 2pm again after doing a bit of stalking with some dog biscuits and Ronnie had a 26lb common late afternoon.
And Jamie was still blanking, until around 5pm when Ronnie had just gone up to the chalet for a drink and Jamie’s rod went off at last. Imagine his delight when he managed to land this 43lb 6oz common, a new PB for him and so the inevitable drenching took place, although I think he was glad of it with the temperatures being what they were.
Wednesday, like last year, was a family day and the ladies were treated to the morning at the infamous market at Piegut Pluviers, where they bought a variety of different things and Jess bought a present for her mum. They avoided the nougat this year though! The afternoon was spent go karting at the Circuit du Perigord track where car fanatic Charlie won the first race but was spun off the track by his cousin, Jamie, in the second race so was not too happy when they got back. Everyone went for a dip in the pool when they got back as the temperatures had reached over 40 degrees in the afternoon and then the 3 anglers were back down by the lake for what was a very warm night.
But in the early hours of Thursday morning Ronnie landed a 30lb 12oz common and then at 7am Martin had a 33lb 12oz mirror.
There were no further fish caught on Thursday but the ladies did stay up half the night to finish their puzzle
Nigel had taken some left over boilies and bits of bait down to the three of them on Thursday evening and on Friday morning we received the below photos from Martin who had caught a 37lb common on a spicy fish boilie and a 27lb 6 oz mirror on a maple syrup boilie. And whilst that brought him level with Ronnie for the number of fish caught in the week, unfortunately it was not quite enough to win him the trophy so Ronnie wins for the second year running.
Final tally for a very enjoyable week (with extreme temperatures) was 0 babies, 0 at 10lb+, 3 at 20lb+. 6 at 30lb+ and 2 at 40lb+ and with Ronnie and Jamie getting new PBs. Thank you very much for beer, wine and Maisie’s new balls and we look forward to seeing you again. Until then, à bientôt…
27 August, 2024
Sam, his uncle Bob and their respective better halves, Katy and Rachel, joined us on Lac Lucie this week, along with Badger and Bonnie, their lovable Frenchies. Sam and Katy had left North Yorkshire earlier in the week and travelled down through France stopping to camp and fish on their route. With a Land Cruiser, ex-military trailer and Tent Box they were definitely well equiplled and nice and chilled out by the time they reached us. Bob and Rachel took the quicker route, flying from Leeds/Bradford on the Friday and stopping in a nice boutique hotel near the airport before we collected them Saturday morning.
By Saturday evening they both had their gear all out and were set up and ready to fish. Katy and the dogs slept down by the lake as well, ready for action and hopefully some photos to be taken. Sam was on the main bank with his 3 rods and Bob up on the side swim with his. They had chosen our bait package each but shared the two flavours between them and had some hard hookers ready for the nuisance crays.
On Sunday morning when we saw them they had both struck lucky, Bob with a 33lb 3oz mirror in the night, a new PB and then Sam with a 32lb 12oz mirror at 9.30am, also a new PB so they were both feeling very happy. The crays had not really been a problem and they were sure they were going to have a great week.
The next day Bob smashed his PB again with a 37lb 8oz mirror and then for a third time with a 43lb 6oz common. During the early hours. Unfortunately he decided not to wake the others for a photo and only managed to get one of the fish in the cradle.
Sam was starting to feel that he was lagging behind, having only had one fish out so decided to think a bit outside of the box and got his 9ft stalking rod out with a 12lb line and found a little grub to put on his hook. Within half an hour he had caught a 27lb common on it and was well pleased. So he started hunting under various logs etc and found another worm with the thought that it couldn’t do any harm. We saw him at around 3pm when he had just landed our token baby, ‘Matty’. We weighed him and he was just over 2lb.
Sam and Bob swapped swims halfway through the week with Bob focusing more on the left hand bank and Sam casting out to the middle and around the aerator. Sam continued his roll and caught another new PB, a 38lb mirror on Tuesday morning and then did some more stalking on Wednesday afternoon with a prawn that Katy had picked up for him and got a 15lb common.
Bob was quite happy sat in the shade with Rachel beside him on the bivvie bed reading her book and was pleased that he had already smashed his PB three times. But Thursday was his day again with a lovely common weighing 16lb.
As the weather had really started to heat up on Thursday with highs of 30 degrees we thought that that might be it for the week but Sam had the final say with no less than 3 fish out on Friday, a 44lb common at 10am, another new PB, a 22lb common at 4pm and a recapture of his 38lb mirror at 7.30pm in the evening.
And with 12 carp out between them over what became a very hot week, the two anglers went home happy. The ladies had had a good week, chilling in the sun and shade, doing plenty of reading and looking after Badger and Bonnie, who were a delight to have around.
The final tally for the week was 1 baby, 2 at 10lb+, 2 at 20lb+, 5 at 30lb+ and 2 at 40lb+. An impressive week by some great anglers and we hope to welcome them back here again one day. Until then à bientôt…
27 August, 2024
Chris, Kelly and their 3 teenagers, Danni, Charlie and Ashleigh booked on a last minute cancellation with the intention of combining some good fishing by Chris and Charlie with some quality family time.
Whilst they were here we asked if they would like to write their own catch report/summary of their two weeks with us and Danni, aged 15 has willingly obliged.
Catch Report
Sat 20 July – Sat 03 August
After an easy arrival, giggly supermarket expedition and setting up by the lake, we settled into the late evening. Come Sunday morning we had delightful games and went swimming in the rain – which Charlie and Ashleigh were simply exhilarated with. As the weather steadily improved, Dad and Charlie set up their rods and we set out for a late lunch with Jo and Nigel at the Irish bar called Mamies. We had steaks, burgers, homemade chips, salad, and my favourite, peppercorn sauce. After coming back to the lodge for more swimming, sunbathing, and then more rain. The lads then begun their fishing. It was at 10:21 pm as Ashleigh and I swam in the pool that Dad caught his first 25lb 3oz carp.
It was on Monday that after a relaxing day swimming in the pool, Mum and Dad sharing some beer and wine with Jo and Nigel, ending the day with a bbq for dinner; Dad gained a new PB for a catfish at 52lb 1oz at 9:55 pm. This was accompanied by: a 23lb 8oz carp at midnight, 12:20 pm 17lb 3oz carp, 7:35 pm a little baby 4lb 8oz carp called Neil which was moved over to the stock pond then finally at 10:30 pm a 22lb 1oz carp. On Tuesday, we spent the morning swimming and sunbathing, then went to visit Jo and Nigel to see their barn, bait making room, and man cave – a place which Dad and Charlie continuously visited throughout our holiday to play pool and keep cool! Across the day, at 12:32 am and 11:15 pm respectively, the boys caught a 32lb 2oz carp and 29lb 1oz carp.
On Wednesday, Mum and Charlie went to a little French market and came back with little treats such as peaches and little pots of different variations of honey. The little French market was an absolute delight with such a variety of items for sale including livestock chickens to mattresses to little bags and keepsakes! While Mum and I went shopping and Charlie and Ashleigh relaxed at the lodge, Dad went to help make bait with Nigel. An experience he thoroughly enjoyed! That Morning the boys caught a 40lb 14oz carp (Dads new PB!) at 12:25 am, and a 24lb 9oz carp at 6:50 am. This was followed by a 16lb 1oz carp at 5:30 am Thursday morning.
Over the next week we experienced a vast increase in temperature and subsequently spent our days together as a family trying to cope in the heat with days spent swimming, sunbathing, a variety of games and eating our weight in ice lollies. It wasn’t until Monday morning when the temperature was a little more bearable, that Ashleigh, Mum and I went to visit the Alpaca farm (Dreamworks Alpacas) We had a grand time after being greeted at the door by chickens – who then escorted us through each part of the little tour! We saw lambs, fed and pet the numerous, attention-worthy alpacas, and even fed and walked the donkeys across the grounds. At the end of our visit, we even took home a small alpaca teddy bear from their little gift section – complete with their own neck bows!
The boys restarted fishing on Tuesday evening and caught a 42lb 12oz carp at 10:15 pm – smashing Dads new PB – and a 37lb catfish at 10:55 pm. This was followed by a 35lb 5oz carp at 12:45 am on Wednesday morning. On Thursday we went back to Mamies Bar for yet another amazing meal with Jo and Nigel. After a few beers Dad chose to sleep in the lodge and not attempt fishing under the influence! On our last night after another great day in the pool and playing board games Charlie finally had the courage to catch a fish for himself! He managed to land a 10lb catfish! A PB for him as he has never caught a catfish before! What a way to end our amazing family holiday! ❤
Just to add not to forget the most amazing Maisie the dog! We had already prepared to meet her by going to the pet shop before leaving home and getting her lots of tennis balls and rope toys! She really is the most amazing loving dog that just wants to love everyone and play ball! She really was a huge highlight of our holiday! ❤
Thank you, Danni for a great summary of your fortnight with us. We have enjoyed your company and are pleased that you have all had such a great time
Final tally for the two weeks (with a few days not fishing and lots of time in the pool and chalet due to the extreme heat) was 1 baby, 2 at 10lb+, 2 at 10lb+, 5 at 20lb+, 2 at 30lb+ and 1 at 40lb+, along with 2 catfish up to 52lb 1oz. A great fortnight and we hope to see you all again someday. Until then à bientôt…
27 August, 2024
Tom, Curtis and their partners, Tia and Sophie joined us from Somerset this week for their first carp fishing trip to France. They flew from Bristol to La Rochelle, hired a car and drove the couple of hours to us, arriving at about 7.30pm.
Keen to get started the lads quickly got their bivvies and tackle set up on the main house swim and piled in a good bed of our pellets, parti-blend and crushed boilies and by the time the ladies had unpacked and got their tea ready they had their rods in the water. They had a mix of maple syrup and spicy fish boilies and were using PVA bags and some hard hookers of both flavours too.
And their baiting up seemed to work as that first night Tom had landed a 81lb 8oz catfish at about midnight and Curtis had caught a 33lb mirror around 1am and they were happy that they had got off the mark so quickly and with new PBs so went off to the chalet to sleep the night.
The weather was quite cool at the beginning of the week for them and the girls enjoyed sitting by the lake and reading and keeping the lads company. Sunday was a quiet day on the lake but they had just come back from the supermarket on Monday morning when we popped round to see them, just in time to see Curtis landing his first ever catfish at 47lb 8oz and get a photo of all the group together with it…even if the girls were not so keen!
On Monday evening the couple from the Lac Lucie went round to see them for a few beers and found out that they had people in common that they knew. Whilst they were there Curtis had another catfish weighing 71lb and Tom had a 42lb 6oz common, more new PBs.
By Tuesday the temperatures had started to rise and the lads thought they would let the lake rest for the day and went out with the girls to La Vallée des Singes, which is about an hour from us. We have not yet visited this but they were so impressed with the amount of space the monkeys have and the fact that you can walk in with some of them that we are going to take the grandchildren there in a couple of weeks time when they visit (and probably our children too!).
The other place they visited this week was the village of Oradour-sur-Glane, a village near Limoges which was completely destroyed during the Second World War. We have been here a few times and it really is a very moving experience as nearly all of the inhabitants were killed and the village left as it was on that day. It gives you an understanding of how difficult it must have been to live in occupied France at that time.
By the end of the week the temperatures reached 30 degrees and the ladies spent much of their time by the pool on the sun loungers. The lads changed to fishing more through the night as there were fewer signs during the day but all enjoyed the peace and tranquility of the lake and its surroundings.
They both went onto have 3 more carp and several more cats but not as big as they had caught in the cooler temperatures at the start of the week.
The final catch report for the week was 0 babies, 0 at 10lb+, 1 at 20lb+, 3 at 30lb+ and 1 at 40lb+ with 8 or 9 catfish up to 81lb 8oz. Not bad for a first trip to France.
Unfortunately their trip home was affected by airline issues but they appeared to have had a great week with us and we hope they got home safely and that we will see them again some day. Until then à bientôt….
27 August, 2024
James and his wife, Jasmine joined us on Lac Lucie this week for their first wedding anniversary. Leaving their son and dogs in their families capable hands, they drove from Somerset, via Calais and down through France to enjoy a quiet week on our smaller lake.
James is an experienced angler who likes to travel light, bringing with him his 2 rods, a fishing chair and a few bits of bait. With them not arriving until early evening they decided to have a quiet night in, ready to get set up on the Sunday morning.
James was keen to use the tactics he used back home and just threw a few boilies in and then his rods but after a short time with his rods in the water he realised that the crayfish were nibbling away at his boilies so he took Nigel’s advice and switched to some plastic boilies and shrink wrapped some of his own and some that Nigel gave him. And they sat and enjoyed the peace and quiet.
Choosing to just fish from early morning until just after dusk, they spent all the time down by the lake, starting on the main bank and moving down to the far end later in the week. They loved following the sunny spots and thoroughly enjoyed watching the sunrise each morning. What a great photo this is.
Monday morning they popped out to the supermarket and found a delivery van that had literally just gone off of the road a few seconds before them. They stopped to help but really needed a rope and a tow so Nigel went off to lend a hand and Jo to assist with the French. It turned out to be quite a simple job and no one was hurt and this is what happens in France – everyone helps each other out if and when they can.
On Monday everything was very quiet and we could sense James’ frustration. But we often find that tactics that work back in the UK do not work on the commercial fisheries here and Nigel suggested that James put a bit more bait in for the fish to go to and so that the crays did not just go straight for the boilie, shrink wrapped or not.
By Tuesday the only fish that James had caught was little ‘Matty’, the only named carp in the lake which was put in after we refilled the lake in March. Then he weighed only 3lb,and although James did not weigh him, we suspect he has put on at least a pound and a bit since then.
As the couple had discovered they came from the same part of the UK as our group on Kingfisher they had spent the evening with them and discussed James fishing on Kingfisher during the day on Tuesday as they were going out. This was an easy move with very little gear but unfortunately he did not catch anything on there either that day.
Nigel had decided that if James had not caught anything by Wednesday morning he would go and spend some time with him. We do not want people coming here and blanking and will do whatever we can to help people. Laden with some pellets, parti-blend and a few boilies Nigel went down and did a bit of baiting up. He especially wanted James to catch that day as we knew that he would then be in a good mood for his anniversary meal that evening which we were preparing for them. Imagine how pleased we were when we went to see them at 4pm and got this sight at the top of the steps. A lovely 32lb mirror. And James and Jasmine were thrilled too!
In the evening we served their meal on the picnic bench and decorated it with bunting from our own wedding as well as the customary flowers and a bottle of fizz. Who wouldn’t want a romantic meal sat here?
On Thursday the weather got hotter, up to 30 degrees in the shade and they decided to move up to the far end of the lake which is in the sun all day. At about 9pm we got a message as he had landed a common and he wasn’t sure that his scales were recording properly as he felt that it was bigger than the 37lb his were reading. But Nigel took some of our scales down and they were right. He said that he had put a double pellet bait on his rig and within 10 minutes he had it.
We all thought that might be it but on Friday evening, just as they were thinking of packing up ready for the drive home the next day, James managed to land another 37lb common.
So the week ended much better than it had started and the summary is 1 baby, 0 at 10lb+, 0 at 20lb+ and 3 at 30lb+
We hope that James and Jasmine enjoyed their week with us and had a safe journey home. We are sure that their little boy and the dogs were pleased to see them and we would welcome them to come back any time they choose. Until then à bientôt….
27 August, 2024
Alan and his son, John, joined us for 2 weeks on Lac Lucie for their first carp fishing trip to France. They were accompanied by Jo, Alan’s daughter and Kim, his partner. The ladies came for the peace and quiet, to do a bit of shopping and to cook for the anglers.
They arrived at about 4pm, after a long trip from Somerset, using the Newhaven to Dieppe crossing and then driving the 6 hours from the port. It was raining heavily on the Saturday so they joined us for an evening meal, watched the Euros and then got themselves off to bed, ready for an early start on the Sunday.
By Sunday afternoon they had set their bivvies up and got some rods out. John started on the main bank with Alan up on the far swim near the ‘dead/live’ tree. Over tea we discussed the crayfish and how best to tackle them nibbling at the boilies and Nigel showed Jo how to put the shrink wrap on the boilies. John had been told by a tackle shop not to bother with this and you could do just as well wrapping the boilies in some old tights…..we were interested to see if this worked.
On Monday we were surprised to learn that John had caught a 10oz common. Bearing in mind that Lac Lucie had been completely drained and left empty for 6 weeks over the winter whilst the compliance works were being done we had no idea how it had got in the lake. Had it lived in the stream all winter? Had a bird dropped it? But it was quickly put into our stock pond, to be allowed to grow on in peace without too much competition for food.
On Monday afternoon when we went to the lake to see them we were thrilled to hear that Alan had had two fish from the far end. Two commons weighing 29lb and 44lb, which he struggled to hold. Not a bad start and PBs smashed already. John then hoped that the fish would start to move down the lake nearer his bait after that so he could have a proper fish out. The verdict on the old tights was negative, the crays had managed to destroy them so John switched to a plastic bait instead.
The fish did move down to John’s part of the lake on Tuesday and after a quiet morning starting at 6am he finally had two carp out in the afternoon. A lovely 31lb common followed by another common weighing 14lb.
The ladies were enjoying the peace and quiet and the hot tub on the decking and although they had been out to the shops a few times they decided that Wednesday would be a day off of fishing and they would go to the market at Piegut Pluviers. This town has an infamous market every Wednesday and you can buy all sorts there, from chickens to mattresses as well as seasonal fruit and vegetables and gifts and food. John bought Alan a lovely box of red wine and then they went to the château at La Rochefoucauld and enjoyed the marble staircase and the 14th century keep.
John had another common on Thursday weighing 34lb but the next two days were pretty quiet despite being down by the lake early in the morning. Friday night saw some bad storms and parts of France were hit by 50mm of rain in a very short period but we did not see too much rain. We notice that storms seem to change the nature of the lake, with more fresh water running through them and fish moving about more as the temperatures drop slightly. Saturday was their last day in their current swims as they had decided to have a change round and Alan caught his last fish from the far end. A lovely 32lb 8oz mirror which he was very happy with.
On Sunday they went out for the day again, to our départment town, Angoulême for a mooch around the cathedral and ramparts and then to the big lake there. When they got back they swapped their gear over and decided they were going to fish all night, especially as Nigel was fishing on the Kingfisher dam wall so would be able to listen out for them. Alan got lucky again with a 38lb 12oz mirror at 10.30pm and then another 44lb common during the night.
On Monday John said that even though he hadn’t caught anything during the night he wished he had fished a few nights the first week as he slept well and there was definitely more activity on the lake. We notice that if it is very hot during the day then the fish tend to be more active after dark, or around dusk and dawn. And Monday was very hot but Alan did manage to catch a 27lb mirror.
John finally had a 21lb 4oz mirror at 2am on Tuesday morning and stopped worrying that the fish preferred his dad to him.
Alan had his final fish on Tuesday morning, a 41lb mirror and John also caught on Tuesday, a 26lb common.
The rest of the week was very quiet and despite fishing half days for the rest of the week there were no further fish on the bank. But the four of them really enjoyed the week, described the fishing hard but rewarding and were pleased it wasn’t too easy for them. They praised the fish for being in such a great condition and really enjoyed the comfort of the chalet at night time and being able to watch the Euros.
Final score for the two weeks was 1 baby, 1 at 10lb+, 4 at 20lb+, 4 at 30lb+ and 3 at 40lb+. Not a bad result for fishing most days, some half days, one full day and two nights. We hope that they had a safe journey home and will see them again one day…until then à bientôt.
The rest of the week was very quiet and despite fishing half days for the rest of the week there were no further fish on the bank. But the four of them really enjoyed the week, described the fishing hard but rewarding and were pleased it wasn’t too easy for them. They praised the fish for being in such a great condition and really enjoyed the comfort of the chalet at night time and being able to watch the Euros.
Final score for the two weeks was 1 baby, 1 at 10lb+, 4 at 20lb+, 4 at 30lb+ and 3 at 40lb+. Not a bad result for fishing most days, some half days, one full day and two nights. We hope that they had a safe journey home and will see them again one day…until then à bientôt.
26 August, 2024
Another great week fishing with over 40 fish out and it could of been even better for Ron as he lost a lot a lot of fish the first 36 hours before upping his hook size from a size 8.
All 4 anglers beat there previous personal bests during the week on there 3rd trip to foxpool. Sue in peg 2 was first out of the blocks with a 38lb mirror Ron had a 34lb fish then bagged another 6 thirties to 36.8lb before bagging two tone at 53lb and a dream come true. Young Ronnie in peg 4 started well and banked a brace of 37lb fish along with 3 more thirties and finished with 14 fish in total plus a few small ones that went into to stockpond to grow on. Debbie started in peg 3 and bagged a
30lb pb then landed the shamrock at 41lb before swapping to peg 2 with her mum where she bagged a few more commons and catfish. Sue backed her 38lb opening fish up with 5 more thirties 36.8lb 36lb( double take on Ronnie’s rod)and 2 at 34lb and 31lb common plus a few small catfish and she had 4 off the top from the stockpond. Over a dozen fish lost this week due to wrong hook choice and striking into fish like it was a 1000lb marlin but after heeding my advice things improved. A great week for a smashing family they’re back next year to do it all again.
26 August, 2024
only one angler on doing a short week , and finished with 3 x 30’s and 2 x 40’s great angling
26 August, 2024
Well just back from lac du cygne and I mush say what a great week we had caught some lovely fish up to 33lb 7oz and had some great days out the owner Steve is very helpful will be back next year for the bigger ones
22 August, 2024
3 new personal best for Dean and friends!!
Carps were not on holidays during there trip!
22 August, 2024
56 carps until 55 lbs during a warm week at Authentic lake!
Just amazing!
22 August, 2024
Not easy this week but managed to get a few out . DGF pellets and H Berry boilies done the job again 😃👌🎣🎣
20 August, 2024
One of the most popular questions we get asked from anglers when booking a carp fishing holiday to France, is whether a food package is available.
There are a number of reasons to opt for a food package such as, more time fishing, the reassurance of having good quality food (not your mate’s dodgy cooking) and of course it makes the trip more relaxing – after all it is a holiday.
We’ve put together some of the best French carp lakes which offer fantastic food packages.
Nestled within the tranquil surroundings of the Indre department in central France, this picturesque 4-acre venue is an angler’s paradise. Fox Pool offers fishing for up to 4 anglers, with carp reaching over 65lbs and catfish exceeding 80lbs. Conveniently located just a one-hour drive from Limoges airport and five hours from Calais, it provides an exclusive “drive and survive” experience, with the option to upgrade to an all-inclusive package. This includes tackle hire, airport transfers, and a food package, ensuring a seamless and enjoyable fishing adventure.
The food is cooked by lake owner Graham and consists of a full English breakfast with teas and coffees and an evening meal and dessert. There is an angler’s club house which has both indoor and outdoor dining set back just a few metres from the lake making it a very sociable set up.
Fox Pool is an exclusive 4 acre lake with a fantastic food package
Click here to find out more about Fox Pool
Archipelago Lake is an 8-acre specimen carp lake, surrounded by mature trees, situated near the Champeaux region in France. Home to over 160 carp, including specimens exceeding 70lbs, the lake boasts an impressive average carp size of 42lbs, with a significant number of 50 and 60lb carp. Accommodating up to 5 anglers, this exclusive, private venue is perfect for those seeking a peaceful retreat. The lake is located three-quarters of a mile from the nearest road, railway, or neighbours, ensuring complete seclusion and tranquillity throughout your stay.
A superb food package is available which includes a cooked breakfast and dinner cooked with freshly sourced local ingredients.
Click here to find out more about Archipelago Lake
Etang de Janine is an 18-acre mature lake located in the Loire region of northern France, around a 5-hour drive from Calais. This lake, which accommodates up to 8 anglers, is home to carp weighing up to 72lbs, with an average size exceeding 33lbs. Anglers can book individually or reserve the lake exclusively. Etang de Janine features 14 swims, all accessible by car, and is stocked with approximately 400 carp, comprising both commons and mirrors.
If you opt for the food package at Etang Janine you certainly will not go hungry with a cooked English breakfast or breakfast baguette delivered to your swim and a generous sized evening meal and dessert.
Click here to find out more about Etang de Janine
Situated in the Midi Pyrenees region of southern France, Cavagnac Lake, also known as “Etang de Bournazel,” is a truly remarkable carp fishing destination. Boasting a stock of over 1,000 carp, with some reaching an enormous 85lbs and a strong presence of 40lb and 50lb fish, this lake is a haven for anglers seeking giant carp.
What sets Cavagnac Lake apart and draws anglers back year after year is the enchanting atmosphere of the lake and its surroundings. Nestled in the heart of the picturesque French countryside, you can witness the sunrise as mist drifts over the lily pads and take in the breathtaking views of the historic Château of Bournazel in the distance—all while eagerly waiting for your alarm to sound.
The food package is truly excellent and if you don’t want to miss any action both breakfast and dinner can be delivered to your swim. Dinners are hearty classics such as lasagne, cottage pie, roast dinner and fish and chips. Once a week there is a BBQ which is a great social event for catching up with fellow anglers.
Click here to find out more about Cavagnac Lake
Lac Baleine is a secluded 23-acre lake nestled in the Champagne region of France, surrounded by 40 acres of private land. The lake is conveniently located just over a 3-hour drive from Calais, with local supermarkets easily accessible by car.
Accommodating up to 12 anglers at a time, Lac Baleine offers ample water coverage for each visitor. The lake is home to approximately 350 carp, including a lake record of 74lbs and over 10 carp exceeding 60lbs. The remaining stock typically ranges between 30lbs and 50lbs. For added security and privacy, the lake is fully fenced with a gated entrance.
The food package includes a cooked breakfast or breakfast baguette which can be delivered to your swim and a cooked evening meal served at the anglers lodge. The anglers lodge also has a built in BBQ and is a great social area to catch up with other anglers, exchange tails and have a break from fishing over a drink.
Click here to find out more about Lac Baleine
Spruce Lake is a well-established 6.5-acre fishing haven nestled in the picturesque French countryside, just east of Limoges in southwest France. The lake is home to approximately 100 carp, some exceeding 50lbs, with most averaging in the mid to high 30lb range and a solid population of carp over 40lbs.
Surrounded by immaculate private gardens, the lake is framed by mature, overhanging trees and shrubs. It offers easy access from all sides, with 10 well-maintained swims thoughtfully placed around the lake. The depth varies from about 13 feet at the dam end to roughly 3.5 feet in the shallower areas. The lake is free of weeds, with only one known snag present.
The lake is owned by Mark and Allison, with Allison having previously worked as a chef, ensuring that meals are prepared to an exceptional standard. You can indulge in their delicious food package, which includes breakfast—delivered right to your swim—and a satisfying dinner.
Click here to find out more about Spruce Lake
Moulin de Boutineau is a stunning retreat located in the heart of the Loire Valley Chateau and Vineyard region. The complex features Moulin Lake, a 2.5-acre gem stocked with 60 exquisite carp weighing up to 45lbs, and it accommodates up to 4 anglers. Just 35 yards from the lake are three charming country courtyard cottages, offering a perfect blend of relaxation and adventure.
While you enjoy your fishing experience, your friends or family can unwind in the fresh country air, sip a cold beer by the heated outdoor pool, stroll through the orchard, soak in the hot tub, or explore the 15 acres of breathtaking French countryside that surround the property. The cottages and lake, remnants of a 17th-century watermill, provide access to enchanting woods, fields, and more. Moulin de Boutineau is an ideal destination for families looking to relax, fish, and explore the serene beauty of the French countryside.
For an even more enjoyable experience at Moulin de Boutineau, consider opting for their two-course catered package, where the menu can be customised to your preferences. In addition there is a special three-course meal, available on your arrival night or any other evening, crafted from fresh, local ingredients. You can savor this delicious meal in the comfort of your cottage, on your private terrace, or in the flower-filled courtyard. Simply choose your preferred time and wine, and the owners will ensure everything is perfectly prepared for you, providing the ideal end to a day spent catching beautiful carp.
Click here to find out more about Moulin de Boutineau
Situated just south of Limoges in southwest France, Hunnyfields Retreat is the perfect destination for a family holiday, offering a wide range of activities and stunning countryside to keep everyone entertained. The private 20-acre estate features an outdoor pool with sun loungers, a forest of pine and chestnut trees ideal for exploring, and a secluded 2-acre private lake stocked with carp up to 57lbs, just a short walk from the accommodation.
Your hosts, Steph and her husband, cultivate fresh fruit and vegetables on-site and care for a variety of animals, including dogs, chickens, and goats. They are incredibly welcoming and, if you have children, are more than happy to arrange a farm tour. Kids can enjoy petting the animals, picking fresh fruit and vegetables.
A gourmet food package is available which can be served to you at your gite, by the lake or in the order door seating area.
Click here to find out more about Hunnyfields Retreat
Etang la Saussaie is an 8-acre lake nestled within 15 acres of serene rural woodland in France’s Champagne Region, just a little over a 3-hour drive from Calais. The lake, known for its exceptional carp fishing, holds carp up to a remarkable 74lbs. Available for exclusive hire, the property includes a chalet that comfortably accommodates up to 4 adults and features a 4-person hot tub. This lake has a rich history of producing massive carp, including the world record common carp, which once weighed over 100lbs before it passed away in 2013.
Whilst the chalet has a well equipped kitchen, if you don’t fancy cooking why not opt for the food package and have breakfast and dinner served to you by the very welcoming lake owners.
20 August, 2024
27.6 Mirror, 35.6 Mirror, 32 Grassie, 35.6 Grassie, 42.6 Mirror, 51 Mirror, 42 Grassie, 44.2 Mirror, 41.12 Mirror, 34 Mirror, 23.12 Mirror, 36 Mirror, 24 Mirror, 25.2 Mirror, 21 Mirror, 38.6 Common
19 August, 2024
Open again after a 4 week shutdown ..it was insanely hot the first part ofvthe week at 37° but dropped to mid twentys the 2nd part. 36 fisjbout in total a couple of which were small carp that have started coming through now the catfish are being removed.
Ethan in peg 1 has the lion share of the fish with a lot of fish holding up in the shallows. He banked over twenty fish but was unlucky not to have any of the bigger fish with a 47lb grass carp his biggest with 6 more over thirty.
Adam.in peg 2 stepped in after someone dropped out and was off to a flyer in peg 2 with a 45lb mirror on his first carp fishing session. He also banked another 3 thirties and a 28lb grass carp. Poor George in.peg 3 another newcomer to carp fishing had a new pb thity then lost two good fish at the net before taking the the biggest of the week at 39lb. Roy in peg 4 had a brace of 38lb mirrors and 2 commons and another mirror but also lost a couple of big fish during his week. Its the first week thus year non of the forties have been out possibly the upper thitys that did come out have dropped weight after spawning.the small carp are being removed to the stockpond and the catfish are being removed as there caught.
19 August, 2024
Tench x2, 30, Mirror, 30, Mirror, 27 Common, 39.12 mirror, 35.8 Common, 31.8 Mirror, 24 mirror, 39.2 mirror, 23.2 Mirror, 44 Common, 28 Mirror, 33.2 Mirror, 39 Common, 27.8 Mirror, 42.3 Mirror, 39.6 Common, 46.9 Mirror, 29.01 Mirror, 42.5 Mirror, 44.2 Mirror, 31.7 Grassie
19 August, 2024
Mark and his wife and Kourtney and her partner this week and not a bad a week ,lots of new pb’s and plenty of fish caught on the house boilies over house particle and pellet producing great results and the girls loving the cottage and all it offers especially the hot tub and Netflix but also joining in the fishing at times and also getting new pb’s.
19 August, 2024
Joe field from Carp Fishing Draws Giveaways on Facebook this week with his young family with the objective to get a decent carp in daylight to get a family photo fir his desk at work. Fishing just 10 hours for the week and baiting up until Tuesday with no fishing till Wednesday he got his wish. Having some great days out in the local area and enjoying the pool and hot in with his young family a great time washed by all and mission accomplished for Joe.
19 August, 2024
Simon and Dave on this week ,with the wives just looking to chill in our luxury cottage , and the lads looking to get new pb’s of carp and Sturgeon. Not the easiest of weeks but the lads kept at it and eventually both targets were achieved with our quality house boilie fished snowman style over house pellet and particle doing the business along with hiring a bait boat from us to get at the fish holed up in difficult areas under trees.
19 August, 2024
Simon and Dave on this week ,with the wives just looking to chill in our luxury cottage , and the lads looking to get new pb’s of carp and Sturgeon. Not the easiest of weeks but the lads kept at it and eventually both targets were achieved with our quality house boilie fished snowman style over house pellet and particle doing the business along with hiring a bait boat from us to get at the fish holed up in difficult areas under trees.
19 August, 2024
Richard and his son Morgan fishing this week with the rest of his family enjoying the cottage, pool , hot tub , pool table , Netflix ,bbq’s and more in the warm very weather and new pbs for everyone including part time and new to carp angling grandad.
19 August, 2024
Damian , Karen and their young family this week with Damian just fishing mornings and evenings till dusk he had some good fish to net and had some great days out at local attractions as well as enjoying all the cottage has to offer in the warm weather and the kids especially spending time on the X Box and in the pool and hot tub.
19 August, 2024
Tony d ,Kate and Annabelle this week along with Snoop the dog. Absolutely loved the cottage and pool and hot tub and told us the photos do not do it justice. Tony listened to advice from me and stuck to the hot spots after hiring a boat biat to fish in the spots I der the margins where a lot of our fish hang out in warm weather and Tony caught constantly through the week , no nights fished , and plenty of days out at local attractions and both informed Jane and myself that the cottage and fishing had exceeded al their expectations and more. My own son Charlie joined Tony d fishing this week and with Tony’s expert knowledge and guidance helped himself to new Sturgeon and carp pb’s and also Charlie to new carp and Sturgeon pb’s so big thanks to Tony for taking the time with Charlie and all fish coming on house boilie ,over house pellet and particle.
19 August, 2024
My own son Charlie on this week and a big thanks to Tony d our guest through Dream Carp for letting Charlie fish with him and taking the time to talk all things carp fishing with our son Charlie. Tony d going home with one of our new winter beanie hats. 👍
19 August, 2024
27.6 Mirror, 35.6 Mirror, 32 Grassie, 35.6 Grassie, 42.6 Mirror, 51 Mirror, 42 Grassie, 44.2 Mirror, 41.12 Mirror, 34 Mirror, 23.12 Mirror, 36 Mirror, 24 Mirror, 25.2 Mirror, 21 Mirror, 38.6 Common
19 August, 2024
4 anglers on this week 2 only doing 4 nights tough in the heat but managed 9 x 30’s and 5 x 40’s
15 August, 2024
First Family Holiday for the Adams Clan, The girls loved the House & Hot Tub. Very clean and very enjoyable for us. The fishing was tough going due to various weather fronts coming through. 100% would recommend to any family thinking of going. 100% will be returning.
The bailiff and owner very helpful and welcoming
15 August, 2024
Tom & Friends with fish to 43lb🎣🎣
15 August, 2024
P.B for Lee from last week 38.14
well done mate 🎣🎣
This week Jordan & family are on 19 fishes with 24 hrs left to go! 🎣🎣
14 August, 2024
60.-8 lbs caught on HBerry boilies over a bed of DGF particles
12 August, 2024
Great moments for friends with an average more 36lbs and personal best until 44 lbs.
Hard week cause lot of weather changing but finally 30 carps in total!
12 August, 2024
Well what can I say about our first full family holiday to Hideaway Lake in France. 18 Fish landed over 7 days with Bailey breaking his PB with the 1st , 2nd and 3rd fish. Also broke my PB with the same fish 🤣 Even Jenson, Brie and Taz got in on the action. No amount of words can express the time we spent at the lake. Steve, Elaine, Jake, Harry and not forgetting Dillon. You home is an amazing place and we can not thank you all enough for the hospitality you have provided. You all welcomed us with open arms and made us feel like we was a part of your family. The food everyday was 100% spot on. Nothing better than fresh home cooked food everyday. Both Jake and Harry are an absolute credit to you both and really do know there stuff when it comes to fishing. The fish are all in a pristine condition and cared for to the highest standard. We honestly cannot thankyou enough and we are all very greatful for everything. Already getting excited about next year’s visit. If any of my friends are looking for a lake that is very family oriented then look no further.
10 August, 2024
Great week for a family meeting around Authentic lake with carps until 58 lbs!
And grass carp more than 44lbs…
09 August, 2024
Very very hot this week but the guys managed to get a few fish out shame they lost more than they caught
09 August, 2024
Few pictures from our guests of Carp landed during June and July.
08 August, 2024
Hi the lake has been shut for the mid season break and e open again on Saturday after a 4 week shutdown. The lake fished well after we got spawning out of the way finally. The week prior to spawning we had our first foreign guests on and Bryan from Belgium bagged 15 fish upto 41lb and it was his first time carp fishing so beat his pb sevrral times. Paul in peg 1 only fished days but banked 13 fish upto 39lb including a lake record grass carp at 36lb and Steven in two didn’t do so well with 5 fish. Prior to that we had 3 lads from Peterborough on and all 3 broke there pbs with Chris bagging two tone at 57lb and a brace of forties landing 16bfishnin total from peg 4 and then swapping with Tony. Robbie in peg 2cstarted with the leather at 35lb and the had a 44lb mirror Asell as a avfew thirties to 39lb Tony had plenty of fish but never managed a forty but had plenty of big thirtys . Prior to that we had 4 Liverpool lads on one of which Ian had never fished before but under richies guidance he started with a few twentys and then pulled a new fifty pound mirror out at 53lb unbelievable the other lads got amongst them but there was to many fish lost but 3 of the 4 had new pbs to take home and vowed to return one day. Unfortunately the week before the fished started spawning on the Sunday to Wednesday and never really got on the bait . Andy managed a 44lb mirror on the first night but was a really slow week and 1 of the lads blanked in peg 4 unfortunately.
