For our 40th wedding anniversary mum&dad paid for the fishing on a lake of our choice in the theatre of dreams , France !. This time we decided to go for more of a holiday style venue , with a good food package , more fish so we could have a bit of action , well more than we expected in the land of hippos father south . I narrowed it down to a few waters , did some proper research , and although it was my second choice ( because we could book two swims, not going in for the dreadful draw) we booked the last week in September , prime time , when it would still be nice weather in Normandy . Plans we made , including the chance to have a drive around the area , looking at public waters I'd like to visit one day , getting lost in France . The ferry was booked at the normal "carp anglers" crossing time of around midnight , which puts you in France at the right time to get to a lake at lunch time , and true to form there was loads of carp lads wandering around the ship in camo hoodies!. For the first time we decided to go Newhaven to Dieppe , this would in theory take out over 2 hours of driving down the coast road from Calais . The ship was fantastic , smooth crossing , and we smashed past Rouen very easy , pulling up in one of the fantastic French picnic areas , we had a few hours kip , and drove past Le Mans to the lake .
How did we get it all in ?.
We arrived at a nice looking dammed lake of about 10 acres with a lovely looking mill house , and an outside eating area where you could almost touch the water . We set up all 6 rods with a tree separating the swims . We decided to only fish with 3 rods at night , meaning we could set the big bivvy in one swim , and put the brolly in the other for daytime angling . We had a really nice home cooked evening meal before returning to the swim to bait up . I had decided to wrap the rods at 12 & 15 , and put a big bed of pellet , boillies, and hemp&corn between the two swims . I spodded a bucket load in each swim , and other than a lost fish from the tree line of the dam , had a good sleep after the long drive and full bellys. We woke at dawn to fish showing over the spots , and had a day to remember where I could not keep the rods in the water at all , we was right on the game , keeping the spod going , keeping the fish in front of us we , we were right on the ball . At some point as I was either baiting a rod or sending the bait boat out , and all I could hear was Sue was calling me !. We had intence action with 21 carp during the day , to the point where I only got my rods out in the late afternoon !. Sue also chipped in with her first catfish , and I can't think of any time where she was not standing up playing a fish . The fish were almost like peas in pod , with a dozen fish around mid double , but 3 twenties , and a fantastic golden common of 30lb+ , with a sprinkling of upper doubles see us shattered at the evening meal .
Some of over 20 fish in the day, before we wound in early for food and beer.
Now , I'm not moaning , the fishing was hectic , but we never see any of the big framed mirrors that I'd seen when doing the research the year before . After catching a few more commons I was getting itchy feet , and made the decision to move lakes father into Normandy the next day , Im lucky , Sue is used to these mad moments , and agreed to the upheaval of the move . I phoned around ( always have a backup plan) and it was either a public water I was looking at , or another that I had nearly booked in the first place . I had a chat on the phone to the owner of the lake , and he said these words "it's empty , fish anywhere you want" , the satnav was set , and deeper into France we went .
Lovely looking estate water greeted us !
Out 10 mins under that lovely oak tree first evening , the first of many that pulled the rod round full test curve !
We arrived at a fantastic looking estate style water , banana shaped , with fantastic mature trees . The satnav could not even find the village , it was so small , so we met the owner Eddie 4 miles away and he guided us in . It was no surprise then that it was the quietest place we have ever fished , add to that no light pollution it made it the darkest lake we have been to as well . After a good walk around we set up at one end of the lake where my research showed had good history of captures , with no fishing zone to our left , the lake widening out in front of us , lots of tress along both margins , and a large oak tree at about 80 yds on the opposite bank where a large bay started . We settled in again both
working hard to get sorted before Eddie called us on the walkie talkie for our evening meals . The rods we put down to the no fishing zone , strait across to the far margin , and the last one under the big oak tree that Eddie said produces a few fish . All the baits put out with the bait boat all week , a mixture of Eddies pellets ( you had to use his lake specials) hemp , corn , and the boillies we had total confidence in all summer was dropped on the spots , before either Sue throwing handfuls of baits around the boat , or me catapulting baits into the branches of the oak so they fell into a lovely patch around the rig. We was sorted , lines marked with electrical tape , and 5 mins before we got a call for dinner the oak tree rid pulled round making us both jump , and a nice scaly 18lb mirror got us off the mark , happy with the move first night .
Sue hanging on , as I was dealing with another rod , one of many double takes we had, she hooked it under the oak tree in the distance !
After a lovely home cooked two course evening meal we settled in for the first night . We had takes a leisure battery with us , charging phones , dvd , and iPad in the convenience of the bivvy . We had the luxury of watching Larkrise to Candleford a quality period drama , the whole series on the iPad , laying with a nice cup of coffee in the pitch black listening to the owls , very happy days . That first night all 3 rods went off , quick pics done i never bothered to recast . Over the next few days we had some great action , on more than one occasion we had double takes with some lovely fish . As we were doing our own brekkie , Eddie would wander down for a chat . It seemed we fished the same waters back in England , and i really clicked with him . It was during one of his chats as we sat on the parched grass that the Oak tree rod once again pulled round . Sue and Eddie carried on chatting , but as i held the rod in full compression the fish was taking line at over 80yds , and i knew it was a better fish . After quiet a tussle along the tree line a big fat French carp rolled in front of us , and it went a bit quiet ! . Eddie put the net under it , and i recognised it from some pics on the wall of the dinning room , on the 40,s board at around 43lb. We weighted it accurately at 39lb 15oz , a proper French carp , a great big lump !
A proper French chunk , its what we go for , I love the big fat ones most.
The rest of the days see some spectacular action , some double takes , a run of 20lb+ fish where i could not get the bait boat back out without another rod ripping off . The fights from the no fishing area were fierce , with the rod about to take off as we were fishing locked up to give us more of a chance . During the week we went out shopping , but returning to the silence of the bay was lovely . The last night see a band of rain spread in , as we got the baits out for the last night it was like the fish was waiting for the boat to drop the rigs . All 3 rods were only just in place when the bay rod pulled round , and i hung on for grim death , as it gave it the proper beans . At the same time the middle rod went into meltdown, and Sue jumped onto that one . We played the fish alongside each other as darkness approached rapidly . Both fish went in the same net , because they had to . Mine was a golden upper 20lb fish , and as it got dark we photographed Sues best fish of the week at 34lb , great times that we wont forget . As we got into our bags in the bivvy I just knew the rods would go off , and we decided to wind in and have a good nights sleep for the return trip home in the morning , and avoid getting wet in the rain , hard core eh?. Even then as we packed up everything , loading the car behind us , 2 rods blasted off , a farewell from France in style , then we tucked into a full English made for us by the smashing Eddie , I really did not want to leave .
There you go , over 60lb of carp in the net
Back to Blighty , for traffic jams , shut motorways , but already booked a lake with hippos !!!
