When those stars and planets line up !

Where to start really ?, a quick recap on what drew me to France , and the way its changed the way i want to fish i suppose . After a few years of hearing how our son James was doing carp fishing over there i thought it was time to have a dabble . Id not really been that interested in fishing abroad , but we loved his tales of some serious chunks . Our fishing at home had really turned to barbel fishing with Sue , as i meant we could be mobile , roving around stalking them , something i was struggling to do on my carp waters . James stag trip toFrane with friends was to light my fire again , I loved every second like you cant believe , and knew instantly that i needed to get across that channel as much as i could . The next year we went solo , just me and Sue . I had decided that when its just me and Sue I felt more comfortable being able to book an actual swim , this is instead of going into the draw as most places have , and the possibility of the pair of us fishing next to a mad axeman , well you know what I mean . With a bit of research on the net Brigueuil came up , 12 swims all bookable , food package , nice fish , so I booked swim 10 roughly in the middle of the lake with the pads as features to fish to . It had a track record of being consistent , with better fish , and you could stop them if they moved up and down the lake . That trip was really nice , Sues first one ( already have a blog of it ) , but we did not end up in that swim . It had fished poorly the week before we arrived , and I took the opportunity to move to the other side in amongst the main pads , swim 8. Although I caught after a slow start ( i fished like a idiot for a while ) , I felt that i had missed out on the better fish , as there are a fair few gooduns in there , some big commons that i would have loved to have caught to well over 50lb . As we said our goodbyes to Andy and Tracy I did say we would have to return to put things right !!!.

                             Sues stalked fish ,and one of my 40lb + commons frrom the May trip.

Before we could return we had another trip booked with James , and some good friends in the May . We had a fantastic time , highlight of the week for me was Sue moving swims early in the week for a couple of hours stalking ( barbel style ) and latching onto a 45lb mirror , only to better that later in the week i also had a few chunks to 50lb ( again already blogged that trip )  . On the long drive north through France my mind was already wondering if we could do a sneaky trip in the autumn , back to Brigueuil , unfinished business , and back into swim 8 . With a bit of saving it was possible . Again a bit of research showed that the big fish , a great big common that i would dearly loved to catch , had come out over the period we were looking at in that area a fair few times over the years , so the die had been cast , and we were off on that bloody long drive south in October .

                                                  Looking up the lovely lake towards swim 8.

The first difference on this trip is that we had used the eurotunnel for all our previous trips , but with all the trouble with the migrants shutting it Sue suggested using the ferry that seemed to be less effected . What a great call it was from her , because as we disembarked the news came trough as we drove past the tunnel terminal entrance that it had been shut , which explained the blaze of blue lights , and in the end was shut for 12 hours meaning we would have lost a days holiday !! . We blasted south at the legal limit on empty French roads , a pleasure , and followed the deserted road down the hill towards the lake , pulling up at Andy and Tracys in good time .

                 
                                    Now thats a carp barrow , delivered and collected in style .



No draw means you set up at leisure, and before we knew it the already made up rods were out , and house up for the week . The second difference this week was we took a baitboat , well we hired one , after seeing them in use the year before dropping baits near the edge of the lilly pads , it was a no brainer . Having never used one before i decided to do the closer rod into a bay in the pads first , hopper filled with tiger nuts , sloppy nut spod mix , and a rig of a popup brazil nut .With the nutty spod mix stiffened to a method mix and squeezed around the lead , my thinking that it would lay down slowly on top of the choddy bottom around the pads slowly letting off the cloud of attractors , then it sailed out perfect tight to a spot in the pads , as it did all week , loving the boats now !. The rods were set up with clutches tightened down to give minimum line on a bite , this way I hoped the fish would struggle to get to far into the pads on a take , but did nothing for the nerves waiting for one bleep , as the previous year we had the rod nearly dragged in from a mad take , so its a fine line when setting it up . I also was using a hook from JK tackle called the Trex , very strong , offset point , looked the part , coupled with some gardner ultra ply hooklength I was not under gunned .

                    

     Our home for the week , fox super eurodome, and the view across to the pads.




The first few days the fish were up the other end , as was shown by a couple of 30,s and a forty pounder coming out to the Dutch and German anglers . To be honest I was gagging to move onto them , but it was fairly full that end . A couple of days in and the fish started to show more in front of us , and it was quiet frustrating to have some lumps crash near the spots , but instead of chasing them around I stuck roughly to the spots all week, just trying the odd area without spreading the bait around to much . We had a great routine of eating the delicious hot home cooked meal delivered to the swim , and settling down in the bivvy to watch Downton Abbey on the Ipad , a quality costume drama .

                                            Downton Abbey , south of France , rods out .

On the third night we had retired to our beds , we had the full luxury of a JRC cacoon bag inside a Trakker big snooze each , believe me we was not going to be cold . The ipad wes propped up on the tiger nut bucket and the lake had a mist drifting over it in the background , heaven . Sometime just into the episode there was a single bleep to the left hand rod tight into a bay of the pads . I rushed out and the Stow indicator had pulled tight and dropped off the line , I put my finger on the line in the pitch black and it was bowstring tight , game on . I lifted the rod and walked back 10 yards , the century rod in full test curve , no line was given at all, but from the start it felt proper heavy . Sue was at my side helping by lifting a rod that it kited under as it used its bulk , and pulled line from the already tight clutch . Once clear of the main pads I eased off , although it made powerful runs strait away from me I just steered it left and right like a dog on alead . All the time in my mind I can honestly say I knew what it was , I had talked nothing but the big common for months , or even a year driving my mates mad . And so it proved as Sue lifted the net around the fish I could see strait away it was a common , only confirmed how big by Sue saying "The nets caught on the bottom", not being able to lift it far .