07 August, 2024
Here’s a few crackers from Lake Ruby France.
05 August, 2024
John, Matt and Nathan had a cracking week here with 32 carp between them, including mirrors, commons and ghosties.
There were 7 carp to 37lb, 21 carp to 29lb and 12 carp up to 20lb. The 40s and 50s unfortunately eluded them.
They were all fishing from along the same bank and had fish out during the day, evening and night. They fed their swims well and benefitted from this.
They also had some decent pike to 12lb8oz.
05 August, 2024
Weekly VIP vacation, 26 carps from 30lb to 60lb
04 August, 2024
one for the ladies very nice grass carp just a little bit heavy to hold
02 August, 2024
A session ending pretty well for post 1 with a total of about 50 fish and a top at 49lbs 😁💪
02 August, 2024
After spending a few nights at post 5, our customers are posting 15 departures for 11 bagged fish.
Pretty good 😁
02 August, 2024
Sebastian was lucky enough to touch two koi during his week at post 1 a 35lbs mirror as well as some smaller carp. Post 3 gave 5 carp with three over 44lbs.
02 August, 2024
48 hours at post 4 and a total of 13 fish going up to 45lbs.
Fish coming out of the sprawl and waiting for only one thing: to fill their bellies 😁
02 August, 2024
We had a great time staying at Hunnyfields lake. The location is very picturesque, the lake is peaceful. The fishing was very enjoyable and relaxing and caught some lovely carp . I saw kingfisher and deer most evenings. We also really enjoyed a day trip to Brantôme. Stephania’s evening meals were fantastic. Thanks very much for having us, it’s was a great few days of our trip.
01 August, 2024
Just what we needed to cool down in this heat 😅38 degrees
01 August, 2024
Very hard work weather is 38 degrees but managed to get a couple of good fish for the moment let’s hope the weather cools down
31 July, 2024
Absolute pleasure having returning anglers Kev and Lou here last week for the 3rd time to see who was going to lift ‘The Trophy’ With 15 fish between them and 2 lost the winner this time was Kev making it 2-1 in favour of Lou.
Conditions were a little up and down again and unsure if the fish were going to show as spawning was just finishing but Fish caught were: 3 x 50’s, 2 x 40’s, 3 x 30’s, 2 x 20’s and the remainder in the upper teens.
PB’s for both anglers, Lou with a common (‘Reg’) at 52lb 2ozs and Kev with a Grassy at 58lb 7ozs ..We look forward to seeing them here again for Part 4 🙂
31 July, 2024
We had Lianne, Ruud and Ed visiting us again from Holland and although the weather was all over the place, from storms before they arrived to +30’s during their week they had a great social and were successful in landing 3x 40`s 3 x 30’s and a couple of 20’s and lost a few.
Great company, great people and Dawn and I look forward to seeing you all again.
31 July, 2024
Lac de Lumiere continues to surprise us. Congratulations on a `joint effort` by Casey and Mie for catching a new lake record of the big grassy coming in at 61lb on the nose and the 1st 60lb since our tenure
Along with another grassy at 51lb a mirror at 35lb 2oz and a common at 28lb they went home happy.
30 July, 2024
A hard 48hours due to the heat but still managed 3 out 🎣🐳
30 July, 2024
Nice wake up call for a quick overnight
30 July, 2024
Two anglers finished their 48 hrs on 5 fish , all unknown fish apart from the common caught 9 months ago 3lb lighter
The new feed program is doing the business 💪🏼
Still the 49lb lake record stands but who knows what’s lurking ready to be caught !
30 July, 2024
Anglers turning up tomorrow so thought I get the rods out today
3 out a 44 mirror 39 common and 33 mirror
Lake pellet and mainline cell doing the business
30 July, 2024
no anglers on this week so Steve Woodley had 24hrs producing 9 fish eight 40’s and one 30 !! good angling 🎣🐳🐳🐳
29 July, 2024
On arrival at Janine we was welcomed by David who showed us around, gave us some maize and boilies with our unhooking mats. We scouted the lake and decided to fish on the same bank so we could have a social and exploit most of the water, it was hard in the start as the weed seemed to be everywhere, but once we got into our fishing we realised the weed was in beds and clear spots were easily found. Once we realised how the fishing was, the runs started coming, my bait boat died early on and I thought my week was toast! Dave let me use his and it saved the week. Food was to die for, sadly we lost a few fish, some just unstoppable, maybe a big cat or a furious carp?? We ended up with 30 fish between four with a mid 50 mirror to my Dad, this was the biggest, sport was great, lake is beautiful, will certainly be going back!!
29 July, 2024
New customers has a great week smashing their PB’s with fish to 46lbs. Dynamite’s Monster Tigernut boilies fished over house pellets working well as usual.
26 July, 2024
For anglers looking for carp lakes in France near Calais, you are really spoiled for choice. Here are some of our favourite carp lakes in under 4 hours drive from Calais:
Lac Baleine – 218 miles from Calais
Lac Baleine is one of the very best commercial carp lakes in France and it just keeps on getting better. Not only does it contain a lot of very big carp including over 10 carp bigger than 60lbs, they are absolutely scale perfect stunners! Combine that with a 23 acre lake for 12 anglers where you can park you vehicle behind the swim, first class facilities, showers, kitchen and social area, as well as a very tasty food package it is clear to see why this is such a popular venue.
It is just over 200 miles from Calais in the Champagne region which can be reach in under 4 hours.
Three Islands Lake – 123 miles from Calais
Three Islands lake is only a mere 2 hours drive from Calais and is well worth the trip. It is 11 acres in size with around 300 carp to over 60lbs and an average size of just under 30lbs. As the name suggests it has 3 islands all of which can be fished to. The banks are lined with matures trees and shrubs and 6 swims have been carefully cut out. Each swim location as been carefully thought out to ensure each swim it plenty of water to fish to. Three of the swims are double swims, one of which has a pine lodge set just behind it which can be fished from and is ideal for a dad and son.
Cheshire lake – 234 miles from Calais
Cheshire lake is located east of Paris and can be reached in around 3 hours from Calais ferry port. The lake is 7 acres in size and can be hired out on an exclusive basis for up to 5 anglers.
Cheshire lake is a big fish water with around 120 carp to 65lbs and as of 2020 an average size of over 35lbs. The lake has only been open for holiday bookings since 2021 and before that has seen very little angling pressure. 5 swims have been cut into the tree lined bank giving each angler ample water to fish to.
Lake Beauregard – 219 miles from Calais
Lake Beauregard is another excellent carp lake also located in the Champagne region. This is, yet another big fish lake surrounded by stunning countryside. The lake is about three and a half hours away from Calais.
The lake is 10-acres in size and has loads of features. Firstly there are a few small islands to aim for, but don’t neglect the deep margins either which are excellent for stalking. There are 13 swims with depths ranging from 3-8ft. In terms of the fish stock, the lake holds commons and mirrors to over 60lb and a decent head of 30s and 40s as well as some 50s.
This is a drive and survive venue with everything you need during your stay. A fully-equipped kitchen, shower, bait freezer and loads more. Plus there is a barbecue area overlooking the stunning lake and a food-package for anglers looking to focus on their fishing.
Etang la Planchette – 261 miles from Calais
Etang la Planchette is an 8 acre tree lined lake home to at least 7 carp over 60lbs. It is located in north east France, which is around 4 hours drive from Calais.
As well as a number of fish of the 60lb barrier, there’s at least 25 carp over 50lbs and around 60 over 40lbs, so there’s every chance you’ll break your PB! The lake is available for exclusive hire for up to 6 anglers.
Etang la Planchette is set in over 20 acres of private countryside where you’ll be surrounded by an abundance of beautiful wild life. Watch, hawks and eagles circle overhead and deers with their young in the meadows as you wait for your buzzer to scream off!
Authentic Lake – 234 miles from Calais
Authentic Lake is located south east of Paris and can be reached in around 3 and a half hours from Calais. Situated in the valley of the river Yonne, it is home to some serious big carp to over 65lbs.
The lake is 17 acres and can be hired exclusively or on a per angler basis. There are around 450 carp in Authentic Lake with at least over 40 fish over 40lbs, 15 of which are over 50lbs. Multiple catches in a day are not uncommon for those who get their tactics right.
The lake is set in acres of stunning countryside and surrounded by mature overhanging trees. There’s loads of features including hidden bays and peninsulas making it a carp anglers paradise.
The Farm Lake – 247 miles from Calais
The Farm Lake, located in the Aube region, is about a four-hour drive from the ferry. So, a little bit further than the constraints that this article allowed, but well worth a visit nonetheless. This great drive and survive carp lake has carp to over 70lbs. The brilliant father and son team who own this lake have increased the stock levels by adding 300 carp in the last few years bring the total stock to 750.
The Farm Lake is 52 acres and can accommodate up to 16 anglers per session. This beautiful lake is only surpassed in its beauty by the stunning French countryside that surrounds it in the 70-acre plot. From 1997 to 2010, this lake was used as a quarry. During this phase of the lake’s life, there were large areas of clay found; these were left and now provide features that the carp love to explore.
There are loads of stunning French monsters in this lake that are between 20 and 40lbs. However, the current record is over 70lbs. Can you break The Farm Lake record and nab yourself a PB during your visit?
Etang Damvillers – 261 miles from Calais
Etang Damvillers is a 15 acre lake packed full of features and at 261 miles from Calais is only a 4 hour drive from when you exit the port. The lake can be fished by up to 6 angler ensuring plenty of water for each angler. Opening for the first time in 2024 it is estimated there are between 250 to 350 carp, the largest of which top 60lbs and with an impressive average size of around 36lbs.
The lake is very well maintained with graveled swims which are plenty big enough for even the largest bivvy. There are well maintained shower facilities as well as kitchen for preparing food. However, if you don’t fancy cooking the food package is well worth it!
Domaine de la Baronne – 180 miles from Calais
Domaine de la Baronne is a mature 17 acre lake which is home to over 500 carp with a lake record of 64lbs. There is good average size of over 30lbs with at least 40 carp over the 40lbs barrier. There is a large island on the lake which can be fished from and has a small chalet with 2 single beds and basic cooking facilities.
There are 4 double swims and the lake can be fished by a maximum of 8 anglers. Booking can be per swim or lake exclusive.
Hill House Lake – 217 miles from Calais
Hill House Lake offers luxury accommodation with top quality carp fishing literally on the door step. At just over 200 miles from Calais it is under 4 hours drive from the port. The accommodation has just been refurbished with the venue opening in 2023. There are 3 rooms with twin beds which can accommodate up to 6 adults. There is also a state of the art hot tub making it a fantastic venue to bring non angling guests for a family fishing holiday or for anglers who enjoy a spot of pampering!
Now on to the lake, it is 6 acres and set in stunning French countryside with carp over to 50lbs barrier as of 2023. The lake owner is well established lake owner with several other lakes in the area with a reputation for producing very big fish, so the future of Hill House Lake is looking very good.
Misty Waters is a beautiful, intimate lake spanning 3 acres, home to impressive carp weighing up to nearly 60lbs. Located in the Hauts-de-France region, it is just a 2-hour drive from Calais.
Nestled within private grounds of around 4 acres, Misty Waters is only a 10-minute drive from the historic Roman town of Soissons, which is well worth a visit.
For anglers seeking extra comfort or those bringing non-angling guests, there is a lodge set back about 10 metres from the bank, featuring 2 double bedrooms that can accommodate 4 adults.
The lake can accommodate up to 4 anglers and has 7 swims, strategically positioned around the lake. There are approximately 100 carp, with the largest weighing up to 57lbs, including at least four known 50lb carp and over twenty 40lb carp.
Etang la Saussaie is an 8-acre lake in the Champagne region of France, boasting carp up to an impressive 74lbs. Encircled by 15 acres of rural woodland, it is just over a 3-hour drive from Calais.
Available for exclusive hire, the lake includes a chalet that can accommodate up to 4 adults and features a 4-person hot tub.
The lake has a history of producing large carp, having once been home to the world record common carp at just over 100lbs, which passed away in 2013.
This is a premier location for catching big fish, with most carp exceeding 40lbs and the current lake record standing at 74lbs. The lake can accommodate a maximum of 6 anglers at any time, ensuring ample water coverage per angler.
Set in the Aube region of France, approximately 4 hours from Calais, Belenos lake is 10 acres in size and can be fished by up to 4 anglers. Surrounded by an abundance of nature and wildlife and fishing from the lakeside chalet, Belenos lake has been described by many anglers as fishing paradise.
There are 2 double swims nestled between the mature trees that line the lake’s which both have cabins which can be night fished from day or night. Each cabin can comfortably accommodate 2 bedchairs and have wooden platforms overhanging the water (rod pods are required). The cabins are on the same bank just 50 metres apart making is a good set up for groups of friends.
Carp were stocked into the lake in the mid 1990s and the current lake owner who purchased the lake in 2019 has added to the original stock with a mixture of commons, mirrors as well as some koi carp and sturgeon.
26 July, 2024
Just 48 hours into a week’s fishing not bad for the moment DGF particles with FC Boilies Loirbaits are doing the job
25 July, 2024
Lac Lucie – 5 stars
Four of us spent an enjoyable 2 weeks with owners Nigel and Jo who were wonderful.Good company,good food,good chalet and good fishing. My son and I only fished part time but had 13 beautiful fish,inc.4-20s,4-30s and 3-40s.
Highly recommended
24 July, 2024
Amazing week for a group of friends!
45 carp to just under 50 lbs:
9 40’s++
15 30’s++
and the rest 20’s++
24 July, 2024
New personal best for friends in all categories of fish!!!!!
19 July, 2024
The last week in May saw the arrival of Dave and Sue who have been to the fishery nearly every year for the last 15/16 years but have always been on the Kingfisher lake. Last year they were invited to have a walk round Lac Lucie and after not having caught very much last year, decided that it was time they had a little change. This year, they bought some new friends with them, three pink panther mascots, wearing Everton scarves, made by Sue obviously.
Having met them last year we knew that, although Dave was the carp angler, Sue had a wealth of knowledge about fishing and was very much the key player when it came to spending two weeks here. They are the true meaning of a team with Dave giving the instructions and Sue following them to the letter. Dave tells Sue to put the bait boat to a certain point and Sue does it, etc, etc. She knows how to set all the gear up as he likes it, does the laundry, the cooking and generally enables Dave to have the best possible fishing holiday possible. The highlight of Sue’s trip here is to see Maisie and she arrived armed with new balls and a ball thrower to save her keep bending down.
The weather forecast for their first week was not looking good, and in fact this May had been the wettest in history in this part of France. The far corner of Lac Lucie had been sodden for weeks and despite putting down some bark chippings it was not easy to walk round but the pair had bought lots of warm clothing and their raincoats and they needed them! Saying that on the day they arrived the weather was warmish and sunny at times so perfect for getting everything set up.
Sue had got everything ready for Dave to put the rods out after tea on the Saturday and it was not long before he managed to land his first fish a 32lb carp, followed by one at 26lb 2oz around midnight. On Sunday afternoon, just as we had left to go to the airport to collect Jo’s daughter, Dave had another one, a very round and hard to hold 41lb mirror. (Photos to follow)
On Monday they had no fish during the day and decided that they would sleep in the bivvy, not something they often did, preferring to fish gentleman’s hours on previous years. But they headed back indoors as dawn broke as they were chilly and damp.
Tuesday was dry for most of the day and Dave had a nice 31lb 2oz mirror around 12.30 and there was evidence that it was full of eggs. In the afternoon Jo took Sue for a walk around Kingfisher to see the changes that had been made there.
The Wednesday was wet and miserable and Dave reluctantly agreed to go to the market at Piegut Pluviers in the morning but they didn’t last long with the weather as it was. He fished for a while in the afternoon but only hooked one which he lost.
Thursday started with rain and ended with rain although we did have a bit of sunshine during the day and Dave managed to land two fish, a 28lb 10oz common and 37lb 2oz mirror.
Friday started sunny and the pair were hopeful but it started raining around 2pm and didn’t stop so they gave up and used the chalet for warmth and shelter.
Saturday still had some showers and it was still chilly and it was now June and we all hoped that summer was on the horizon. After a quiet day Dave caught this lovely common at 8.20pm weighing in at 39lb 6oz so was a happy man. 7 fish in 7 days so a good catch report for his first week.
The forecast was set to improve in the second week and the temperatures started to rise on the Sunday but no fish appeared. The couple joined us for a BBQ with the guys off of Kingfisher and Jo’s daughter in the evening. Monday was also dry and the sun even appeared in the afternoon, surprising us all!
Dave had a theory that every time Nigel had been round singing or whistling (like he does) he catches a fish and just before lunchtime on Monday Dave got lucky again just after we had left him. Another common at 31lb 4oz and at 10pm that evening he had his first ever common over 40lb and his heaviest fish of the trip, a lovely 47lb 3oz common. It had a bitter twist though as it wiped all of his lines out and he lost some line and tackle, a first ever for him and he has been fishing a long time so he really did not feel like celebrating.
The next morning at 7am Nigel got in the lake and started walking up and down trying to find the tackle, he did manage to find some old line which hadn’t materialised when we drained the lake but not Dave’s rig which is quite distinctive. Dave was gutted and worried about the fish finding it and causing some damage – if only every angler was that concerned.
Again Tuesday was a warm day and although Dave was still bothered about the tackle in the lake he put his rods out and around 10.30am hooked one. As he was bringing it in he knew where it was heading and he asked Sue to bring his second rod in, which of course she did, following Dave’s instructions as to how fast to wind it. And luckily she did as she managed to catch it on the tackle that he had lost the night before. Imagine his relief! And he landed a mirror at 46lb 5oz.
Another sunny day on Wednesday and another over 40lb common was landed in the evening. A very dark 47lb on the nose common which turned out to be the last fish of this years’ session.
As they had a wedding to get to in the Midlands on Saturday they were leaving on Friday so Thursday was spent getting everything packed away. Obviously this was Sue’s job and she did several trips up and down the bank and they got everything in the car somehow before they went off to Mamie’s bar in Montamboeuf for a nice meal.
We got up early to wave them off on Friday morning, sorry to see them go but looking forward to seeing them again next year. Maisie will miss them both, but especially Sue
FInal catch report zero babies, 0 at 10lb+, 2 at 20lb+, 5 at 30lb+, and 4 at 40lb+ with a new PB common.
19 July, 2024
This week saw three old friends from our local, The Oliver Twist, back in Irthlingborough, Northamptonshire come over for a weeks fishing. Before we talk about the fishing we will introduce you to them.
The most senior of the 3 is Dave, a member of the GAGAs, the Grumpy Angling Geriatric Association, of which Nigel was a former member (and has a badge to prove it). The GAGAs used to fish every Thursday at the local lakes, for a variety of fish and was often tied in with breakfast, a BBQ and obviously a trip to the pub at the end of the day. The highlight of the year was usually the Christmas Do but they have had some good times with the fellow GAGAs. So Dave is an experienced angler, but has never fished for carp like this before.
Danny’s wife, Lisa, runs the Ollie. He likes to go fishing on the first Sunday of every month when Lisa is doing the roast dinner in the pub. Again he tends to fish the local lakes and has not fished for big carp before but does appear to know what he is doing when it comes to fishing. As well as a few beers in the pub he used to also play golf with Nigel on a regular basis.
Now Bob, probably one of Nigel’s closest friends from the Ollie, has played golf with Nigel for many years and was an honorary member of the GAGAs but never went fishing…just attended the Christmas Do. He has never fished before, ever, or even held a fish and we thought he was just coming for the beer.
So given the above we knew that we would be in for an interesting week, but knew that we would have a few drinks and lots of laughs. With a very experienced angler on Lac Lucie this week it was decided that Nigel would babysit, see how they got on and decide whether it might be possible to get a round of golf in at some point.
Saturday was spent catching up with them all after they had been collected from the airport and been to the supermarket to get a couple or five crates of beer, some cheese and crackers and a jar of coffee. On Sunday, after breakfast they all went off with the tackle in the trailer to set up their bivvies and get fishing. Dave was set up on the house swim so that he did not have to walk so far to the chalet, Danny next along, then Bob and Nigel on the 4th swim. Apart from Nigel who had 1 rod, they all had 2 rods, as none of them had bite alarms and we only have 7, and Nigel took charge of all the receivers. They all used Pallatrax ready tied rigs (we have these on site) to make it easier for them, alongside the house boilies sat on a bed of pellets and parti-blend.
At around 2pm the first alarm sounded. Danny had only just finished putting his rods out and was just having a tidy up but unfortunately after playing it for a few minutes he lost it. But he was just bringing the boat back again when his other rod went and this time he managed to land (with help from Nigel) a lovely 31lb 8oz common. Everyone was made up for him but then just as he was putting the fish back in the water his other rod went and he landed a 10lb 8oz common. Two fish out within an hour or so of getting set up.
Nigel went back to the house to get the BBQ going and before he had even had a chance to wash his hands he was called back, Danny had another fish on. As soon as Nigel got there he knew it was a catfish and he landed a 46lb 5oz catfish, which they have called ‘Garley’, after another good friend from Irthlingborough, but I’ll not give you their reasons for calling it after him.
After tea they got back out there, not sure if they would last the whole night in their bivvies and before too long Nigel had a small common at around 10lb. Dave had bought his bat detector out with him to see what bat species he could detect – it nearly hadn’t made it though as he was searched going through security at the airport and he had to explain what it was. They also confiscated his Marmite…… good job we have some here, but luckily not the Cadbury’s chocolate he had bought out for Jo or the tennis balls for Maisie! Nigel had another carp around 10pm, a 32lb 8oz mirror but that was it for the night but he was the only one who stayed out.
Monday was a sunny day but a slow start and it was gone 11am before they got their rods in the water again. Dave had his first fish of the session at around midday – a 44lb mirror so he was off the starting line.
Again around teatime Danny hooked into another cat which screamed off towards the opposite bank, it seems to be a popular place for the cats and there is quite a lot of erosion under the bank there which is where they probably hide away. Unfortunately there are also quite a lot of roots from the trees and low and behold the line got tangled up. Nigel, being the hero, got in and untangled it but sadly lost the cat.
Tuesday was quiet during the day with only Danny catching a small common at 11lbs. Jo took her daughter back to the airport and restocked the beers and we all went out to Le 16 Beach for a pizza in the evening. On return they set up again for the evening and Bob and Danny decided they were going to sleep out for the night. Nigel helped them get their rods out again and Dave had the bait boat confiscated as he struggled to get it to return to him and Nigel ended up back in the lake again to rescue it. This got him the nickname of Uncle Albert.
At around 9pm Bob caught his first ever fish and no tiddler at 46lb and then he got the bug and understood what this fascination with fishing was all about. This was followed by his second ever fish, a 26lb 5oz mirror at 2am…..although Nigel did manage to get to the rods first!
Wednesday morning saw more antics with the bait boat from Dave, now nicknamed ‘Uncle Albert’ and he managed to do a few donuts with it in the lake but it paid off and he landed the first fish of the day with a 39lb common, closely followed by a 16lb 8oz common from Danny and a 32lb 8oz mirror from Bob and then another mirror for Danny just before tea at 31lb 8oz.
There were two more fish on Wednesday evening, again for Danny with a 33lb 8oz mirror and a 28lb 12oz mirror for Bob just after dark which he managed to hold himself.
Thursday was a late start as there were thunder showers all morning but this obviously stirred up the water and Bob, Nigel and Danny all had fish out before tea with Bob catching a 12lb 8oz common and a new PB, a 46lb 10oz mirror which again Nigel had to get in the water to assist with. Obviously a beer was required to celebrate but little did Bob know that they had filled his bottle with lake water instead!
Nigel landed a 34lb 8oz common and Danny caught a 44lb 8oz mirror. Dave managed to hook one but unfortunately lost it right at the net. It was also Danny’s turn to be laughed at as he managed to get the bait boat doing donuts too…..we think there is a problem with the controller rather than it being user error…maybe.
Off they went after tea for another evening of beers and laughter and although they were stopping out for the night Nigel wasn’t sure they would catch anything. Bob proved him wrong and had a 25lb 8oz mirror around 10pm and then a 35lb 8oz catfish at 1am. Obviously they had a beer to celebrate after this and they were just getting off to sleep again when they heard some loud expletives coming from Bob which he was sure the whole village heard, he rushed to see what was the matter and found his bed had collapsed. Obviously they didn’t find it very funny!
Our guests on Lac Lucie were leaving around 7am on Friday morning so Nigel came back to the house early to see them off. He had just got his bowl of cornflakes when Bob messaged to say he had another fish on. As no one else replied we quickly went round there, with cornflakes, and Bob was on his own. Luckily it was only a little one, a 9lb mirror. Nigel had had a couple of 4lbs during the night so we took these 3 fish to the stock pond to allow them to grow on.
After breakfast Nigel and Jo had to go and collect the lawnmower which had been sent for repair over three weeks ago (This is France) and as the grass was desperately in need of a cut they went off to get it. Only one fish was caught while they were out and the guys managed on their own, Danny had a 18lb 8oz mirror. Bob did hook one but lost it. The afternoon saw the last two fish of the session out, a 17lb 8oz catfish for Danny and a 31lb common for Bob. As England were playing football that evening so we decided to go out for tea and then watch that at the house for their final evening.
It has been a great week with some great friends and it has been really good to see their skill, ability and confidence improve over the week with managing the rigs, using the bait boats, landing the fish and holding them for photos. They have appreciated the tuition that Nigel has given them and the fact that he was willing to go above and beyond and get in the lake each time they messed up. They have loved the wildlife, listening to bats, waking up to the dawn chorus and enjoyed throwing the ball for Maisie. And we have enjoyed their company and will welcome them back anytime.
Final catch total for the week was 3 babies, 6 at 10lb+, 3 at 20lb+, 8 at 30lb+, 4 at 40lb+ and 3 catfish to 46lb 5oz. Not a bad report for 3 novices and Nigel who only caught 5 of those fish.
19 July, 2024
Historically we have been on carp fishing holidays in France the first two weeks in September, when the children have gone back to school and the summer is on its way out in the UK but last year we decided that we would like to do it in June, when the weather in France is more predictable and the fish have spawned.
Maybe we jinxed the fortnight this year as it rained the whole of May and the temperatures did not rise as we had hoped and therefore the fish have not all spawned yet. But as we frequently say, it is what it is and we cannot change the weather. Generally the weather for the first week was good with temperatures in the mid twenties and dry days…..until Friday when it poured hard.
For those of you who have not read about us before the Divvies in the Bivvies comprise of us, Nigel and Jo, and Jo’s sister, Julianne and her partner, Dean. For the first few years that we went fishing Julianne used to fish too but after going to a lake where there were a large number of rats wanting to get in her bivvy, Julianne decided to just enjoy the fortnight with her sister and let the boys fish. Lots of sightseeing, wine, cheese and shopping instead. Far more civilised!
Julianne and Dean arrived from the UK, via Calais on the Sunday evening, along with their dog, Floyd, who is Maisie’s big brother (about an extra 15kg big). Sunday evening was spent catching up and wandering around Lac Lucie to show them the changes we had made, as well as having a few beers and letting Floyd settle in.
Monday Nigel and Dean were up bright and early, not quite as early as the very first time we came to France, where their feet were crunching across the gravel at 5am, but they are not as young as they were! They set themselves up on the top bank with Dean fishing to the left and Nigel to the right. Bait was put in, rods were set up and they were ready. Dean decided he could only cope with 2 rods but chose a couple of popular spots and then sat back in his chair to watch. Nigel had seen some topping by the new bridge so decided he would put one in there and the others nearer the bottom of the lake.
Although the fish were showing in various places over the lake none of them were caught until Tuesday morning when Dean had the first run around 11am and landed a 17lb mirror. We popped out for something to eat at Le 16 Beach overlooking the lake before they set themselves up for the night. Dean got lucky Tuesday night around midnight with a 28lb 8oz mirror and then around 9.30am Wednesday morning with a 28lb mirror.
On Wednesday, as Nigel was getting frustrated that Dean was beating him (unusual for these two), he decided to move down to the other end of the lake near the dead tree, which actually has some new growth on it. A wise move as whilst Dean ended up with another mirror on Wednesday night at 45lb by the second tree, Nigel then caught one first thing on Thursday morning, another mirror at 23lb. Nigel has a great app on his phone which when he whistles takes his photo (as long as he has his phone set up on the bank stick properly. This time it wasn’t brilliant but it is a great picture of the mist rising from the lake.
Nothing else happened during the day on Thursday until after tea and a few beers and Nigel had a 21lb common. And then the rain came and Friday was a very wet day but as is often the case when the weather changes and cool rain is added to the lake the fish started mooching around more. Dean ended up with 3 commons during the day at 47lb, 37lb 4oz and 33lb 8oz and and a mirror weighing 17lb that evening and Nigel had a 23lb 8oz common, 47lb common and 23lb 8oz mirror.
Jo and Julianne thought that they would give up on Friday night and come and sleep in the house but they stuck it out and Dean ended up with the final fish of the week, a lovely 39lb mirror, so whilst he did not have the biggest fish from Lac Lucie on their first week he did have the most, catching 7 out of the 12 in total.
As always Saturday came around and Nigel was up early to say goodbye to the lads from Kingfisher and then they got everything packed up in the wet and moved over to Kingfisher ready for another week of mud, beers and laughter.
The final tally for their week on Lac Lucie were 0 babies, 1 at 10lb+, 6 at 20lb+, 2 at 30lb+ and 3 at 40lb+.
19 July, 2024
We welcomed back Jon (AKA Rambo), Rob and Greg last Saturday onto our Kingfisher lake. The trio fished Lac Lucie last June and thought Kingfisher would be more of a challenge for them. They are all highly experienced and very enthusiastic carp anglers and fish a lot in the UK. They look at their week in France for as much of a social as well as getting some good fishing done.
They arrived with their rental van packed to the rafters and the three of them squeezed in along the front seat, after a very warm journey down from Caen. After having a quick beer with us they went and unpacked the van so that they could go to the supermarket for supplies, making sure that this year they got enough beers for the whole week so they did not have to go out again.
By early evening they had all got one rod at least set up and settled down at the new bench in the social area between the swims for a beer. Sunday morning they spent some time going out in the rowing boat, getting the lie of the land and capturing some great content for Jon’s social media platforms. Greg saw the first fish and it appeared to create the trend for the rest of the week. A stunning little common at a weight of 5lb 15oz. This and the four subsequent fish under 10lb that were caught over the week were quickly transferred from the ‘keep-net of shame’ to our stock pond, to be allowed to grow in peace and quiet away from the big kids in the pond, (see the scars on the 5lb 14oz mirror that were probably made by one of the cats) apart from Jon’s little roach of course which won the ‘smallest fish of the week’ award!
So that’s the tiny babies of the week out of the way! For most of the week the weather was kind to the trio and generally after breakfast they had a few lazy hours and maybe a quick dip in the pool (although the recent low temperatures has meant that it is a bit chilly still), before a few beers and some lunch and then down to the serious fishing. There was very clear evidence that the fish were ready to spawn and trying to get the bigger fish to feed was not easy.
By Monday evening they had had 4 carp up to 35lb 6oz and 2 cats up to 48lb 12oz out between them and were wondering where all the big ones had gone. They still spent some time making sure they captured the perfect photograph though and Nigel witnessed Jon’s art direction, with the other two getting a tad frustrated at times we are sure!
One of the things the guys told us was that they do not necessarily come to France fishing for the big fish, although that is always a bonus. They do like the opportunity for a social and having the picnic table between the first two swims and the chalet is a bonus, and they also like to catch a variety of carp, not just big pasty ball mirrors. And they certainly managed to do that this week with some lovely scaley mirrors, some pristine long commons as well as a few big cats.
They all took it in turns doing a bit of stalking down in the shallows and this paid of on a few occasions and also seemed to spook some of the fish up to the other end of the lake ready for the serious fishing.
On Thursday at breakfast they were telling us that they thought we ought to make a video of someone waking up in the double bedroom in the chalet and looking out over the lake. We have always said that this room has to be one of the best places to wake up, with the patio doors stepping out onto the balcony looking down to the deepest part of the lake and enjoyed it ourselves when we fished there in 2018 & 2019. No sooner was it said than done, as Jon had bought his drone with him and it was sent to us by 12 noon that day with Greg in the starring role.
Thursday was the last of the nice weather and on Friday it didn’t stop raining, nearly all of the day and the three of them were not looking forward to packing up wet tackle into the van for their drive home. However the change in the weather also bought out a change in the fishing and some larger fish came out and finally something over 40lb. This meant that the trophy that Jon had held for the last few years had to be passed over, and to his brother, Rob. To say that Jon enjoyed taking this photograph would be lying but you can tell that Rob was thrilled, despite the weather.
We had assumed from their conversation at breakfast on Friday morning that they would be packing up the van on Friday evening and getting their heads down in the dry and warmth in the chalet ready for the drive back north early Saturday morning for their ferry. So we were surprised when more photos were sent through to our WhatsApp group that evening with Greg catching a 28lb mirror for the second time from exactly the same spot and Rob catching a small mirror but this shows just how committed they are! And Greg had both the first and final fish of the week and finished with a 42lber.
They finally packed the van up at 5.30am on Saturday morning and came round for breakfast, somewhat muddy and weary having chased a couple of fish round the snags a few times in the night. But we have had another great week with these guys here, catching over 30 fish between them, albeit not the biggest ones in the lake but some stunning specimens. We really hope they will come back again next year as we have thoroughly enjoyed their company and good humour and of course sharing a beer or two with them. And finally a big thank you from us for all the tagging and great social media content you have produced over the week.
So the summary of the week was 1 tiny roach, 5 babies, 9 at 10lb+, 7 at 20lb+, 6 at 30lb+, 2 at 40lb+ along with 4 cats and 2 kittens.
19 July, 2024
The second part of the annual Divvies in the Bivvies fishing trip was spent on Kingfisher lake and having had a good week on Lac Lucie Nigel and Dean were hopeful that they would continue but Kingfisher is harder with only two anglers as the fish just move to a quiet place. Nigel set himself up on swim 2 by the picnic bench with Dean just along the bank from him on the Saturday in overcast conditions but they had plenty of time as there were no changeover jobs to do. The paths were still quite muddy from the rain the day before but this did not deter them.
After tea they got their rods out and before Nigel had even got his second rod his alarm went off and a catfish played him for a good while before coming slowly to the net. A good 53lb and we thought that this was a good sign of things to come. But unfortunately that was not the case and this catch report will have to be brief.
The weather was a bit of a mixed bag this week with lots of showers Saturday night and Sunday. Monday was dry most of the day but there was heavy rain the evening and Nigel had a run at about 10pm but didn’t land anything and then Dean losing a cat about 20 minutes later. Tuesday was sunny but very muggy and there were no signs of fish. They stopped for the afternoon to have lunch with some friends and went back out early evening and Dean ended up losing another two fish so started questioning his tactics. On Wednesday the weather was reasonable and Dean finally managed to land a 67lb catfish at around 9.30am.
The guys were beginning to think that this was going to be a carp free week but Wednesday evening there were some long thunder showers with amazing bolts of lightening and this seemed to shake the lake up a bit and get the carp moving. Nigel ended up putting some bark chippings around his bivvy to soak up some of the mud in the hope that he wouldn’t slip over like he had at the beginning of the week. As it was Jo’s birthday they decided that we would all go out for some tea and Yvonne at Mamie’s bar cooked us Chinese chicken and egg fried rice (no Chinese takeaways over here) and a Bailey’s cheesecake for dessert. We spent a lovely couple of hours there sat outside enjoying the sunshine until they started to get withdrawal symptoms and we headed home.
This was to be their last night as Julianne and Dean were leaving early Saturday morning but they were not feeling at all hopeful about landing any carp from Kingfisher this week. They had only been set up for about an hour when the girls got a photo of Dean playing a fish with the comment ‘It’s a carp!!!!’ and Dean landed this 31lb mirror.
The girls were thrilled and started talking about getting to bed when Nigel messaged and said he had 2 fish on and would be a great double take photo so Jo pulled her shoes back on and got round there just as he was landing the second one. A great photo of the two of them, and Dean and Nigel too!
44lb 8oz mirror and 24lb common
So they had thought they were going to end the week with no carp and only a couple of cats landed when within half an hour they had managed to land 3 carp.
And that was it for another great year for the Divvies as Friday was spent getting a tree out of Kingfisher that had fallen the week before, moving the hot tub at the house ready for a new decking area and chilling in the man cave for the evening with the last of the beer kegs.
We will do a report of what Jo and Julianne got up to for the fortnight, especially for those of you who manage to combine a family holiday with a fishing trip.
Final tally for the week on Kingfisher was 0 babies, 0 at 10lb+, 1 at 20lb+, 1 at 30lb+ and 1 at 40lb+ as well as 3 cats up to 67lb.
19 July, 2024
Graeme returned to Lac Lucie with his wife for his annual fortnight fishing holiday. Having fished Lac Lucie for the first time last year he came back with some new tackle and some new hope of getting some more fish, with last year being his first time on a commercial fishery.
He started his fortnight on the swim at the far end, fishing across to the trees on his right mainly. It was not an easy fortnight with thunderstorms and temperatures peaking at 33 degrees during the second week, where fishing was hard on both of our lakes, as well as other places locally. His fishing day started around 5am, stopping for breakfast and then starting again until lunchtime. We would then often see him back out in the evening for a few hours.
The first few days saw no fish at all on the bank although several were showing in various spots across the lake. There is always that difficult decision as to whether to stick with your pre baited spots or to follow them around the lake and fishing is always harder when there is just one angler as the fish just keep moving away.
By Tuesday he had not had any fish so he moved up to the main bank and on Wednesday he landed a 49lb common from up in the left hand corner. Friday saw another fish from a similar spot, weighing in at 32lb and Saturday he caught a 22lb carp.
