The Lake
Alder is an absolutely stunning lake located on the edge of the Central Massif in the heart of rural France. It is miles away from the nearest town or major road, an idyllic location. Alder is an old lake formed by damming a valley. The lake itself has two shallow arms which are about three feet deep at their deepest. The main body of the lake has deep hard margins, with six feet being easily found just off the tree line. The deepest area is in excess of fourteen feet and is fairly soft.
Looking from the hut side of the dam wall towards the shallow arms
Looking towards the West arm from the East arm. Can you spot Paul Cooper bivvied up?
Looking along the dam, an excellent place to bivvy up.
The banks are flat and grassy, ideal for bivvies. When it is dry it is possible to drive around the majority of the lake to drop tackle off.
The banks are flat and grassy, ideal for bivvies. When it is dry it is possible to drive around the majority of the lake to drop tackle off.
The Fish
First the technical bit, the lake has been stocked with triploid carp. These carp are sterile; they are produced by giving the fertilised eggs a heat shock which produces an extra chromosome. These carp have three chromosomes (triploid) instead of the normal two (diploid). Hence there is never a problem with spawning or weight loss after it. You can go and fish the lake with confidence when other carp have sex on their agenda.
The Bait
Up until recently I have been a fan of boilies fished over hemp and pellets. However, I have now changed my opinion; I no longer use particles or pellets. By observation I have come to the conclusion that they attract a lot of nuisance fish and often the carp get preoccupied on the hemp and particles and only take the boilies when everything else has been mopped up. I have now started to use boilies only and my results have improved exponentially. Hence I had 30 kg of Quality Bait’s HG42, Paul had 35kg of boilies a mixture of Quality Bait’s HG42, HG47 and squid and orange.
The Fishing
Paul with a pretty mirror from the point |
25lb from the dam |
Paul and I arrived at the lake on Saturday afternoon and spent a couple of hours looking around. We spent at least an hour sitting on the dam looking for showing fish. There was some bubbling in the deeper soft region of the lake. It was Paul’s turn to have first choice of swim and being the good angler that he is chose to fish the point between the two shallow arms; it would have been my first choice as well. I chose to set up on the west side of the dam and fish two rods in the deep area where the bubbling had been seen, the third rod was to be fished just off the tree line to my right in six feet of water. Paul was immediately into fish and had something like six before it went dark. I had three; a 25lb mirror, a tench and a grassie. We both reeled in for the night as we were knackered after the long drive from the Midlands. Sunday was hot and sunny, Paul had something ridiculous like twenty three fish during the day, I managed twelve, unfortunately nine of them were grassies.
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On Monday morning I decided to move and fish opposite Paul into the eastern arm as I wanted to avoid the grassies. This appeared to affect Paul’s fishing as he only had thirteen fish on Monday! I had eight only one grassy, which was a result. Paul was convinced that I was cutting his fish off, hence on Tuesday we both moved onto the dam. I went back into my original swim. Paul and I fished the same tactics; we concentrated the bait in one area and fed after every fish. Paul fished two nights and I only fished one night as the fish were coming out during the day. In fact the hotter it got the more the fish fed. It was not unusual to have three fish all at the same time. My fishing started to tail off on Thursday as I was to running out of bait. However, I did manage sixty fish and Paul a nice round hundred. I am sure we could have caught even more as we reeled in for meals, to go to the shops and during most nights. Biggest fish of the week was a 39lb 9oz mirror which luckily fell to my rods. All the fish were in good condition and boy do they fight, we both finished most days with aching arms.
The Facilities
The lake is basically a drive and survive, as there is no running water or electricity at the lake. However, there is a proper sit down loo that is flushed via water being poured into it. There is also a hut with a cooker, sink, table, chairs and the most important of all a camping fridge idea for cooling down the beers. Water is provided by the owner in plastic containers. There is a fridge freezer and a shower in the barn, a couple of hundred yards from the lake.
