We have been coming to France to fish for carp since 2014 and have been to various lakes in the vicinity of Limoges but the only venue we have wanted to return to in all that time was Carp France. Owning our own lake in France was always a bit of a dream that we have looked at on various occasions but never followed through. In 2022 we decided that if we didn’t do it now then we never would and when we saw that this property was on the market we decided to take the leap, as we knew that an opportunity like this would never come up again. A venue we knew in a part of France we loved. So we sold up and moved here at the beginning of March 2023 and took ownership two months later. Along with us came our dog, Maisie, who is loving her new life, chasing her ball for as long as anyone will throw it for her.
So who are we?
Nigel – I was born and grew up in and around Cambridgeshire and Bedfordshire before moving to Northamptonshire when my two children were little. I have been a baker all my working life, owning my own traditional bakery in Wellingborough before selling it as a successful business in 2019. I have been retired for the last few years and have enjoyed being able to go fishing, play golf and spend time with friends whenever I wanted. Fish have always been my passion and, apart from the children and grandchildren obviously, the only things I regret leaving in England were my 15 koi carp, some of which I had had for over 20 years.
I started fishing when I was a young boy fishing for anything that would bite a maggot! I fished local lakes in Cambridgeshire, Bedfordshire and further afield to Ireland as I got older. I have fished for a wide variety of fish over the years, roach, perch, tench, bream as well as carp but I didn’t discover large carp fishing until 2014. During the last 10 years I have been a member of Ecton Lakes Syndicate, Kislingbury Syndicate and Wellingborough Lakes and fished (or camped) whenever I have had the opportunity. I love sitting in the peace and quiet, away from everyday life and watching the water, planning my next tactics and trying different things. I caught my PB carp in June 2022 at Oak Fisheries in Northern France. An amazing 61lb 4oz common
Jo – I was born in Kent but have spent most of the last 35 years in Sheffield working in the health and social care industry, as a nurse and then as a quality manager in social care. I have three grown up daughters and a brand new granddaughter. I openly admit that I know nothing about fishing but love the outdoors, can speak enough French to do what we need to do and my passion is looking after people and providing great customer service. I have learned loads since we moved to France, not just about fishing but also building the website and the importance of social media.
Our plans
We have spent our first season (2023) getting to know the business, the lakes and the fish as well as gaining an understanding of the needs of our guests and settling into our new French life. The feedback we had from our guests in our first year was very positive and gave us the confidence we needed to start to plan for future seasons.
When we bought the property we knew that there was a lot of work needed on the lakes to make them compliant with the French authorities and that work was mostly carried out in the winter of 2023. We also carried out some other work over this first winter which we felt would enhance the property and the fishing experience. Read all about what we have achieved here Catch Reports & Lake News
Over the next 12 months we will continue to listen to our guests and do what we can to further improve this wonderful piece of French countryside.