The second week was hotter than the first and we noticed an increase in the number of cray fish so Nigel started setting his traps more frequently. Graeme moved back up to the far end on Monday afternoon and on Tuesday was hopeful as there were many fish spotted under the willow tree.
On Wednesday evening when we had a wander round we were amazed at just how many fish there were in the top left hand corner, near where the water enters the lake. Everywhere we looked there were groups of 3 or 4 carp moving slowly round each other. It appeared as if every fish in the lake had come up to the shallows, possibly to spawn.
Graeme and his wife prefer to maintain their privacy, hence there are no photographs of the fish but the final tally for the 2 weeks was 0 babies, 0 at 10lb+, 1 at 20lb+, 1 at 30lb+ and 1 at 40lb+. We look forward to welcoming them back again next year.
19 July, 2024
This week saw the return of one of our guests from last year, except this time he had bought 2 mates along with him rather than his family (although he is coming back again with them in August). So there was hope for some new PBs and more buckets of water.
The three of them arrived on Saturday afternoon fully attired in personalised t-shirts with our logo on as a memento of their trip
After getting unpacked they got themselves quickly set up before their tea and then managed to get at least one rod out for the night. Chris set up on the 1st swim on the dam wall, with Paul O in the Hilton Executive Suite on the 1st swim near the chalet and Paul A next to him by the social area, using the picnic bench as extra sorting out space.
Fishing was really hard this week with temperatures over 30 degrees some days and very little rain. You would have thought we would all have been thrilled by that but the carp seemed to have gone off their food but the cats seemed to be hungry. None of them seemed to mind about this too much but a few more carp over the week would have been nicer, or just one for Chris would have been good.
Saturday night saw Paul A catch the first carp, only 6lbs but it was a start. If only we had remembered to tell him to keep it for us it would have been another addition to our stock pond but it will have to stay with the big fish until it is caught again. Chris had a cat of 41lbs and the two of them were pleased to have beaten Paul O off of the mark. Chris had another catfish of 64lbs on Sunday afternoon and then managed to lose one. He told us that it was on a 25lb line and was bigger than the 64 as it rolled away and lost the hook.
On Monday there was nothing to be seen apart from Paul A losing another cat. Chris moved round to the 3rd swim along in the hopes that there might be some more action towards the shallows and they all did a bit of stalking down there during the week.
On Tuesday Paul A told us that he had had a 20lb cat in the night and there were several signs of possible spawning along the far bank, and we also saw this over the next few days on Lac Lucie so it is quite likely given the funny temperatures we have had this year. Chris was also throwing some bait in on the top near to him and there loads of little fry going for that which is unusual also.
When they came up for their tea on Wednesday evening we were expecting more news of cats and heat but they had at last had some carp take their bait, with Paul A catching a 35lb common and Paul O getting off the mark by catching 2 mirrors weighing 23lb 4oz and 25lbs. Chris had still not caught a carp but he was still hopeful. What he had found in his bait buckets were 2 mice though, having climbed in to see what goodies they could find.
Thursday was another very hot day but with some cloud so it felt a bit better. Chris managed to lose another catfish which completely shredded his end tackle somehow and Paul O caught this stunning 31lb common
We had a walk round at about 2pm and it all seemed very quiet with Paul O away from his bivvy. When we got to Paul A’s swim he was playing a fish with Chris helping out. One of his other lines got in a bit of a tangle and Nigel and Paul did a little dance trying to untangle it. We all thought it was another cat as it was obviously quite big but as it got closer we saw it was a big mirror and the excitement levels grew. Finally it was landed and weighed and Paul O decided to join us for the weigh in. A lovely mirror at 49lb 7oz. Paul A was delighted and with a new PB, was on the receiving end of a very large bucket of water.
They were all thrilled that they had had some good fish out, on what was a very difficult week and Friday continued with another 4 cats, 2 caught by Chris and 2 by Paul O but unfortunately no carp for Chris all week. Chris did however manage to land the biggest cat of the week at 65lb and Paul O had a 57lb on Friday.
Given their style of photography, when we discussed what their headline should be, it was decided that they would be the calendar boys. Whether you would like any of these photos up in your kitchen for a year is a question of taste but they appeared to have had a great week, with lots of laughter and lots of stories to take back home with them.
We will not mention the sore heads we came across on Saturday morning as they were packing up but they got off ok with Chris catching the most weight of fish for the week at 216lb out of their total of 606lb and Paul winning the booby prize for drinking the most on Friday night and struggling to pack everything down on Saturday morning.
We look forward to welcoming Paul O back in August with another friend, his sons and nephew where hopefully we will see some more carp.
Final scores of the week were 1 baby, 0 at 10lb+, 2 at 20lb+, 2 at 30lb+ and 1 at 40lb+ along with 13 catfish up to 65lb.
19 July, 2024
Alan and his son, John, joined us for 2 weeks on Lac Lucie for their first carp fishing trip to France. They were accompanied by Jo, Alan’s daughter and Kim, his partner. The ladies came for the peace and quiet, to do a bit of shopping and to cook for the anglers.
They arrived at about 4pm, after a long trip from Somerset, using the Newhaven to Dieppe crossing and then driving the 6 hours from the port. It was raining heavily on the Saturday so they joined us for an evening meal, watched the Euros and then got themselves off to bed, ready for an early start on the Sunday.
By Sunday afternoon they had set their bivvies up and got some rods out. John started on the main bank with Alan up on the far swim near the ‘dead/live’ tree. Over tea we discussed the crayfish and how best to tackle them nibbling at the boilies and Nigel showed Jo how to put the shrink wrap on the boilies. John had been told by a tackle shop not to bother with this and you could do just as well wrapping the boilies in some old tights…..we were interested to see if this worked.
On Monday we were surprised to learn that John had caught a 10oz common. Bearing in mind that Lac Lucie had been completely drained and left empty for 6 weeks over the winter whilst the compliance works were being done we had no idea how it had got in the lake. Had it lived in the stream all winter? Had a bird dropped it? But it was quickly put into our stock pond, to be allowed to grow on in peace without too much competition for food.
On Monday afternoon when we went to the lake to see them we were thrilled to hear that Alan had had two fish from the far end. Two commons weighing 29lb and 44lb, which he struggled to hold. Not a bad start and PBs smashed already. John then hoped that the fish would start to move down the lake nearer his bait after that so he could have a proper fish out. The verdict on the old tights was negative, the crays had managed to destroy them so John switched to a plastic bait instead.
The fish did move down to John’s part of the lake on Tuesday and after a quiet morning starting at 6am he finally had two carp out in the afternoon. A lovely 31lb common followed by another common weighing 14lb.
The ladies were enjoying the peace and quiet and the hot tub on the decking and although they had been out to the shops a few times they decided that Wednesday would be a day off of fishing and they would go to the market at Piegut Pluviers. This town has an infamous market every Wednesday and you can buy all sorts there, from chickens to mattresses as well as seasonal fruit and vegetables and gifts and food. John bought Alan a lovely box of red wine and then they went to the château at La Rochefoucauld and enjoyed the marble staircase and the 14th century keep.
John had another common on Thursday weighing 34lb but the next two days were pretty quiet despite being down by the lake early in the morning. Friday night saw some bad storms and parts of France were hit by 50mm of rain in a very short period but we did not see too much rain. We notice that storms seem to change the nature of the lake, with more fresh water running through them and fish moving about more as the temperatures drop slightly. Saturday was their last day in their current swims as they had decided to have a change round and Alan caught his last fish from the far end. A lovely 32lb 8oz mirror which he was very happy with.
On Sunday they went out for the day again, to our départment town, Angoulême for a mooch around the cathedral and ramparts and then to the big lake there. When they got back they swapped their gear over and decided they were going to fish all night, especially as Nigel was fishing on the Kingfisher dam wall so would be able to listen out for them. Alan got lucky again with a 38lb 12oz mirror at 10.30pm and then another 44lb common during the night.
On Monday John said that even though he hadn’t caught anything during the night he wished he had fished a few nights the first week as he slept well and there was definitely more activity on the lake. We notice that if it is very hot during the day then the fish tend to be more active after dark, or around dusk and dawn. And Monday was very hot but Alan did manage to catch a 27lb mirror.
John finally had a 21lb 4oz mirror at 2am on Tuesday morning and stopped worrying that the fish preferred his dad to him.
Alan had his final fish on Tuesday morning, a 41lb mirror and John also caught on Tuesday, a 26lb common.
The rest of the week was very quiet and despite fishing half days for the rest of the week there were no further fish on the bank. But the four of them really enjoyed the week, described the fishing hard but rewarding and were pleased it wasn’t too easy for them. They praised the fish for being in such a great condition and really enjoyed the comfort of the chalet at night time and being able to watch the Euros.
Final score for the two weeks was 1 baby, 1 at 10lb+, 4 at 20lb+, 4 at 30lb+ and 3 at 40lb+. Not a bad result for fishing most days, some half days, one full day and two nights. We hope that they had a safe journey home and will see them again one day…until then à bientôt.
17 July, 2024
Late Availability Olympic discount Offer
£50 OFF accommodation for this week ONLY
27July-10August 2024
17 July, 2024
This 35 lb mirror fell to FC crab pop up on a child rig fished over 3 kilos of FC chopped boilies
17 July, 2024
Wow 2 lovely fish fell again to DGF particals and Loirbaits FC boilies well done
16 July, 2024
With us this week were Gary and his grandson, James.
It was grandads treat to take James on his first trip to France so their excitement was building for months before their visit.
They decided to set up together in the main double swim and, as they put up their bivvies, we had a chat about tactics, rigs and baiting up.
The week turned out to be well worth the wait and all the excitement, both of them were in to PB’s with their first carp. James with a 33lb mirror and Gary with a 36lb common.
The lads were already happy by Sunday but went on to beat these PB’s again with James landing a 37lb mirror and Gary landing a 38lb mirror on the last day.
James 11 carp
3 x 30’s (best 37lb M & 35lb C)
8 x 20’s (to 29lb)
3 tench
Gary 13 carp
4 x 30’s (best 38lb M & 36lb C)
8 x 20’s (to 28lb)
1 x double
4 tench
16 July, 2024
This week we welcomed one of our regular anglers, Richard, back to La Petite Martiniere.
Rich decided to utilise a combination of house boilies and pellets, soaked in liquid, as feed. He then slowly introduced some bait and his rigs onto his preferred spots with a bait boat.
The weather for the week started cool and quite wet then got warmer and brighter at the back end of the trip.
This didn’t seem to affect the fish feeding and Rich managed 30 fish in total for the week.
Some carp were not weighed but those that were included 8 x 20’s, 2 x 30’s and a cracking 41lb mirror topping it off.
There were 11 tench caught, the biggest at 7lb 4oz, and a small grass carp at 20lb 4oz.
Well done Rich, see you in 2025.
15 July, 2024
The 2 anglers in swim 1 caught 12 fish from 17lb to 41lbs with average size of just over 27lbs.
The lake owner Guillaume also fished for 36 hours landing 6 and and losing 3. Baiting with 6kg of tigers and 15kg of pellets did the business and avoided any attention from the bream.
15 July, 2024
Sadly Paul arrived on his own as his mates couldn’t make it but that didn’t stop him, he ended up with 6 fish up to 45lb!
15 July, 2024
We thought this week was going to be a fairly consistent on the fishing front but soon got rattled mid-week after quite a large drop in temps, the lake went dead with little or no signs of fish at all however they managed to catch 6 fish with the biggest going 61+ followed by a couple of 40s up to 49 a 30 and a couple of mid 20s
15 July, 2024
It was lovely to meet the guys who traveled all the way from Sweden last week, the lake fished hard again with only 7 fish coming out including one re-capture of the 60+ common which came out the week before however three of the four anglers had pbs which is great, sadly mikael that was fishing up in Lonely swim didn’t manage to winkle one out 😩 but not for the want of trying
Congrats to Janne, Jari and Joel on your pbs.
60+ common x 2
56+ mirror “Corporal”
51+ mirror
47 mirror
44 common
38 mirror
Note: the 56lb mirror “Corporal” sadly way down in weight but still looking good!
They seem to be preoccupied on naturals/baby crays as fish are being seen feeding.
So many fish were eager to see but have yet to visit the bank this season
15 July, 2024
Group of 4 regulars, what a contrast week compared to before with 15 fish coming out including 4 x 50+ but mostly Willow swim producing the bites, looks more and more like a lot of fish spawned early this year
15 July, 2024
We welcomed Ray (Damo) and Phil, it was a good start for Phil in Tower who had 3 PBs in the first 48hrs up to 45+
Ray had to play musical swims having to chase them round a bit but the last few days after going back in to his original swim things picked up for him and some lovely fish were caught.
Been a real strange season in regards to fish coming out but I put that down to the weather we’ve been having the last few months, the fish were sitting up behind the island between gate and lonely for about 3 or 4 weeks prior and just weren’t budging so that we believe is where the early spawning took place.
15 July, 2024
This week we had four anglers on, ending up with 18 fish up to 58+ including a few PBs which is always great. It was a really interesting formation as two doubled up in Lonely swim with two rods each, one in Gate swim and one in Willow swim and we think it really helped with moving the fish about, all swims caught, it was a great week had by all!
15 July, 2024
The lads ended up with around 20 fish between the 3 of them, a little bit of chasing about but all come good in the end with the biggest going 50+
15 July, 2024
Festival of carps until 52 lbs and several new personal best in carps and catfish categories!!!
14 July, 2024
Beautiful and massive carps from Cheshire lake!!!
Definitly The Place to Fish for Carp Anglers!!!!
New personal best during this week but is it necessary to say that?
14 July, 2024
Great holidays for amglers came at Authentic lake!!!
Fun and sunand…. carps!!!
14 July, 2024
New personal best for friends came at Authentic lake first week of july!
14 July, 2024
Breaking news…….
Carp unknown caught at Cheshire lake!!!
52 lbs !!!
Cheshire lake had not deliver all his secrets!!!
13 July, 2024
Single anglers Gary & John both enjoyed breaking their PB’s not once but twice during their end of June weeks visit to Etang Rouge prior to the 2 week Summer shutdown. Gary did so with a mega brace of carp to over 110lb which involed a mirror of 52lb 8oz, followed later that day with a brute of a common tipping the scales at 58lb & John with 2 40lb plus mirrors of 44lb and 42lb. Other fish in the 20’s and 30’s also graced the nets and Gary also managed a 50lb cat on the last morning ending a cracking week
11 July, 2024
Hi Guys, this week we have a new group fishing on a exclusive lake booking, Woody, Connor, Kevin, Stuart and Mark.
Fishing swims 2,4,5,9 and 10.
Baits being used are various boilies ISO fish, Archiepeachy Red and white particles and pellet.
Mega hard week for the guys first proper carp out was Wednesday morning off swim 2 smashing Connors PB @ 49 lb a well spawned out white tip on a spinner rig Manila pop up over pellet and crushed boilie.
Weather was beautiful for a set up hitting early 30’s at some points of the day looking like a stormy week lots of sunshine with scattered rainfalls winds are going to be everywhere pressure 981 water temperature around 24 degrees oxygen levels are good.
11 July, 2024
Hi Guys, we had Keith and Dave on a exclusive lake booking, over the past couple of years have become regulars fishing twice a year returning again in September and again in September 2025 let’s hope they can trip a few up !
They fished swims 9 and 10 bait used Archiepeachy White and Red boilies there own particles and our pellet both using bait boats.
It was nearly 48 hours in and not a single beep between them then Keith was kept on his toes in the darkness of night tripping up the Mole @ 65 lb 12 oz off swim 10 new PB and a lovely new hoodie awarded to him for joining the 60’s Club on Archiepeachy white boilie tipped with maize !
Keith also had 2 more around 36 lb sadly swim 9 didn’t produce anything !
Winds were mainly coming from the north east temperatures around the high 20’s to mid 30’s strong sunshine most days, water temperature around 22 degrees PH 8.2 oxygen levels very good the new compressors are working well 24/7.
11 July, 2024
Bob was over this week, fishing swim 9 at first moving midweek to swim 5 after a quiet first half to the week.
So swim 5 it was and it did not take long to get amongst the fish several stockies, Stallone @ 57 lb 4 oz, white tip @ 50 lb 12 oz and a 43 lb 4 oz male fish covered in a spawning rash !
Bob used our Archiepeachy boilie, particle and our pellet.
Apart from a wet pack down the weather was settled dry sunny and warm winds were changeable southwesterly and northeasterly.
11 July, 2024
Hi Guys, this week we had welcomed Bob son Andy brother Jon and friend Ian back to trip a few up.
Fished swims 3, 6 yes 6, 9 ,10 and 11.
Various boilie baits were used Archiepeachy white our pellet and particles.
Well it didn’t stop raining from the off we were flooded out this I think contributed to a very hard weeks fishing too much fresh water on top of the carps heads.
Bob ended up with a 50 on swim 10 which was chunky lumpy Ian had a nice mid 40 common Jon had them to mid 40´s Andy struggled on swim 9 so moved to 11 and had a couple of 30’s guys between them also had several 40,30 and 20’s !
Weather great to set up in sunshine but then the outlook was unsettled stormy lots of rain storm rain and changeable winds, pressure 985 very low PH 7.9 and oxygen levels good.
11 July, 2024
We welcomed back Dale, John and Dean.
Fished swims 3,5,9 and 11.
Sadly just after the guys arrived the carp started spawning this as the norm lasted into the week followed by a very quiet period, Wednesday morning Dale swim 11 tripped up Rumble a male fish he had named after a friend a few years back now @ 48 lb 14 oz, Dean moved from swim 3 to swim 5 mid week, John tripped up a 38 lb 10 oz common now microchipped and named Me Duck !
Bait used Cell, homemade boilies pellet and maize
Weather was warm into the mid 20’s sunshine blue skies it changed from Sunday colder unsettled heavy rain.
11 July, 2024
9 carp landed during a week of difficult conditions.
42.8, 39.6, 37.8, 35.11, 33, 29.2, 27.3, 25.13 and 19.3
11 July, 2024
Had a couple of mates come over the other week for a bit of a work party. Weather was not that brilliant but they managed to land a few on the lake .
Dave had a nice new PB of 48lb and Martin managed a few to just under the 40lb mark, and also caught his first ever Grassie.
See you for next years work party.
11 July, 2024
18th May-25th May,
Ben and Ed returned for another crack but after last years great effort was not as good.
Ben was unlucky not to break his PB missing out by 1oz, with a fish of 48lb 8oz.
Ed had a best fish of 46lb 10oz.
Fish had spawned the week before so was not expecting too many fireworks but still managed 24 fish, fishing only days.
Had 4 40’s in there catch.
11 July, 2024
Bit of catch up from April.
Difficult conditions all week with northerly, easterly winds, temps all over the place LOTS of rain, but lads stuck at it with a new lake record being taken by Kurt at 55lb 3oz.
All 4 lads went home with PB’s, John with a 45lb 11oz common.
Brother Pete chipped in with a 34lb 10oz mirror.
Charlie upped his to 36lb 7oz.
Kurt had best week with 6 fish topped by his lake record.
No nights fished only days.
11 July, 2024
22 fish landed including 1 40, 9 30s including 2 @ 38lbs, 7 20s and 3 doubles.
11 July, 2024
Catch report etang la saussaie
Martijn Wittmer and Stefan had an enjoyable week landing 10 fish
38c 28m 42m 46c 30m 26m 30c 22m 32m 39m
Lovely weather if you wanted a tan but not so much for carp fishing
11 July, 2024
lac baleine never fails 38 fish landed
1 x 62lb
4 x 40’s
13 x 30’s
rest 20s and doubles
Good angling chaps especially on a tough week 🎣
11 July, 2024
Bailiff week on etang la saussaie
45m, 38m, 50c, 22m, 32c, 22m, 23m, 24m, 27m, 38c, 42m, 35c, 38m, 47m, 36m, 37c, 6 doubles
All on our new test bait that will be available by Friday 28th June
Tidy week that well done Matt Ballard Harry Hector
Now time to get back to work 😂
11 July, 2024
Catch report etang la saussaie
16 fish landed well done fellas 🎣
Happy 50th Birthday Mark 🥳
1 x 50
2 x 40s
5 x 30s
4 x 20s
4 x doubles
11 July, 2024
A great time was had during our work party on Saussaie last week 21 fish landed with only one loss….
11 July, 2024
Some great angling guys 42 fish landed including
3 of our known 60s but unfortunately spawned out…Great to see them on the bank though and looking super healthy after spawning.
42 fish
3 x 50s
7 x 40s
9 x 30s
The rest 20s and doubles
Have a safe journey home until next time 🎣
11 July, 2024
Catch report lac baleine 26th May – 2nd June
26 fish landed
1 x 60s
3 x 40s
7 x 30s
Rest 20s
Lovely group to have on our lakes and thank you for leaving everything so clean and tidy.
Great angling guys 🎣
11 July, 2024
Catch report etang la saussaie 25 fish landed with a few loses.
1 x 50
5 x 40s
10 x 30s
Rest 20s and 2 doubles
Great week with a couple of good socials 👌
11 July, 2024
Catch report lac baleine 28 fish landed
3 x 50s
2 x 40s
16 x 30s
rest 20s and doubles
Yet another nice bunch of anglers…well done guys have a safe journey home and see you next year 🎣
11 July, 2024
Catch report etang la saussaie 27 fish landed with a few loses
3 x 40s
3 x 30s
Rest 20s
11 July, 2024
Been a bit slow on the posts. Fishing has been hard the last few weeks. The group’s have worked hard to to bank some of the fish. Pb’s have been caught every week so we’ve had plenty of smiles and good time here. Great angling guys.
11 July, 2024
30 bites 30 carp landed 💪🏽
The Big Leather 64lb 5oz
2 x 50s 52lb 5oz Common, 53lb 8oz Mirror
4 x 40s, 41lb 6oz Common 48lb 10oz Mirror
46lb 3oz Common, 41lb 6oz Mirror
11 x 30s to 39lb.
13 x 20s
10 July, 2024
Swim 1 give 15 fish during the week for our Spanish anglers. Big bed of 5 kg per day of boilies and pellet and tigers nuts worked the best this week.
Whilst the cray fish was active, it was not enough to disturb the carp activity.
Only miror carp were caught, with the biggest at 55lbs. Well done !
10 July, 2024
Some of the catches of the last couple weeks.
Well done guys.
10 July, 2024
Cracking fish coming out over the last couple of weeks.
10 July, 2024
Just returned from a two week trip from France with wife and lad, they don’t fish so I fished a total of around nine days, prior to going I decided to buy a Gowi Osprey bait boat in February, I fished a total of five swims on the lake, at a distance of approximately 55 to 95 metres, I had 37 carp to a total of 1018 Lb the biggest being 47.1, I had six over forty, the boat was brilliant, no issues at all, repeatability of point location spot on, I coupled it with a feck bait spreader and frozen krill boilies from owner hydrated with krill oil from UK
I did not night fish as I was with family but as you see did not hamper my catch
Mark and Yvonne were great hosts and Mark supported me really well with fishing knowledge, he really cares about his fish and shares your delight in the catches.
10 July, 2024
Just returned from a week on Jimmys lake.
There were only two of us fishing the whole week
Weather was mixed during the week inc. blazing sunshine , showers, windy overhead thunder storm but it was great for experiencing different conditions and kept the fish moving
Food package was good
Swims were well positioned on Jimmys
Frazer is a good host and responds to requests and is eager to ensure guests have a positive experience
The hire gear is more than adequate for whats needed and good quality
as for the fishing, between us Steve had 13 carp in total from 20lb to 43.4 lb for a total weight of 369lb 12oz, I wasnt so lucky but then again Im not as good but I had 5 carp from 20lb to 33lb for a total weight of 126lb 8oz .
A thoroughly enjoyable week,
Hopefully we will be back, thanks Frazer
09 July, 2024
4 days at 32 degrees and 2 fish. Then last morning it was cooler and had 8 including a double take. Best fish 20,27 and 30lb.
Gite was small but all new and very comfortable.
Hosts Lisa and Heath couldn’t have been more helpful
07 July, 2024
Woody’s Hooked in France June 12th, what an absolutely stunning venue just like an old estate lake, we had 19 fish all told with the biggest being 40lbs and everyone smashed Pb’s. The on site bailiff Jame and his wife were fantastic, the food was awesome along with his knowledge and help.
We had such an amazing time we are booking up foe next year to beat our Pb’s and up the tally.
04 July, 2024
What a fantastic lodge, everything and more. The lake is Quite small but very pretty. Our ony problem was the steps down from the lodge to the lake, it’s not easy for people who are disabled in any way. Probably should be noted on advertising. I’m not moaning, just stating a fact. I would highly recommend to healthy people.
03 July, 2024
Lovely lake fishing was hard because of the weather that’s my opinion 5 fish out between 4 of us
Andy is really helpful and a polite man thank you
Still enjoyed the trip
John
03 July, 2024
An incredible venue,the chalet is first class has absolutely everything you could need the grounds are manicured to perfection this place really is a gem,the fish stock is incredible the fish are in superb condition and are very special,the owners can’t do enough for you help is on hand however if you prefer to be left alone that’s not a problem,this lake is very rarely fished by English it’s predominantly French the English are definitely missing out on this gem,I will definitely be rebooking.
03 July, 2024
Our Spanish anglers make, good catching during the week. The first days, the crayfish was very active on the spots but after some a huge amount of baits, a mix of skrillex boilies, particules and tigers nuts and fish pellets, the big girls of the lakes cames on the spots and they eating everything. Around 15 fish with 4 over 45 and a top at 53 lbs.
The other carps was in the average around 36 lbs to 40lbs.
03 July, 2024
Loft swim give 15 runs with a couple of 30 to 43 lbs during the week. Father and son was enjoy about the fish and the very good facilities in the loft.
03 July, 2024
Three friends booked swim 9/10/11 for a week but they have a delay and they fished from Tuesday to Saturday only with a total of 20 fish. Some good female was full of eggs and other fish was completely empty after spawning.
Finally it was a good trip with run and sun.
01 July, 2024
48 hour session not bad considering the weather DGF baits done it again
01 July, 2024
Hi Dave. Arrived home yesterday knacked but very happy. Just wanted to extend a big thank you to you and your support team (Jack & wife) for a wonderful weeks fishing and the lovely food package. We had 40+ carp between us including – a 50lb common, 48lb common, 47lb grass, and numerous 30lb+ fish. The catches slowed towards the end of the week, but we all had a great time and appreciated your hospitality and the tranquillity of the lake. Best wishes and hope to see you again.
David.
01 July, 2024
Fun and dream carps holidays around Authentic lake!
Carps until 59lbs with an average just under 40lbs
Sturgeon around 150lbs
Catfish 70lbs
28 June, 2024
Unfortunately the fish kicked off spawning activities on Vince & Dave’s first morning here which put rhe kybosh on their weeks fishing. Despite this the lads managed a few decent carp with a new 45lb PB Mirror for Vinnie and a new 42lb PB Mirror for Dave
27 June, 2024
With spawning out of the way, the first started to get on the munch again. The lads managed to net fish in the 20’s, 30’s, 40’s and 50’s with Goffy being top rid for the week with a mid 50 Mirror and Stu equalling his PB with a 44lb Mirror
27 June, 2024
Etang Rouge re-opened after our 3 wees mid season spawning break when Cliff, Tom & Lewis arrived for their weeks fishing. Despite enduring horrendous heavy rain, thunder, lightning and a few days of hot weather, the lads all managed new PB’s with a 38lb mirror for Cliff, 44lb 8 Common for Lewis and Tom who was top rod for rhe week in swim 2 doing his PB twice in rhe week with a 50lb Common and then a 55lb Mirror
25 June, 2024
Perfect accommodation in beautiful French countryside. Had everything you could ask for. Fishing was great, all fish fought hard so were enjoyable to reel in. All fish were lovely French mirror and common carp. We had 7 in total, biggest being 28lb 8oz common now named megatron. Brilliant hosts and an awesome pizza night.
24 June, 2024
Big carps for two friends during their holidays !!!
24 June, 2024
After 2 weeks closed, Cheshire lake offer several of their big fish to friends came for breaking their records!
Congratulations to them!
Sturgeon 150 lbs
Carps until 49 lbs
Catfish 92 lbs
23 June, 2024
Another surprise one of the original ones
19 June, 2024
Spent a week here the start of June great owner (loved the bbq) not the best pic but this was the biggest at 47lbs
19 June, 2024
A productive week despite mixed climatic conditions, and some residual spawning. A total of 11 fish netted, and many lost. Largest was a shade under 40lbs, and nothing under 30lbs, they would have gone much bigger but spawned out.
It seemed that all methods worked, when the fish were in the mood. Action often came all at once, with several multiple hook-ups.
Great social venue, and the owner is always on hand to provide tips and tactics.
17 June, 2024
A hatrick of forties for Peter after moving from peg 1 to peg 2 after dropping a few fish and landing a stockie from peg one . He beat his pb with a 44lb fish then had another brace of forties before landing his 1st ever grass carp at 28lb then putting on the same spot and landing another at 26lb. Steve bagged the shamrock at 44.12lb then had a few more thirtys upto 38lb and a few twentys upto 29lb before moving into peg 1 for the last 24hours where he had another five fish upto 32lb including stumpy at 29.14lb. So both breaking there pbs again like last year.
16 June, 2024
Trip of a lifetime! 50s, 40s and 30s everywhere!
I mean Wow! What a trip, the best I’ve ever had!! Not sure where to start with Spruce Lake. Firstly the place itself is absolutely stunning, never have i fished at a more idilic place. The owners Mark and Allison are unbelievable hosts, especially as opted for the food package and Allison, being a chef, rustled up some serious grub! Mark did everything you want from an owner, pre baited before I arrived, shown me some hot spots and my god was they hot!! A full catch report is below but breaking my PB 5 times in one session is just unheard of. A real diamond waiting to be found this lake and will in no time be one that’s fully booked year round I have no doubt. Thanks so much for an amazing trip Mark and Allison, I will see you again in September!!
Fish so far…
x1 50
x4 40s
x7 30s
x3 20s
X3 doubles
Tuesday
Two tone mirror (Ash)@ 44lb
Common – 34lb
Mirror – 29lb
Mirror – 24lb
Mirror – 14lb
Tench – 3/4lb
Wednesday
Full scaled mirror – 30lb
Mirror (beauty) – 41lb
Mirror (Wilson) – 40lb
Common – 34lb
Mirror (buster) – 52lb (biggest in lake)
Thursday
Mirror – 14lb
Mirror – 23lb
Mirror – 30lb
Mirror – 31lb
Mirror – 31lb
Mirror (Sherman) – 34lb
Common (gut bucket) – 44lb
Mirror – 12/14lb
15 June, 2024
Sam fished for 72 hours and caught 7 fish upper 30’s and seven fish mid to upper 20’s, his dad, Andy fished for the week and caught five mid 30lb and one 13.4lb Koi
15 June, 2024
Dec caught his PB on his first day 31lb 4oz and then two days later smashed that with a 53lb 6oz stunner
15 June, 2024
Only had the 144lb sturgeon Had the big catfish on but But lost it Had a small catfish lost it at the side of the bank got to see it though. Had 7 runs absolutely wicked place booked again for next year see you soon
14 June, 2024
From last week’s fishing party here we have John Tranter, who enjoyed his week, landing some good fish. Here is John with a lovely 50lb mirror
14 June, 2024
Last week the Lads had a superb week.
The 6 x anglers all had at least one mid 50lb carp , ( 8 x50s landed in total ) along with the big scaled mirror just under 70lb.
Here is Billy Stutter with two fifties he landed to 54lb
14 June, 2024
From last week, here we have Steve Wiles, who landed some lovely fish. The best being this stunning 54lb common, and lovely 48lb mirror
14 June, 2024
Some lovely fish where caught last week from the lads from Belgium.
14 June, 2024
Some decent fish to over 50lbs landed this week.
14 June, 2024
From last week the lads endured some horrendous weather with a lot of heavy rain. But they still landed some cracking fish .
Here we have Matty Plank who landed a lot of fish including the scar common a little under it normal 60lb weight at 59lb. Also matty landed a lovely full scaled mirror and many more besides
14 June, 2024
So from last week we had three Lads who booked the lake, and despite a very slow start and a very wet week, the fish finally decided to feed, after two very slow weeks previously.
Here is the party leader Ian Frost, who landed some lovely fish, the best being the 55lb 2oz common ( first pic )
14 June, 2024
And from the same fishing party the other week, a mixed bag of some of the other fish landed
Well done lads, in getting the photos in the very few times it wasn’t raining
14 June, 2024
Well done Joseph in total 19 carp including 4 fish over the 40 lbs mark some 30 lbs and also some of the growing 20 + carp
13 June, 2024
We had 45 carp, to 46lb. But, a lot of bream too and they will take a double 20mm.
There are no facilities on the lake, except the dry toilet, no water or hand wash as the facilities were out of use due to a storm. Showers are available at the campsite which is a 2 minute drive
The lake is getting overgrown and quite snaggy.
13 June, 2024
After a few lost fish Joe managed to get a couple more in the net shame for the hook pulls seemed like good size fish too
13 June, 2024
We had an amazing time, caught loads of fish 30lb + Julie was a great host and very helpful and friendly, would definitely go back and recommend to others
12 June, 2024
Kyle and his family with us this week with his two sons and mum and grandma all fishing at some point during the week. And what a week it was with non stop action and over 60 fish to the net from some of our stunning fully scaled mirror carp ,Grass Carp and sturgeon all giving everyone new pb’s of some sort as well as enjoying the delights of our superb luxury cottage with the family playing pool , pro table football , French boules , darts and the Xbox and enjoying the hot tub and the gas fire pit along with some great BBQ’s when not fishing in the evenings a fantastic week for all the family.
12 June, 2024
Dave and Steve with us this week and after catching no fish on his last few trips to France Dave especially was hoping to get amongst some of our stunning fish and he wasn’t disappointed. A great week had by both of them with new pb Grass carp and Sturgeon for Dave along with a couple of our stunning fully scaled mirror carp coming to the net.No nights fished and the lake rested in the afternoons as the guys just chilled out in the sun in our stunning cottage garden or playing pool. Most fish taken on house boilies , cranberry & caviar, over house pellet and particle on snowman rigs with pink or yellow toppers soaked in Dragons breathe Korda Goo.
11 June, 2024
This is the gold standard that all lake owners should aim for. The accommodation was spotless clean well laid out and had every thing you could possibly want better equipped than my own kitchen. Phil and Jane perfect hosts lovely welcome and very friendly on hand if ever needed, Phil landed several fish for me and took photos. I joked with Phil that we like to give feed back as to how he could improve the facilities and I laughed the only thing that could be better was the latch on the gate to the lake…. This was replace within 48 hours 😂😂😂 now perfect. Phil knew every fish in the lake and you can see his passion whilst no 50lb carp or greater in the lake yet his fish are the best looking fish I have had the pleasure to catch and most looked bigger than the scales showed and they put up a great fight. 2 experience fisherman but not fishing to hard and no nights we caught 30 fish including sturgeon. Very comfortable bed hence why I didn’t start fishing to 9am most days it was a struggle getting out and the best showers we have seen in France. If is had a wife and family this would be the perfect location for a family holiday. I recommend this lake highly best place we have been and we have probably been on 20 plus trips to France well done to Phil & Jane you have nailed this and you hard work over may years providers people with amazing holiday thanks Dave & Steve
11 June, 2024
A couple of hours on the river gave me this nice barble and it was the smallest one of the group
10 June, 2024
We had a great week at Hunnyfields staying in Hamlets Retreat. The fishing was patchy during the course of the week depending upon weather conditions; which were unusually cold for the time of year. Some days we didn’t catch at all, and on several days we had double runs shortly after casting in!
In total we had:
1 x 7lb mirror
1 x 9lb mirror
1 x 18lb mirror
6 x 19lb mirrors
1 x 20lb mirror
3 x 21lb mirrors
1 x 21lb common
2 x 22lb mirrors
1 x 23lb mirror
1 x 23lb common
1 x 25lb mirror
1 x 27lb common
2 x 38lb commons
All of the fish fought incredibly hard, leading us to think we’d attached ourselves to monsters! We caught on standard tactics, bottom baits, pop ups and snowman rigs and half a dozen fish including one of the 38’s came to float fished sweetcorn in the margins.
It was disappointing not to catch more of the 47 carp between 30-57lb’s, but means there’s 45 more of them to after on our next trip!
The lake and grounds are stunning and very peaceful (when the frogs that sound like ducks aren’t croaking!) Steph and Keith are great hosts and lovely people, and there’s a good chance Mickey the dog will adopt you whilst fishing!
10 June, 2024
Getting good photos of your capture whether in the UK or carp fishing in France gives you something to look back on, provides material to show your mates and other anglers, and helps bring those memories flooding back. Of course, taking great carp photos are also essential to providing content in these days of social media.
Decent images are not difficult to achieve and modern technology makes the job a whole lot easier. Digital cameras, be they DSLR, mirrorless, bridge, or even compacts, are well capable of taking good quality images and their settings can be automated to make the whole process relatively simple. Although your phone can create some nice, clear shots, we’d recommend using a camera to avoid the wide-angle perspective, with both the fish and angler’s hands appearing enlarged.
Getting the perfect shot of carp a carp on the bank
Use the guide below to obtain images that are close to the perspective the human eye sees:
Full-frame DSLR and mirrorless cameras
Crop sensor DSLR and mirrorless cameras
Bridge cameras
Compact cameras
While using the auto setting will produce okay results, cameras won’t be programmed to recognise that you are photographing a carp, so you’ll be far better off in Portrait Mode. However, utilising Aperture Priority (A or Av, depending on the manufacturer) is a much better choice. It allows you to set the depth of field (how much of the image is in focus) while the camera takes care of the rest to achieve the correct exposure.