Conclusion
If you want an action packed venue, with the chance of a biggy, in a stunning location look no further. This is one of the prettiest lakes I have ever fished, I would be willing to pay just to camp there never mind fish. When this is coupled with hard fighting fish that don’t spawn and feed throughout the day you are on a winner. Paul and I had over 160 fish; if we had fished hard it would have been over 200.
Jim Kelly, August 2012. jim.kelly@jpkelly.plus.com
Carp Fishing in France at Alder
Carp Fishing in France at 35 lakes
Angling Lines
01773 590077
CALL US NOW ON: 01482 703485
HEAVY MAIN LINE
Flourocarbon mainline (pure flouro, not coated). The weight of the line laying slack along the bottom causes the bolt effect and gives you those screaming takes all anglers love. The lack of stretch increases sensitivity.
LIGHT LEADS AND RUNNING RIG
Use only enough lead to cast to the fish. Even when bait boating to distances beyond 100 yards you can still use a 1oz lead unless drift is a problem. It is not the weight of the lead that sets the hook, its the line. The running rig increases sensitivity, so you know when you are being ‘done’ and you can make adjustments accordingly.
RIG BOOM
Helps to kick the hooklink away from the lead thereby avoiding tangles.
FLOUROCARBON HOOKLINK
Most invisible hooklink you can use but lack of stretch can make it hard to use for novices or anglers using stiff rods.
SLACK LINE
Increases sensitivity (opposite to what people think) no back leads required, fewer liners and even if fish do bump into your line they will not spook as they will think it’s is weed or bottom debris.
BAITRUNNER/CLUTCH
Have it set so it’s difficult to pull off the reel (but not too tight as the takes on this set up can be violent!). This helps set the hook.
LINE CLIP
Out of fashion these days but helps to set the hook.
ALARMS
No volume, just use the remote. The sound of alarms going off can spook fish (I believe). Only good if you have a remote facility obviously.
HAIR
Supple hair is hugely beneficial. Makes the hook turn easier and the bait behaves more naturally. In most cases, you want a minimum gap of 15mm between the top of the bait and hook shank. This makes the hook turn and gives you those nice hookholds, 1" inside the middle of the bottom lip. If I’m being done this is the first thing I will adjust.
RIG COMPONENTS
HOOKLINK COMPONENTS
Carp fishing in France with accommodation at Oakview
Carp Fishing in France at 35 lakes
Angling Lines
01773 590077
CALL US NOW ON: 01482 703485
What tackle do I need?
Do I need a tripod or can I use bank sticks?
All the rods are broken down in pairs with safety covers at each end. The rods along with the landing net all tie together to make a tight bundle to save space in the car.
All the tackle that I need for the week fits in these 2 bags
What cooking facilities are at the venue?
With Blue Lake I know that there are no cooking facilities so we will have to take our own pots, pans, portable table and cooker etc. We will also need an additional umbrella or as we have used in the past a large piece of tarpaulin sheet to erect a make shift kitchen.
Can you use bait boats or is a boat available to use at the venue?
Now more and more anglers depend on bait boats for presentation of their baits.
It is important to enquire prior to a trip to one of the Angling Lines venues to ascertain:-
Most of these answers are easy to find by researching the web page of each individual venue.
My Tackle List
I generally make a list so that I do not forget anything. I have missed out important tackle in the past.
Bed chair, day chair, bag containing weighing tripod and rod pod and sleeping bag
3 Fishing reels spooled with 15lb Gama, along with a reel for marker work and a reel for spodding, also Bite alarms, receiver and bobbins
Bait delivery/ spombs, catapult, throwing stick
Unhooking mat, weigh sling, landing net and water bucket
Bite alarms, receiver with indicator bobbins, and 2 head torches
With all the preparations and planning completed I would hope to have a successful trip and be in a position to report back on yet another great carp fishing holiday.
Paul Cooper
Fishing France at Blue Lake
Carp Fishing in France at 35 lakes
Angling Lines
01773 590077
Carp Fishing in France at Villefond
Over the last few years since I first stocked Lac Du Villefond I have been witness to a lot of changes at the lake not least how the fish have grown into absolute monsters in a relatively short space of time. As the carp have grown in size they have become accustomed to more and more anglers trying to pose for a photograph with them and as a consequence of this they have seen many rigs and become experts at spotting or ejecting carp angler’s rigs.
