Nigel always reckons if you catch one fish a day when you’re carp fishing you’ve done well, especially if you are not using a bait boat. So for young angler, Billy, this was an amazing week.
Paulette, Keith and Billy have been to Normandy several times fishing and as they live near a canal back in the UK, they spend a lot of time near the water and Billy often takes himself off for a few nights fishing on his own. This was their first lake exclusive though and ours is the perfect location for everyone; to do a bit of fishing and a bit of exploring around the local area.
Arriving on the Saturday afternoon, after a couple of days in Normandy, Paulette and Keith went off to find the supermarket for supplies and left Billy setting his gear up by the lake on swim 1. The family told us that a lot of their tackle comes from The Tackle Company ( www.thetacklecompany.co.uk) owned by the person who runs the Facebook group Trusted Lakes France (https://www.facebook.com/groups/318990245970781/). Considering the temperatures were nearly 34°C we reckon that Billy had the harder task. The plan was for Billy to fish as much as possible, Keith to fish on swim 2 when he fancied it and for Paulette to throw a rod in occasionally from wherever she pleased.
By breakfast time on Sunday morning Billy and Keith had both caught two fish each and by the afternoon the temperatures had dropped by quite a bit and when we went round to see them Billy had had a further two carp. Billy has a great casting technique and was managing to find the far margins without too much trouble. With six fish on the bank within 24 hours and the water temperature high, the week was starting off really well and they were all loving the lake and the wildlife.
Using a combination of our spicy fish and maple syrup boilies with pellets and maize we had prepared for them they were keeping their spots baited up and waiting patiently for the next bite. The fish were obviously choosing to be in the deeper areas nearer to the dam wall and still feeding.
On Monday we took their breakfast round to them and were there in time to see Billy net a lovely 32lb mirror (with Maisie waiting patiently for the ball to be thrown for her). Having a day by the lake, Keith also did a bit of fishing and landed another common weighing 25lb 10oz.
Billy landed several more on Monday, taking his total up to 11 and this included a new PB for him, albeit only by 8oz.
Paulette and Keith decided to go to Oradour-sur-Glane on Tuesday to have a look around the village which on June 10 1944, just four days after the D-Day landings, was left in ruins after German Waffen-SS troops massacred 642 men, women, and children before burning most of the village to the ground. The village, only 40 minutes from us, remains as it was on that day as a memorial to those people and is worth a visit, particularly for those who have an interest in WWII.
When they returned Paulette decided she would put a rod in the water on swim 4, the furthest swim along the main bank, into the shallower waters. She had left her rod for only a few minutes to go and get a drink of water when it hooked into a 26lb 9oz mirror. Keith ended up netting and landing it so there then followed a big discussion as to whose fish it was but Billy had the final say logging it as his mums. Billy also had a further four fish on the bank on Tuesday including his first ever catfish that night weighing 40lb.
With temperatures starting to hit 30°C again on Wednesday Billy moved his bivvy underneath the oak tree where it was in the shade for most of the day. Despite rods being in the water for most of the day there were unfortunately no fish on the bank and the family were wondering if the rise in pressure and temperatures again meant that there was not going to be any more fish. They spent a couple of hours by the public lake nearby and had a pizza in Le 16 Beach before Billy put his rods out for the night again.
On Thursday at breakfast there had not been any more fish and they decided to go out to the château at Rochechouart to have a look round the contemporary art museum and in the evening they all fished again and all caught, Paulette a 31lb, Keith one at 17lb 6oz and Billy a 17lber.
We were lucky to be at the lake again on Friday morning when Billy had another catfish, even bigger than the last at 50lb and he was very happy with that, especially as with a bit of guidance from Nigel he managed to hold it with his dad.
And so Friday came around again and it was to be their last full day of fishing but with temperatures over 30°C during the day it was not until the evening and overnight that Billy had his last few fish, including this pretty, scaly 20lb mirror out, taking his total to 18 carp and 2 catfish.
To summarise their report, there were 27 fish caught in total (20 by Billy) comprising of zero babies, 7 at 10lb+, 8 at 20lb+, 5 at 30lb+, 5 at 40lb+ and 2 catfish up to 50lb
Thank you for a great week and some fine angling. We have enjoyed your company and hope you enjoyed your last few days in northern France on your way home. We will look forward to seeing you all again and until then bonne journée et à bientôt….