The aperture is a measurement of how wide the shutter opens and is represented by an f-number. Wider apertures (low f numbers) make a smaller portion of the shot in focus, blurring the background and making the fish and angler pop for a more effective image. An aperture of around f5 is a good starting point but consider your photographer’s abilities. A decent photographer should be able to take a nice shot at f3.5 or wider, whilst you’ll want to dial it up to f8 or more if you’re not sure of their capabilities.
Just you and the fish as the subject so Spot Focus should be selected rather than Area Focus, making sure the focus point in on the fish (usually the central position or one press below). The person wielding the camera needs to aim the focus point at the fish, press the button halfway until the camera beeps to confirm focus and then hold it there while framing the shot and firing.
Whilst prepping your camera, go as if to take a shot, press the button halfway and note the shutter speed and use flash if it’s 1/60th second or slower.
Know which camera setting you should be using
Whilst you might think full sun is desirable, it can create a harsh image with bright reflections on the fish’s flanks. Aim for a shady spot for more consistent, detailed results and avoid the worst possible, dappled shade.
During the daytime, you want to be at least a few yards away from the background to create blur for a more impactful image. Bushes, undergrowth and trees make reliable backdrops, but open fields, pathways and water can make an interesting alternative. Something a bit different, such as a building (think Horton Church), structure (Lac St Cassien’s famous bridge) or whatever, can be what creates a magical photograph. Don’t be afraid to experiment and fire off a few shots to see what they look like in search of getting that perfect photo.
Obviously it’s preferable to be on soft grass as opposed to gravel or concrete and flat ground, or a gentle incline towards yourself, enables you to maintain the best control of the fish. As well as helping to protect the carp’s slimy, mucus layer a bucket of water is useful to rinse off any leaves, weed or those foamy bubbles that appear on carp’s flanks in warm conditions.
Ideally, you want to get a proven photographer to take your catch shots. If they’re around at the time of the bite, ask them to dig your camera out and take some shots of you playing the fish. Atmospheric images such as these will tell a bigger story than just the trophy shots. Much of the time, though, you’ll be saddled with whoever is walking past or the angler next door. If you’re not familiar with your cameraman’s abilities, it’s a good idea to have them take a couple of test pics to see if they can frame and focus well enough.
Remember, it’s up to you to give instructions. Ask them to take plenty of shots and not get in too tight, as shots from a bit further away can be more interesting, and images can be cropped quite heavily without causing an unacceptable drop in quality. You should have an idea of how close they should be, but do ask to see a shot or two. Keep some dialogue going with your photographer and ask questions, as they may not be the type to give instructions.
Getting the best day time photo is all about the lighting
When it comes to holding your prize up in front of the camera, do so confidently. Reach underneath and nestle your middle finger up underneath the pec, where there is a little recess. The other hand goes under the anal fin and holds it flat against the carp’s body. Your hands are there to provide a platform on which the fish sits. If you try and grip the fish you’ll end up with your fingers all over the flanks. It’s easier to hold a carp, especially a big one by utilising one of your knees, at the heavier head end, as support. Adopt a few different poses as the shots are rattled off.
Realistically, you’re after a few killer shots, so look at the fish’s head, tail, straight at the camera, smiling, serious to give a variety of expressions. Tilt the fish a few degrees either way to avoid the light reflecting off the flanks and ask your photographer to take some portrait shots and some alternative aspects, head on, tail on etc. Wetting the fish regularly will keep it looking fresh and healthy. You don’t want to be keeping your capture out of the water for long so all this needs to happen pretty quickly before it’s time to put it back. Ask your photographer to get some return shots, which can be particularly effective.
How to hold a carp for a great photo
You don’t need to retain fish until daylight to get good pictures as well-lit night shots are easily achievable with a few changes to the procedure. Obviously, you’ll be using flash to provide light. This can come from an external flash gun, however, the inbuilt flashes of today are very capable and produce sufficient illumination, especially if you adjust the flash compensation to +0.7 or +1. Night shots require the background foliage to be close to bounce the flash’s light around and illuminate the scene. Use a fairly narrow aperture (f8) to keep more of the shot in focus.
Digital cameras make self-take photography so reliable and consistent that it is many anglers’ preference. A flip screen means you can see the images as you take them and adjust your position accordingly.
To enable your camera to focus you’ll need AF assist to be on (you can leave it on permanently). A tripod or even an adapter (adjustable is more practical), connecting the camera to a bankstick are much better than balancing cameras on buckets.
Depending upon your particular model, you are likely to have a remote trigger available, enabling you to take your shots one at a time. Keeping it in a tiny, press seal plastic bag or taping up the battery compartment keeps water out of the electronics. It’s best to set the trigger for a two-second delay, giving you a moment, after pressing, to compose yourself. Holding the remote in the hand by the pec, otherwise, it’ll be pointing in the wrong direction. Alternatively, an affordable piece of kit called an intervalometer can be used to set the camera to fire as many shots as you like at your chosen intervals.
It’s essential that everything is in the right place, so assume the position and take a shot. Make adjustments to the camera’s position or angle and try again until it’s right, prior to taking the fish from the water and doing it for real.
A tripod is essential for carp fishing self-takes
If you’ve done everything right, you should have some good shots to use but sometimes it doesn’t work out as you hoped. It’s well worth playing around with a photo editing app to see if you can get something useable. Cropping your images to get you and the fish central and straightening them up so they are horizontal is standard practice, and it’s a simple matter to lighten or darken them a bit. Save your efforts as copies so you’ve still got the original to work on at a later date.
Hopefully, you’ll see an improvement in your results, but remember that, over time, the more you practice, the better your images will become.
10 June, 2024
Not bad for the first days fishing
07 June, 2024
A stunning lake run by Francis a nicer man you could not meet nothing is too much trouble for him although the carp weren’t that prolific the sturgeon were certainly were banking over 40 the best being 291/2 lb smallest 18 lb carp to 35lb including a stunning Koi of 17lb
07 June, 2024
we had a lovely time although the weather was very mixed. 12 carp caught up to 45lb between me & Terry fishing days only. The gite is very well equipped and the setting is lovely being completely in the wild. Dave & Doreen are great hosts and provided everything we needed.
07 June, 2024
WELL DONE JOE NICE ANGLING
06 June, 2024
Lake owner was a godsend, such a nice and helpfull guy, really made our stay perfect.
05 June, 2024
One of the greatest aspects of carp fishing is its variety. Whether that’s in the strains and characteristics of the fish themselves, the environments in which we find them or the baits we use to catch them, carp fishing takes many forms and carp fishing with natural baits should not be overlooked.
You should not loose sight that before carp anglers came along, a carp’s entire diet is natural food and this is what it is genetically programmed to eat. Boilies are an easy and rich food source for carp to turn to. But fishing with natural baits can trigger something inside a carp’s DNA and trigger a feeding response which is like flicking a switch!
At your average British day-ticket or syndicate water, almost every angler will be using one of a handful of rigs and location hot spots will be broadly known, but bait is an area for experimentation. On these venues, if rules permit, using ‘naturals’ can be a real edge.
The term could apply to any bait that hasn’t been man made, but in fishing we use it to mean living baits. The classic natural is the maggot, but other options like worms, prawns and some other more leftfield items can be deadly carp catchers. Anglers used to pungent-smelling boilies may look at maggots and worms and wonder where the attraction lies, but almost all fish are switched on to these baits so their pulling power is unquestionable. Whether it’s down to amino acids or something beyond our comprehension, carp love these baits.
Carp fishing with natural baits can give you a massive edge
Some day-ticket waters have banned or limited the use of maggots due to excessive use affecting water quality, but if deployed sensibly they can be a great carp bait. If your venue contains plenty of silverfish then using them in summer can see you plagued by nuisance species, but in winter, when activity levels have tailed off, carp love these easily digestible grubs. Maggots can be introduced with a spod or in PVA bags and take on powdered flavours very well for an extra edge. Turmeric, chilli powder and fishmeal powders have all been added to maggots to great success for many years.
On waters were maggots are banned, anglers have sought to find a similar advantage in different ways. Some have used a particle mix containing rice (often dyed red) to mimic the appearance of maggots, while recent years have seen an a big spike in the popularity of worms in the carp arena.
When Linear Fisheries curtailed the deployment of maggots, some of the best anglers in the country turned to dendrobaenas and lobworms and had massive hits before the secret inevitably slipped out.
Used in large quantities for spodding out, worms are more expensive than boilies, but the results can be incredible. As Lawrence East showed at Brasenose One in a recent episode of Thinking Tackle OD, a chopped-up mix of hundreds of worms creates a hugely attractive bed of bait. The severed worms leak out potent juices and the carp, it seems, are hard-wired to accept this as a food source.
Of course, both worms and maggots are great hookbaits too, particularly in bunches, but it can be prudent to bundle them with a buoyant fake version or a bit of foam to help present them. The addition of a durable fake bait on your hair also means you are still ‘fishing’ even if roach or skimmers attack the real baits.
Maggots can be used to devastating effect
Rig-wise, you must always be aware that these wrigging baits can cause problems with some presentations. Soft, supple hairs can coil and tangle with the movement of a big bunch of worms or maggots, masking your hookbait and ruining the rig mechanics, while it’s probably best to chop down worms into smaller chunk to avoid them covering the hookpoint. A few manufacturers make special maggot clips, which are ideal for threading and securing grubs in place, either at the end of a Hair or sliding on a D rig. Other options include tried-and-tested rigs like the mag aligner.
If using these baits in a traditional bait-and-wait situation isn’t for you, carp fishing with natural baits such as a big bunch of maggots or a plump lobworm can be a great stalking bait. Alan Blair is a big fan of freelining a dozen or so maggots with a sliver of foam to allow them to fall slowly through the water. Few carp can resist such a presentation if placed in their path.
Another natural bait that is perhaps underrated by carp anglers is the prawn. Readily available from supermarkets, these pink, fleshy baits are used by lots of coarse and match anglers and pick up plenty of carp.
They are not the toughest of hookbaits, so meshing them is a good idea if you want to cast long distances and leave your rigs out for hours at a time, but they are a great stalking option in situations where you can see that your hookbait is still in place.
What other naturals will catch carp? Probably, given the species’ greedy nature, just about anything! Crayfish tails, slugs? Certainly an option, particularly on the rivers. And how about sea bait like lugworm and peeler crab? Perhaps the next big thing in bait could come from just such a source.
We partnered with Impact Particles and if you use the following discount code DREAMCARP you will receive 10% off all purchases from their website.
05 June, 2024
Carp fishing in weed – Anglers raised on the near-sterile environments of many modern commercial fisheries can get flustered when it comes to carp fishing weedy lakes, but it doesn’t have to be this way. Carp thrive in weedy lakes, weed is full of natural food for carp to eat and in the day time it pumps in much needed oxygen. Although its presence does create some issues for anglers, it certainly shouldn’t scare you.
Read our expert guide on how to carp fish in weed which covers, approach weedy lakes, how to find spots, presenting baits and successfully land carp.
Carp love weed so don’t be afraid to fish for them in it
When presented with a weedy lake, you essentially have two choices, to find a clear spot or fish into the weed. Whatever is the case at your venue, take a moment to assess the situation before deciding whether to opt for clear or weedy spots. An area that is free from weed can often mean it has been cleared by feeding carp, and it also gives you a much nicer surface on which to present a rig unhindered. However, some clear spots might have been fed on so hard that the natural food has all but disappeared, and some spots might have been fished so regularly that the carp associate them with danger. A fresh clear spot is the ideal situation here.
Clear areas in the weed can be natural feeding spots
If you can’t find any clear spots you can always create your own. In a lake full of different species of fish, this can be quite simple if you pick the right area to begin with. Something in the margins, or easily visible from up a tree is ideal so you can monitor its progress. Regular baiting is what’s needed here, but it needn’t cost too much. Bulk particles will stick to weed stems and feeding fish will do your underwater lawnmowing for you. The other option is manual labour with a throwable or castable weed rake. The disturbance is huge, but it can often bring inquisitive carp into the area, and you will definitely unearth plenty of bugs for them to eat.
Weedy lakes are abundant in natural food
In the day time weed pumps much needed oxygen into the water and carp love this rich oxygenated water. As night falls the behaviour of the weed changes and instead of supplying the water with oxygen it does the reverse and removes oxygen from the water. As a result the carp often drift out of the weed during the night time and move into open water where the oxygen levels are higher. As dawn breaks and the weed begins the process of photosynthesis the oxygen levels increase again.
When it comes to rig presentation, it should also be noted that although your rig might lie nicely over a clear area, surrounding weed can really hamper line lay and thus bite indication and your chances of landing a hooked fish. Away from clear areas, your other option is to bite the bullet and get in amongst the green stuff.
There are many factors to consider when taking this route, the first of which is what sort of weed you are dealing with. The worst kind is not technically a weed, but filamentous algae, which looks like candyfloss and can literally envelop a rig leaving it impossible for the fish to find.
There are many other types of weed present in our waterways of varying thicknesses and strengths. It is possible to present a hookbait over low-lying areas of the more plant-like stuff like Canadian pondweed. In fact, heavily weeded areas of this type of weed can be quite dense, allowing you to balance a lead and rig over the top with a bit of thought. Really thick areas of ‘Canadian’ can cause problems when it comes to landing fish, however.
Effective rig presentation is critical when fishing for carp in weedy lakes
Another thing to look out for is the freshness of the weed. In spring and summer, carp can be attracted to fresh growths of weed (and the food items they support). In the colder months, dying weed can still provide a degree of insulation for fish, so make a note of the summer’s weediest areas for use later in the year.
On the rig side of things when carp fishing in weed, a helicopter setup can be advantageous for keeping your rig presentable and hookbait weed free. Set your top bead fairly high and only the lead will be submerged in the weed. A lead clip system can be an advantage when it comes to playing fish out of the weed, and these are usually used with lighter leads.
Dissolvable foam is almost essential in these scenarios. Use it to temporarily suspend your hookbait over the week before the foam melts and lets your bait flutter over the top of the weed.
Dissolvable rig foam is essential when presenting a bait over weed
Pop-ups are the natural choice of hookbait, but don’t underestimate a hungry carp’s ability to hoover up even a partially obscured bottom bait or wafter. Particles like hemp and corn stick to weed stems and provide an incentive for the fish to tear up the bottom. The same is true of halved or crushed boilies, plus ground baits and boilie crumb.
A pop-up or critically balanced bait will ensure that your bait sits on or just above the weed
Moving on to general tackle and your approach to angling, strong lines and beefy hooks are recommended. Hooking a carp is only half the battle in a weedy venue and the first few moments of the fight are crucial. Fish tight clutches and try to bring the fish to the surface as quickly as possible. Slow, ponderous cranks of the reel while pumping the rod up and down can really work against you – instead, if the swim allows, try walking back immediately with the fish on a tight line and your rod held high. This stops the fish from being able to bury down into the weed.
The ideal scenario is bringing the fish to the surface quickly, with a bit of weed over its head. Carp tend to give up the ghost when their eyes are covered, so don’t panic if you seem to be hauling in a lifeless ball of weed.
As with most areas of carp fishing, gaining experience is crucial. Embrace the weed, don’t fear it.
04 June, 2024
Was a difficult week for Rob and Paul with a few thunderstorms and the fish spawning for the second time! First time ever at La Cour…..16 fish were landed and around 5 lost…..43.6. 31.4. 34.3. 44.13. 37.10. 28.3. 46.7. 35.14. 34. 43.10. 25.5. 23.6. 38.10. 45.5. 40.8. 38.12.
04 June, 2024
Jacks lake is a natural lake, lots of snags in the water and if you are not used to snag fishing it can be an issue.
Heavy fishing gear essential . Some great looking fish in jacks lake.
Toilet and shower always clean. The bailiff ( Will) works his socks off and is on the go constantly, trying to improve and maintain the grounds. He is very knowledgeable so listen to his advice.
Two of the three pegs were under water so take appropriate footwear if visiting during a rainy spell.
04 June, 2024
Fantastic venue. Hosts couldn’t have been better
The fishing was great, my pal and I accounted for 40 fish for the week. The biggest was a mirror of 32lb. The lake was immaculately kept with all swims neat and tidy. Food package was top quality. All in all I would recommend the lake to anyone.
04 June, 2024
Had a brilliant week at la froterie..fishing was brilliant for my husband who caught 19 fish in total including beating his PB…gite was lovely and homely..and Lisa and heath was absolutely amazing..they couldn’t do enough for us..we loved everything about the holiday
04 June, 2024
Over 25 carp banked to 46lbs with an average size of well over 30lbs.
04 June, 2024
What a cracking venue this is one of the best looking lakes i have seen.
Everything is clean and tiday and facilities are good.
The owner Andy is a top man, very helpful and friendly.
Although i had a blank week, (it happens) I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this lake. I will be going there again and again
03 June, 2024
What a fabulous week for new customers Jon and Abi. Not only did they manage to have 20 fish between one of which was a Linear caught by Abi which she has named Indi and to top the holiday off Jon went down on one knee and Abi said YES.
Congratulations to you both and look forward to seeing you again next year.
Dynamites Complex T did the Job
02 June, 2024
Hi just a few photos attached . What a fantastic place we have found and will be returning , can’t wait . 9 fish in total , 5 over 45 lb three 30s and a small common . Largest was 45 . Had a great week , Gordon is on hand when you need him .
01 June, 2024
34 lbs common caught on FC boilie Loirbaits and 2 kilo of DGF pellets
31 May, 2024
Wow this is one of the old original stock put in the lake in 1979 only a 24 lbs but size doesn’t always matter
31 May, 2024
We didn’t receive feedback this week but only pictures from the anglers with the biggest a 58lb mirror. The bream were not an issue this week.
31 May, 2024
Had a brilliant time, made to feel very welcome. Caught about 50 doubles and a 70lb catfish.
The Gite was absolutely fantastic with so much room and very clean. Will definitely be going back, 10 out of 10..
Thank you Allan and Josey x
30 May, 2024
We all want to catch fish that are in prime condition. Whilst out of their natural environment, the precious carp we catch are vulnerable, and it’s our duty to handle carp safely on the bank and ensure they are not harmed. Their time on the bank not only permits us to capture the moment but also represents an opportunity to check their condition and give them a little healing assistance if required.
A good quality unhooking mat is required to safely handle carp on the bank
So, how do we go about making sure our quarry is looked after when we catch them? Organisation is the key, and it’s essential to make sure everything is ready in order to minimise the time a fish spends out of the water. It’s also important to have a system to work to so everything goes like clockwork.
image credit to Beausoleil Carp and Cats
A bivvy peg or bank stick will do the job of making sure it doesn’t disappear into the lake. Then you want to see if you can unhook the fish or unclip the rig, in the net. There is a slight risk that, should a rig component become caught in the mesh it could cause the hook to tear in the fish’s mouth. If you can’t, then make sure the line is really slack and loosen off the reel’s clutch.
Secure the net whilst you organise the equipment for weighing and photos
Whilst it’s perfectly possible to carry out the whole procedure solo it’s always easier with two, especially as the excitement of catching a big carp can take over. Either way, it’s time to get everything ready so that the fish is out of water for the minimum time and not left unattended. Choose your location for your photos based not just on the light and aesthetics but also on the ground and topography. Position your mat either on flat land or a slight incline towards you. Grass or soft ground is preferable to gravel or concrete. Fill your water bucket with fresh lake water and place it, along with your unhooking kit, within reach, next to the mat, soak your sling and tare (zero) the scales. Get your camera settings sorted ready to go. Although rare, it’s not impossible for your fish to jump out of the net so be on the lookout and put your mat inside if it’s particularly lively.
Have your kit and equipment ready before lifting the carp out of the water
We’re now ready to remove the fish and the safest way to do this is in the sling. Remove the arms of the net, hold them together and start rolling them to gather the mesh. You’ll need to feel underneath the fish to ensure its pectoral fins are pointing back towards the tail, flush with its body, otherwise they’re likely to break when lifted. You’ll need to get low to the ground so don waterproofs if getting wet and muddy bothers you. If it is a big carp, which if you are on a carp fishing holiday in France is likely to be the case the get a mate or fellow angler to help you to lift the sling. Now work the fish and net into your sling, which is unzipped at one end and carefully close the zip to secure. Another check of the fins and you’re ready to lift. Do this slowly, letting any water drain out and take care not to bump your prize on any scaffold poles, wooden posts etc. Carry your fish low to the ground and lower gently onto the mat.
Ensure the carp fins are tucked into its side before lifting it in the weigh sling
Unhooking, if not already completed, should be done by pressing down firmly on the eye, towards the bend, popping the hook out. If it’s awkward or stubborn, use your forceps to provide a solid grip. A deeply embedded hook is best removed by pushing through having removed the eye with cutters. The rig needs to be put somewhere safe so it can’t interfere but can be located easily, afterwards. Inspect the mouth for any damage. The landing net can now be slid from under the fish, from head towards the tail to protect fins. Make note of any sores, cuts, abrasions, lifted scales or split fins. These will need treating but, as some liquids temporarily dye the flesh, we’ll do this after the photos.
With your water container, ensure that the fish is wet at all times whilst on the bank.
Once zipped up in the sling, you can weigh your catch, but make sure not to snag any fins. Another pectoral check is required before lifting until just off the mat.
Lifting for the photos should be done confidently. Slide one hand under the fish’s head and down towards the pecs. Reach under and tuck your middle finger into the recess where the pectoral fin meets the body. It’s a bit like a carp’s armpit and you’ll know when you’re in the right spot as it seems made for the purpose. Your other hand goes under the other end of the carp around the anal fin.
Lift with the fish tilted slightly towards you and straighten up when in position, hold it low over the mat. You’ll find this more manageable if you use one knee for support, especially with big carp. The head end is heavier, so support this end and swap legs for the other side. If the fish flips, roll it back while simultaneously bending forward to cradle it against your chest and lower it back to the mat. Particularly lively specimens can be covered and secured with the mat’s retaining flap, to work off their excess energy. Once the pics are done treat any wounds with a generous dose of antiseptic to promote healing and protect against any infection.
The all important trophy shot
Returning your prize is one of the most enjoyable parts of the whole experience. Carry your fish back to the waterside in the zipped-up sling (don’t forget the pec check). Try and pick a bit of water that is free of weed and where you can get close to the water. Lower the sling into the water and allow the fish to acclimatise for a minute. It will be beneficial for it to get some oxygen into its blood before expending more energy swimming away. Open the sling, supporting the fish if necessary, and allow it to swim away when it is ready. Watch it as it swims off to ensure it is OK. A tired carp could get stuck in a dense bit of weed and some will sit and sulk for a while, so keep an eye on them until they have gone.
Most of this is down to a combination of common sense and organisation. Don’t be afraid to ask for help until you’ve got some carp handling experience under your belt and, once you have, try to be on hand to assist another lucky captor.
30 May, 2024
Unfortunately couple that were booked on Saturday missed there flight and didn’t arrive until Monday morning. However the fish were back on the munch after the 2 previous lean weeks around spawning. Jeff plumbed for peg 1 and his first fish was a 39lb mirror manj was in peg 2 and had her 1st carp ever a 42lb mirror a great start . Jeff caught consistently all week banking 16 fish with 5 over 40lb
3 of which were over 45lb backed up by plenty of thirtys two of which were 39lb one a lovely fully scaled. Manj didn’t have as many but still had a brace of thiryys biggedt 38.8lb and a few smaller fish lowest 18lb.
Snail and shell with white pop ups doing the business for Jeff. A great result for 5 nights and well worth the long coach trip here. The 39lb fully scaled Jeff had has never been out since i took over in 2018 and was last out at 25lb in 2017. A stunning fish featured in the 1st picture. We still have few weeks free for the last week in August and 1st 2 weeks of September aswell as October. If you want to know more get in touch. Thanks Graham Foxpool
29 May, 2024
Please see our review below 😊
We had a wonderful week at Hideaway Lake and feel like we’ve had a ‘proper holiday’.
We were greeted with a very warm welcome which set the tone for the week.
The food was delicious, the cabins were very cosy and the toilet and shower facilities were great.
Steve and family were always on hand to answer any questions and were extremely accommodating to our needs.
The carp fishing was fantastic with two of us breaking pb’s. The fish were immaculate and Steve was incredibly generous with his time, teaching us so much about rigs, and would not stop until we’d achieved our goal.
The site is deep in the Normandy countryside and feels very well managed whilst maintaining a natural, tranquil and unspoilt atmosphere .
We enjoyed visiting the medieval town of Domfront (10 minute drive from Hideaway) for the local cafes and boulangerie.
We enjoyed a very peaceful week, spending our evenings around the fire listening to the resident owl.
We found it the perfect place to enjoy a combination of fishing, family time and exploring local towns and villages.
Thank you all for a very memorable week, bonne continuation!
Thanks again to you all for a fantastic experience.
Best wishes
Taylor family
29 May, 2024
Big leather carp and impressive two tones before spawning during the trip of Spencer and his family.
29 May, 2024
We welcome the Taylor family this week, great guys who really get what we are about,
Family time in a tranquil setting, home cooked food and some stunning carp!,
In between the thunder storms Phil smashed his pb with this stunning mirror
28 May, 2024
Great Lake caught around 250lb of fish,mainly mirrors with a few commons all fish great condition increased my pb to 35lb.fraser on site full time and extremely helpful,beautiful lakes great experience would recommend 👍
28 May, 2024
We had a fantastic time at Mongenet, fishing was unbelievable!! I caught over 80 fish by the end of the week with 4 forties up to 48lb 8oz, over 30 different thirties to 39lb and rest mainly between 22-28lb. Only around 10 were under 20lb between 12-18lb.
Mongenet is definitely a runs water, I couldn’t get 2 rods in the water for most of the time and only fished between 9am-10pm.
I used simple rigs, tubing to protect the fish and wafters for hook baits.
Bait supplied at venue, 25kg of pellet, 10kg of maize and 10 kilo of Shellfish boilies.
Facilities were spot on with everything you need, bonus being the accommodation is so close to the lake as well.
There is also loads to do in the area with plenty of shops and supermarkets close by to keep the family happy.
Thanks to Carl for help and advice over the phone and Lester the owner.
We will definitely be back!!!
28 May, 2024
43.10 mirror
25 common
31.5 grass
43.2 common
35.3 mirror
37.10 mirror
50.2 mirror
23.10 mirror
28 mirror
39 mirror
32.4 mirror
31 mirror
42.4 mirror
31.4 mirror
28 May, 2024
52.11 common
33.3 common
46.1 mirror
24.6 mirror
25.14 mirror
42.14 mirror
24.12 common
21.6 mirror
26.5 mirror
39.5 common
33.14 mirror
36.4 mirror
16 grass
33.3 mirror
28 May, 2024
41.9 grass
tench x 3
36.9 common
25.5 common
33 mirror
28.12 mirror
47.5 mirror
26.4 mirror
36.09 mirror
41.10 mirror
23 mirror
28 May, 2024
42.8 mirror
26 grass
36.6 mirror
48 mirror
44.7 common
31.8 mirror
39.12 mirror
27 mirror
28 mirror
44.10 mirror
41.8 grass
30.7 mirror
33.8 mirror
36.9 mirror
26.4 mirror
28.2 mirror
40 mirror
35.2 mirror
33.6 common
30 grass
36.5 mirror
29.11 grass
27.1 common
31.3 mirror
42.13 mirror
sturgeon
31.12 mirror
44.2 common
38.12 common
37 mirror
33.8 mirror
43 mirror
41.08 common
36.8 mirror
27 mirror
37 mirror
34.12 mirror
26 mirror
37 mirror
28 May, 2024
33.8 mirror
49 mirror
41.8 mirror
41 mirror
40 mirror
45.12 common
50.8 mirror
43 mirror
29.8 mirror
27 mirror
37 mirror
28 May, 2024
Part 1: Some pictures from the last month or so. Several productive weeks with one week producing 13 40’s and 4 50´s. Last week the guys had a staggering 92 fish between the 4 of them.
Pic drop 1
28 May, 2024
Part 2: Some pictures from the last month or so. Several productive weeks with one week producing 13 40’s and 4 50´s. Last week the guys had a staggering 92 fish between the 4 of them.
Pic drop 2
28 May, 2024
Jon and Sean are back with us this week and the fish are finally back in the game! It’s only Tuesday and they’ve had 28 fish including Grass Carp to 46lb, a 40lb 4oz Common (New Lake Record) and an incredible 58 lb 4oz Mirror!
28 May, 2024
Our second guests were Glen, Mark & Tom Again the rain continued but the bigger fish were finally on the move. They finished the week with a total of 11 fish landed including a Grass Carp, unusual this early in the season, and a fantastic 56 lb PB for Tom
28 May, 2024
First holiday of the season we were joined by Kevin and his family. Despite difficult condition Kevin caught some nice carp.
28 May, 2024
Charlotte stuck with it during a week of N easterly cold winds. Just fishing during the day’s, she was rewarded with some lovely Carp landed with captures in the 40s including this one at 48.2 . Well fished Charlotte.
28 May, 2024
Great bunch of guests this week & a few of the captures, #6 with Maskills & #3 the point producing most of the fish, good angling skills lads
28 May, 2024
Despite tough conditions this week some good fish landed and all looking in superb condition!
28 May, 2024
Great group of guests here at St Brice this week & Paul with his Springate style photo during the middle of Thursday night was epic. Then Simon & Matt with their two commons from the point this afternoon was amazing too, great angling guys
28 May, 2024
A great week with some known fish caught which are now packing on the weight. Weight tips commons was a shade under 50 at 48lbs 70z. An awesome carp and one that will certainly be over 50lbs next year
28 May, 2024
We welcomed back Steve and Dave this week joined by brother Russ, great guys, laughed all week, please see Steve’s kind words below
‘Just on the way home from an awesome weeks fishing at Hideaway lake in France. Steve, Elaine, bins and grass were brilliant hosts, some great fish caught and some beasts that got away. Anyone who likes to fish for big fish in awesome surroundings with lakeside cabins needs to visit, my second time and will certainly be back.’
28 May, 2024
The boys had a great week at Jimmy’s lake biggest a 42lb mirror caught by Ross.
28 May, 2024
A really good result from last weeks guests. They managed over 130 carp between them to just over the 40 lb mark. The fish are loving the sunny weather at the moment.
28 May, 2024
Well done to the boys a few weeks ago All catching new P.B’s
Lewie 42lb
Aidan 29lb
Dennis 41lb
1st time to France for a fishing holiday for the boys !
Lost quite a a few fish that week but all left there happy!
Well done lads 🎣🎣💯
28 May, 2024
It’s been a difficult couple of weeks with weather and spawning activity but guys and girls all catching some nice fish. Well done all. And great camera work Jo with Dolly the dog keeping the peace. See you next year.
28 May, 2024
With the fish spawning as last weeks guests arrived it was always going to be tricky but the lads managed over 40 fish between them.
28 May, 2024
A week on the island spent with his wife, VIP position
28 May, 2024
25 Carp for Rich and Rob upto 41.06 with “Finjab” that was stalked out from the “Hide Out” ! New lake record for Stalking! We’ll done chaps!
28 May, 2024
28 carp landed this week with the biggest a 40lb commons and 14 30s.
28 May, 2024
We welcome Paddy, Stuart and 10 year old Daniel this week, Paddy leading the way so far (pb smashed twice), but after a move today hopefully Stuart and son Daniel team be off the mark today, Daniel’s Pb is already 27lb and already an accomplished angler, so polite, pleasure to have him here.
28 May, 2024
Thèse 2lovley grass carp fell to a HBerry pop up on a hinged chod rig 38 lbs and 41 lbs
27 May, 2024
Very hard week for friends but big carps until more than 40lbs for them!!
27 May, 2024
Great trip for friends at Authentic lake!
35 carps until near 50 lbs and high average!
26 May, 2024
Overnighter gave me thèse three carp caught on HBerry boilies with DGF pellets mix
26 May, 2024
Another surprise landing.
The catfish was hooked again, this time by Mike and with the help of John landed. A whopping 70lb.
A record PB for Mike!
Carp caught over 50 doubles.
25 May, 2024
Over 20 carp landed for the angler on this week and the fish are all looking in mint condition! Top angling
25 May, 2024
💥 lacbaleine does it again 41 banked
THREE new personal bests
TWO X 50s
TEN X 40s
TWELVE X 30s
rest 20s and doubles
25 May, 2024
Etang la Saussaie catch report Ten fish landed. Two 30’s to 35, Six 20’s and 2 high doubles.
Some stunning fish as per normal🎣
25 May, 2024
Not a bad week on etang la saussaie considering they starting spawning mid week.
14 fish banked upto 48lb
5 lost.
Great angling guys 🎣
25 May, 2024
Catch report lac baleine
35 fish landed with a few loses
Six X 40s to 49
Forteen X 30’s
The rest 20 and few doubles
Glad you enjoyed your week guys and thank you for leaving the lake perfectly clean 👌 see you in October 🎣
25 May, 2024
Catch report etang la saussaie 10 takes 10 landed
To 50lb
Well done guys 🎣.
Always an absolute pleasure having you on the lake 😊.
See you in August.
24 May, 2024
A challenging week due to the extreme weather conditions, however the angler still had a decent week with the biggest carp landed a 50lbs 7oz mirror.
24 May, 2024
8 fish landed for one angler with the biggest being 58lb4oz and an average weight of 33lbs.
24 May, 2024
Some chucky mirrors for the 2 anglers this week.
24 May, 2024
New lake record just landed, a massive 59lbs 5oz and the 5th carp over 55lbs caught so far this year
22 May, 2024
Finally the rain stopped and I was rewarded with this lovely 38.12 mirror caught with DGF Baits
22 May, 2024
Around 20 carp landed including 5 over 40 with the biggest 46lbs. Beautiful commons
22 May, 2024
Playing catch up so 2 reports at once. The last 2 weeks have been a bit slow due yo weather conditions and fish spawning. The on 5th of May had a deluge of rain on them as they arrived and there was only 15 fish out biggest 58.8lb and the rest were mainly in the thirtys. The lads on the 12th may arrived to 28° and on the Sunday and Monday the fish were spawning all over the lake Steve in peg 2 managed a 38lb leather from peg 2 before spawning but it was slow for all four especially at the start . Don had a brace of forties to 47lb and Steve had another 36lb and 40lb fish Jeff had 4 fish from peg 3 but only upto mid thirties Simon had to wait until Thursday for his first fish then managed 4 before they went but the heavy rain kept them company all week. After a heavy storm Monday night the fish stopped spawning but a most the fish out since then are still carrying spawn. It picked up Friday night and this week is fishing a lot better but we’re are still getting lots of rain which is unprecedented in France this time of year.
21 May, 2024
Mick and Dave had a good week despite the torrential rain. Dave smashed his PB with a 45lb Mirror and again with a 49lb Mirror. Dynamites complex T, pellet, hemp and corn with a variety of different hook baits did the job. Well done Mick and Dave
21 May, 2024
Had great week 30 fish caught including a stunning 43,7lb leather carp. We also lost lost several other carp, lovely venue and host francis many thanks
21 May, 2024
So last week we had @samr1990 on the Chalet Swim and this was the first fish landed out of the 10 that he had out during his stay on Noah’s Lake. Absolute mint Mirror! What a way to start your stay 👌🏼🔥
Loads more fish pics coming from his stay so keep an eye out! 👀
21 May, 2024
PB Officially Smashed 💥
Imagine being 13 years old and landing this absolute banger 🔥🔥🔥🔥
After a tough old week on Noah’s Lake, Charlie was packing up last Saturday morning when his rod ripped off and he managed to land The Friendly, weighing in at a respectable 52lb ⚖️ Not a bad parting gift at all!! 💥
21 May, 2024
A week FULL of Mirrors! 🔥
Noah’s Lake last week was seriously producing the goods! These were the 8 fish Mark had from his swim during his stay and what a week he had!!! Absolutely smashed it Mark well in and see you in September!! 🙌🏼
21 May, 2024
Dan was on Noah’s Lake last week and landed 5 fish during his stay. He was so happy with his trip he had already booked his 2025 return dates before leaving the gates 😂👏🏼 Can’t wait to have him back!
21 May, 2024
Regulars David and Julian had 30 Carp between them upto 42.10lb. New Mirror, Common and Grass PB’s for Julian!
We’ll done chaps! Good fishing!
19 May, 2024
Well pleased
19 May, 2024
Well worth the wait!!!
19 May, 2024
Great week for 3 friends with beautiful and big carps for all!
Everyone had 50lbs ++ until 60lbs+ !!!
19 May, 2024
We was waiting about our big fully scales was caught. This is done! What a fish over 45 lbs. 1 months ago it was our big ghost came out at close to 55lbs!
19 May, 2024
Furet has been fishing exceptionally well for many weeks now.
Since we have removed two swims, more carp have been caught and at record weights! The average is high and many pbs have been broken this year. Warren caught 59,12 lbs on swim 9 and swims loft and lodge caught a large amount of fish between 40 to 59 lbs. A lot of fish was around 44 to 49 lbs.
We are happy to see the new scaly stock fish growing very fast.
Many very big commons came out too.
If you like big fish and big common furet is your lake
19 May, 2024
We was happy to meet Paul at camalo. Exclusive lake booking this week. One was on swim 1 and 2 on swim vip. In total around 30 carps caught with a big amount around 33 to 45 lbs. Some of big girl was weighted at 55lbs.
For information, the carp have not spawning yet.
19 May, 2024
It will be the only picture i received from the costumers from last week. Swim 4 send me this very big carp weight over 66lbs.
Other average carp was, caught on swim 2 and 4.
Congratulations for this amazing fish
19 May, 2024
Weather awful, rain, sun, cold, hot really bad fishing conditions but did manage to get these 2 beauties
16 May, 2024
Some more fishes for the Boys up to 45.05 well done lads🎣🎣
16 May, 2024
Little compares to the excitement of stalking carp under the rod tip. Finding fish in the edge, watching them feed and then being in a position to observe what happens when they pick up your hookbait is likely to give any angler an adrenaline rush far greater than when sat behind a battery of rods.