Gone are the days when I could pop down the lake after lunch with a PVA bag of shelf life baits, flick them out in front on me on a basic bottom bait rig with little thought of hook or presentation and land a few fish before dinner. Now as the fish have grown in size they have grown in cunning and in the following article I will try to show some of the rigs used to bank some of the real characters at Villefond.
First I’ll start by explaining the problem. Some weeks at our lake have proven very frustrating for anglers; some even having 15+ fish take the bait and give them absolute screaming takes before they strike only to have the bait come straight out of the carps mouths. The problem also comes in the form of very funny indication on the anglers bite alarms... bleeps but not runs.
The problem lies with the fish and not the angler! The fish particularly the older and larger fish, have seen so many rigs that they have changed the way they feed to ensure they visit the bank less often, which some have become very good at. Some of our residents grace the banks maybe once a year, some once every 3 years and some are still being caught for the first time!
If some of the fish have never been caught then how do they become rig shy? I believe the answer is in the lake, more accurately the natural food in the lake. I have fished hundreds of lakes but rarely do I hear of a lake that has the natural food source that ours does. The carp have no competition from other bottom feeding species like tench/ bream or other small carp so have sole access to the abundance of bloodworm, frogs spawn, daphnia, dragon fly larva, swan muscles etc. This means if shown anglers baits and they feel unsure they have the option of a different type of abundant food source they know is safe.
When presented with good tasting bait, or bait like the house bait that they have fed on over winter UN pressured, the carp will happily take that bait. In certain conditions and times of year for example just before spawning the carp are driven to feed more heavily and can not afford to feed quite as cautiously so at those time even more basic rigs will be taken and hook the carp. This article is going to focus on the times the carp are more cautious and hopefully explain some of the rigs used to catch these carp at such times.
Just before we look at the rigs I’ll try to explain the how I believe the carp are able to eject so many rigs.
Firstly what I believe is happening when the fish are taking the baits, tearing off with them only for the angler to strike and pull it straight out of the carps mouth, is that they are carefully picking the baits up and not the hooks before they feel for any resistance from a lead. Once they feel the lead they panic and run but without the hook in their mouths so when the angler strikes it pulls straight out.
Secondly the strange bite alarm indication given is when the fish have been hooked. They have learned to freeze on the spot and shake their heads to eject the lead. Many fish I have landed have been when all I have had indication wise on my bite alarm was a single beep but I watched the rod tip, see it was bouncing up and down and struck into a fish which has then tore off angrily across the lake. I always used tight lines and pin my line to the bottom so not to spook the carp but slack lines would not give the indication if the fish didn’t run - but that is for a different day, now the rigs;
Pop-ups;
Until relatively recently I've had little confidence in fishing pop-ups... but I've been forced to learn and lost a few fish while in the process. The reason I fish pop-ups now is because it is a lot easier to balance the baits so when the carp suck the bait into their mouths the buoyant pop-up is balanced with the weight of the hook - so the hook flies in the mouth of the carp even when it’s trying to feed cautiously.
Above is the rig is in a bowl of water to show how it should look when on the lake bottom. I normally use a curve shank hook again camouflaged for my pop-up rigs, but I've also had success on wide gapes as seen in the picture below - also showing how the rig should look underwater.
Above is the wide gape hook I've also used to catch carp. In this picture you can even see how the pop-up’s flavour is leaking out. It leaked below the pop-up, downwards toward the bottom and settled around the base of the rig.
Balanced Bottom Baits;
Here is one example of how I present my bait on the bottom, in this case maize.
Here you can see the whole rig again with a small amount of putty to keep it pinned down and with the coating stripped back at both ends as explained.
Again I like a curve shank hook for this rig and the bait very tight to the hook.
I always ensure my hooks are extra sharp and every hook shown is a size 8 which is normally the biggest I would go.
