This week saw the return of Chris, Mike, Donna and Marie who had fished on Kingfisher during a wet, cold week last September and only caught a few catfish https://carpfrance.com/20-09-25-kingfisher-cat-report/. How different this week was going to be with the forecast to be dry and sunny, and hot all week and they were hoping that the sudden extreme heat would not put the fish off.
Normally our dip pools and the hot tub on Lac Lucie are only available June to September but given the forecast we got them ready a week early as we knew that people would need to cool off and would make the most of them.
Chris, Mike and Donna arrived on Friday afternoon, flying into Limoges and they had decided to hire a car this year to give the ladies a chance to visit the local area. Usually our weeks run from Saturday to Saturday but as we had been closed the week before and there are no flights from Manchester on Saturday this year we try to accommodate people wherever we can. Marie was to be joining them on Sunday as she had other commitments.
Whilst Donna unpacked the car, the men got straight down to the lake for a walk round with Nigel and saw loads of fish in the shallows. They were planning to fish on some nights but not all so were still planning on putting their bivvies up and Nigel left them to it. Mike had prepared some PVA bags before coming and got these straight onto his line and in the water whilst setting up the rest of his kit. And it paid off as the first carp was landed within an hour – a lovely 36lb mirror and a new PB for Mike.
We went down to see them on Saturday morning and they had slept out all night but there were no other signs. Donna had arranged to go and meet a friend for the day so once she had set the men up with breakfast and drinks she headed off. It was a very quiet day for the men though, and very hot with no fish all day. They were already beginning to think that the sudden high temperatures had put the fish off their food and they would end up with a similar year to last. We were also concerned that the fish had not appeared to have spawned on Lac Lucie so were worried that they would definitely be off their food.
On Sunday morning again there had been no signs of fish when we went down to see them. Chris decided he would move up to the side swim as loads of fish had been seen in the shallows under the willow tree for the past two days but they had all seemed to have moved. Patience paid off though and around 2.30pm Chris managed to land a 28lb common. Nigel was fishing next door on the stock pond and heard their delight. Marie arrived in the early evening and the wine started to flow.
On Monday morning they had nothing to report. In the evening Mike had two commons in the net, both weighing around 25lb, and they were convinced it was the same fish only 30 minutes apart.
They decided to swap sides on Tuesday morning, with Mike now fishing to the right and Chris to the left. Typically, Chris caught three in quick succession a 28lb common, an 8lb mirror and an 18lb mirror.
Deciding that it was too hot to fish during the day the two couples went off to visit Angouleme in the afternoon, having a wander around the town and finding a bar to have a drink in and then to the fishing shop.
We always recommend the market at Piegut Pluviers to our visitors and on Wednesday morning Donna and Marie took themselves off there, loving the way the market meanders through the town and loving the diverse selection of stalls there. Chris and Mike had come up to the chalet the night before around 11pm and gone back down early morning and Mike managed to land a 34lb 8oz mirror around 10.15am and luckily we were down there to see it on the bank. Nigel had emptied the crayfish traps the day before and Marie asked if they could have them as she fancied cooking them. Not something we have been asked before and we are not big fans of sea food ourselves but were willing to let them have them. We have to admit that they did a lovely job of cooking them and they reported that they were very tasty.
On Thursday Nigel heard some beeps around 8am and went down to see Mike land a 30lb common. He followed this up with a 39lb mirror an hour or so later before it then went quiet as the temperatures rose. They stopped fishing for the afternoon and went to the beach after lunch to cool off in the lake and then had a drink in Le 16 Beach.
They were back down by the lake early in the evening and at around 9.30pm we had a message from Donna to say they had both had a fish one after the other and with new PBs for them both – Mike with a 46lb mirror at 9pm closely followed by Chris with a 34lb common at 9.50pm.
Obviously we had to go down to have a beer with them and shake their hands and we spent a good hour or so chatting away and throwing the ball for Maisie. We were all just about to call it a night when Mike’s rod went off and he landed a 43lb common at 11pm.
Friday came around far too quickly but as their flight was in afternoon they were able to fish in the morning whilst the ladies got the packing and tidying done. Mike finished the week off with a 8lb common and a 26lb 8oz mirror not long after 8am and that was it for another great week.
As in the UK it has been a very hot week here in France with temperatures peaking during the day at 36.5°C on Wednesday and only dropping to around 14°C at 6am over the week. We had no rain and very little wind so the hot tub and dip pool have been very much appreciated. With 16 carp on the bank between them we think this has been some great fishing despite the weather.
In summary a very successful week compared to last year and new PBs for both anglers despite the heat. There was 1 baby, 1 at 10lb+, 6 at 20lb+, 5 at 30lb+ and 2 at 40lb+. Once again we have thoroughly enjoyed your company and will look forward to next April to do it all again. Until then bonne journée et à bientôt…..