There are other advantages to stalking carp, not least of which is maximising limited time on the bank. In return for rod hours, it’s probably one of the most efficient forms of carp fishing and those who have mastered it have been known to tear lakes apart. Seeing which fish you have on your spot can enable you to select a particular individual rather than fishing blind.
Stalking carp is incredibly exciting
One of the main things to ensure when stalking carp under the rod tip is that you don’t scare them off. Fish are more vulnerable to predation when close to the bank and, coupled with increased visibility in shallow water, are likely to be wary.
A heavy footfall will transmit vibrations into the water, sending the fish packing, so tread lightly. Try to make sure there is background cover to camouflage your outline, as sudden movements might have the same effect. It’s probably not necessary to get into full camouflage, but it won’t hurt to wear dull clothing. Another big mistake is to allow your shadow to hit the water. Carp are very aware of the danger of predation from above and will spook if a shadow hits them.
The old adage of setting up well back from the edge will do you proud. Fish won’t realise there’s a rod sticking out over the water while it remains still, but they will if you accidentally kick it. Move slowly and carefully to make your presence as unobtrusive as possible, and you won’t go far wrong.
Stalking carp is one the most exciting methods of carp fishing
You don’t need a lot of kit to stalk carp from close in. In fact, the less kit you have, the easier it is to move around from spot to spot and make the most of any opportunity that may arise. A single rod and reel, a net, and mat are all the major items you need, along with a little bucket of bait and a small bag containing a few essential items of end tackle, your camera and carp care kit.
Minimal tackle means minimal effort, and it’s easier to find the motivation to go for a couple of hours if you’ve only got to throw a few of bits in the car. Similarly, when on a session, it’s easy to grab a rod and go off looking for an opportunity should your swim go quiet.
A brimmed hat or baseball cap and polarised glasses are two essential items that you don’t want to be without. If you’re going to be doing a lot of stalking, a short, 10ft rod might make it easier to fish some of the more confined nooks and crannies, and you’ll find a small reel more fun to use at close quarters.
Travel light so you can move easily
Small food items are the name of the game. Pellets, seed mixes, chops, and tiger nuts are all good, but corn is possibly the best all-around one. Packaged in a convenient tin, it will last in your bag or car until required. Its vivid yellow colour draws attention, and its visual quality makes it easy to see if it has been fed on. The grains are an appropriate size for both hookbaits and freebies, and carp absolutely love it.
Have a selection of baits to lightly bait a few spots
The last thing you want to do when stalking carp under the rod tip is to fill it in with bait. There are usually a limited number of fish present, and you want to catch one quickly. Using too much bait cuts down the chances of one picking up your hookbait and could even spook them. It can be a tricky balance to achieve as you’re aiming to create a level of confidence but keep them hungry and competing, all in a short period of time. Keep an eye on the spot, topping it up when necessary.
One baiting strategy is to keep walking, looking for opportunities. Once you find fish close in, it’s a matter of dropping a rig, when the coast is clear, followed by a handful of freebies. Another method is to bait various spots around the lake and regularly check them for fish activity, stopping and angling when you find evidence that a spot has been visited.
Don’t over bait, scatter less than a handful of bait and sit, wait and watch
There are lots of spots that are suitable for stalking in the edge. Clean gravel, firm silt, sand and clay are all good. Preferably they’ll be ones where you can see the rig and how it has landed, enabling you to reposition it if it isn’t sitting right. Light levels are usually good, meaning you’ll get away with a lot less in the edge so good presentation is paramount. Try to avoid weedy and choddy spots, as watching carp feed on top of your rig without a pick-up will make you want to keep moving it, and it’s extremely disappointing to reel in afterwards and find the hook point caught up in weed or impaled in a stick.
Clear spots that are tightly baited call for a bottom bait or balanced offering, and there is little call for pop-up rigs. Stalking rigs need to be kept simple as you don’t want to be carrying a vast array of end tackle and all those bells and whistles aren’t really appropriate for the delicate presentation that is required. You won’t have access to a kettle for shrink tube so we’d recommend a hook pattern that turns on its own, without any additions. A short, curved shank pattern is ideal and a downturned eye helps too. A grain or two of corn, a single tiger or trimmed down wafter necessitates a fairly small hook and something like a size 8 is likely to fit the bill. Make sure it is a strong pattern, though, as margin-hooked carp can charge off at speed and you can be sure there will be snags and obstacles nearby.
When lowering rigs, the anti-tangle qualities of coated braids are redundant. Around six-inches of soft, uncoated braid, which can be relied upon to sit well, is a better option. The mechanics of the rig still need to be effective, as it can be incredibly frustrating to watch carp feeding and repeatedly getting away with it. We’d go for something like a blowback rig, a slip D or just a basic hair rig, but anything that is simple, quick and easy to tie and that you are confident in will be just fine.
A heavy leader that pins everything down is an advantage. Lead-free material is more flexible than leadcore and will hug the contours of the bottom. As you aren’t casting, you can take advantage of the superior hooking qualities of inline leads. In this regard, many like to go really big and opt for a 5oz flat pear, although a 2oz lead usually does the job well enough and can be lowered down more delicately. We’d favour fishing these drop-off style, particularly if going big.
Keep rigs simple
Watching fish visit and feed can tell you precisely where you want to place your rig, as they sometimes show a propensity for a very tight part of the spot. Ideally, you want your rig on the nearside so that you don’t have a line running across the baited patch.
Inevitably, some of the carp you find will be taking advantage of cover in the form of snags. Do make sure you can land them from where you fish for them and have a plan for when you hook one. Alternatively, it’s a good ploy to bait a spot nearby as they will sometimes leave the security of cover to search out food when bite time comes around.
That’s our quick guide to stalking carp in the edge. Try not to over complicate life and concentrate on the things that matter, like finding the carp, getting them feeding and watching what they are doing… all while being convinced that your heart is beating loud enough for them to hear it!
16 May, 2024
Super fish last week weight up to 46lb
16 May, 2024
Two Personal Best with carps of 40lbs and 50lbs++ and sturgeons until 85lbs!
Impressive fish!!!
15 May, 2024
Continued bad weather (for the anglers!) with frosts in the mornings and rainy days didn’t stop Gary & Doug having a good week with a new PB for them both and 3 upper 40’s, 5 30’s and one 26lb common – well done chaps!
15 May, 2024
Constant heavy rain and strong winds again had a negative effect on the fishing. Gary arrived with a stinking cold and ended the week feeling even worse; despite this, he still managed a few fish in the 30’s which considering how rough he felt wasn’t too bad a resukt
15 May, 2024
The week started off cold and wet and by the Wednesday it was very obvious the fish where getting ready to spawn with them pairing up all over the lake. Pasq did his Common Pb with a cracking fish just shy of 52, whilst Steve managed a chunky 42lb mirror, Maccy a PB upper 30 and Salvy the same. Both Steve & Salvy lost a few big fish over the course of the week, due in the main to very tentative takes
14 May, 2024
A few fish
14 May, 2024
Great week for the Liverpool lads, heavily baiting with Dynamites Monster Tigernut over a bed of particle and pellet. Totalling 16 carp to over 50lbs. Great Angling
14 May, 2024
New customers Trevor and Ian both smashed their PB’s with a total of 8 carp with several 40lbs+ carp which were all taken on Dynamites Complex T 12mm Hit and Run pop ups, fished over a bed of Particle and Complex T boilie. Well done lads
14 May, 2024
Father and Son’s, Chris, Simon and Craig had a cracking week despite bad weather with a total of 18 Carp. All caught on Dynamites Monster Tigernut boilies. Well done lads and look forward to seeing you next year.
14 May, 2024
Return customers Alan & Paul had a great week despite the weather with 12 carp all falling to Dynamite Baits Monster Tigernut boilies and yellow 12mm Hit and Run pop upds over a mix of pellet and particle. Well done lads see you next year.
14 May, 2024
Hi Guys, we were back this week with a group of 4, returning is Jay, Joe, Darren and newbie Chatty or James.
Fishing swims 4,5,9 and 10.
Guys were using our Archiepeachy red and white with our pellet.
Lots of runs over 30 fish banked up to just short of 55 lb which was Katie tripped up by chatty on swim 4 the guys also lost a few over the week bite time was deffo breakfast time everyone staying on the rods and having breakfast delivered, everyone was into the fish clear winners were swims 9 and 10, some of the A team tripped up The Barrel swim 4, White tip and Stretch swim 9, china plate swim 10 and Two faces the ghost off swim 5, Jay who fished swim 9 had some lovely mint 40 + lb commons it was all about commons on swim 9 no big girl in sight Darren on swim 10 was top rod and chatty on swim 4 won the guys trophy for the biggest fish !
It is great as owners to see our fish all spawned out and really healthy sometimes not so good for the angler but it didn’t matter to these guys we still had lots of PB’s.
Weather for the week was lots of sunshine into mid 30’s some days with a few heavy down pours winds were westerly turned around more southerly as the week went on, oxygen and PH level are good and water temperature stayed around 25 degrees.
See you all again next year !
14 May, 2024
Hi Guys we are back this week with a lake exclusive booking, returning angler Gareth and his Dad John.
Fished Swims 9 and 10.
As before they are using Baitworks Atlantic heat with various hookbaits and lots our pellet all 125 kgs of it
What a start it was for the guys they smashed it in the first 24 hours 3 x 50’s to 59 lb some of the A team and some nice stock fish from the blue lagoon, Stallone, scar, barrel, Abby, Sid and Charlies Shoulders which was the biggest fish of the week @ 59 lb, they stayed on the fish into Monday more of the A Team tripped up Shoulder scale 45,6, Hulk up on its best weight 42,8 and Rumble 43,2 late afternoon Gareth swim 9 off the Daisy spot Marley the leather @ 44 lb 4 oz, into Tuesday Clover @ 40 lb and chunky Lumpy @ a best weight of 41 lb 6 oz, Wednesday took the guys to 51 fish more named fish John tripped up The Old One 41 lb 2 oz Gareth on swim 9 tripped up the Gold Leaf common, Thursday was much quieter but Friday has taken them to 75 fish with China plate 47 lb 3 oz and Coup @ 46 lb 2 oz off swim 10, Saturday morning saw John’s last swim 10 fish trip up Wylie @ 36 lb he also had Turkish @ 35 lb 4 oz, Gareth tripped up Tash @ 48 lb 6 oz and a couple of stockies taking the group to 78 fish swim 9 done 38 fish swim 10 done 40 fish !
Thank you guys for respecting our fishery and looking after the fish when they were tripped up hope to see you again at some point !
Weather was hot and sticky temperatures got into the mid 30’s with a passing storms heavy showers winds were all over the shop.
14 May, 2024
Hi guys, back for second time this season are the East London lads.
Steve, Alan, Dominic and new addition Mario
Fishing swims 3, 5, 9 and 10 other swims that were used over the week especially by Alan lol he liked moving were 4,6,11 And 12 !
Guys are using mainlines Cell, Essential Cell and Link.
They did much better then when they were here back in April, considering the heat wave we are having the guys did well in temperatures hitting 40 degrees in the shade Phew !
Many PB’s were had lots of the A Team were tripped up White Tip, Shoulder Scale, Chunky Lumpy, Jess best weight for this fish 53 lb, chunk the common a PB for Steve, Hulk a PB for Alan, OddBod, Bacon tail, Scar, Rumble and Katie 51 lb 8 oz and last knockings Mario tripped up Scales, we have a new 2 additions in the target fish listing named by Dominic as Esme and Lottie by Steve lots of blue lagoon stock fish and fish that have come through and will start there journey up the ranks.
Lovely group of lads am pretty sure they will be back again and again targeting fish to try and trip up.
14 May, 2024
Hi Guys, Individuals this week,
Simon, Dad Peter, Darren and Neil.
Fishing swims 3,4,9 and 10
Guys are using Archiepeachy red and white, DNA baits, Mainline cell and Royal Marine from baitworks all using our pellet !
Well the guys had a really good week plenty of stockies to keep them busy a few pasties coming through the ranks PB’s for Darren swim 9 and Neil swim 10 lots of the A team Sid 55 lb 4 oz swim 10, Conky 52 lb 12 oz swim 3, Jess 51 lb 8 oz swim 4, Abby the common 50 lb 4 oz caught on swim 4 by Simon he named this fish a few years back after his wife and caught her for the third time, Tash 48,8, China plate 48, stretch the common 46,8, coup the common 45,12, shoulder scale 44,8, scar the common 41,4 also 42 lb 8 oz repeat capture, Ambler 41, chunky lumpy 41, Nutty 29,12, two new names terminator 36 lb 10 oz a stocked fish by us in Nov 20 from the blue lagoon @ 23 lb mega growth and snip 31 lb, all swims producing good numbers of fish over the week swim 3 deffo doing the most swim 10 done a 50 and several 40’s, swim 4 done 10 fish 2 x 50’s, swim 9 slow again with the Daisy spot not producing !
Weather was settled much cooler around 15 degrees lower on daytime temperatures nighttime temperatures very much cooler winds first part of week coming from northerly direction changing to southerly last part of week when temperatures rise again to over 30 degrees again !
14 May, 2024
Hi guys, this week we have just two anglers booked exclusively,
Bob and Nick fishing swims 9 and 10.
Bait used is Archiepeachy boilies red and white and our pellet.
Bob got off the mark on swim 9 straight away tripping up Stallone @ 52 lb 8 oz Boom 💥 this was one of three 50’s the guys had between them others were Conky 52 lb 4 oz and Castle Al finally showed up @ 50 lb 8 oz been on the missing list, more of the A Team china plate 47.6, Fred 42.10, The old one 40 lb and lily pad 34 lb 8 oz, Nick had some nice commons on the up 38.2 and 32lb 8 oz and both had between them several stockies stocked from Blue lagoon in November 20 and 22.
Two lovely guys great anglers didn’t even know they had been here, Me and Ellen were so pleased that they rebooked and paid there deposit for 2024 before they left us.
Weather was hot mid to high 30’s 38 degrees on Monday lots of sunshine back to the milder nights winds from the north to start off turning around to southerly mid week.
14 May, 2024
Hi guys, this week we had returning anglers Keith and Dave booking the lake exclusively for themselves as they did back in April !
Guys will be fishing swims 9 and 10 !
Baits used were Archiepeachy Red and White with our pellet.
The guys had a really tough week high temperatures down 13 degrees the following day changeable winds made it difficult to get amongst the fish and when they did they didn’t stay very long.
Besides all of the above they had several 40’s the biggest a 49 lb common off swim 10 and Dave on swim 9 finished on a 44 lb 8 oz common on the last night, as most weeks this season lots of fish coming through the ranks and several good stockies made up for the time between bites.
It was Red hot Saturday/Sunday high 30’s ! Then very much cooler thundery showers were around and some winds were powerful snapping a tree top on swim 12 which had to be sorted for safety reasons.
Always nice to see these guys lovely people always respecting our fish and property,
See you in June guys oh and also September again 2024 !
14 May, 2024
Hi Guys, returning anglers this week after a 6 year gap.
Andi, Bill, Andrew and new addition Sam.
Fishing Swims 3, 5, 9 and 10/11
Baits used were Archiepeachy Red/white and our pellet.
The guys had a cracking week all did PB’s let’s start with Bill on swim 9 never had a 50 let alone a 60 trips up the Mole @ 62 lb 14 oz 💥 then does a 50 with Stallone @ 52 lb 6 oz double 💥 he also had 2 x 40’s and several stockies, oh and was awarded a 60’s club hoodie, next Bill’s Son Andi on swim 3 was on the fish and had Katie @ 55 lb 6 oz 💥 new PB also shoulder scale @ 44 lb 8 oz Snip @ 30 lb 9 oz he also had several stocked fish from blue lagoon in Nov 20, Andrew had a hard week on swim 10 moving to swim 11 mid week but going back on swim 10 it paid off another new PB the Barrel @ 50 lb 3 oz first 50 he was buzzing ! Last of the group the new bee Sam lovely lad good angler got amongst some stockies and did his PB common with stretch 45 lb 12 oz another group member buzzing, was great to see these guys again forgetting how nice they are respecting our fishery and property!
Weather for the past week was unsettled thundery showers some heavy but still we had lots of sunshine staying mainly on a southerly wind water temperature is still good and oxygen levels good !
14 May, 2024
Hi Guys, another returning group after 10 years from Wales.
Gareth, Andrew, Stuart and Scott.
Fishing Swims 3, 5, 9 and 10.
Baits used are Archiepeachy Red/White, mainline cell, DNA baits (bug) and our pellet.
What a rock hard week this turned into, swim 3 got amongst the fish at times which resulted in 3 x 50’s Jess @ 50 lb 8 oz, Castle Al 51 lb 12 oz and a new PB for Stuart Sid @ 56 lb 14 oz also several 40’s 30’s and stockies, swim 9 didn’t turn up Daisy but did produce Shoulder Scale @ 46 lb, sunshine koi @ 29 lb several 30’s and stockies, swim 10 was quiet to what’s been the norm as the better swim only doing 2 fish a 42 lb and a repeat the sunshine koi, swim 5 several fish to mid 30’s and a new PB for Andrew and his first 60 tripping up the Mole @ 64 lb, all fish I was able to were micro chipped for my records and stock. Other named fish out were Hulk 43.8, the old one 40 lb, Archie 37.6 !
They rebooked for 2025 so we must be doing something right !
Weather was settled good daytime temperatures for the time of year low 30’s and double figure nighttime temps winds were all over the shop but mainly from the south !
14 May, 2024
Hi Guys, we have returning anglers Darron, James, Nathaniel aka Rambo and new addition Michelle.
Fished swims 3,5,9 and 10.
Baits used are DNA baits and our pellet.
Considering the lake fished very hard we had some excellent results with Daisy coming out twice first James on swim 5 @ 73 lb 8 oz then Michelle a few days later on swim 10 tripped her up @ 73 lb 2 oz💥 we also had Clover top weight @ 41 lb 12 oz getting Rambo on the wall of clubhouse, Esme 40 lb, Coup 46.8, Shoulder Scale 44.6, Darron tripped up Abby the common @ 49 .8 he also had a grassy @ 46 lb on swim 9, several 30’s and stockies turned the week around and made it spot on.
We all had some laughs throughout the week, what a lovely group this is, Darron and Michelle have already booked again for two weeks !
Weather was low to mid 30’s first part on a southerly changing mid week to an easterly and a 10 degree drop in temperature ! Returning back to warm again.
14 May, 2024
Hi guys, we welcomed back Ant, Dan, Steve, and Jamie all have been here before on several trips over the years.
Swims fished were 4,5,9 and 10.
Bait used were mainlines Essential cell, Cell, Hybrid and Activ-8, and our pellet.
Where to start ? Well the lake fished hard again but we had some excellent results,
Dan on swim 9 tripped up Daisy 72 lb 14 oz off the Daisy spot 💥🐳🎣 10 years ago he caught her @ 47 lb 8 oz on swim 10 which has stayed his PB to the day crazy 🤯he also had Hulk @ 44 lb 10 oz and chunky lumpy @ 42 lb both at top weights, Jamie did his PB common with the barrel @ 50lb he also had Scar @ 43 lb 12 oz and Oddbod at 40 lb, what a session steve had on swim 4 3 x 50’s Katie @ 58 lb, Conky @ 54 lb and white tip @ 52 lb 8 oz also China plate @ 48 lb, Ant did the most fish with 11 upto 54 lb 12 oz which was Sid the guys also had several stock fish 30’s and 40’s ! Dan caught a common we scanned it and found it was stocked from the blue lagoon in November 20 and has put nearly 17 lb on !
Weather hot for time of year low 30’s still warm nights winds come from the east, south, and a north easterly, pressure was high water temperature 23’s to 16 degrees in the shaded areas. Still no rain !
14 May, 2024
Hi Guys, this week we had a new group on Nathan, Mark, Matt and Luke.
Guys fished swims 3,5,9 and 10.
Baits used are Archiepeachy white and pellet !
The lower temperatures have cooled the water down and has slowed down the fishing everyone got off the mark so no blankers, lots of stock fish coming through the ranks lovely mint commons there’s going to be a big head of commons in the future, Nathan on swim 3 done the biggest fish Jess tripped up @ a top weight 53 lb 9 oz, Mark swim 5 had fish to 39 lb the others had several 30’s between them.
Big change this week much lower temperatures still stayed settled for most of it a lot of rain towards the end of the week, winds starting off with a northerly but changing around all week, oxygen levels are good water temperature still in the 20’s in the sunny spots !
14 May, 2024
Hi Guys, this week 3 locals Ian, Tony, and Lee all English and 2 from the UK Jordan and Rob.
Fishing swims 3, 5, 8, 9 and 10.
Baits being used are Archiepeachy red and white and pellet.
Well, where to start? What can you say about this week? A wash out, that’s an understatement, it rained and rained and rained, don’t know how they stuck it out to the end but they did. If we did hoodies for the wettest conditions I’ve ever fished, they would all have one!
We were supposed to drop the main lake water to net in a weeks time but sadly this wont happen because we are flooded out where the outlet to the lake is so there wont be any where for the water to go. I still have the house lake to pump out and get the fatties out and move to the blue lagoon to be stocked in a couple of seasons.
Lets get back to the fishing. We had 2 PBs with Jordan swim 3 tripped up Ambler @ 45 lb 2 oz and Rob on swim 5 tripped up Bacon tail @ 37 lb another side was very quiet no big girls the lads also had several stockies and Ian on swim 8 did a mid 30. I hope Rob and Jordan wont be put off by their first French trip and return with the guys next year who have already booked their week, this time when its hopefully warmer and drier.
14 May, 2024
Hi Guys, We had our good friend Sir Bob over for the next week helping me out grading the house stock lake removing unwanted, keeping the fish we want to bring on and moving the C2/3 fish over to the blue lagoon.
Bob fished swim 9 using our Archiepeachy white/red boilies pellet and our winter feed mix, didn’t take him long to get off the mark Tripping up Esme @ a top weight 43 lb 6 oz early hours alarm call next day Thursday 3 more fish a stockie a 35 lb and the unknown fully @ 34 lb 7 oz another top weight what a stunner this fish is and one of our own bred fish ! 3 more today Friday Sip @ 38 lb 14 oz amazing weight gain since her stocking from blue lagoon in nov 20 @ 19 lb a 34 lb and not forgetting shoulder scale top weight @ 50 lb 7 oz, All fish were caught on Archiepeachy white tipped with pink topper. Bob ended his session on a 38 lb 8 oz common up from last capture over 3 lb !
14 May, 2024
Hi Guys, first week of the season really looking forward to it see how all the hard work of feeding them over the weather has paid off.
We welcomed Dave, Jason, and two Marks one of the Marks is his first time with us the others have visited many times over the time of our ownership which is now 14 years.
Guys are fishing swims 3,5,9 and 11 and are using various boilies baits with particle mixes they brought with them.
Very quiet week on most the swims only Dave on swim 3 had a very good session on a difficult week starting with his new PB Jess @ 56 lb, Solar 54 lb, China plate 51 lb 12 oz, Blondie 49 lb 2 oz a 35 and a couple of stockies, Mark was on swim 9 nothing big this time around a 39,35, and a 32, Jason swim 11 was very quiet 33 lb 4 oz golden common, Swim 5 did nothing but he did lose a fish. All Dave’s fish up 3 lbs on there best weights all the guys caught several stockies between them so well pleased.
Dave has his picture 3 times on the wall of the clubhouse along with Mark swim 9 catching Nutty at its best weight so they now join the rest of the A team !
Weather over the week was crazy storm fronts thunder, lighting, hale heavy cold showers strong winds all over the place and not forgetting the very cold night and morning that surprised us all to say they had it all would be right !
14 May, 2024
Hi Guys, for the next 3 weeks we have Sir Bob on lake exclusive, being joined from week to week with friends and brothers. This week we had Ben who’s a first timer here and Colin who has been out before.
The Guys fished swims 3,4 and of course 9, then swim 1 and 5 midweek.
Bait used was our particle, pellet first time this year Archiepeachy red and white boilies some Cell and essential cell some DNA bait.
Let’s start with swim 3 1 x 68, 5 x 50’s, 5 x 40’s 1 x 30 and several stockies fished by Ben 🔥 also swim 5 after he had a mid week move. The Mole @ 68 lb 4 oz (m)💥The Barrel 55 lb 4 oz (c)💥Abby 54 lb 8 oz (c)💥Sylvia 53 lb 6 oz (c)💥Castle Al 52 lb 8 oz (m)💥Tash 50 lb 12 oz (m)💥Scar 48 lb 8 oz (c)💥Denise 44 lb 2 oz (c)💥Archie 43 lb 4 oz (m)💥 Esme 43 lb 2 oz (m)💥Dylan 40 lb 14 oz (m)💥 36 lb (c)💥 Emma 29 lb 4 oz (m)💥and a couple of stockies Ben smashed it 🎣🐳🔥 Colin was on swim 4 but moved to swim 1 mid week which see him do his PB tripping up Rumble @ 49 lb 4 oz (m)💥 and a couple of stockies, Bob found his first week on swim 9 so slow 32 mirror and common Ezekiel a stock fish @ 29 lb and several other stockies !
Weather was settled much warmer Saturday 29.4 degrees dropped off mid week before it rised again Thursday/Friday winds again all over the place pressure when the guys started 998 PH is 8.8 oxygen levels are very good.
14 May, 2024
Hi Guys, we said goodbye to Ben and Colin and welcomed Ashley and Connor,
Swims being fished Bobs staying on swim 9 Ashley is on 3 and Connor is on swim 4.
Bait being used is our particle, pellet Archiepeachy white boilies our peach glug.
New to carp fishing Connor was first to catch swim 4 tripping up Terminator best weight for this male fish smashing his PB on a white Archiepeachy 🍑bottom bait, Bob caught a newly named stock fish Arthur ! Microchipped when stocked from Blue lagoon @ 22 lb now 33 lb also caught on white Archiepeachy boilie 🍑tipped with a pink topper !
As the week went on Ash on swim 3 must have been thinking the worst then 2 tripped up microchipped fish Sprinkles from blue lagoon from 25.8 now 34 lb 6 oz 👀 and second appearance this month Solar @ her best weight 55 lb 2 oz on a double 18 mm white Archiepeachy 🍑
Wednesday early morning call out Ash again swim 3 tripped up Sid @ 57 lb 14 oz my suspicions were correct they have definitely had a spawn up !
Several other stockies were caught between the guys all in the 30’s now Starburst and Danny !
Weather a cold start to the session very strong north easterly bringing temperature down pressure when they started 995 oxygen levels are good water temperature was around 12 degrees, outlook for week chilly days and nights lots of sunshine with showers midweek !
14 May, 2024
Hi Guys, Bobs was joined by his brother Terry and friend Mark.
Bob stuck it out on Swim 9 it fished very slow him nothing coming off the spots, Brother Terry was on swim 3 and Mark on swim 2.
Various baits were used with our particle.
Wednesday Terry and Mark had to leave early because of personal reasons, Mark did his PB before they left.
As always Bob didn’t let us down smashing the top weights of some fish, Shoulder Scale 53 lb 10 oz, Tash caught and named by his late wife 50 lb 14 oz, Hulk 47 lb 12 oz, Rudder @ 38 lb 12 oz, Sunshine koi 33 lb 8 oz and several other fish.
Weather was very unsettled winds were very strong a very wet week, and pack down.
14 May, 2024
We said goodbye to Bob and welcomed back Chis, Ryan, Steve and new additions Norman and Nathan
Guys fished swims 3,4,5,9 and 10.
Bait used Archiepeachy red and white boilie our pellet/particle.
Guys had a very wet start torrential rain making it very difficult when was it going to stop !
Excellent trip for the guys let’s start with Norman swim 3 PB Jess @ 57 lb, Steve swim 4 Castle Al 52 lb 8 oz, Nathan swim 5 PB The Mole 💥69 lb 4 oz💥Stallone 💥60 lb 4 oz 💥Fred 44 lb Maggie 42 lb, Ryan swim 9 Kathlean 43 lb 4 oz Emily 29 lb, Chris swim 10 chunk the common PB 49 lb 8 oz Brutus 43 lb 4 oz Oddbod 43 lb, 34 lb common lots of other stockies tripping up too.
Weather was very wet lots of very heavy rain unsettled winds changeable warmer settled weather come in the end of the week.
13 May, 2024
Chris and Lee had a very productive week! Over 50 carp on the bank upto 42lb with PB,s broken numerous times! Highlight was an unknown Common at 34lb being named “Dave”! Great angling boys!
13 May, 2024
Father and son, Dave and Alex joined us this week for a session on Lac Lucie, as a treat for Alex’s 21st birthday later in the year. Nigel picked them up from the airport in the pouring rain and drove them to the supermarket where they stocked up on their supplies for the week.
They were quick to get down to the lake when they arrived and set up one of the bivvies on the main bank before picking their spots and doing a bit of spodding before dinner. They decided that they were going to get their heads down in the chalet and make an early start the next day.
They were up at 6am and keen to get down on the bank, the rain had just about stopped bar a bit of drizzle and it was warm so after breakfast they got their rods out.
After less than an hour the first fish was landed. And a new PB for Dave with this fantastic 50lb 1oz common
An hour later saw Alex’s first fish, a 34lb 12oz mirror, very closely followed by another for him, a 46lb common. That was 3 fish in the first two and a half hours with an average weight of 43lb 9oz. What a great start to a great week. They were both hoping that the week would continue in this way.
Nothing further came out on Sunday afternoon and we had a few thunder showers so they decided that they would spend another night in the chalet.
Monday they were up and at it early again and when we went down at breakfast time they were enjoying the sunshine. The day bought a few showers and lots of fish crashing at the far end. It was a quiet morning and then just after lunch Dave caught another fish, a 39lb 1oz mirror with a lovely scale pattern.
Tuesday was another sunshine and showers day and Alex managed to land a 46lb 1oz mirror just before breakfast but that was it for the day.
They had severely under estimated how much beer they would need when they arrived and as we were going to the supermarket anyway we picked them up another couple of boxes of beers and energy drinks. There were not any further fish on Tuesday but they were enjoying the peace and quiet and in the evening decided to have a stroll around Kingfisher to see what that lake was like and to catch up with Nigel who was having a couple of nights fishing on there. They had made a decision by this point that they were not going to fish the nights themselves if they had caught during the day.
Wednesday saw the start of a good few days of sunshine and the temperatures going up but nothing was caught. As they hadn’t had any fish they did plan on fishing the night but after a bit of a problem with one of his reels, Dave took the decision to go back inside as he didn’t want to cause the fish any harm if he couldn’t bring it in. They decided to move their chairs up to the other end of the lake ready for Thursday and fish along the left hand bank at the top end and into the lily pads.
Thursday was nice and sunny again and a busy afternoon for the two of them. At around 1.30pm Dave had a 34lb 3oz common, followed by a 46lb mirror for Alex at 4.30pm and then just before they called it a night Dave had a 31lb mirror. All very lovely fish.
Friday saw and even warmer day with temperatures up to 27 degrees and the lads spent most of the day moving their chairs out of the sun as it was so warm. Nigel suspected that the fish were getting ready for spawning as they were wallowing in the shallows with their backs out when he went round in the afternoon. Only one fish was caught on their last day, another mirror weighing in at 35lb.
Dave and Alex started fishing over a bed of parti-blend and pellets and then for the rest of the week they fished with solid bags with pellets and crushed boilies. All of the fish were caught on Nigel’s spicy fish boilies.
The final tally for the week was 0 babies, 0 at 10lb+, 0 at 20lb+, 5 at 30lb+, 3 at 40lb+ and 1 at 50lb+ with an average weight of 40lb 3oz. Not a bad session with new PBs for them both. They decided before they left to rebook for the following year and let Dave’s brother come with them too. We will look forward to seeing them again same time next year, and especially Maisie who has loved playing ball with them both.
13 May, 2024
Scot and his family enjoying the delights of our superb luxury cottage this week with the girls saying “ it’s the best accommodation they have ever stayed in “ along with some great fishing and once again the lake and the cottage didn’t disappoint with Scot , son Philip and best mate Jake all going home with new pb’s. Tricky week week weather wise from cold and wet for the first 3 days to hot sunshine for the rest of the week and also the fish starting to spawn but the boys kept at it and got their rewards on house boilies fished snowman style with a pink topper soaked in Korda goo Dragons Breath doing the business over a bed of house particle and pellet.
12 May, 2024
All it takes is a little stalking rod a float and some good bait and your away.Come here and try out some stalking free lessons if needed too
11 May, 2024
Our opening week and we were looking forward to guests returning to our lakes and catching some carp again. With the weather a bit hit and miss the week before we were not sure if they would be feeding again, although we had started to see signs of them coming to the surface and showing again.
We welcomed 4 roofers to Kingfisher this week, with Scott having been previously he bought his friends and colleagues with him. After a long drive and overnight ferry from the North West of England they had certainly come prepared with a trailer full of gear and goodies and they quickly got themselves set up, with Richard on the first swim, then Danny and Ryan with Scott starting down nearer the shallow end.
They started as they meant to go on with all except Danny catching on the very first night. Within the first 24 hours they had had a good 6 or 7 fish out between them and by midweek there were over 30 fish caught. With the temperatures rising there were definite signs that the fish were feeding and starting to prepare for spawning.
The four of them had slightly different rigs set up but all were using top of the range bait boats with GPS ability and always managed to get just the right spots to tempt the fish to their bait. All, except Scott who had just returned from a fishing trip in Thailand, managed to get PBs so well done to all. Richard got a new 38lb common PB and 45lb mirror, Ryan had a new catfish PB of 72lb, common at 35lb and mirror at 35lb and Danny caught his first cat (although he didn’t want to hold it) at 65+lb and a new PB mirror of 46lb and common of 36lb. And with the temperature also setting records of 25 degrees on the Friday they all went home happy.
The week saw over 45 fish out of the lake in total – what a great start to the season and some great angling skills. The final tally was 4 at 10lb+, 21 at 20lb+, 17 at 30lb+ and 5 at 40lb+ as well as 4 cats up to 72lbs. We shall see them all again next year for a rerun hopefully!
11 May, 2024
Steve, Mick and Carl had all been to the fishery before and had decided to return to see what else they could get out of Kingfisher. Mick also bought his son, Haydon, who was just after a week off of work to chill in the peaceful surroundings. They arrived on the Stansted flight on the Saturday afternoon in 26 degrees heat and the warm spring days continued until Monday…
Following on from the week before the first few days saw the carp feeding and crashing on the water. On the Sunday morning when we were doing our rounds we found Mick on the first swim with a carp on so we stayed to watch. After 20 minutes or so chasing the fish round he landed this lovely mirror weighing in at 32lb.
Sunday bought a few more carp out, Steve had this lovely 29lb common and a 42lb mirror
Overnight saw Carl with a common at 28lb and he also caught this catfish of 44lb
Then the weather changed for the rest of the week with night temperatures dropping to 0 degrees and not getting much warmer during the day. We even had a frost on a couple of mornings and Steve regretted forgetting his warm winter coat! The three of them carried on fishing although Mick did spend a few nights with Haydon in the warmth of the chalet.
The carp slowed down again and did not seem to be taking much of the bait but the catfish came out instead with the largest being 61lb. By the end of the week even Haydon was getting the bug and suggesting he might have a go when they come again.
Several other carp and cats came out over the week with a final total of carp standing at 2 babies (which we have transferred to the stock pond),0 at 10lb+, 2 at 20lb+, 3 at 30lb+ and 1 at 40lb+ as well as 7 cats over 28lbs. All three of them went home with new PBs and we hope to see some or all of them again next year.
11 May, 2024
Again the weather played a huge part in the fish activity this week with temperatures plummeting, frosts and a bitter wind affecting both the anglers and the fishing. They never gave up hope all the week and really appreciated Nigel’s advice about fishing in the silt.
Chris and his 3 brothers, Tom, Joe and Mike along with their friend, Jake arrived on the Saturday after a long journey from Liverpool, with everything bar the proverbial kitchen sink in their two vehicles. They had come primarily for the catfish but with the brothers having fished numerous lakes in France before they were prepared for anything.
After a quick walk round the lake it was time to get themselves unpacked and set up, with Chris and Tom on the first swim, then Joe, Mike and Jake along the main bank they had both carp and cat rods set up. They had a mixture of both our maple syrup and spicy fish boilies, alongside matching glugs as well as pellets and parti-blend.
We walked round the first morning and everyone was in high spirits and hopeful. They had found a supermarket and stocked up for the first week, as well as the Action (similar to B & M back in the UK) and bought a few things from there, including a saw to cut up some wood for their mega fire pit and BBQ.
The weather turned cold for the first few days, no rain but overnight temperatures at 3 degrees the carp had evidently gone back into winter mode. Chris did manage to land this 40lb cat though, assisted by Jake, who was on his first French fishing trip and loves the cats. Chris has been a wheelchair user for over 20 years due to paralysis but had very few limitations here which he overcame with the help of his fellow anglers.
Joe messaged us on Tuesday morning to say that he had had this lovely 37lb common out overnight. Caught just on the edge of the silt the carp were obviously looking for warmer spots for their feeding. And then he followed that up with another common at 33lb during the day on Tuesday and then a 39lb common on Tuesday night. Joe was up and running.
On Wednesday the focus was on the Liverpool derby and the hopes of Everton getting some points so they could stay in the Premier League. The lads wanted to go and watch it and have a pizza but those of you who have been here before will know that there is not much close and it is rare to find a bar or restaurant that is showing football in this part of France. So they ended up cooking on their firepit/BBQ again and watching the game on their phones – and were thrilled with the final 2-0 score, putting them clear of the relegation zone and a dent into Liverpool’s league title hopes.
Thursday bought some a few rain showers but also a couple of fish out for Tom/Chris who were sharing their swim and rods and the first 50lber of the season and Joe caught a 48lb mirror.
Mike did manage to land a couple of carp through the week and Jake also caught one of the babies which was transferred to our stock pond.