Here is how the bait should sit. With these particular pieces of fake maize they are only just buoyant enough to raise the hook point slightly off the bottom and do not need any more weight added to get them to stay on the bottom. The weight of the hook is just enough to hold the two pieces of maize down - but again the hook will float up if any fish try to mouth the bait.
The above rigs are far from complicated and far from unique, there are many variations that will work in a similar way, but hopefully this article will help people put more carp on the bank at Villefond or at least increase the bite = fish on the bank ratio.
I wish I could include a video to show how the rigs work but the easiest way for me to describe it is if you put the rigs in water and clench your fish, then open your fist slightly into a kind of ‘mouth’ shape. Just in doing that action next to the rigs under water will cause a suction effect that will cause the bait and hook to enter the ‘mouth’ you created. This hopefully indicates you have perfectly balanced bait and should make it extra difficult for even the most cunning carp to eject.
Hopefully the above article will be of some interest, and happy fishing.
Mark Lambert, Lac Du Villefond
“A bad days fishing is better than a good day at work”
Carp Fishing in France at Villefond
Carp Fishing in France at 35 lakes
Angling Lines
01773 590077
Well hopefully you have now moved into your new home and are sitting there with plans going through your head about opening for business. Well I am afraid unless you have purchased a up and running fishery forget it for at least 6 to 12 months.
As we stated before on the previous blog posts, these are Lesley’s and my own views and the things we did and the mistakes we made, so I will now explain my opening paragraph. When we moved in I had not really appreciated the amount of work we had to do to get the lake ready and the facilities up to an acceptable standard that I believe anglers expect today. Our lake had never been fished before and consequently had never been cleared out of branches and leaves, or had a drain down for years we guessed… we had a blank canvas!
We sat down and planned the lake as we wanted it to put in all the things that I would expect if I paid to fish here. I will list below some jobs and things that seem obvious now… and some things we have learnt along the way and these may help others think about their plans.
Job 1. Does the lake need dredging or draining?
This is important before you even think about putting fish in. You need to know what state the lake bed is in and if it is full of snags. We decided to have one end of the lake dredged as it had silted up badly over the years. This was the first big cost we incurred and one that was not planned for! It took 4 days (and that’s only 1 acre) and it cost 3,000 euros, but this did include all the mud being leveled over the field. Give this serious thought as it’s the last thing you want to do once your fish are in the lake, and it’s something that takes a few months for nature to recover from.
Job 2. What carp are in the lake?
We’ve all heard the stories of people buying lakes and being told there are carp to 30 to 40lb in there and after moving in finding nothing, so we took the view there was nothing in ours. As it turned out this was not far from the truth, certainly as far as size of the carp were concerned. We spoke to several people for advice and also Angling Lines who really helped us a lot. We decided to have the lake netted to ascertain exactly what stock we had.
This was big unplanned expense number 2… it cost us 1500 euros 3 years ago. However, I believe this is money well spent as it will show you exactly what is in the lake and more important the condition of any fish, after all you would not want to put your new stock into a lake full of diseased fish. It also gives you the chance to remove any nuisance fish and any species you do not want in your lake. The fish farmer will pay for these and it helps with the cost.
When we netted it was a hard day’s work, but exciting as that net reaches the end and you see what you have inherited! In our case it was about 200 carp of all species but none over 5lb! We also had 340kg of small roach removed.
As a keen koi keeper in England and obsessed with water quality I had ours checked at the local government laboratories. For 50 euros it was again money well spent as it showed top quality water and no problems… it all helps to make life easier and less stressful.
Job 3. Plan your lake
Now sit and plan your lake swims and where you want them. Give this a lot of thought as you don’t want to spend days building swims to find them in the wrong place. Think how you would like to fish and the swims you would expect. Ours was easy as we only wanted to fish one bank so all I had to do was choose the spots and build the swims. Take into account things like trees, is it muddy, are the banks high, is the access easy, do the anglers have to walk far to the facilities?
The final decision is what to build the swims out of. I have seen people put gravel or decking down, but for me this is too noisy. We used wood chip instead which is quiet and drains easily if you get a down pour. It’s also pod and bank stick friendly.