               
                                                               A proper chunk

Now when you think of all the variables that went into being in the swim at that time , that fish that id dreamt about for ages , picking up that brazil nut , and all the other things that could have gone wrong , i know it was written , the stars and planets lined up , and it was my turn , it really did blow us away . I could have retained it for daytime photos , but that worries me , so it was a quick pic by Sue with my phone , and back she went a good as gold . It was a tough week all round , a algae bloom ,hot days , frosty night , but we slipped the net under another goodun before we headed north again , job done . If someone had said your travelling over 600 miles to a lake and will only catch that fish , id have taken that all day long . Add that to the other trip it was an awesome 2015 for me, Sue , and the catching machine James . France , bloody love it .

                                            Frost on the mat  , wet from a 56lb + common , hapy days !.


Hatter                                                                

When all goes right.

                         
                                                    FRENCH KIPPERS.


It was Sue's first trip to the awesome L`Etournau , a lake that I have shown in a past blog where James had his French stag do with some giants caught . Although she came with me to France last year , she never actually had a chance to fish , but this year we stumped up the extra cash so she had her own set of rods , and the chance of a goodun .  The journey through France seemed a lot longer this time , but around 1pm we pulled up at the lovely lake to meet up with friends Dazza and wife Pam. James had followed us down with his dog Neo , and best mate John , and Neo was to keep us entertained all week with his swiming sessions . we did the normal things , unloading the frozen boillies into the freezer , grabbing a beer and making the draw for swims . After drawing no1 , I could not really decide where to fish as before we had left home I had already picked an area I fancied, but we then picked "pine bay" , but after a better look , and a good think about the whole situation we swapped with James and moved into 2 swims alongside each other , giving us both a chance of fish , and James getting a swim that he could make the most of  , and he did over the week landing two 50lb+ mirrors.

                              Looking down the lake to the island point on a misty dawn .


We set up , and after a long day got 2 rods out each , going in light with the bait to see how the fish were acting , not being sure what other anglers had put in before us . With fish showing in the general area one particular rod screamed out for a bait , it was an island tight to the bank 30yds down to Sues right . The fish would sneak around the point of this little hump ( not really an island as it was joined by a little strip of land) and with a bit of teamwork where I cast to the point , flicking the line off the tree along the edge as the bait hit the water , where Sue was waiting with a hand full of mini and large tigernuts dropping them all around the rig as the pva foam popped to the surface , the trap was set perfectly . In fact it was so well set that an hour later the rod fizzed off , and Sue held onto what was obviously a very good fish !. The fish moved up and down the lake in front of us for a good while , pushing lots of water with it's big frame , heavy " gloops " as it rolled , and time ticked by wearing Sue out . She got it almost to the net in shallow water , but it was obvious that I needed to go out , and stripped off you jeans before jumping in and pushing the net forward . With one last effort from Sue the fish nodded almost over the net , and with it looking strait at me inches from the net the hook pulled out , flew past my head,  and it slid away slowly .

                                          40lb + common , and the lodge behind .


I was gutted , I launched the net , kicked the rod , done all the normal stuff . Sue was more calm saying that even if she never had another fish all week,  it was nice to feel the unbelievable power of that fish  , I was less than happy because close up I could see clearly it was over 40lb , nearer 50 , and it would have been her personal best by some distance , and perhaps her only chance of the week !. As we stood chatting putting some new tigers on the rig one of my rods melted off and another extended fight took place . The fish seemed very strong , pulling my arms off , and after a couple of near chances Sue waded out slipping the net under a good common , in fact a 42lb common !. I won't lie , I was chuffed , but in the back of my mind I knew we would only be picking off the odd fish during the week, and the lost fish was still bugging me .

                                       Relaxing in the evening , Sue,s rods , and Downton Abby


With the lodge behind us it was handy for the loo's / showers / coffee etc , and with the sun up Sue went for a fresh cuppa for the pair of us . She was gone a while , and I was wondering where she had got to. Getting back with 2 cups in her hand she said " I'm winding in and going down to a quiet area in the corner of the dam as Iv watch a fish rolling ". I helped her get a chair , 2 rods and a net for a couple of hours before one of Danny's lovely full English brekkies . She fished a little gap in the tree,s lowering a bait in close left , and right . Rods layed on the floor , no buzzers , just the bait runners clicked on . A small palm full of tigers were spread around the rigs , fishing a Brazil nut on the hair the traps were set , and I wandered off to have a chat with James and John , throwing sticks in the lake for Neo !. we were all standing in Johns swim we herd a shout from Sue , and could see her leaning out hanging onto a rod folded in half !. I rand the 50yds back to the swim as she played the fish from the little gap . I wound the other rod in and herd her let out a little cry as the line pinged of an underwater branch , but it made it better as she then came into direct contact with the carp . Pulling hard she guided it to the net , going in first time in front of all of us . She rushed off for the mat etc while I had a look in the net , knowing it was by mile a PB , but not wanting to say what I thought it weighed . Stuff was zero'd , we hoisted it up the scales showing 45lb 12 oz , and complete revenge for that lost fish , in fact it was better ! as it was done under her terms , in her way ,and after moving when it was easy to stay , top dangling girl !

                       At 45lb+ , a personal best by miles , but there was bigger to come ".

There was as Iv put bigger to come , in fact every capture that week was an epic tale , and they are to come , France lights my fire.



Hatter