The final score (from a fishing perspective) for the week was 1 baby, 1 at 10lb+, 0 at 20lb+, 4 at 30lb+, 1 at 40lb+, 1 at 50lb+ and one catfish. Not a bad result considering how cold the weather was and it made good sense to fish a lot off the edge of the silt. We hope to see you all again next year (and some more success for Everton for you all).
11 May, 2024
Mike was our very first booking when we took over here and when he contacted us he said that this would probably be his last French fishing trip so we were determined to make it memorable for him. Mike has fished all over the world and been to France on numerous occasions.
Mike flew into Bordeaux airport on Saturday evening from Newcastle via Amsterdam and on the 2 hour journey from Bordeaux he told us that his PB for a French carp was 42lb. Knowing that there were a few fish in Lac Lucie that were bigger than that we had everything crossed that it would be a successful week for him and he could finish his French carping with a new PB.
Mike took advantage of our bait package, choosing the maple syrup flavoured boilies and adding some pop-ups to it. He also had a bag of spicy fish boilies from us and had bought some of his own pineapple flavoured hook baits with him.
On the first day Mike was up early and ready to get everything set up. He spent some time watching the lake and the weather and putting his bait exactly where he wanted it using a spod rod. He then cast out and waited. Nothing happened for several hours and then we got a phone call. We had agreed that whenever possible we would go and photograph his fish for him so were thrilled when the phone rang. What a start with this stunning 41lb mirror, followed an hour or so later by a 25lb common. Not quite beating the PB but a good start to what turned out to be a great week.
Monday saw a sunny start to the day but it was chilly and did turn a bit cloudy in the afternoon. Perfect conditions really for the fish. Mike wasn’t fishing nights – his days for camping out were long gone he said – but was down by the lake early and planning his next moved. At lunchtime we got another call and he sounded a little out of breath so we rushed down to the bank to see an amazing 50lb 8oz common being brought out of the net. A cracking fish and a very happy Mike. A further 2 fish were landed later that afternoon.
It rained on Monday night but Tuesday stayed sunny most of the day and Mike had another common which weighed 32lb first thing in the morning but then had nothing for the rest of the day. He decided in the afternoon to move his gear round to the side swim – referred to as the log swim to see if there was anything to be had from fishing at a different angle.
Wednesday saw rain pretty much all day and whilst Mike has done some hard fishing before he decided that sitting in his bivvy all day watching the rain come down was not for him any more so with no fish showing all morning he packed up at lunchtime and spent the afternoon in the dry and warm of the chalet just relaxing.
Thursday was the perfect fishing day, sunny intervals and short showers, just the weather that Mike likes to fish in. By lunchtime he had his second mirror of the week out weighing 26lb and then at mid afternoon another common just over 50lb.
Early in the evening we were called again as he had caught another common from the shallows, another fish that had beaten his previous PB weighing 42lb 8oz.
Friday saw another day of sunshine and showers but again not much showing in the lake. Mike was loving the wildlife on the lake though and had seen a black kite swooping down, a deer walking round the bottom end of the lake as well as a kingfisher flying round the margins.
Only one fish for his final day though, making a total of 10 fish for the week with another mirror weighing 40lb
So, having caught a sturgeon in Canada in 2023 weighing 400lb and being 9ft long, Mike has now finished his European fishing with a PB of 50lb 8oz. We are thrilled that he picked Lac Lucie as his last venue, especially with him being our first booking and our first guest on this lake this season.
Final tally for the week 0 babies, 0 at 10lb+, 2 at 20lb+, 3 at 30lb+, 3 at 40lb+ and 2 at 50lb+. A great week for a single angler and we wish him all the best for the future and hope that he continues the fishing back in the UK.
11 May, 2024
A tough week this week for the 2 regular angler on. A nightmare start after there plane hot diverted to bordeaux from limoges where strong winds stopped it from landing meaning they lost the first days fishing. Then heavy rain pumped through the water and Wednesday the lads didn’t fish in the driving rain. But the fish came steady all week when he had his rods in kicking off with a 37lb and 36lb mirrors then the big girls turned up with him landing 4 over 40lb ,Aaron started with a 30lb mirror off the monk in peg 2 then had a 39lb fish in open water . Stephen dropped in to fish 3 nights on his way back from fishing in Italy and managed a 53lb mirror and 33lb fish but dropped a couple before departing Thursday. Richard and Aaron bagged a few more fish upto Friday night then with the heavy rain decided not to fish Friday night and Saturday. The fish ate holding spawn now and a sustained period of hot weather will see them spawn.
11 May, 2024
Feedback left
Brilliant!
Jo and Nigel excellent hosts, couldn’t do enough, nothing was a problem. Jo’s meals are great and Nigel’s knowledge of lake is invaluable.
Chalet is clean and tidy and everything you need, however it needs a little TLC which I know is in hand.
I was fishing alone and both Jo and Nigel came to take pics for me. Nigel even got out of his hot tub to take one. Top man!!
10 fish caught during the week up to 50lb 8oz
10 May, 2024
Amazing and strange week for Dan and friends!
After caught a carp of 40lbs with a catfish bite on her body (now her name is Live bait), they had carps until a massive common of 48 lbs, 2 madarins cats until 86 lbs and sturgeons until 88 lbs!
They had a terrible storm during their week but amazing pictures from him!!
10 May, 2024
First catch for the big beluga introduce in december! I was 125 lbs but now his weight is 144,4 lbs!!! Very impressive!
During their week the angler caught carps until 44 lbs…
Difficult week but all were happy to fish in a natural lake with beautiful fish!
09 May, 2024
David, and his son Paul, booked a week with us, through Dream Carp Holidays, for their annual trip to France.
They arrived on Monday morning and we all had a walk around the lake to discuss the plan of action for the week. The guys decided to fish from first light through until dark and chose to reel in for a nights to get a decent sleep.
With cold nights forecast and the days overcast, with showers predicted, they introduced a small amount of the lake boilies and pellets on some spots and placed simple bottom bait rigs over the top.
The bites came steadily through the first part of the week and slowed a bit towards the later end, but they managed around 25 carp and a few tench between them.
4 fish were over 30lb, the biggest of the trip a 42lb mirror for Paul. Several mid 20’s a couple of small, but cracking looking stockies, made up the rest of the tally.
Well done lads, thanks for a great week.
09 May, 2024
A few fish of the last time
07 May, 2024
Good to see some weight gains from last weeks haul – weather still over the place with some cold northerlies blowing through… thanks for the week lads, it was a lot of fun having you on 😇
07 May, 2024
Lovely to hear such good things from my customers 😁 thanks Shaun!
Just finishing off our first trip to Rushes Lake.
It has been the most relaxing,enjoyable fishing trip I have been on.
The lake,fish,facilities and the host Nick have been second to none,and the food package fantastic.(keep your eye out for his spectacular Beef wellington 👊.
4 of us fished the week and touched just under 60 fish.15lb to 36lb.
Unfortunately the 40s wouldn’t take our bait 🙈.
But will definitely be returning to catch these and a 50.
Hats off to you Nick you have and are continuing to provide a great fishery for us carp lovers.
And not forgetting Pops your wonderful dog.
Regards Shaun
07 May, 2024
A great start to the season last week with some absolute, fin perfect, feeding fish… loads of mid to high 30’s… I wonder when the biggies will make an appearance….
07 May, 2024
Matt ,Alex and Mark returning again and wow what a week they had. Over 67 fish to the net with more new pb’s and some of our stunning scaley mirrors again gracing the net.Top angling with the house boilies , particle and pellet again doing the business.
07 May, 2024
Steven and family with us this week Steven on his first trip to France and again picked us for our superb luxury accommodation for his family they were not disappointed and neither was he with some lovely fish to the net and 3 new pb’s.
07 May, 2024
Return from a week of carp fishing with Sten Boomen in Viva la France. Very beautiful lake and good facilities on Etang Camalo. Due to the very difficult weather conditions and the carp ready to spawn, it was tough conditions.
Still, it was a very enjoyable week with a few wish caught and after many years I was able to beat my personal best with a mirror of over 60lbs.
07 May, 2024
The god of carp was on etang Furet for our costumers!
Around 85 fish landed with 17 carp over 45lbs with the biggest 54lbs. Average was over 35 lbs.
A group of four friends booked the two swims with loft and lodge.
The wind was perfect, the pressure was perfect and the fish was active. All was perfect for make an incredible week! This week maize was the key of the success.
07 May, 2024
Lee ,Chris and John looking for some great accommodation to go with their fishing holiday and also great home cooked food and again we exceeded their expectations and again new pb’s achieved by all of them landing some lovely fish to the net on a week of wet , cold changeable weather.
04 May, 2024
Another lovely fish from the margin swim mid thirty common all Adrian’s fish got caught in the day
04 May, 2024
Post was “ Congrats Hedge, smashed his previous PB (42lb) with a nice 57.12lb Mirror”
Full week tally to be posted in a few days
03 May, 2024
A tough week due to weather conditions and temperatures below zero. Carp of 37, 38, 39, 43 and 47lbs landed as well as some smaller ones. Well done lads
03 May, 2024
A great week for Ralph landing carp of 35, 36, 37, 39, 41, 42, 44, 48, 51 and 53lbs.
02 May, 2024
It was lovely to see Dave back again this week. In total he landed 12 fish 🎣 5x 30’s 5x high 20’s an 18 & 49. He had mixed weather all week along with a storm which seemed to switch them off for a few days but it soon took off again! Looking forward to seeing you back out in June Dave, great company 😊
02 May, 2024
This week we had a good friend join us with two of his fishing mates from their UK syndicate water.
After a quick walk around the lake, the lads drew straws for choice of swims, and soon set up for the trip.
The weather forecast for most of the week was a mix of bright skies, with the odd shower here and there, but turning cold over night.
So the lads decided on using a mix of boilies and pellets which they were feeding little but often to get the bites.
This proved a successful method and between them they banked over 30 carp and several nice tench.
Four fish in total were over the 30lb mark on this trip, with several other high 20’s and a couple of the smaller, but lovely scaled stockies that are coming along nicely.
All in all the lads had a great week, enjoyed lots of laughs and experienced the usually highs and lows of carp fishing with your mates.
01 May, 2024
Lake regular Steve finally gets a 60 lb carp and a soaking with this mirror tipping the scales at
63 lb 3 oz .
A few more from Gavin , Jason, Wayne and Jamie .
See you next year guys 👍
01 May, 2024
Lake regular Jason gets his first 60lb carp at
60 lb 6 oz
The smile say’s it all .
Lake newcomer Paul has been trying for a 50 lb common for years , he only goes and lands the
Silver Surfer at 68 lb
2 very Happy anglers .
Colin’s biggest carp of the week was 51 lb
31 carp landed , good angling guys 👍
01 May, 2024
Week 17-24 June
Lake regulars Dave ,Keith ,Gary, Craig and Lee
enjoyed there week at the lake with 38 carp landed.
Dave landing the biggest at 53 lb and the most.
Good to see you again , see you again soon 👍
01 May, 2024
Week 1-8 July
A new group to the lake, Ryan, Jamie, Jimmy
and Pete, had a great week for July considering this heat.
The guys managed 41 carp, with 3 x50 Ib carp
getting landed…
Jamie, landing the biggest at 52lb 12oz, also with the most caught, 16 carp.
Ryan, with the second biggest at 52lb.
Jimmy and Pete landing all so, & having had a new PB.
But Jamie taking the cash, with the biggest fish.
Hopefully see you again soon guys👍
01 May, 2024
What can we say!……2 lake records for Toby already this week. A stunning 53.5 common and a 61.3 mirror. Absolutely awesome fishing……..
30 April, 2024
Catch report #lacbaliene week ending 14th April
27 fish out
6 x 40s
5 x 30s
16 x 20s
30 April, 2024
Some stunning carp out of etang la saussaie this week 52lb Common 48lb mirror the rest 20’s and 30’s tough week but the guys managed 12 fish 🎣.
Great angling guys and have a safe journey home until next time
30 April, 2024
What a fantastic week the guys had on lac baleine
74 fish out 4 pbs smashed
2 X 50s to 56lb
10 x 40s
22 x 30s
the rest 20s and some doubles
Top anglers fellas. Have a safe journey home and see you next year.
30 April, 2024
Another cracking week on lac baleine 42 fish landed
5 x 50s
10 x 40s
8 x 30s
rest 20s and doubles
Well done guys Great angling and great times
30 April, 2024
our lovely guests spend an amazing week at our venue….
30 April, 2024
The winter weather seems to drag on this year with the lads experiencing frosts at night until Thursday. But despite that the lake give up some big fish with 8 0ver 40lb and 13 over thirty including 3 x 39lb + 2 over 20lb and 2 stockies doubles. 2 small catfish that were removed.
Biggest fish fell to Chris in peg one landing two tone at 58lb pb and backed up by another 2 over 40lb coconut cream house bollies doing the business for him as they did for the other Chris in peg 2 landing a 41.10 mirror and some high 30s ,Oscar and Mike fished nut brittle and after a slow start they both managed a brace of forties Mike having 2 on Friday after a slow week in 4 . They both switched bait on Thursday and it paid off Oscar caught consistently all week . Chris is a regular visitor to France and he was complimentary of the condition of the fish and how hard they thought please see foxpool france on Facebook for there comments. Still have some availability for late in August and early September aswell as October. So get in touch if you need to know more .Thanks Graham .
30 April, 2024
Carp absolutely love silt, it is rich in natural food sources for the carp such as blood worms and other micro organisms. But which are the best rigs for fishing in silt?
Whilst many anglers search out the lake-bed for harder spots and gravel patches, it important to remember than often these areas were previously covered in silt and it is actually as a result of the carp feeding on them, that they have exposed the underlying gravel or harder sub straight. As said above, carp love to grub around in silt given it can be a fantastic source of nutrients and food.
Not all silt however is a beacon for carp and it is worth investigating the type of silt before fishing over it. The best way to do this is with lead where you have cut some groves into it which will then collect a sample of the silt as you wind it. Good silt to fish over should smell similar to soil you would dig up in your garden. You should also break the silt apart with your fingers to look for organisms such as blood worms which carp love! Silt to avoid fishing over is silt that smells rotten and stagnant. It is usually devoid of oxygen and as such devoid of life and generally should be avoided.
Do not be put off by fishing over silt, in fact you should embrace it as carp love it! Read this article to learn which are the best and most effective rigs when fishing over silt.
The Best Rigs For Fishing in Silt
Aha! If only it were that simple. Unfortunately, there is not one correct answer when it comes to the best rigs for fishing silt. Whilst most rigs are built on the same overarching core mechanics, that being a helicopter lead set up, the business end of the rig will still vary depending on the given situation does not depend solely on the makeup of the lake-bed. There are other factors that have a bearing on what is best suited to the situation, which we will cover later on in this article after look at the lead set up.
Whilst hooklink material, bait and even lead weight may change depending on the situation, one aspect of the rig that should generally remain the same is the lead set up. Silt is soft and as opposed to gravel where your lead will sit on top of it, when you cast over silt inevitably your lead will plug itself into the silt. The heavier the lead, the deeper into the silt the lead is likely to sink. To ensure that this does not hinder your rig presentation, it is recommended to use a helicopter style set up, so that your rig can still lay on top of the silt as opposed to sticking out of the silt.
Use a helicopter lead set up when fishing over silt
The way the carp are feeding will govern how you want to present your hookbait. Many anglers will want their hookbait on top of the silt where it is visible, however, that isn’t necessarily the most effective way.
Carp will bury their heads in silt to get at food that lives amongst it, clouding the water and sending up plumes of bubbles. A bait that sits proud, above the silt, may be too high and go unnoticed. Should carp be feeding on the bloodworm that many silt beds are home to, it can be better to have your hookbait in amongst the upper layers of silt, where carp are troughing on nature’s bounty. This would also be the case with a tightly baited area in silt,
especially when using dense, heavy freebies such as boilies.
Pop-ups can be ignored when carp are digging in the silt for food
There’s no need for anything complicated and a simple bottom-bait rig will be perfect. A blowback, claw or a simple old-fashioned hair rig will be just fine. You don’t want to rely on a swivel turning as they can get clogged up whilst engulfed in silt. It is best to use a fairly long hooklink of 8” or 10” to ensure the hookbait settles rather than gets dragged into position.
Due to the unpredictable nature of the substrate, a soft rather than stiff coated material gives some insurance that the rig won’t land awkwardly.
The important thing is to use a helicopter set-up so that the top bead can be moved up the leader to account for the depth of silt. The lead can then sink into it without adversely affecting the rig, which can lay on or near the top.
Use as lighter lead as you can get away with as heavy ones are prone to bury more deeply. Different types of hookbait will settle into the silt at different levels so some experimentation will help you determine what is most effective on the day. Straight bottom-baits will sink into the silt, whereas wafters will sit nearer the top. A snowman hookbait will be somewhere in between and can be fine-tuned to achieve your desired buoyancy.
Bottom baits can be very effective when fishing over silt
There can be little better for fishing on top of the silt than the Chod Rig. It has so much going for it, that it guarantees good presentation just above the silt. The little lead will not penetrate far in and the top bead’s position, high up the leader, ensures that the hook remains clear of
any detritus. Using a lead-free leader material, as opposed to the heavier leadcore, helps to prevent the leader sinking too far into the blackness.
A chod rig will ensure perfect presentation when fishing in silt
Attaching the Chod Rig via an Overhand loop rather than a Blood knot permits the rig to spin and turn, even if the ring swivel gets
clogged up. You need to remember not to tighten up after everything has settled. If you do, there is every chance that you’ll drag the leader, hook and bait deep into the silt. Once the lead has landed, let the leader settle gently onto the silt and leave your line nice and slack to give you
supreme confidence that your bait will remain available and visible.
When fishing over a spread of bait is a prime example. If fish are righting themselves between mouthfuls, they should come across your hookbait. Using lighter baits, such as halved boilies, crumb or oily pellets, that settle on and won’t sink into the silt means fish aren’t so inclined to bury their heads and a higher bait could score.
Boilies crumbed up or halved will settle on top of silt
Single hookbait fishing is also time to fish on top of, as opposed to, the silt. It might seem counterintuitive, but singles popped up over the silt can be a great way to catch carp that are preoccupied on naturals, while a bright hookbait can induce a reflex bite from carp that are hunting out naturals.
A bright single hookbait fished over silt
Whilst the most common method for fishing over silt is a helicopter style rig, an inline set-up fished with a PVA bag can also be very effective. Use an inline lead on the leader, a large ringed swivel or purpose-designed PVA bag swivel is attached and a fairly large mesh bag clipped on, into which you nick the hook.
30 April, 2024
Cold and rainy week for Kiera and his friends but 28 carps for them!
1X50lbs+
7x40lbs+
6X30lbs+
rest 20lbs+
Good result with this weather!
Congratulations!
29 April, 2024
What a great start to open our season with our first guests Sean and Tracy on a weeks holiday.
Barely 2 days fishing and it can’t get any better!!
WHOO Sean has set the ‘catch mark’ and landed the 60.2Lb CAT-FISH after an hours run around the lake,it was literally all feet and hands on deck, Well done Tracy who got muddy feet and Lola for helping out too. You can sit back now and enjoy the rest of your week!
29 April, 2024
Nice afternoons fishing not easy after the spawning but I am catching hopefully one of the really big ones will come into my net
28 April, 2024
Some nice fish out for Damian, Jay and Phil! A tough week weather wise but done well for your first visit to the lake!
28 April, 2024
Last week of april with a very cold weather with nights at miness 2 degrés and very cold north wind and also full moon maked the first four days very quiet. Only some grass, carp was active and some silver fish.
When the weather turn, some common and miror came out between 26 to 48 pounds.
28 April, 2024
This week was very cold for the last week of April. Some days with negative temperatures around miness 2 degres and a strong north wind. The south side of the lake was very cold and 2 swims stay quiet during the week. Swim9 make good result with some a group of average fish around 30/39 pounds and some bigger fish around 45 to 55 pounds.
3 fish was over 50lbs for Warren.
Swim lodge catch more fish with a top at 40 lbs and a beautiful linear scales orange koï at 26 lbs.
Swim loft catching well too with 12 fish and 52 lbs the last hours before leaving the lake.
27 April, 2024
This week was an exclusive booking with 4 friends with a friendly and popular Italian women who have the world record of the bigger carp caught by woman over 40kg!
Like on my other lakes, it was very cold weather and the fish was active only at the end of the lake, the most shallow part of the lake.
A total of 21fish during the week with a top a 53 lbs and some 25 lbs to 45 lbs. We are waiting the sun and spring
26 April, 2024
Richard has landed the largest carp so far this year , a stunning 55lb mirror.
26 April, 2024
Nice selection of fish from Carpquarry from our last guests.🐟 Biggest fish of 47lbs8oz
24 April, 2024
After baiting up with DGF particals and Boilies this wonderful koi came to my net 🤩
24 April, 2024
A Few more from this week !!
24 April, 2024
What is going on with this weather ? 26C Saturday and now 13C ..A few quiet days but they have sprung back into life .
24 April, 2024
Just caught this afternoon from the Channel swim.
Nice fish Jarco ..
24 April, 2024
Happy Sunday to you All !!!
Some of last weeks Catches and the first Grassy out this year
24 April, 2024
After 2 flights to get here , Our fantastic guests from Dublin strike Gold.
It took team work to get her in the net ,during the early hours !!
26.2 kg 57.7lbs
Well done Lads !!!!
24 April, 2024
Good Morning and a Happy Easter to All !!
Here are a few of last weeks catches with carp up too 52lbs and looking well.
This week has started well with an absolute chunk coming out this morning …
24 April, 2024
Finally got some pictures of start of the season’s fish.
Hard going for the first anglers with torrential rain, high winds, water temp dropping but the 3 lads Matt, Jack and Jody stuck it out, landing some nice fish to 45lb, being mainly 30+lb fish.
Jack off the mark with a nice 37lb common , Matt with a 35lb mirror and Jody with a 30lb mirror.
All three lads had a 40+ with Jody having a new PB of 44lb 8 oz, Jack taking a new PB of 45lb on Friday morning in a 4 fish haul.
Matt had a 43lb mirror to top his week off.
Had to feel sorry for Jack getting flooded out at 4.00am with 3″ of water getting in his bivvy.
Great effort lads.
24 April, 2024
Had a phone call at 08.30 from Kurt saying he had a 50+ on the bank.
Went down to have a look and he had a new lake record of 55lb 3oz,
24 April, 2024
Great start to my session here at spruce lake…
I started fishing around 7pm yesterday and so far I have had the following
37lb mirror
17lb 5oz mirror
24lb 6oz mirror
Tench
Tench
41lb common (gut bucket)
53lb mirror
17lb common
15lb mirror
33lb common
6 more days remain to 🎣🇫🇷
24 April, 2024
Juan and friends went from Andalousia spain for the first at camalo.
They asked me every weeks before coming if they could catch a royal french carp. I told, yes off course, camalo is the perfect lake for broke pb.
This week was a dream!
20 fish and good average over 35 lbs with 6 fish over 45 lbs and 3 was over 55 lbs.
One ghost carp came out after 1 and half years without news at 55lbs. She was 38lbs before.
Another miror and common was in the party. It was crazy week on le kube lodge vip swim with a lot of very big carp.
23 April, 2024
Better week for Gary & Dan who had a number of 40’s, 30’s and a twenty. With lads left with new PB’s of 44 and 38lb
23 April, 2024
A week of PB’s for all 4 anglers with Damien leading the way with a brute of a common at 51lb 8oz along with 40’s for Craig and Peter
23 April, 2024
Good week for Jimmy in swim 3 topped off with a PB Mirror of 51lb and 3 big 30’s, all in spite of the well below average temperatures and frosty mornings for most of the week
23 April, 2024
A few days for Phil and Jeff pre-season opening. Weather was cold and wet but despite this, Phil managed a cracking mirror 8oz shy of 50lb and Jeff a mid 40
23 April, 2024
Weather still not exactly spring like and the fishing was hard but Reece had a PB common of 49lb 8oz and Mich a PB Mirror of 46lb
23 April, 2024
Finally our opening week arrived after a deluge of rain washing a lot of fresh water through the lake the week before dropping water temperature, it was a slow start for the lads but the fish got there heads down the back end of the week when the warmer weather arrived. Martin was straight out of the blocks with a pb 38.8lb mirror then followed by 23lb mirror luke caught consistently of starting with a new pb 38.8lb aswell then beat with it with a 45.2lb he also bagged 7 fish over 30lb with 3 over 35lb + with a 39.10lb Scott got off to a bad start losing his 1st 2 fish bit finally put 35lb common on the bank before beating his pb mirror with a 40lb fish on Friday night with all 3 lads having a few fish on Friday night and Saturday morning with Martin adding another 33lb mirror then adda 49lb fish to beat his pb again just over 20 fish in total and about 8 lost in difficult conditions .
23 April, 2024
A few more from 23/03/24
23 April, 2024
Catches from Jason & Clint w/c 23/03/24
Both smashed their PB’s
23 April, 2024
Craig & Jo – Both beat their PB’s
23 April, 2024
More from Graham, Stacey and Rio
23 April, 2024
Lovely 32lb Common
23 April, 2024
30lb Grassy caught by James
23 April, 2024
Daytime catch! Lovely 44.2lb Mirror cause from PP by Scott.
23 April, 2024
35.8lb Mirror caught by Scott
23 April, 2024
One of the smaller chub this morning
23 April, 2024
Lovely morning to be on the river
23 April, 2024
Exclu booking mr yates had a very good week. Each swims get runs and caught carps.
Two of them was at 59lbs!
One common and one miror
An amazing 40+ linear scales carp was caughton swim 2 the loft
23 April, 2024
Roy stace exclusive booking was for the third time at la Loubière.
Why? Because they like the wild, the surrounding and the fish are often active!
We have not the total amount of the fish caught but all swims make runs and have carps.
23 April, 2024
Odyssea was hard this week due the very cold weather with some nights close to miness 1 degrés.
It was not a april weather. The first days no carp came out and bream was very active on the baiting, then the weather changed and some carp was caught with a top at 47 lbs and another fourties and some average fish.
23 April, 2024
The whole lake was on fire!
Each swims caught big carp this week with many carp over 40 lbs to 54 lbs.
Some average fish was in the party too!
Swim loft and lodge get the 3 bigger fish of the week.
We saw for the first time one ghost carp stocked last winter. Good job.
22 April, 2024
First visitors of the year(2 fishing) and it was a bit of a slow week. Temperatures of 36 for the first few days which is unheard of for April. Then dropped to 0 for the last few days. 14 fish banked with 3 lost, 53 being the biggest, 4 over 45 and 4 over 40, all during daylight hours with an average weight of 42lb……
Weights were as follows 35.6, 40.10, 44.8, 44.5, 47.6, 47.8, 53, 48.4, 28.4, 47.10, 44.7, 35.8, 33.8, 35.10.
22 April, 2024
Graham, Stacey & Rio had an brilliant week! Graham beat the lake record of 40 fish in a week.. in difficult conditions too! He also beat his PB twice!!
Sylvie Rose also came out for the first time this year (Graham’s PB) at 54.8lb!
22 April, 2024
Was hard fishing, buzzing that I went in the bay on float and had a 24lb common fought like a train just got try all tactics when its hard, was absolutely freezing some nights which didn’t help. My nephew done well aswell, in total we 20 fish but what made the holiday was Kate and Chris they where amazing and the food omg you ain’t getting better while your fishing it was spot on and not only that have made two really good friends which will stay in contact and will be rebooking as soon thank you so much
21 April, 2024
What a fantastic week, could not fault anything. Photos of my granddaughter.
My son got the biggest.
20 April, 2024
Not bad for the afternoon 2 thirty’s
19 April, 2024
28 fished banked on our first full week of the season. All anglers landing personal bests. A great week was had by all.
19 April, 2024
Simon the lake owner and a coupe of friends had a dabble as well this week landed some great fish.
18 April, 2024
PB s smashed twice last week….amazing week for our guest with carps over 50LBS
18 April, 2024
After a couple of hours fishing gave this nice mirror carp to Adrian
17 April, 2024
On the third week of October we had the pleasure of having Ronald , Marieke , Timo and Sammie Rutgers stay with us for a weeks fishing . This was our last weeks fishing for the year . What a week they had . Apart from it raining most of the time with the odd dry spell . Ronald had 31 carp by the end of the week .
What a great fishermen he is . The carp were still on the munch . He mainly used 25mm Robin red and garlic squid wafters with our house pellet , hemp and buckwheat .
Later in the week the water temperature lowered with the rain we had . He then used 20mm strawberry fish pink boilies and moved his baits into slightly more shallow waters which paid off .
Ronald had a few of our stokies out which had put on good weight . The biggest carp was a beautiful dark common of 49.5 lbs . Timo is only 8 and Samie 10 they also had a few cracking carp expertly landed with Ronald giving them expert advise .
Hope to see you all again in the future .
Sat/ sun :
18kg
14kg
Sun:
14.2kg
13.8kg
Mon, clear sky big moon:
13.2kg
20.2kg
13kg
12.6kg
15.6kg
Tues:
19kg
18.4kg
21.2kg
13.2kg
Wed:
7kg
17kg
Thurs clear sky big moon:
13.5kg
22kg
17.1kg
21kg
15.5kg
21.2kg
Fri:
19kg
21.4kg
16.4kg
22.5kg
11kg
Sat:
13.2kg
15.8kg
20kg
16 April, 2024
Impressive first week at Authentic lake for bill and 2 friends with 24 carps until 52 lbs !!!
16 April, 2024
After a difficult couple of weeks fishing with the spawning and the water levels going up the carp are finally getting their heads down
16 April, 2024
Lot of rain but Big fish.
7 fishs for average 19kg / 42lbs
15 April, 2024
The opportunity for a week’s carp fishing in France either fishing solo, or with friends is a special event. Whilst the size of the lake is a personal choice, whether you are fishing alone or with a small group of friends the lake size can become an important factor, due to how carp react to angling pressure.
If the lake is too big you can chase them around the lake all week and if the lake is too small, for the number of anglers fishing, the carp may shut down resulting in a hard week’s fishing.
We’ve put together a list of some of the best small exclusive carp lakes in France for 2 to 4 anglers.
Located within 13 acres of private forest in the Limousin national park, Lac de Mandeix is a 6 acre exclusive lake with accommodation and a very impressive head of carp to 55lbs. The lake can be fished by 2 anglers using 3 rods of 3 anglers using 2 rods.
Set back just 30m from the waters edge is a modern lodge which can sleep up to 4 making this an ideal venue for a family or non angling partner.
Lac de Mandeix – exclusive carp lake with accommodation ideal for 2 to 3 anglers
Spruce lake is 6.5 acres in size and has a good head of 40lb plus carp to just over 50lbs. It is ideally suited to 3 or 4 anglers. The facilities and food package on site are superb.
Bookings can be per angler or a lake exclusive bookings.
Spruce lake – a 6 acre lake recommended for 3 to 4 anglers
For a small lake Forest Pool has some very big carp with the lake record over 60lbs. At just 2 acres in size this intimate and exclusive carp lake is set within a stunning forest and is suited to 1 or 2 anglers.
Set just 10 metres back from the lake is a cosy chalet which can accommodate 4, also making this a great venue to visit with non angling guests.
Forest Pool – An intimate 2 acre lake for 1 to 2 anglers
A fantastic small exclusive carp lake in France which is ideal for both anglers and non anglers. The set up includes a luxury chalet which can accommodate 6 which has an outdoor terrace area for dining and relaxing on overlooking the lake making it a really sociable set up. There is also a swimming pool and the grounds are completely private. The lake is 3 acres in size and is very much an ‘action’ water. A maximum of 2 anglers are permitted to fish the lake.
Lake Mongenet – small exclusive venue ideal for families and 2 anglers
Luxury accommodation, a hot tub and both within a few metres of a first class exclusive carp lake. Just over 3 hours drive from Calais it is a very accessible venue. The accommodation has 3 bedrooms and can sleep up to 6 adults.
The lake is 6 acres, can be fished by up to 5 anglers, but is very well suited to 3 or 4.
Hill House Lake – Luxury accommodation and an exclusive 5 acre lake for 3 to 4 anglers
The phase great things come in small packages is very apt for Etang Rouge. This intimate 2 acre pools holds over 60 carp to a huge 70lbs. The lake can be fished by up to 3 anglers and there are 4 swims to chose from. With such huge carp present it really is exhilarating close range fishing with under arm flicks and a stealthy approach, sit back and wait for the rod to wrench around! For a small exclusive carp lake it doesn’t get much better than this if you want to catch a monster!
Located in south west France, an all inclusive fly and fish package is available meaning you can be fishing within just hours of getting on the plane.
Etang Rouge – one of the best small exclusive lakes in France for big carp
You may think that fishing a lake with fewer anglers surely has got to increase your chances of catching. That may well be correct and certainly if you are a very stealthy angler, particularly fishing an exclusive lake alone can reap huge dividends. However, if there are 2 or 3 of you, the chances are the carp will be aware that they are being fished for.
Furthermore, on a carp fishing holiday to France, there is a good chance you will be fishing a new lake. This means you do generally need to make some disturbance to locate spots with a rowing boat or catching a lead from the bank. How will the carp react to this angling pressure?
Carp are instinctive wild animals and will act no differently than other wild animals. When they detect angling pressure, they will almost definitely drift off to another area of the lake and will try to seek an area free from fishing lines.
When carp react to angling pressure and move off, if the lake is large enough and there are too few anglers fishing the lake, the carp will have multiple areas where they can find sanctuary from the anglers. Essentially what can happen is you spend a lot of the week chasing the carp around the lake, usually at least one step behind them. Now, this does not mean you cannot catch them and with a thoughtful approach and baiting strategy, you can still have a very good week.
However, in many cases we have found that a lake will fish better when there is increased angling pressure, which creates a pinball effect as carp move from one area of the lake to another, but due to the increased angling pressure they are never too far from a baited rig.
There is a balance however, too much angling pressure may result in the carp shutting down and hardly feeding. As stated earlier in this article, carp are wild animals and if they sense too much danger, their natural instinct is to protect themselves which may mean minimal feeding until they feel in a safe environment again.
So what size lake should you select. As a generally rule of thumb for small lakes of up to 15 acres, 1.5 to 2.5 acres of water per angler is enough. If you have less than this, firstly there is limited places to cast and secondly, too many lines in the water which could switch the fish off. Of course there are other factors to consider and certain lakes due to their shapes, features, fish stock density as well as natural food all play a factor. However, as general rule to go by this is a very good one to apply before you do further research.
15 April, 2024
Swim 3 who give only small carp and a superb red koï the week before, was totally different this week.
Our costumers caught this massive carp with big shoulders at 63lbs. It was the first runs of his trip and 15 other carps was netting on swim 3. We have only this pictures because the phone fall in the lake and he prefer save the phone instead the carp😁
15 April, 2024
This week the anglers start fishing with small boilies 12mm and particules and the bream become active. After we give tips like using big boilies 20/24 mm and some good spot, swim 4 and 3 caught some carps. Weather was changing every day with rain and sun and cold night close to miness 1 degrés.
À total of 10 carp came out around the lake. Tim Taylor and is daughter Tallulah 12 years old team one more cast broke is pb with a huge carp of 44+lbs.
Congratulations!
15 April, 2024
Some news about the facilities.
We had a rood damage last week and we take the decision to rent a local campsite for our costumers. He is at only 2 mn from the lake.
All is perfect and clean. We ask each costumers to leave this place very clean.
About the fridge and charging zone, we find better place than the original. We rent a room at 20 meters of the lake entrance. It is very clean and really better room than the previous. The neighbor leave next to this room and we ask all the anglers to leave this zone extremely clean and Don t make noise. We are sure you will appreciate this new room!
15 April, 2024
It was our first exclusive booking for start the season and the fish was ready! The whole lake give fish for our four anglers.
A pretty and big linear scales carp, some good common close to 50lbs and a very big girl at 60lbs+
Two anglers was in the loft and lodge swim with a maximum of confort like tv private toilet wifi etc and the 2 others was, on the opposite side and sleeping in biwy.
Good job!
15 April, 2024
Roy booked exclusive lake 2 or 3 times per years La Loubière. He like this place because it is perfect for make a mix of relaxing holiday in quiet lake and make action often with the carp. Each swim produce run this week and a total of 50 carps was caught on the whole lake with a top at 51 lbs.
The crayfish start to become active but the baits was working more than 24 hours.
15 April, 2024
Very good week for swim 1 with 5 carp over 45 lbs + and some 15 average fish 26to 44 lbs .
Our costumers liked the lake because it is very quiet and relaxing lake with a big amount of big carp. Good job!
15 April, 2024
The lake was booked only on swim 3 and 5 this week and it was a crasy week for the two swims. Around 60 fish for peg 5 and 70 for peg3 was caught with a very good average around 33 lbs and a top at 51 lbs.
15 April, 2024
The beginning was slow but the end was like a dream. After caught Maurice the big red koï and some group of new stocking carp, the angler try a different spot from swim vip Le kube with the new cabin. In the morning 4 hours before leaving the lake, I receive this pictures of a monster miror carp at close to 49 lbs
14 April, 2024
Joe had his first visit to Carphunters and had a great week!
Smashing his PB with carp upto 41lb with 5 x 30,s upto 39lb and 18 carp in total!
Great fishing well done mate!
11 April, 2024
A tough week in changable conditions but 12 fish landed and a few lost including a 54lb and 47lber on the final night from the cabin swim.
11 April, 2024
Not been easy fishing but managed to get a couple out hopefully more to come
11 April, 2024
Martin and max fished peg 2 – dropping rigs from the zodiac boat onto clear spots with a steady baiting approach. This resulted in 14 bites landing 11 fish to 42 lb.
We had a fantastic week despite all the rain – lake owner Rafal is a lovely chap , looked after us so well, listen to any advice he gives and you can’t go wrong
We have already booked two more trips to the venue
Thanks rafal and dream carp holidays for a fabulous week 🙌
10 April, 2024
My friend and I booked Étang Rouge for our first trip to France, and we were not disappointed.