Job 4. Stocking the carp
This is the biggest expense you will encounter and the one you have to get correct as it will be the future of your fishery. There are a few good fish farmers in France and people will always put you in touch with the one they use, but I suggest you look around. We used one at the start that was 2 hours from us. A journey of this distance is stress for the fish and makes for a long stocking day as you have to go to the farm to agree on the fish and check every one you are going to buy.
Totally by luck out driving one day we found a fish farm only 30 minutes from us who sold great fish. This distance caused a lot less stress for the fish. It’s a sad fact I’m afraid that you will probably lose 10% of the fish you stock due to stress… but there is nothing you can do about it.
You have to order your fish well in advance and they will normally only deliver late in the year when it has cooled down and the fish have the winter to rest. So don’t expect to have fished delivered when you want… just plan well ahead and make contact with your chosen farmer and arrange the stocking.
Depending on the size and quantity of carp you buy you will be looking at about somewhere between 15 and 20 thousand euro’s at least. Over the 3 stockings we did we spent more than that… but we have a lot of fish in La Bleteiere as the water is spring fed and the oxygen levels are good and constant.
Just to give you an idea, for the last 3 big carp we managed to buy, as big ones are getting hard to get at a price you can afford, they were all around 40lb and they cost about 1100 euro’s each…ouch!
Job 5. Plan the look of your lake
This is really just a thought that may save you time later; think of how you want your lake to look in a year’s time, not now when it may be muddy or overgrown. We had the choice of how we wanted our lake to look and we opted for the natural look. We cultivate the wild flowers that were growing naturally here and this is great for the wildlife. You could go for the tended look and grass. Grass is easier to cut obviously, but for us we prefer the natural look and we will continue to develop this over the years.
This is a snap shot of things we did and I’m sure some people will disagree with some things I have said and say there are easier ways. I’m sure there was but it’s all a learning curve and all part of the challenge of getting it as you want.
But do we regret the move? Well in a word NO… not even when it’s cold and wet and you are clearing the banks. When you stand still and the only noise is the cry of a buzzard circling overhead you know it’s all worth it!
Tight lines,
John London
Owner of Bletiere
Carp Fishing in France at 35 lakes
Angling Lines
01773 590077
After all the excitement of finding your dream new home in France, complete with a lake to die for, the hard part now starts… and that’s the paper work in France. It’s a killer and there’s a lot of it!
The following is in no way the ultimate legal advice on French property buying and laws. Again it’s just our experience, but hopefully it will save you falling into some of the traps we encountered. Others may have had a different experience, but it’s what happened to us and it may help someone else save a lot of time which we lost. I would firmly advise anyone to check the lake and its permissions even before you go as far as putting in offers. Just because it’s a lake does not mean you can fish it!
To put it simply you either have a ‘closed’ or ‘open’ lake.
I would advise anyone to go for a closed lake as it’s less hassle (I can hear the keyboards going already!)
The simple explanations I was given by the garde-pêche is that an ‘open’ lake usually has a river or stream flowing into them, so its potentially harder to control your fish. A ‘closed’ lake has no natural exits so fish cannot escape into local rivers or streams.
It seems from talking to others in France that the fishing permissions are becoming harder to get and a closed lake is certainly easier to get permission for. We have a closed lake and it wasn’t really a problem for us to obtain all the correct paperwork.
Some people may come on to the Blog and disagree and say you don’t need to contact the authorities, but we took the view of getting them on our side from the start. In France the garde-pêche are powerful people… we know people who have rubbed them up the wrong way and lived to regret it. We wrote to them immediately after we moved in and all it took was a visit and a walk around the lake with them and two weeks later we had a full fishing license for days and nights (not all lakes can be fished at night).
However, you may get certain restrictions that may not be what you were hoping for. For us it was no pike, catfish and perch. This is because a Category 1 trout stream runs alongside our lake and they do not want predators escaping into it. For us it’s a small price to pay for a hassle free life as we have not seen them since and it’s been 3 years now.
Buying your Dream
Once you have negotiated (that’s no different to the UK) and agreed a price for the property, make sure you are certain exactly what you are paying. The distribution of fees is different in France and the buyer pays more. Check carefully & only then pay a deposit.
