Our season finished on 19th October when we said goodbye to our last guests. We have spent the last few week shutting both of the chalets down and giving them a good clean, making sure that there is nowhere for the mice to hide and washing all of the duvets, pillows and soft furnishings ready to go into storage for next year.
Last winter our main focus was on getting the lakes compliant and we are nearly there with Kingfisher now. We have been deciding what changes we want to make this winter and have started some of our winter maintenance, taking some of the tree saplings down and lowering the water levels slightly in preparation for the winter weather. We have been very lucky in that the last few weeks have seen some more glorious sunshine and temperatures up to 20 degrees so we have been able to enjoy the peace and space and nature. We will keep you updated with any other changes as the closed season progresses.
We have thoroughly enjoyed our first full season in charge here and have again met some wonderful people and some very fine anglers. It has been interesting hearing of people’s different techniques and looking at the varied tackle that people bring with them and how people use their bait. We have reached the conclusion that there is more than one way of catching a carp! And we have had some great carp caught.
So here is a quick summary for each lake.
Kingfisher
| Total | Caught by | Month | |
| Anglers | 47 | ||
| Commons | 84 | ||
| Mirrors | 103 | ||
| Catfish | 62 | ||
| Total caught | 249 | ||
| Largest common | 42lb 6oz | Tom West | July 2024 |
| Largest mirror | 51lb | Tom Napier | April 2024 |
| Largest catfish | 88lb | Andy Brittin | August 2024 |
| Average weight | 29lb 5oz | ||
| Total weight | 7094lb 6oz | ||
| Fish per angler | 5.29 |
Lac Lucie
| Total | Caught by | Month | |
| Anglers | 39 | ||
| Commons | 138 | ||
| Mirrors | 127 | ||
| Catfish | 0 | ||
| Total caught | 265 | ||
| Largest common | 50lb 8oz | Michael Smithson | April 2024 |
| Largest mirror | 46lb 5oz | Dave Cartwright | June 2024 |
| Largest catfish | – | – | – |
| Average weight | 31lb 12oz | ||
| Total weight | 7553lb 15oz | ||
| Fish per angler | 6.79 |
Del, the only catfish that we put back into Lucie after it was drained has not been caught all season; we would have liked to have known if he had grown. However, Matty, the 3lb common we put in has been out at least 4 times that we are aware of and the last time he was caught, in August he weighed 5lb 5oz so we are pleased to see him feeding well.
Nigel has already spent a couple of nights on Kingfisher and has caught 4 carp and 3 catfish so it is obviously still warm enough for them to be feeding. We are still throwing some pellets in a few times a week and still trapping the crayfish.
So there is our quick summary for our 2024 season. We have not compared it to last year as with all of the compliance works the fish stock were moved but it will be interesting to see how those figures have changed next year.
Finally, thank you to everyone who have chosen to spend a week in our little piece of paradise here in France and for all your lovely feedback and reviews. Thank you for all of the chocolate, beer, wine and other gifts you have given us and a huge thank you from Maisie for all of the new balls she has been bought.
Until next time bonne journée and à bientôt……