Étang Rouge surpassed all of our expectations.
Jeff and Shan were incredibly accommodating and went above and beyond to ensure our satisfaction. The cuisine was exceptional throughout the week, the fishing was excellent, and the facilities were impeccable.
I highly recommend Étang Rouge without reservation. Jeff and Shan manage the establishment with great skill and dedication, ensuring that their guests have an exceptional and memorable experience.
We were so impressed that we instantly booked another week for next year.
Gary
09 April, 2024
Joe and Andrew kicking off our new 2024 season with their family and with Andrew looking for a new pb and experienced carp angler Joe looking to target our stunning scaley and fully scaled mirrors the week promised much and the carp certainly didn’t disappoint with Joe landing some stunning carp and Andrew going away with a new pb carp and both also landing their first Sturgeon. With the family enjoying all the delights and facilities of our superb luxury cottage it was a great week for the anglers and their family.
08 April, 2024
Andy and Andy had a super week with 22 Carp and some stunning fish to over 40lbs. They used a mixture of Dynamites Hit and Run 12mm pop ups, Tigernut and Complex T boilies, hemp and sweetcorn. Great Angling lads and look forward to seeing you again next year.
08 April, 2024
Not easy after the flooding but he managed to get two fish this one 33 lbs
08 April, 2024
quality family time spent on our venue
08 April, 2024
Brett, Neil and Dean had a great week with over 30 carp on the bank! PB,s made all round and new 30,s being named! Great to see boys!
08 April, 2024
A works party week, very wet! But resulted with carp upto 41.06! Thanks Gary,Keith and Si!
07 April, 2024
Returning to Blue Dart was Barry, Ian and Richard who had a great week despite the wind and rain they had to endure. They landed 15 carp including a 42lb grassy. Well done guys great angling
05 April, 2024
Dean Steven & Helen enjoying there stay last week with catching some nice fish upto 38.4 Well done 🎣🎣
05 April, 2024
Well done to Neil with fishes upto 39lb
from last week 🎣🎣
Well done mate💯
04 April, 2024
yves and his wife come every years 6 weeks to all nauticarp lakes. and this years they choose camalo for starting season!
they had very raining day and windy. they caught 2 very big carp the first 3 days and after the change for going to etang Furet in lodge because the wind broke a tempest stick.
two miror 50 and 57 lbs.
04 April, 2024
local anglers have booked swim 1 because they like fishing rock close to the dam and the fish was here and active. in total 19 fish up to 49 lbs including scaly fish and one koï carp. all caught on big bed of boilies and pellets.
04 April, 2024
a great four days fishing in march with his dad! a total of 25 carp including this series (in kg)
20,5 18 kg 17 kg 16,5kg 16,1kg 16kg 15 kg 15kg.
amazing isn’t?
04 April, 2024
Great first week here at Willow Lake France with 32 bites and 30 landed, the biggest being a 49lbs 4oz mirror.
04 April, 2024
We had a brilliant time at this venue, there was something for everyone, my friend and I relaxed in the beautiful surroundings away from the hustle of our busy lives, our partners enjoyed catching a multitude of fish, 17, the smallest being 17 lb and largest 37lb, 3 children 10, 12 and 13 enjoyed the freedom of the spacious house, land and the farm animals, 1 of our children even enjoyed a bit of fishing with adult supervision of course, we had the evening meal package which was second to none, the homemade deserts were the best, especially the best tiramisu I had ever tasted. Stephanie & Keith were fab hosts, always on hand to help but at the same time never pestering and let us do our thing. Would highly recommend this for families and couples alike.
Thankyou Stephanie and Keith for a wonderful holiday experience 🙂
04 April, 2024
The fishing :
Absolutely brilliant , the carp are beautifully and a very good average weight 😀 i broke my pb two time with two carp over 56lbs+
The lake :
Beautiful lake , a carp anglers paradise 😄
i was on swim vip with the new, lodge le kube
The food :
I really like the food & when I come back I would definitely get the food again .
There was one day with the chicken but not a problem & I saw it was not cooked & did myself .
See you next time
10/10 Camalo 👏👏👏👏👏
04 April, 2024
Overnighter gave this lovely 30+ mirror fell to the Red Frenzy C mix topped off with a little yellow pop up
03 April, 2024
lets hope forgetter weather soon so we can finish putting out the rest of the garden furniture and games
03 April, 2024
Spring carp fishing can be as easy as our hobby gets. It can also be seriously frustrating, but if you get it right then you can have some of the best sport of the year. With lengthening days and new growth all around us, the carp are also becoming much more active at this time of year.
After a long winter as the water starts to warm, the carp will start to become more active. As cold blooded animals the weather really does dictate their habits and if you can predict what their habits will be, the odds are stacked in your favour. The other big factor to consider in the spring is their feeding preferences. This article helps you to understand how carp react to different weather conditions in the spring and the type of food and baiting strategy to adopt.
No matter what time of year you are carp fishing, watercraft is essential and anglers who pay attention to the water and recognise even the subtlest signs of carp activity will always be one step ahead. Spring carp fishing is no different. As carp wake from their winter slumber and start to explore the lake, signs of carp activity may occur in more limited windows than it other times of the year so watercraft and watching the water is vital.
First light is always a good time to watch the water, but also during the hours of darkness, it can pay huge dividends to listen for the sounds of carp ‘boshing’ or rolling to pin point there whereabouts and understand their movements. During the day it can be a great time to get up trees and don your polarising glasses and just observe the carp’s movements before the heat of summer makes them lethargic.
Paying attention to water is critical to spring fishing success
As mentioned earlier, carp are cold blooded creatures and react to changes in weather, particularly temperature. When the sun is out there is a very good chance that carp in the spring will head for the shallower areas of the lake, which will warm up the fastest. Ensure you keep an eye on the weather so you know how the weather will change over the period you are fishing. If the forecast is for the sun to come out, then why not have your traps set in the shallower areas in advance, so as not to cause a disturbance by setting up on the fish once they arrive in the shallows.
As the sun goes down there is a good chance the carp will leave the shallower areas of the lake and head to deeper water. Remember, the shallower water reacts fastest to temperatures going up as well as down. If you listen during the hours of darkness it can really help build a picture of the carp’s habits over the course of the day and night. If you can figure out their patrol routes during certain conditions this will help you work out the optimal places set your traps and intercept the carp.
If during the day the sun isn’t out, which is very likely of course, then if there is no obviously place where the carp maybe to look, this is when your watercraft skills really come into play. Watch the water, look for signs such as head and shouldering, bubbling or clouded up water to help you locate where the carp are. Unless you are taking an educated guess based on previous knowledge of the lake it is always best to locate the carp to maximise your chances.
Keep an eye on the weather and fish shallower water when the sun is out
As the carp become more active, to sustain their activity, they require an increase in their intake of food. Finding exactly what the carp want to eat is probably the hardest part of spring fishing. If autumn is all about big beds of boilies to sustain the fish through winter, then spring is probably more associated with natural baits, singles and Zigs. Obviously, the majority of modern day-ticket carp will eat most baits all year round, but on less-pressured or low-stock waters you might find the fish to be quite picky in spring.
Don’t over bait when carp fishing in spring
Spring carp can be quite selective on the food items they eat. Particularly in early spring when the carp are just becoming active, their preferred source of nutrition is often natural food such as blood work beds and insect larvae.
Take advantage of hatching insects by experimenting with Zig Rigs. Spring is the best time to get fish taking suspended baits, and playing about with colours and shapes can turn good sessions into great ones.
Use zig rigs when insect hatches are occurring
On a cautionary note, it’s worth bearing in mind that, unlike summer, spring encompasses wildly different water temperatures, so don’t go in all guns blazing at the first sign of sunshine. It’ll take a while for the water to warm up, even if you’re in a T-shirt on the bank.
If you can locate fresh sources of natural food, like bloodworm beds, then you won’t be far off the fish at this time of year, and for the first time in a while you’ll be able to target the margins with carefully laid traps. Bright single hookbaits can be very effective as the carp can be drawn to them out of curiosity.
Bright coloured single hookbaits can be very effective in spring
Spring also presents itself as an opportunity to put down foundations that will last you for months. By regularly baiting specific areas to keep weed growth at bay, you can cultivate a spot that will see you through the warmest months and beyond. It can even be worth trying this tactic in an unfancied swim, bringing the fish in on the strength of the bait while making sure you’re unlikely to find other anglers in the peg each week.
31 March, 2024
A quick 48 hr session gave this nice 50 lbs Bait was Frenzy C with FC boilies LoirBaits
31 March, 2024
Overnighter gave this lovely 30+ mirror fell to the Red Frenzy C mix topped off with a little yellow pop up
27 March, 2024
When used in the correct way and in the right situations PVA bags will result in catching more carp. PVA bags are highly effective for ensuring a great presentation and having free offerings around your hookbait.
You can be fairly confident that you will have a good presentation on pretty much any lakebed so, if you’re unsure of what you’re fishing over, you can be confident that your rig isn’t tangled or compromised. By filling the PVA bag with free bait as well as a hookbait, the trap will provide its own attraction facilitating a bit of play, as far as casting accuracy is concerned. The bag’s contents will allow you to offer a small parcel of attraction without a baited area giving you a sort of compromise between fishing over bait and single hookbait fishing. They are a terrific tactic in a variety of situations too and are a versatile method to have in your armoury.
PVA bags will help you catch more carp
PVA bags can be used in almost any scenario, although there are some situations in which they really excel. They can be used to give a concentrated spot of increased attraction within a baited area to bring bites more quickly as well as used in isolation. PVA bags will often bring a bite when nothing else is working so they can be a fantastic tactic when you are struggling to get a bite. They are as good for the margins as they are for distance work and they also allow the angler to get some bait onto the spot with little disturbance and without drawing the attention of gulls.
When fishing over light weed they can be particularly effective to ensure you get your rig reaches the lake bed and massively reduces any risk of the hook being masked by weed or debris picked up during the cast.
Short sessions are a good time to take advantage of their qualities as there is little chance of over-feeding a swim. Casting at showing fish, where the composition of the lakebed is unknown is a perfect way to utilise their qualities too. They lend themselves well to the mobile angler meaning a number of swims can be fished effectively without having piles of bait spread around the lake. Oh, and they can be used with just about any bait you like. Pellets, particles (ready-cooked PVA-friendly ones), groundbait, chopped or whole boilies, naturals like maggots and casters and even pure liquids provided they aren’t water-based.
This can be a particularly good option for the first couple of days if you are on French carp fishing holiday. On lakes which offer week long trips, often you will not know how much bait is already on the lake bed in front of you. Rather than pile more bait in, a PVA bag is a very good option to get a few bites and help you assess how much bait may already be in front of you.
Filling PVA bags with pellets can work with devastating effect
Whilst it’s possible to use any lead arrangement they are best when fished inline style keeping everything neat and compact. The lead isn’t taking the brunt of the cast so a breakaway set-up with the leader running around the lead instead of through the centre is a good option, especially on weedy or snaggy venues. The tubing or leader can be kept short, increasing casting distance, as the rig inside the bag isn’t going to tangle.
in-line lead systems are best to use for PVA bag fishing
It needs to be supple and an uncoated braid fits the bill, although you can get away with a coated one if it is very soft. The hooklink is going to be coiled up inside a confined space so it isn’t the place for a stiff nylon material.
You also want this to be short for a couple of reasons. Firstly a short hooklength is much more manageable and makes your PVA bags easier to tie and secondly the feeding scenario demands it. You see once the PVA bag has melted it will leave a neat little portion of food in a small area upon which a carp can feed without moving. A short hooklink is therefore going to tighten and bring the lead into play instantly. We’re talking really short here, around four- or five-inches.
There is little need for bells and whistles and a simple rig is your friend. Anti-tangle sleeves and the like are superfluous as the rig cannot tangle and would prove a hindrance when trying to tie up a small, neat PVA bag. The style of presentation doesn’t lend itself to a high pop-up either as the hoovering feeding action that it promotes sees the carps mouth close to the bottom necessitating something much nearer the deck. Of course you can use a popped up presentation but it is as well to keep it low. Hooks are generally on the small side to balance a small hook bait.
Unless you are using whole boilies in the bag, which is rare, it’s a good idea to keep them minimal to compliment the small items in the PVA trap. Boilies and pop-ups can be trimmed down to look more like a pellet and make very good offerings as do medium sized particles such as maize, tiger nuts, peanuts etc.
Small high attract hookbaits are great to use in PVA bags
Straight sinking baits are fine but some buoyancy in the hookbait is a good thing. The idea with this type of trap is that a carp comes across a meal and sucks at the little pile of bait. Balanced or slow sinking baits will readily fly into the mouth without the fish necessarily deliberately taking it. Tiny 10mm pop-ups (bright ones bring some visual attraction to the party) are perfect as they can be used with a slightly larger hook to achieve a wafter type presentation with no need for putty or shot to counterbalance them. Plastic corn and maize both lighten the load and can be used alone or in combination with the real thing.
They’ve all got pros and cons. Bigger ones are easier to make up but are unwieldy and tricky to cast requiring beefy rods whilst the small ones can be blasted for miles but hold a much smaller payload.
It takes a little practice to become proficient but anyone can do it. There are a few products which help but a plastic spoon is a good, cheap option to begin with. You’ll need a dry environment in which to work as a single drop of water will ruin everything. Dry off your rig with a towel and cover it in some groundbait to make sure any moisture is eliminated.
Put a layer of something fine in the bottom along with your hookbait. Groundbait, crushed hemp or base mix are all good as they are fine enough so that there is no possibility of the hook point being masked. Drop a bit more bait on top of this layer. You can incorporate a few bigger items here like boilie crumb, chops, micro/mini pellets, PVA-friendly hemp, corn or nuts. The smaller the items the more compact the bag will be.
Nestle the lead in and top up with more bait to cover it. A squirt of glug doesn’t go amiss to boost attraction even further. Hold the top of the bag and twist whilst squeezing to compact the contents, making a nice tight parcel.
Wrap and tie the top with PVA tape, carefully trimming any excess PVA if distance is required. Lastly push and mould the bottom corners to create a tight, aerodynamic parcel before licking and sticking the bottom seam and corners down to help it fly true.
How to tie a PVA bag
Undoubtedly carp fishing with PVA bags will enhance your chances especially in situations when you don’t know the nature of the lakebed. Next time you’re on a short trip or have just set up on showing fish, rather than disturbing the swim with the marker rod, try using PVA bags for a quick bite.
26 March, 2024
5 hours after he started to fish gave him this magnificent carp just under 42 lbs
25 March, 2024
Carp fishing in April has got to be one of the best there is. Pretty much every carp in the land is awake and feeding by the end of March so you’re not fishing for torpid fish that are laid up in the snags. The same can be said for carp lakes in France, given the climate is very similar to the UK and as such April is one of the most popular months for carp fishing.
Your quarry is also likely to be in fine condition having had plenty of time to repair any damage from the summer’s spawning ritual and they’ll also be hanging onto most of their winter colours.
In addition weights are pretty high. They’ll be carrying a bit as this year’s spawning isn’t too far off and will have had a few weeks of feeding to put back on anything they may have lost over a harsh winter.
Lastly, you should find that carp are more obliging during April than at any other time. They may still not be easy to catch they will certainly be easier.
Read on for expert advice on how to use these tactics in your fishing this spring.
A stunning April carp in pristine condition
You’d think so wouldn’t you? Whilst fish are willing to feed at this time of year they are rarely up for a big feed. They’ll eat but not with the same enthusiasm as they will during autumn despite being extremely active. Extreme caution should be exercised as it is very easy to ruin any chance you had by introducing too much bait.
It’s a familiar sight on the banks of carp lakes everywhere. April comes along and brings with it a bit of sunshine. One or two fish start getting caught, the anglers get over-exuberant and all of a sudden catapults, spod rods and throwing sticks are thrashed about as kilos of bait are deposited into the water and the bites dry up for everyone. Take it easy as big beds of bait really are the kiss of death at this time of year.
You only need just enough bait to get a bite initially. The carp will be active and a light spread of bait or a PVA bag is ideal to nick a bite.
Essentially as little as you can get away with. The less you put in the smaller the chances of messing it up. It’s no coincidence that a large proportion of spring fish are caught on singles. Bright singles can be particularly effective and it is worth experimenting with different colours and flavours to see which works best.
As the month wears on there will be more opportunity to use a bit but it’s still best to err on the side of caution. Nobody can say what is the right amount for any given venue but we’d say somewhere in the region of 30 boilies per rod is ample in the majority of situations.
Use around 30 boilies per rod in spring
Carp fishing in April really is the season for the opportunist angler to take advantage. Despite not using big beds there are still plenty of ways to them. You don’t necessarily need to change anything much as normal boilie tactics will still work in April. A bottom bait, wafter or pop-up will account for plenty of bites just as long as it is over a frugal scattering. Carp tend to move about plenty during this period so it’s to our advantage to spread the freebies out a bit.
As water tempature increases you will also notice insect hatches. During this time the carp may show little interest in bottom baits as the become preoccupied on naturals. This is the perfect time to cast out a zig rig and use a small piece of foam to imitate the insect larva.
Zig rigs are perfect when hatches are going off
Single hookbaits are a real winner and a bright, smelly pop-up in the right place is a reliable tactic for an April bite. They are the perfect thing to use when casting to shows as they create minimal disturbance. It can prove fruitful to ring the changes with colour and flavour until a successful combination is found.
Bright single hook baits are very effective in spring
PVA bags are another great tactic to use and one that is especially useful if you aren’t confident with just a lone hook bait. They won’t overfeed the swim but will provide a lovely little parcel to attract an inquisitive carp. Again, they can be cast around the swim without the disruption of a marker float, a spod rod. They’ll help you to present properly too as any venues experience the beginning of some weed growth during April. PVA Sticks work well too, providing lots of attraction with little in the way of actual food. A tiger nut, chopped down boilie or a grain of maize amongst a pile of oily smelly goodness has every chance of proving irresistible to anything that comes across it.
PVA bags are ideal for catch carp in spring
There aren’t any secrets but some sound angling practices will see you through. In particular it’s probably more important to get location right than at any other time. Carp fishing in April can be extremely mobile and it’s essential to stay on top of their movements. It’s not enough to just find and det up on them as they’ll regularly move on having spent just a few hours in an area. You can often find yourself in a swim devoid of life that was brimming with fish the day before, even though conditions haven’t altered.
Observation will help enormously, both in locating them initially and in ascertaining if they are still in residence. It’s important to keep looking throughout your session and it’s equally necessary to respond to what your quarry does. It can be hard graft chasing them around so cutting down on the superfluous winter gear is advisable. Winter skins, five season bags and heavy groundsheets can all be put away until next winter to make relocating swims less of a chore.
Often the snags, which have held fish all through the winter, are deserted in favour of open water haunts. They could be anywhere really and the weather will have some bearing on their location. They might well start showing an interest in following a fresh wind and are likely to be visiting some of the shallower summer spots. Shallow water will be the first to warm up so do check the tops of bars and plateaux if the sun is out. Margins are one of the areas that they could start patrolling again and any areas with fresh weed growth are likely to prove attractive.
Paying attention to the water is vital for spring carp fishing
Thankfully they will be comparatively visible. There is usually some clarity left in the water and they aren’t usually shy about giving themselves away. Fish that are cleaning the last of the leeches will show repeatedly or can be seen flanking on the lake bed. You’ll see all the usual head and shouldering, crashing and rolling as well as porpoising when they’re on the move.
Sounds like we’d better get the rods out then.
Yes, you definitely should. April carp are extremely vulnerable to capture so it’s worth fishing as much as you can. Don’t get carried away with bait though as it’s easy to ruin it. Go easy on the freebies and fish for one bite at a time. Keep looking in order to stay in touch with the carp, adopt a mobile, hunting approach and you’re sure to reap the rewards.
25 March, 2024
Both of these carp are unknown 30 lbs first time out
25 March, 2024
This 52 lbs beauty fell to Baiting in the margins with DGF frenzy B mix the first part of the 48 hour session the fished on the bait with a chopped down FC bookie from Loirbaits
25 March, 2024
Early morning stalking gave me this lovely 30 + ghost common
25 March, 2024
A quick 48 hour first time fishing the lake and first fish a 40+ mirror lovely . Baited with DGF Frenzy C mix and H berry boilies from Loirbaits
25 March, 2024
Overnight session gave this lad a nice 30+ mirror Baiting up with DGF pellets and FC Boilies from Loirbaits
19 March, 2024
From last week here we have Russell Harverson with a lovely 54lb mirror
Well done mate
19 March, 2024
Stunning 55lb common caught this morning from John Tranter on post 15
Well done John
19 March, 2024
The lads this week ard having a great session, here is another 50lb mirror, this time from Carl Dalton on post 1
19 March, 2024
New 60lb Mirror
Christophe Boulonge has landed this stunning mirror, which we can identify is not one of the known existing 60s.
Christophe landed the 60lb 8oz mirror from post 14 , and has named the fish Jeanine , after his aunt who sadly passed away recently.
This is now the 10th verified and named 60lb plus fish in the lake
19 March, 2024
So from last week here we have Terry Jenner, who caught some lovely fish from post 8 , as well as this lovely 53lb mirror which was a PB for Terry
19 March, 2024
And also from last week here we have Shane Spiers with a beautiful 51lb mirror, a PB for Shane.
Caught from post 15, well done mate
18 March, 2024
A very happy Mick with a new PB of 50lb. Only had the rods out for 20 mins and had a lovely scaley mirror at 25lb then this beauty 🙂
04 March, 2024
Ben and Stacey visited us for their 5th trip to La Petite Martiniere.
Knowing the lake well, they set up swiftly in the double swim and prepared their attack using simple rigs and the house bait of boilies, pellets and liquids. It wasn’t too long before the action kicked off and the lads had a bumper week, bagging over 30 carp between them.
Good angling lads.
04 March, 2024
After a night of intense rainfall I managed to catch a nice 31.12 unknown common
28 February, 2024
Ben & Ben visited this week, Ben H was a returning angler and brought with him his pal Ben S for his first trip to France.
Between them they landed 38 carp with the biggest at 41lb 10oz and a further 9 fish over 30lb.
“It’s the perfect place for 2 anglers whether you are an advanced angler or looking for an introduction to fishing in France.
– The food package is mind blowing
– House bait is quality and very affordable
– Log Cabin is very comfortable & equipped
– Lake exclusive pricing is VERY competitive
I can’t recommend enough that you consider this venue as part of your France excursions.”
28 February, 2024
Good friends of ours, Tony and Terry, spent 5 days with us fishing.
The lads come to enjoy a break from day to day life, catch a few fish and enjoy the the social banter that flows between best mates when on the bank…
They managed over 10 fish between them and, of course, there were a lot of laughs, wind ups and great memories made.
28 February, 2024
Good Afternoon All, I have just got back from 5 days fishing at Spruce Lake and just wanted to share with you how I got on. As usual the hospitality was superb. I was looked after by Mark and Alison whether at the lake or the house. the food was lovely and the fishing was excellent. With regards to the weather it was overcast with some rain but definitely spot on for fishing. My catch report reads as follows:- Biggest was 51lb (Buster), this was backed by three 40’s to 44lb 6oz, eight 30’s to 38lb and six 20’s to 26lb. These all add up to great week and, due to recent knee injury, I only fished the days as well. The fish were in mint condition and all gave a good account of themselves. A week to remember. Sorry about the bin in the side on photo but I wanted to show the width of Buster.
28 February, 2024
After a slow start to the day , it went mental I don’t think I had three rods in the water a any one time .one after the other starting with a home grown stockie then a double take two commons at 34lb and 37lb leading onto a 35lb mirror and a short breather leading on to the bigger girls with Ash at 44+lb and shortly afterwards Wilson at 42+ lb then to finish off the day with a prestine 22lb mirror
What a brilliant days fishing
Beautiful fish
Tight lines Michael
28 February, 2024
Here are a few more pictures from Geoff & Joe that we’re here from the 14th to the 19th of April sorry so late had a problem receiving the pictures.
Only fishing for the four days they both had some great results.sorry I don’t have any of the weights.
But I do know Joes first fish out was Buster again ! and to Barry’s disgust 1lb heavier than he had her at the week before 52lb
Also just to take this opportunity to let any one thinking of a break later this year we still have some dates available for September and October this year a great time to fish and the weather is normally perfect.
Just give me a call +33 555084305. Or. +33 622289109
28 February, 2024
A wonderful week on the lake catching some monsters with Marks invaluable guidance, Buster @ 53.5, three forties including Beauty and Juggernaut @ 38.5! Great weather (a bit too hot for me tbh so got burnt a little) and wonderful food with our amazing hosts! Can’t wait to get back for that big common! Until next year! 🥰
28 February, 2024
2 of us spent a fabulous 4 days at Spruce Lakes in June.
Mark and Alison were great as usual and the food was amazing.
Mark pointed us out the best areas to fish and we banked 30 of his hard fighting fish. 12 of the fish were over 30lb up to 39lb.
The fish had just spawned so were a little bit down in weight. Ash came out at 38lb whereas a couple of weeks earlier it was 42lb
Always a pleasure to fish here and May see you again in September
28 February, 2024
Awesome few days at Spruce Lake, at the end of August with the Ansteys and Del Tomo and Beth Thompson. Fabulous fishing and stunning location. Support from Mark was second to none – thank you.
Amongst others caught Buster (51lb), Nemo (42lb), John (24lb), Lipstick (25lb), Sherman (27lb), (newly named) Botox (28lb) and a few unnamed high 30lb ers.
Mark & Alison were the perfect hosts – hospitality and food were fantastic. Would highly recommend.
28 February, 2024
So last fisherman left us on Sunday here for the second time this year Steve & kaye returned for ten days and what a wet and windy ten days they were.
Battling the elements only fishing 8 days Steve managed to produce these lovely looking fish.Buster up to 54lb for this time of year is great,Wilson to 42lb and the gutbucket to a brilliant 44lb up in weight for this time in the year so looking good for the new season with the netting due in December to remove the smaller stockies improving the growth of the big girls and some new arrivals to add to the stock.
Well done Steve, see you next season !!
Anyone thinking of a fishing trip or a break away from it all we still have some dates remaining for next year please get in touch you won’t be disappointed with some new improvements ready for next year.
28 February, 2024
Two members from the Red Spinners Angling Society, Don aged 89 and Melvyn gave us a visit. Though no night fishing they didn’t do too bad… A few of the commons that came out..
28 February, 2024
If you don’t fancy the long drive and ferry crossing or taking Euro tunnel, then all inclusive carp fishing holidays in France are a fantastic option. All inclusive lakes generally offer bait, tackle hire, food packages as well as airport pick up and drop off. Many of the lakes have swimming pools making them ideal for a family carp fishing holiday or taking your partner. You can just jump on a plane and be fishing in no time at all!
Typically, you bring your own reels and terminal tackle, but the rest of the gear you need is waiting at the lake for you.
Food packages consists of a breakfast which many lakes will deliver to your swim so you don’t miss that all import ‘bite time’. Breakfasts are either a full English breakfasts, sausage, bacon and egg baguettes or a continental style breakfast.
Dinners are usually served at the dedicated social areas either outside undercover or in an indoor dining areas. These are great times to catch up with your fellow anglers and have an hour or two away from the lake. Many lake owners will put on a least one BBQ a week.
Lunch are usually not included as standard but can be added on for an extra cost.
You will need to b0ok your own flight, however once you land at the agreed French airport you will be collected and driven to the lake to start your fishing holiday. Most holidays are Saturday to Saturday and at the end of the week you will be dropped back at the airport in plenty of time for your return flight to the UK.
Here are 7 of the best all inclusive carp fishing holidays in France:
Situated in the south of France, within the Midi Pyrenees region, Cavagnac Lake, also referred to as “Etang de Bournazel,” can only be described as one of the most remarkable carp fisheries. With a population of more than a thousand carp, ranging up to an enormous 85 pounds, and boasting a significant number of fish in the 40s and 50s weight range, Cavagnac Lake truly stands as the abode of colossal carp!
At 52 acres in size the lake can be fished by a mximum of 19 anglers at any one time.
Owing to the lake’s southern location, the journey by car to the lake takes approximately 11 hours from Calais. For British anglers, there’s an available all-inclusive ‘fly and fish’ package, enabling you to maximize your fishing time. It often proves to be a more cost-effective option compared to driving, thanks to the savings on fuel expenses.
Cavagnac Lake – Midi Pyrenees region, 100 miles from Toulouse airport
Dream Catchers is a mature lake lined with beautiful trees and includes accommodation and a swimming pool. It is a 7 acres in size with some real monsters in it. Situated just outside Limoges it has carp that exceed 40lbs. This lake is available for exclusive hire for up to 7 anglers. There is a luxury farm house which sleeps up to 14, an outdoor swimming pool, a pool table as well as fishing tackle, all included.
Dream Catchers Lake – La Glane, 14 miles from Limoges airport
The current owners purchased the lake and its 30 acre grounds in 2017. The lake was dug in 1971 and wasn’t fished until 2017. Honestly, this lake could hold far bigger carp than 40lbers!
Dream Catchers has everything you need to catch your dream carp on-site including bivvies, boilies and rods!
Fox Pool is located in Maillet and is a beautiful 4-acre lake. It is a drive and survive venue which offers a complete 3 rod set up with 2 man bivvy and bedchair included in the price so all you have to bring is your terminal tackle.
Fox Pool – Maillet, 30 miles from Limoges airport
There’s no shortage of big fish to go ahead with carp to 60lbs and catfish to 90lbs!
The easiest way to get to Fox Pool is from Limoges airport, where Graham the lake owners will collect you.
Situated in the stunning Loire Valley Chateau and Vineyard region Moulin de Boutineau is an idyllic venue which is perfect for a family fishing holiday. Run by husband and wife, the complex offers 3 lovely stone built cottages, an outdoor pool, hot tub and of course a specimen carp lake on a private 15 acre site.
Moulin de Boutineau – Loire Valley – 17 miles from Tours airport
The lake is 2.5 acres in size with a good head of carp to just under 50lbs. The 3 cottages on site are the Fisherman’s Cottage which can sleep up to 6, the Gardener’s Cottage which sleeps 4 and the Bread Oven which sleeps 2.
Full tackle hire is available as well as a luxury food package allowing you to sit back and relax and enjoy everything this stunning venue has to offer.
Kingfisher lake is a 7 acre lake set into a beautiful 35 acres of private woodland. It is located in Massignac in the South West of France and a short drive from Limoges airport. Kingfisher is available for up to 5 anglers, but its lodge sleeps 6, so it’s great for families. This all inclusive carp venue also comes includes an outdoor swimming pool. If you do have more than 8 anglers in your party, you can hire the lake next door too, Lac Lucie. Kingfisher and Lac Lucie are just 2 of the many lakes available for private hire with accommodation that we list.
Kingfisher Lake – Massignac, 37 miles from Limoges airport
Kingfisher is the place to go if you want to catch big carp but also like a bit of a challenge as you do have to work for bites on this lake. There’s 150 carp in the lake. Average weights are 38lb and the largest carp in the lake last weighed in at 67lbs. It is rare that this lake doesn’t produce a PB during a week’s fishing trip!
La Froterie is a gorgeous 4 acre lake in the South West of France and offers a fantastic all inclusive fishing package which is ideal for a family or if you are taking your partner. The lake has a luxury gite that can sleep up to 6 anglers who will have exclusive fishing on the lake during their stay. You will be catered for by a lovely husband and wife team who know the lake like the back of their hand. They know their way around a bacon sandwich too cooking some amazing breakfasts to keep your strength up.
La Froterie – Pougne-Hérisson, 38 miles from Poitiers–Biard Airport
The lake holds stunning commons and mirrors to about 50lbs and has a very good head of back up of 30 to 40lb carp. Swims on this lake are well positioned to ensure every angler has an excellent chance of catching.
Etang de Villaine is situated in Vesdun set in acres of countryside and is a stunning 6 acre lake. This drive and survive lake is managed by a wonderful guy called Stuart who is a keen carp angler himself and know that lake extremely well.
Etang de Villaine – Vesdun, 80 miles Clermont-Ferrand Auvergne Airport
Etang de Villaine is stocked with carp ranging from 20lb to 60lb. The current average weight of carp caught is 40lb. The climate and habitat is perfect for the carp to grow, so this season may see this average weight increase. Etang de Villaine has everything you need on-site including tackle hire.
Martin’s Course lake is 1.5 acre lake which can be booked with Martin’s Specimen Lake which is a 7 acre lake with carp to 50lbs. The smaller lake has plenty of carp to over 20lbs making it perfect for children.
Martin’s Coarse Lake – Saint-Barthelemy-de-Bellagarde, 28 miles Bergerac airport
Included in the price is a fully equipped gite which can sleep up to 6 people. Step out the gite onto a wonderful terrace with your own outdoor private swimming pool. Take a dip to cool off or relax on the sun loungers as you work on your tan.
The lake is within a short drive of Bergerac airport and full 3 rod set ups are available for hire. Airport pick up can be arranged at just a small additional cost. If you don’t fancy cooking, a wonderful food package including breakfast and a two course evening meal is also available.
We list over 60 amazing fishing holidays in France. View all of our lakes by clicking here.
23 February, 2024
Nice wake up call at 6.30 this morning was very quiet last night didn’t expect anything . Beautiful koi 34.2 lbs double plastic corn over around 2 kg DGF frenzi particle mix
18 February, 2024
New stalking swim The Cove . seen some lovely fish in this corner just have to catch them know.See you soon if you are coming over bring your stalking gear
18 February, 2024
Prepared particles with Himalaya salt and spices available on site
17 February, 2024
3.30 IN THE MORNING WOKE ME UP TO THIS BEAUTIFUL CARP 36.13 LBS BAIT WAS DGF SALTED CRUSHED PARTICALS AND PINK POP UP TOPPED OF WITH 2 PIECES OF DGF SALTED CHILLY MAIZE .
16 February, 2024
Brittany is a beautiful region and home to to some of the best carp lakes in France. Carp lakes in Brittany are easily accessable from the ferry ports of Caen, Le Havre and St Malo. Take an overnight ferry from Portsmouth on Friday evening and arrive at the lake before midday to truly make the most of your fishing trip.
Here are the 6 of the best carp lakes in Brittany or close to Brittany which can all be reached within a couple of hours drive from the nearest ferry terminal.
Chestnut Pool is an intimate pool of just over an acre in size with carp to over 50lbs. The superb venue is ideal for anglers and non anglers and has an luxury lodge which overlooks the lake and can sleep up to 4 adults. There is also a hot tub on the wrap around veranda. Does it get much better than this?
Distance from Ferry Port:
Carp Quarry is a 3 acre lake which is home to some very special carp. There are around 200 carp which as of 2023 had an average size of over 38lbs and a lake record of over 60lbs. At only a 90 minute drive from the nearest ferry port it is a pleasant journey to arrive at Carp Quarry. Set back just 25 metres from the lake is a gite which sleeps up to 6 adults making this an ideal venue for combining fishing with day time site seeing an trip with non angling members of the family.
Distance from Ferry Port:
Carpunters Lake is a mature 5 acre lake which offers everything a carp angler could look for. There are big carp to over 50lbs and for those anglers who enjoy close quarters actions and under the rod tip stalking this lake won’t disappoint! There is even an option chalet which can be hire for the do not want to night fish every night or for non angling guests.
Distance from Ferry Port:
Lac Claudette is a 7 acre lake with a around 200 carp to excess of 60lbs. Due to the owners feeding programme the carp are packing some serious weight year on year with a very good average size. It’s a fantastic lake for social fishing with all 5 swims on one side of the lake. Just behind the swims is a lodge with kitchen, shower and toilet facilities as well as a bedroom. Fishing is generally to the far margins and rigs can be place accurate using either a rowing boat or bait boat.
Distance from Ferry Port:
Willow lake is situated in the picturesque Loire Valley, very close to the town on Craon. This great carp lake is only a two-hour drive from St Male or a two and a half-hour drive from Caen. Willow lake is 2-acres and is surrounded by 8-acres of beautiful meadows that give the feeling of complete seclusion and bliss during your time at the lake.
The lake is a spring-fed and dammed at one end. The dam end of the lake is deepest at about 10 foot, while the spring end is about 4 foot. The lake gets its name from the willow trees that surround it that are accompanied by birch trees, reeds and shrubs. All of the trees and shrubs that flank the water give excellent protection for the fish and any angler looking to do a bit of stalking during their stay.
Willow Lake has four swims that provide access to loads of underwater features and the cover from the trees around the lake. These four swims mean that three anglers can fish the lake comfortably and have access to some brilliant hotspots in the lake without crossing lines. Willow lake was de-silted in 2002 and, thanks to the owner, is also virtually snag-free. The lake bed is a mixture of sand, silt and gravel at the shallower depths. So, a marker rod is a must to find some of the fantastic underwater features.
The accommodation is a 3 bedroom chalet which is set back just metres from lake so you’re only a quick sprint from the rods!
Distance from Ferry Port:
Often compared to a classic English estate lake, Woody’s Hooked in France is about as picturesque and packed full of features as they come! Not only that, it is home to some very big carp including 2 commons both approaching the 70lb mark. There are 2 islands, as well as overhanging trees, lilly pads, bays and plateaus. It really has everything you good ask for and more! The lake has 4 swims, 2 of which can accommodate 2 anglers. To make life a bit more comfortable wifi is in every swim as well as USB charging points. The lake can be fished by up to 5 anglers.
16 February, 2024
24 hour session gave me a big surprise lovely unknown mirror 50.2 lbs very happy Baited with FC boilies Loirbaits over a bed of crushed particles from DGF Baits
16 February, 2024
Your rods are cast out, carp are topping over your spots, you’re surrounded by stunning French countryside and your accommodation is just metres from the lake. Surely this is the perfect fishing holiday?