Now you have a ‘cooling-off’ period. Use it! Sit back and think is this really the correct thing for us.
Hopefully it is… then go ahead!
Bletiere - our dream fulfilled
Now’s the time to find someone to help with the French legal part and the visits for the form signings etc. You may speak reasonable French & be capable yourself… but be warned, there’s a lot to look at and, as with most things in France, everyone speaks at once, so it gets confusing!
We were very lucky and the agent we brought the house through, Elizabeth, was an ex-pat who has lived in France for 30 years, so Elizabeth did all the translation for us and watched out for our interest and I’m pleased to say has since become a good friend to us.
When you go to the final signing be prepared as it takes ages and you end up with writer’s cramp and feel you have signed the same form about 6 times… but that’s France… the country runs on paperwork!
Don’t expect to move in within a couple of weeks as our paperwork took nearly 2 months to go through so it gives you plenty of time to pack and dream and to research on the Internet all the things you think you need to know.
Once you have moved in the fun really starts and I will cover that in the next part. For me it was the exciting bit with the lake getting sorted and swims built. But the biggest thing is getting your fish delivered. I’ll cover that too.
So until next time have a great spring and hopefully a lot of carp on your lines and who knows we may meet here! As usual if we can help in anyway please just contact us.
Tight lines,
Lesley and John London, Bletiere
John London
Owner of Bletiere
Carp Fishing in France at 35 lakes
Angling Lines
01773 590077
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We moved to France three years ago now and found our small piece of heaven, a traditional French farmhouse on the banks of a carp lake deep in the French countryside. We now run a successful commercial carp venue with Angling Lines... but how did we get here?
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During the winter months I do the winter show circuit with my own “A” Baits stand or helping out friends. It never ceases to surprise me how many people would love to go to France but feel a bit intimidated by it! The channel tunnel train comes out on the motorway and in most cases nearly all the driving is done on these, there is very little to worry about driving on the wrong side of the road. I never begrudge paying the toll charges on these as you are guaranteed a great road surface and very light traffic. Twenty euros will take you into the Champaign area where there are hundreds of fantastic lakes with only a simple 4 hour drive. You will need headlight deflectors if travelling at night and the French driving laws state you need; high viz vests, a warning triangle and a medical kit.
France does of course contain lakes that hold truly massive fish but if you are targeting fish over 60lbs you will need to fish a lake that contains a number of them and these are exceptional venues rather than the norm. As a rule I would say that the fish average 10-15lbs bigger on average but they are not necessarily easier to catch. In fact some swims are occupied constantly for 9 months of the year and are under considerable pressure. I have been crossing the channel for 15 years now and have definitely blanked on more than one occasion but on the flip side of this I have caught 6 forties in a day before!
When choosing your first water it might be a good idea to inquire if the water holds poisson chat. These are small almost blind catfish of a few ounces that can make your life difficult. They are common in France and swim in shoals that number thousands and they will decimate a bed of boilies in minutes. To get around them you need to mesh up your baits in tights or use plastic shrink wrap and feed very hard boilies very regularly. At the height of summer when they are most active the only way to fish is with particles in which they have little interest. Crayfish are a lesser problem but once again they can ruin your day if you are not prepared and the summer is when they are at their most annoying. If the lake contains crayfish it is always worth putting a stop behind your bait as they will slide it down the hair toward the hook. Pop-ups are often the first bait to be targeted by the crays as their eyes are on the top of their head looking up and they will have no problem dragging your rig down.
Looks like a lot of gear for 3 people but a week is a long time if you are missing something you need!
As I said before there is really no need for specialist tackle but a bait boat can be an advantage if it is allowed and if the fishery has a boat, make sure you take a life jacket and make use of it. It can get very hot in France and sun block is a definite must take as is cold weather clothing; I have experienced -6 in June before! One thing that I cannot stress enough is care of fish on the bank. If the mat has been in the sun all day a bucket of cold water is not going to cool it down at all. Keep the mat in the shade and turn it over before wetting down, I have seen more than enough dead fish as I direct result of poor care. Make sure you have your scales and camera ready before removing the net from the water and get the fish back as soon as possible in really high temperatures.