We list over 25 of the very best private fishing lakes in France with accommodation, swimming pools and even hot tubs, all available to UK carp anglers for holiday bookings.
Here’s a selection of our favourite carp lakes in France with accommodation. You really are spoiled for choice!
To view all our lakes with accommodation and swimming pools click here.
Hill House Lake is just over 200 miles from Calais and combines luxury with premium carp fishing. The accommodation is a luxury house with 3 double bedroom just metres from the water’s edge. Step outside the house and enjoy soaking away in a state of the art hot tub and enjoy views of the lake. The lake is 6 acres with a very good head of carp to 50lbs and growing. This is an ideal venue for those taking non angling guests or for those who enjoy a touch a luxury when they are fishing.
Planning a family fishing holiday to France? La Petite Coquais is the perfect place. The accommodation can sleep up to 6 and in addition to the two fishing lakes which you will have exclusive use of, there is a pool, jacuzzi, table tennis table and even a bouncy castle! Carp go to 40lbs in the main lake. The fishing is not too difficult making it perfect for younger anglers too.
Book Oak Tree lake and you will sleep in a fantastic stone built gite which can sleep up to 6 people. There a 2 private lakes just a stone’s throw away from the accommodation which you will have exclusive use of for the duration of your holiday. The main lake is 3 acres and has carp to over 40lbs. There is a smaller course fishing lake with a variety of species and carp to 20lbs. In addition to the lakes there is a swimming pool, full size snooker table, a pool table as well as free bicycles to use. Oak Tree lake is perfect for a family fishing holiday.
Chestnut Pool is an intimate lake of just over an acre in size. It holds an incredible stock of carp to over 50lbs. The accommodation is a luxury wooden chalet which has spectacular views over the lake. There’s a large wrap-around decked terrace which has a hot tub, outdoor dining furniture and BBQ. The accommodation can sleep up to 4 and the lake is perfect for 2 anglers. Chestnut pool is the perfect couples get away.
The accommodation at La Froterie is simply stunning and very tastefully decorated. You’ll stay in a luxury stone gite which can sleep up to 6. Outside the gite is a lovely terrace area with outdoor furniture, it’s the perfect place to BBQ and enjoy views of the lake. As well as exclusive use of the carp lake which has fish to over 50lbs, there is a private outdoor swimming pool.
Kingfisher lake is located in the Limoges region of south west France. It is perfect for both a family fishing holiday or an out and out fishing holiday. Anglers and guests will have a chalet which sleeps 6 just a stones throw from the lake as well as a dip ball and an exclusive hot tub. There is an option fly and fish package with airport collection for those who do not wish to drive. The lake is mature and 7 acres in size and offers fantastic fishing for big carp to 60lbs whether adopting a bait and wait approach or if you fancy some day time stalking.
Our final lake is Dream Catchers Lake. The place where dreams come true right? Well that may just be true. This magnificent venue has a large farm house which can sleep up to 14. There is a covered outdoor swimming pool and a hot tub, not to mention an 8 acre carp lake with carp to nearly 60lbs. Dream Catchers lake is perfect for large groups of families and friends.
15 February, 2024
In the UK, the otter population has exploded since the 1960 and 70s, when otters were close to extinction. Whilst most people would agree it is joyful to see otters thriving again in their natural habitat in the UK, if you are a carp angler or fishery owner, the sight of an otter may send a chilling shudder down your spine.
Active otters in the UK. Image credit: Angling Trust
According to the “Fifth Otter Survey of England 2009 to 2010” which as of February 2024 remains the most recent survey, the increase of the otter population can be attributed to three main factors:
In the same survey it recorded that the otter population in England had increased 58.8 percent since the previous survey in 2009-10. In particular, the biggest increase in the otter population was on the River Thames.
An otter’s natural habitat is primarily in rivers and wetlands. Clean rivers thriving with biodiversity including fish and crustaceans are a superb habitat. However, just like humans, if another source of food is available and this other source has more food and requires less energy to catch the food, the otters will exploit this opportunity.
Lakes which are situated close to rivers, are particularly at risk and a pair of otters have been known to devastate a small fishery in a short space of time. This advice is also very relavant to lake owners in France, particularly in the east of the country where the otter population is more prevalent.
Just because your lake is situated close to a river network does not necessarily mean that your fishery will attract otters. However, as a general rule, if you qualify for any of the below scenarios it would be wise to consider taking measures to protect your fishery:
Clear signs of otters in a fishery. Image credit: Angling Trust
The only way to have confidence that your fishery is safe from otters is to install a purpose built otter fence which will need to run the entire perimeter of your lake with no gaps at all. You will also need access gates and these will also need to be otter resistant to ensure that otters can enter from under the gate or through any gaps.
An otter proof fence. Image credit: Embryo Angling
An otter fence is a significant investment even for a small lake, with costs significantly rising for larger lakes. Otter fence can range in price anywhere from £25 to £40 per metre which totals up to a substantial sum of money. It is not always as simple as buying the materials and erecting the fence, the ground around the perimeter of the lake needs to be prepared and leveled. In addition to this, any trees and shrubs which cross paths with the route of the fence will need to be removed. For lakes which have areas which are not easily accessible on foot, this can become a huge task.
It is therefore highly recommended to undertake some form of a cost benefit analysis to determine if it is economically viable to fit an otter fence before making a decision.
So, if you have made the decision to otter fence your fishery the next big decision is who is going to install it. This is a job that needs to be done properly, any gap of greater than 50mm is enough for an otter to penetrate the fence. Therefore it is critical to the protection of your fishery that the job is done properly, otherwise you are potentially wasting thousands of pounds.
It is not only gaps that you need to be aware of, it is also being mindful that otters are very good diggers as well as climbers. It is recommended that otter fences are dug at least 900mm below ground level to ensure the perimeter fence is secure enough to prevent an otter from entering your fishery by digging under it.
The top of the fence should be angled outwards to create an overhang to prevent otters scaling over the fence.
If you are not experienced in fencing, it is recommended to use a professional company to install the otter fence. Embryo Angling is one such company that can instal your otter fence and has being offering this service since 2014.
Erecting an otter fence. Image credit: Embryo Angling
Unfortunately even once you have installed your otter fence, the work and potential expense does not stop there, however it is generally much lower.
Critical to protecting your fishery is the maintenance of otter fences. These fences are exposed to the natural elements and are susceptible to, for example, winds, rot (after a long time), rust, falling trees just to name a few. It is therefore very important to carry our regular checks and maintenance to ensure the upkeep of the fencing. It is especially advisable to cut back overhanging trees, remove diseased trees and carry out inspections after and strong winds.
As well as regular maintenance, where you have access gates to the fishery you need to have very clear sign posts to make sure that anglers do not leave them open. You may also want to consider some kind of consequence management or rules around keeping the gates closed other than times when anglers are required to pass through the gates.
Finally, if otters do get into your fishery how do you go about getting rid of them. As much as many of us would like to take the matter into our own hands, unfortunately UK laws do not permit this.
Only persons with a CL36 licence which gives you permission to capture and transport live otters from inside a fishery are permitted to carry out this activity. However, the licence only applies to fisheries which have an otter fence. If your fishery is not fenced and you spot otters, it is actually illegal to remove them. This is actually a really important piece of legislation to be aware of and another plus factor of installing an otter fence.
It is possible to apply for an otter license to remove them from fisheries. This can be done via Natural England and then complete the CL36 application form on the UK Gov website
14 February, 2024
A little short session on field lake gave me these two lovely carp .3kg of DGF prepared particals and 1 kilo of Loirbaits FC boilies over the top done the job .Hook Baot match the hatch 20 ml FC Koi 34.7 lbs and the fully 28.8 lbs
13 February, 2024
New members from today 52lbs,42 lbs and 34 lbs
09 February, 2024
couple of hours winter stalking gave me this lovely mirror carp.fell on salty hazelnut by DGF BAITS
31 January, 2024
A quick overnight session 2 kg Loirbaits strawberry boilies and a 33 lbs on the unhooking mat 😀Too bad I was alone for the photo
31 January, 2024
17 runs and 15 fish banked during a January weekend session. Biggest being a 46lb common.
26 January, 2024
Most bottom bait rigs utilise the principle of the hook turning and flipping to catch hold in a carp’s mouth and the palm test is our measure of how well a carefully tied presentation achieves this. There are, however, a few rigs that work in a totally different way. The KD rig, whilst perhaps not ever one of the most fashionable or trending rigs, is quietly favoured by some of the best carp anglers in the UK and France.
Whether you fishing a French carp lake or a UK one, the KD rig is always a rig to have in your armoury. It is a very simple and quick rig to tie. Read of our step by step guide of how to set it up.
Step 1: Using a coated braid strip back the coating and tie an overhand loop knot as if you were tying a knotless knot rig.
Step 2: Using a baiting needle thread your hookbait onto the loop. The KD rig mechanics are designed to work with pop-ups and balanced baits.
Step 3: Thread the braid through the back of the hook with your hookbait roughly inline with the top of the hook. This is the same steps you would follow when tying a knotless knot rig.
Step 4: Pinching the hair against the shank of the hook, whip the other end of the braid 2 turns around the shank of the hook. The pull the hair to the side and whip a further 5 turns, most importantly without trapping the hair underneath.
Step 5: Thread the end of the braid from the front of the hook to the back, wet the knot and pull it tight.
Step 6: Sqeeze on a split shot directly beneath the hookbait. The shot should be anchored to the lake bed. The size of the shot used will depend on the buoyancy of the hookbait. Attached the rig to your mainline using a loop to loop know and you are ready to go!
Everything about the tying of this one goes against the grain really. Try the palm test and it won’t pass. Instead of exiting opposite the barb, as with most rigs, the hair leaves the hook right up by the eye. This creates a pivot point and means that, rather than turning, the comparatively heavy bend swings down. The hook point is already sitting in the prone position, ready to grab hold of the bottom lip before the rig is even tightened.
It is indeed. The effect can be enhanced too simply by introducing an element of buoyancy into the hook bait. The lightness of the hook bait generates greater disparity between it and the hook, which hangs below at the slightest enquiry. The delicately balanced bait is also likely to travel further back into a carp’s mouth. This is a particular advantage with the KD as the rig provides better separation than most giving the hook has an additional chance of taking hold. Ideally the hook bait should sink of its own accord – just. The hook is meant to lie flat on the deck and testing it to ensure it isn’t partially lifted by the bait’s buoyancy is essential.
The most common hookbait to use is a pop-up held down with a split shot on the hair. There are a lot of options for creating effective hook baits to use with the KD. You can drill a hole in a bottom bait and plug with rig foam, cut a boilie and a pop-up in half, mounting a piece of each on the hair or use a snowman to make the bait lighter. One of the easiest ways though is to use a wafter. It makes for the perfect tempter and can be finely tuned with a tiny split shot, tungsten bead or a piece of lead core inner on the hair. This can go either at its base or part way along the hair or you could just leave the bait to sit off the bottom just above the hook. Drilled out tigers, plastic corn or maize will all provide an alternative when mass baiting with particles.
Some flexibility above the hook is required in order for it to have the freedom of movement to tilt and drop. Therefore the material needs to be some form of braid. Most will go for a coated braid although there are some that swear by a soft uncoated one for this rig. We’d recommend taking advantage of the anti tangle properties of a coated one for casting any sort of range but the uncoated version will come into play in the edge or for using with a PVA stringer, solid or mesh bags.
It is more the principle that is important and the KD rig will function with a number of types of short shank hooks. That said a curved shank pattern is favoured by most and is our choice.
Well, it is a knotless knot but with a slight twist. Start your knot as normal however, after two or three turns move the hair out of the way and continue for another five turns below it. This helps kick the hair out, enhancing the rig’s mechanics. Exiting from near the eye, the hair is longer than usual which provides superior separation. There is room for experimentation but, as a rough guide, it should
21 January, 2024
Nice combination for a winters morning stalking
19 January, 2024
Loirbaits has caught me lots of good fish throughout 2023 on the river and also in the lakes.Works great with PVA bag rigs
19 January, 2024
NICE WINTER MORNING AND THE CARP ARE STILL ACTIVE . SEEN TWO FISH TOP OUT ONE ON EACH LAKE .
14 January, 2024
Very hot for the time of year with pressure 1030 and above resulted in a poor weeks fishing for Dave with a few fish to low 30’s
14 January, 2024
The unusually very hot weather continues which continued to have an adverse effect on the fishing. Despite this, Roger and Joe still managed some nice carp in the 30’s and a new PB for Roger with a 45lb common all caught at night
14 January, 2024
The heatwave continues and Stu saves a blank with an upper 20 half way through the week
14 January, 2024
Dan and Dave returned for their annual trip to Etang Rouge with uour Callum who was on his first French trip. The boys managed carp in the 40’s, 30’s and 20’s including a new upper 20 PB for Callum
14 January, 2024
The heatwave is finally over and has been replaced with a 15 degree drop in temperature along with constant heavy rain. Tom smashed his previous PB with a 61lb 8oz common and Harry upped his with a 40lb+ mirror
02 January, 2024
Stephen ,Julie and Ted the dog staying with us for Christmas and with the cottage all decked out for Christmas and a superb Christmas hamper and champagne waiting for them on arrival their stay was off to a great start. Stephen having blanked in France twice in 2024 had low expectations however he was to be pleasantly surprised. The weather was mild and the carp were feeding , 14 fish to the net with Julie landing a stunning new PB Mirror and Stephen catching his target of a first ever Sturgeon as well as numerous other fish making it a great stay fishing wise and in between enjoying the hot tub , fire pit ,Netflix and some general chilling out in the cottage and visiting the many attractions , great shopping , markets and restaurants in the local area.
02 January, 2024
Pva bag Parker baits pop up OG Fish with pellets fished on a gravel patch in the margins a scrape off 32lbs
22 December, 2023
A 4 fish banked including 2 50s by Tony Plumber during a short frosty December session.
54, 52.2, 38 and 36lbs.
20 December, 2023
Hosts Peter and fraiser really made you feel welcome and were great with good food and plenty of it at a great fishery! Me and my friend Tom Samuels had a awesome time all be a very slow week on the fishing front they just didn’t seem to be on the munch but still had some good fish 35lb 11oz being the biggest.
20 December, 2023
30 lb caught on a Parker Baits OG fruit and nut pop up second fish of the night .Caught on the willow lake. Both grass carp are also new unknown fish nice surprise
13 December, 2023
Ralph de Putter had a fantastic session landing 52 carp. The largest was 59lbs 5oz and the smallest was 39lbs. The catch also included a 48lb grass carp.
13 December, 2023
Over 20 carp landed for Darren Crouch. The largest being 58lbs 9oz and the smallest 35lbs.
13 December, 2023
Carp to over 50lbs during a 3 day session in October.
07 December, 2023
Over the last month we have had many Pb’s broken and some big fish catches .
Steve Martley 29 fish with 6 fish over 44lb
Jonathan Davies 48 fish with 2x 50lb+ fish and 8 fish over 40lb
Greene with a 54lb mirror and Jordan smashing his Pb twice
to name just a few of the guests we have had.
07 December, 2023
Crayfish pose an escalating challenge in carp angling. Once they get into a lake, given their rapid reproduction, if you do not use certain tactics including crayfish resistant terminal tackle, they can make fishing incredibly challenging.
If you are fishing a crayfish infested lake, your choices related to tackle, rigs, swim selection, and bait strategy will play a massive part in how successful your campaign will be.
It is well worth researching whether a lake has crayfish present before you start fishing so that you are adequately prepared. This is particular important when on a French carp fishing holiday given you are likely to only have a week so going with the right rigs and baiting strategy in mind can be crucial to your success.
credit to Duncan Soar
To counter the likelihood of crayfish interference, using a stiff hook link material is crucial for rig resetting. Subtle hooklink material is prone to tangling and if crayfish are present, there is a high chance that if your rig is picked up it will become tangled. Use a coated braid of at least 20lbs so that it has enough rigidity to reset if it is picked up. A fluorocarbon monofilament which prove to be equally good due to its excellent anti tangle properties.
Use a rigid coated braid or a monofilament which will easily reset
Crayfish love rig putting and almost seem to be hone in on it at times. Instead use either split shot or line sinkers to keep the rig pinned to the lake bed.
Use split shot or sinkers instead of rig putty
Utilising extender stops becomes imperative, as conventional hair stops are susceptible to crayfish removal.
Hair stop extenders are more crayfish proof than conventional hair stops
There are certain rigs which are more crayfish proof. Pop up rigs are a good choice as baits raised off the lake bed generally receive less attention from crayfish.
Chod rigs or spinner rigs, are a good choice due to their fantastic anti tangle properties. In terms of baits if you are using boilies you should cover them in a mesh or a shink wrap. Even if the hookbait does receive attention from crayfish it is less likely to come off the hair.
Use a rig with strong anti tangle properties such as the spinner rig
A sharp, durable hook complements the strategy, ensuring resilience when picked up and dropped. When employing bottom rigs, extender stops surpass regular hair stops in crayfish resistance, seamlessly integrating with the bait.
The end tackle’s final crucial element is a substantial lead, countering crayfish’s ability to manipulate smaller leads. Employing a 3oz or larger lead not only fortifies hooking potential but also anchors the rig in place.
Bait selection proves pivotal in addressing crayfish challenges. If you are struggling to keep your hookbaits on and don’t want to recast every hour or 2 then consider using plastic hookbaits. Plastic baits are pretty crayfish proof as they are picked up less and even if they are it is rare that the crayfish will manage to remove the bait from the hair.
Plastic baits are less likely to get pulled off the hair
Tiger nuts are also another good option and worth trying as they will generally stay on the hair for longer than a boilie will.
Some anglers say to avoid oily or fishy baits such as pellets but underwater footage shows that crayfish will eat just about anything so avoiding such baits may not help to deter the attention of the crayfish.
One of the best deterrents of crayfish is in fact carp. Carp love to eat crayfish as they are high in protein. This is one of the reasons that carp in crayfish infested lakes often grow so big.
So rather than avoiding baiting heavily or avoiding certain baits, fish as you normally would with the intention of attracting carp. When the carp come in to feed the crayfish will scatter. If you use stiff hooklinks and anti tangle rigs with a bait that can withstand a crayfish pick up you can fish very effectively and the crayfish will cause minimal interference to your fishing.
03 December, 2023
3 days of fishing for the a film with Florent Fruchard and Romain Kowalka who are team members of Nutrabaits France resulted in 6 carp including 2 60s. The weights were 35, 38, 41, 44, 60 and 62 lbs.
Superb late November fishing
21 November, 2023
The last week of the season saw continued heavy rain for Jordan and Chris’ visit, however that didn’t stop the lads with Jordan setting and then breaking his new PB twice with a lovely mirror just shy of 46lb and Chris a cracking common of 41lb 8oz
21 November, 2023
A great week for Keith and Chris with over a 1000lb of carp caught! We’ll done boys!
21 November, 2023
New personal best at 61lbs for Frederic and forties for Florent from Nutrabaits team France …
14 November, 2023
Winter carp fishing offers a unique experience and a chance to enjoy some quiet time on the bank. With the right approach and preparations, you can make the most of this serene season.
Picking the right fishing location is crucial during winter carp fishing. Large, exposed gravel pits with sparse carp populations can make successful fishing almost impossible. Opt for well-stocked venues with a track record of good winter fishing. Shallow lakes are preferable in the winter, as they warm up more quickly under the winter sun, enticing the fish to feed.
If you are considering a fishing holiday in France, target the lakes which are further south. The weather is a few degrees warmer and it really does make a huge difference. For example, typically in December when fish in the lakes in the UK or northern France start to become less active the water temperature descends, carp in south west France around the Limoges region can still be fishing well.
Carp location is paramount in the winter months. Look for signs of fish activity to determine where carp are spending their time. If there are no obvious signs initially, choose a swim that offers a clear view of the entire lake. In the winter, carp tend to shoal up, so if you spot one, there are likely more in the vicinity. Position your bivvy or sit at the front of your swim to observe the lake. Once a carp reveals its location, move accordingly.
Until you pinpoint their winter haunts, the mobile approach is key. Carp in the cold tend to stay in small, specific areas of the lake. To be in with a chance, you need to fish where they are. This may require moving around and being adaptable. Don’t sit and wait; if you don’t see any signs, be prepared to reposition until you find their winter hideouts.
Contrary to popular advice about fishing in the shallows when it’s sunny, especially in early winter, deeper areas are more likely to harbor carp in the cold. Deeper areas with nearby cover are particularly attractive to them. On shallower waters, target snags or other forms of cover. Always follow any signs the fish may give you, rather than fishing blindly.
Winter carp tend to reveal their whereabouts more readily during the night. Keep an eye out for late-night shows or bubbling, as these could indicate feeding spots for the following day. Arriving at the lake around 10 PM and setting an alarm for 1 AM in case a move is necessary can give you an edge.
Consider winter carp fishing as a campaign. Be prepared to observe, adapt, and put in the effort, regardless of conditions. Winter fishing can be productive in various weather scenarios, as long as the lake isn’t entirely frozen. Even if you’re not catching regularly, every session is an opportunity to introduce some bait and gather valuable insights.
Carp may only feed during a short window each day in winter. Figuring out this feeding opportunity is critical. Arriving at the lake just before this feeding window and having your rods in position can be the difference between success and a blank. Familiarise yourself with the lake and the carp’s behaviour during the winter months.
Opt for a bait with a proven track record when winter carp fishing. Many bait companies offer specialised boilies designed for colder months. Exploring bait company websites or checking out social media can give you insights into which baits are performing well in winter conditions. There are baits that carp will feed on throughout the year, like Cell, which maintains its effectiveness regardless of the season. When selecting a winter bait, prioritise high digestibility, low-temperature attraction, and an open texture. Avoid baits with excessive oil content, especially those that solidify in cold temperatures. Using a boilie that passes through their system quickly can be more beneficial than one that lingers for days.
After November 1st, consider switching from fishmeal-type boilies to more natural baits like maggots or quick-breakdown boilies. You don’t need an excessive amount of maggots; a few pints per day are often sufficient to tempt bites. A pop-up maggot rig in conjunction with a PVA mesh bag is a winning tactic in winter. Single hookbaits with bright pop-ups can be effective, especially when casting at showing fish.
While bait is essential, consider a more cautious approach. Carp feed less in the cold, so when you manage to tempt them to eat, make sure there’s a hook in the bait. Many winter fish are caught on single hookbaits. While bait is crucial for winter carp fishing, refrain from fishing heavily over it. Disperse freebies widely, aiming to make each boilie seem like a single one. This helps acclimate the fish to picking up individual baits. Food baits and high-attract baits both work well, so using a combination can be fruitful. Once a hookbait gets a pickup, switch two of the three rods to the same approach.
When fishing blind without any signs, try varying the range of your rods. Spread them out to cover more water. Once a pattern emerges, adjust all your rods accordingly. Experiment with different hook baits and presentation methods. Sometimes, one unconventional choice can be the key to success.
Winter conditions often necessitate fishing at greater distances, and winds can be more substantial. Using larger leads can help maintain accuracy and stability in these conditions. It’s crucial to choose the right lead size for the prevailing weather.
To maximise bite times, consider keeping a spare, baited rig ready to go. This can save valuable time after a capture or when recasting, ensuring your bait remains in the water for longer periods. The key is to capitalise on any opportunity for a bite.
In winter, refine your rigs and downsize your setups. Consider using smaller hooks (e.g., size 8), fluorocarbon mainlines, and lighter hooklink materials (e.g., 15lb). As the water becomes clearer in winter, it’s essential to hide your rig effectively. Opt for lead sizes that match your casting needs, avoiding unnecessarily heavy leads.
Consider using stiffer hook links. With less weed growth, the lakebed is more conducive to this type of presentation, especially in deeper areas. Stiff hook links can make it harder for lethargic winter carp to eject the bait. Materials like Gardner’s Stiff Ultra Skin, when appropriately steamed, provide rigidity that carp find challenging to deal with. Use a figure-of-eight loop knot at the swivel end to allow movement in the rig.
Carry a box of spares, which should include extra gas for your stove, a spare stove, additional water, tea, coffee, a change of clothes, terminal tackle, spare batteries for head torches, and bivvy lights. Having a well-stocked spares box is essential in the winter.
There’s no need to endure the cold or wet while on the bank. Layering is essential, starting with a base layer and adding more as needed. Remember, it’s easier to remove a layer when you’re too warm and add one when you’re too cold. In this day and age, modern carp fishing bivvies, often equipped with overwraps, can help retain warmth and reduce condensation. Use the groundsheet provided, and consider a 5-season sleeping bag for a comfortable night’s sleep.
Carry plenty of hot drinks and food. A good stove, kettle, and cookware allow you to brew tea or coffee and prepare warm meals. A hot cup of tea and a sandwich can work wonders for your spirits on a cold day.
Winter carp fishing offers a unique experience and a chance to enjoy some quiet time on the bank. With the right approach and preparations, you can make the most of this serene season.
28 October, 2023
Rain, wind and carps during their week.
Autumn is there and big carps too!
28 October, 2023
Another unknown fish from field lake
27 October, 2023
Unbelievable weeks angling at DDB – 30 carp caught ranging from 20lb to 67lb, average stamp low 30 but incredible looking fish that fight HARD!
Raf is an absolute legend and can’t do enough to help, full of wicked tips and spots.
This is my third trip here and already planning number 4 – simply awesome
25 October, 2023
Lovely well kept lake with good facilities and the owner David couldn’t do enough for us excellent host and awesome cook.
24 October, 2023
After 14 years of coming to France, 11 different venues all I wanted to do was bet my French PB of 39lb 12 and early this morning I finally have done it with this 52lb 1oz monster. Can’t stop smiling!!!!
21 October, 2023
Great week for friends ans new personal best!!!
21 October, 2023
We had Lauren & Luke visit for a few days. Both caught a 30, biggest at 32.12 was lovely to see them here, great company & we are looking forward to seeing them back in November 🎣
We also had Dave here for a week, first time here with us and the weather was all over the place! He was on swim 3 fishing around the monk, waterfall area and managed to land an 18 common, 32 mirror, 41 mirror & a 51 mirror.
18 October, 2023
Hosts were lovely and as helpful as possible, the setting of the lake was lovely, food package fantastic, the only issue was that the lake was very low and therefore we believe the fish may have been off there feed,,, it was hot all week, owner did explain they’ve had no rain since April,, nothing above 25lb was caught and not many fish came out, we have been offered a free week next year by the owners.
15 October, 2023
A rearranged group from July mark Pearson booked through dch but had to move his week from July to the only available week I had as there flight was a Sunday flight and we operate Saturday to Saturday. Well when they arrived it was probably cooler in July as temperatures were around 30 degrees but dropped halfway though the week and the fishing got better through the week with all 4 guys smashing there personal bests on there 1st french trip.over twenty fish out with the lion share falling to kenny in peg 3 where he landed 11 fish including 3 over 40lb to 46lb and 5 over 30lb the majority of the fish coming at night or 1st light . Mark had 6 fish but lost 3 or 4 from the shallows in peg 1 biggest 35lb . Kenny struggled a peg 2 a bit but had 3,biggest a new pb at 36lb. Billy didn’t fish a lot really as he doesn’t night fish and only fished 2 rods for a few hours in the morning and afternoon but had a pb 30lb mirror but he really fell in love with the place. A great set of lads and I enjoyed there company and banter they said they’d be back soon and I will look forward to seeing them again.
14 October, 2023
Me and 5 others fished here last week and what a week we had. The first night kicked off with a pb for me a lovely mirror at 42lb then from there on was non stop catching. Most the fish was coming out at 20lb+ and a few at 30lb+ the last night we had we got caught in a storm but that didn’t stop us from fishing and we all still caught fish in the double figures all in all we had around 90 fish between us all being in double figures. Highly recommend this place. Lovely people that run it and they was very helpful telling us where the best places to fish was. Would definitely come back
13 October, 2023
A great weeks fishing at the lake. We all managed to get into some fish.
Great venue for a social with the layout, all caught on different baits.
12 fish between us 5×30 lb plus oh and the cat!! At 120lb plus…. That was fun!
13 October, 2023
Had a great week but no fish to report the weather of up to 38 degrees and the fish didn’t want to play. Jo and Nigel were very helpfully and couldn’t do more for us I would recommend a visit to the lake for sure
11 October, 2023
Our stay at La Petite Couquis was absolutely amazing. We felt welcomed right from the moment we arrived. Phil went above and beyond to offer Carter guidance, tips, and advice, and he frequently checked in to see how he was doing. As parents we are immensely grateful for making this experience truly memorable. Not to mention all the fish and PB’s that was caught.
Jane provided us with plenty of recommendations on places to visit and things to see. She even took the time to have a friendly chat with us, and it’s these little touches that contribute to making the place feel incredibly relaxing.
We would wholeheartedly recommend this place for a family vacation. The house is well- equipped to entertain teenagers with amenities like a pool table, darts, table tennis and more.
Hope to visit again some day!!!
X
11 October, 2023
A great week with Simon & Stuart last week. They had a lot of mixed weather resulting in doubles, 20’s & a 35lb each, a mirror for Stuart and Simon breaking the lake common record at 35lb. Below are some of their pictures. Great angling guys, look forward to seeing you again in the spring 😊🎣
08 October, 2023
The Kotze group staying this week and with the weather in the days being very warm the delights of the cottage pool , Hot tub and the superb bbq and outside area along with the many games we’re used to there fullest by the family.Fifteen year old Carter was the main angler and what a great week he had. Hired one of our new Ridgemonkey 750 bait boats to fish the lakes est areas not possible by casting Carter landed over 20 fish with dad chipping in with a few as well. The bigger fish taken on black tiger nuts over house pellet , boilie and particle mix. Fishing mainly morning and evenings until dark Carter had 4 new pb’s of Sturgeon , Grass Carp , Common and Mirrors to mid 30’s catching constantly through the week.
08 October, 2023
The gite was absolutely fantastic and was everything you could want for a quiet family holiday. We didn’t explore the local area much due to the lads all being lake side but the local shops were only 20 minutes drive away. The hot tub was fantastic and the pool was great on a warm day.
Fishing wise the week got off well for one of us with a 31lbs and 24lbs in the first 48 hours. With another 18lbs coming out on the same peg for his partner. Over the next few days the rest of the wake woke up with 12 carp total, a pike and a huge roach coming out. Carp 35lbs to 14lbs. It isn’t a runs water by any means but the fruits of the labour are well worth it.
John and lel were genuinely the best hosts I’ve ever experienced on a holiday. Helpful with the fishing, local area and we’re genuinely amazing hosts. I can’t vouch for them both enough and you can see the time and effort they’ve put in have resulted in a lovely venue with some absolutely cracking fish in their lake. Would recommend to anyone and have no doubt we will be back again in the future!
08 October, 2023
24 Carp for Henry and Rhys! We’ll done boys!
07 October, 2023
A tough week with temperatures of plus 30 slowing the fishing right down after the previous 2 weeks with high pressure all week. Adrian bagged two tone at 55.12lb a new pb for him and John bagged a new pb aswell Matt had 5 fish from peg 3 but nothing over 36lb. The hot weather put the fish off the feed as hard as the guys tried. Another group from dch turned up Sunday on a rearranged date as they were due out in July, the weather is still hot which is great for a tan but the fishing is still slow
All 3 lads
07 October, 2023
Want to start this review by thanking David the owner. Whose help and advice was invaluable, add to this the fact he was always on hand to help out and encourage everyone when needed. His approach was very subtle in that he left us alone, but was always there when needed.
The lake itself was as described on the website. Plenty of scope with an abundance of features both above and below the waterline. Depth variations, different substrates from gravel patches, smooth clay/mud, soft silt and sparse areas of low lying weed. Added to this the margins which were either reed lined or tree/bush and snag lined. With open water areas and secluded bays. This lake offers something for everyone. We got the impression that this wasn’t a runs water, but with a little thought and application the rewards were there to be had.
The lake facility’s were basic but clean, with plenty of fridge and freezer space.
There is plenty of local supermarkets, tabacs, shops and bakeries nearby. We found the local pizzeria and kebab would deliver to the lake.
As for our trip, we witnessed a massive difference in weather and temperatures during our visit. Bearing this in mind we did ok in the circumstances. We finished with a total of 24 carp with 6 x 40s, 10 x 30s, 3 x 20s and 5 x doubles. With two of group of the lads finishing with new pb’s of 48 and 42, a big well done
07 October, 2023
Some pictures from last weeks group. 6 40’s and 2 50’s amongst a 30 fish catch. Most of them falling to small hookbaits on short rigs over boilies maize and pellets.
07 October, 2023
New personal best for carps, catfish and sturgeon!! Many thank Cheshire lake!
Just amazing!
04 October, 2023
Had an absolutely great week at Barbret. We had about a dozen 20’s and a PB of 32lb. Chris were really helpful with lots of advice. Accommodation and food was equally as good.
30 September, 2023
Had a fantastic time at la Baronne..swim were spacious
Fish were hard fightng..just listen to the Info Rafal gives you and you cant go wrong..ge was right on so many ocassions will defo be going next year and try for some of the biggr fish.
Thx once again Dream Carp and la Baronne
Steve
30 September, 2023
A decent week for Richard and Aaron who departed last Saturday with over twenty fish out 6 over forty with the biggest 44lb 11 over thirty with 5 over 35lb . Last week we had a few more dch clients on 2 of which fished foxpool over 12 years ago father and son Steve and Rob. Rob was off to a flier with a 38lb mirror from peg 1 within a few hours of arriving. Steve had a blank first 2 days in peg 2 before getting into a few but it pucked up after that landing 3 over 40lb with a brace of forties Thursday night and then a 36lb mirror on Friday morning. Unfortunately Rob got his legs burnt early in the week and it spoilt his week not really fishing yhe last 3 days and only managed 5 fish , he admitted he’d left a few in there. Paul made up the trio booking on late and hoped to beat his pb of 28lb on his first french trip which he did 1dt evening with a 31lb then again with a 48lb fish before smashing it agawith a 47lb fish. He alsonpicked up a few more thirtys and a 56lb catfish. Taking his tally to 9 fish with Steve grabbing 8 fish . 4 fortys out and lots of thirtys including 3 over 35lb.
27 September, 2023
We arrived at chestnut pool fisheries on September 16th till 23rd
The lodge was stunning super clean
Very changeable weather we had 16 carp and lost 6 biggest fish 24lb 11oz
All caught from far margin on boillie
The venue would benefit from proper swims as it was very slippery when wet.
Would definitely return
23 September, 2023
Weather wasn’t good at 30 to 37 degrees all week but still managed a few pbs lake was spot on and the owner David couldn’t do enough for us top bloke we will definitely be going back hopefully better Weather next time
23 September, 2023
Forest pool france is a beautiful little lake with amazing forest views.
Unfortunately it was really hot for 90% of the time which made fishing a little more difficult but saying that we only managed 6 hrs per day by choice, and we still cought nice fish and really enjoyed our stay.
Nikki and mick were amazing and went to extraordinary lengths to make sure we were happy, big thank you
23 September, 2023
25 Carp to 46lbs and 9 carp over 30lbs for the 3 anglers on the lake this week. A heavy baiting approach is proving to be the best tactic.
Great angling.
23 September, 2023
35 carp landed this week including the big leather out again at a massive 64lbs.
23 September, 2023
Good trip at Cheshire lake for father and son!
Great carps on a challenge lake!
23 September, 2023
Well what a week for Shaun, his 1st French trip and he was on fire 🎣 landing 15 fish in total including 3x 20’s 4×30’s 1×40 & 2×50’s. Great angling, it was a pleasure having you & Harvey here for the week.
23 September, 2023
Big Matt & Junior Matt both had a fab week on Ian’s point here af St Brice this week, with most of the fish comming out during the daylight hours taken from around the island & the car park bay.
22 September, 2023
Absolutely perfect amazing place amazing food even better hosts and the fishing was just as good come highly recommended
21 September, 2023
We fished swim 3 which comes with the new lodge. The lodge and facilities were excellent, as was the fishing which included a common at 56lbs and a beautiful two tone mirror at 45 lbs amongst other fish.
19 September, 2023
1x 50.2 lb
1×47.9 lb
1 x 37.11 lb grass carp
22 x 30lb to 38 lb
9 x 24.5lb to 29lb
1 x18lb
1 x 18lb catfish
6 x 10 lb to 12lb bream
Cracking week 3 anglers
16 September, 2023
Personal best for friends during their trip at Authentic Lake!
16 September, 2023
Big 3 (carps more 40lbs, sturgeons more than 85lbs and catfish more 132 lbs) for friends!!!
16 September, 2023
Well the lads on two weeks ago had a tough gig with temperatures spiralling to 38 degrees making difficult fishing conditions with very few out and poor Rob blanking. Best fish out was 38lb which came on the 1st night. This week the weather has been kinder with temperatures in the low twentys and a big storms re oxiginatimg the water.Aaron had a 36lb mirror within a couple of hours of setting
Up and then had a 40lb mirror then another 30lb mirror and then breaking his pb with a 43lb fish. He’s on five carp now with 3 over the 40lb mark. Richard in peg 1 had a few small catfish which we are removing in peg 1 Neither fished Sunday night due to a heavy storm then Richard moved to peg 3 . A good move as he’s in 8 fish now with a brace of forties with a 42lb and 44lb mirrors and 3 fish over 35lb aswell . It’s Richards 28th visit to foxpool and he usually bags two tone having her twice in a week 2 years ago hopefully if she’s out Aaron will get her this time.
16 September, 2023
Brothers Jack and Joe along with best pal Liam on this week. Another hot week but fishing nights , evenings and early mornings and resting the swims in the days they had 32 fish to the bank new pbs for everybody including 36lb Grass Carp and 35lb mirror for Jack , 23lb Sturgeon and 32lb Common for Liam and Joe with the most fish and new pb mirror at 29lb. The lads also had our superb breakfast meal package to keep them going and enjoyed chilling in the afternoons enjoying the cottage and all it’s superb facilities.