France has some fantastic rivers and public lakes that can be fished very cheaply but these are best left until you have a few trips under your belt. The internet and Google earth are great for uncovering these and the various forums can be a goldmine of information.
37lb virgin river common, a special fish!
To sum up I would recommend choosing a water with a good head of fish with some reasonable facilities. Try to find out as much information as you can and if you can talk to people who have been before. Treat it as a holiday and do not expect too much at the start. A word of warning though, it can be very addictive!
Jason Rider
www.booksoncarp.co.uk
Carp Fishing in France at 36 lakes
Angling Lines
01773 590077
Just yesterday, before the storm started, I witnessed another spectacular event. I was working for a client just a few miles from here, doing some plumbing work. This sweet old lady was having a well bored in her garden, the goal being to provide well water for the large garden, saving on the water bill. The guys came in the morning, drove the machinery in through the gates & into the garden. In the foul weather, the machinery was already making a muddy mess of the lawn & looked to get far worse as the day progressed. At 2pm, after the obligatory long French lunch, everything was in place & drilling started. I came out to look, then went off back to mind my own business & work inside.
Upstairs I could hear the drill grinding its way downwards through the ground. In the morning, the boss told me in this area, they could expect to hit water at about 20 metres, but could keep going to a maximum of 50m, if need be. At about 3pm I heard a desperate & very loud shout.......´STOP, STOP, STOP`. When I looked out of the window, the activity on the nice lawn now looked like a scene from a tsunami disaster movie. Grey mud was spewing 30ft into the air & lots of it. Ever seen that John Wayne film about the oil drilling when they finally hit oil? Later in the day I was to learn; once the pressure pocket was tapped, there was no way to stop it until the pressure had blown its way out of the hole in the ground. The mud pool kept on swelling. It came down some steps in the upper part of the garden, onto the next lawn, then down two steps & started pouring into the garage. More of the tidal wave crossed the lower lawn, down the slope to the gates, passed under the gates, pouring onto the road then spreading out off towards the church opposite. I´m working there again tomorrow, not plumbing though - assisting with the cleanup operation.
2011 has been a good year for us. After redundancy in December 09, our aim for 2010 was just to get through the year & still be afloat by Christmas. If we could do this, 2011 could only get better & it has been. Mid year last year & we were heading for a big financial pit. It is true what people often say; it takes twice as long to climb out of debt then to fall into it`. I spent the first half of this year doing as much work as I could, no holidays & often getting very weary in the process. Working five days a week, sometimes Saturdays for others, then working down at the lake during the evenings & often weekends. This was not part of the plan. Things have been changed however. We are now in a fortunate position where I work four days a week for others & spend , usually Wednesdays, working here at the lake. This frees up weekend time & makes working around the lake much more enjoyable again. I am doing more skilled work now, more so than earlier in the year & hence it is bringing in a better crust. I am a much more chilled person again & enjoying life like I had hoped & planned for, for such a long time. The whiskey shelf on the dresser is brimming. Its amazing how the fairies keep re-visiting, following each very sad event when a bottle is emptied! I´m not sure what I enjoy the most; drinking the golden syrup (with friends & neighbors) or the prospect of going to buy a new bottle.
Sally has a regular job now, which she enjoys. That here in France is a real positive; so many people seem to be stuck in jobs which they just tolerate for the salary. We are both lucky that we have clients who are more than happy for us to take responsibility for getting things sorted out & moving, so they can get on with doing what they need to do. This makes our respective jobs far more interesting. Sal works five mornings a week plus Friday afternoons. This brings welcome additional income & leaves Sally the afternoons for all the other stuff; our house, keeping the hut & Gingerbread house in order, animals, kids (or is that two of the same?), the veggie patch, battling with the incomprehensible French administration & time for her too.
Matthew & Ellie are growing up. I was chatting with Sally just a few evenings ago, about how suddenly the constant clattering in the Lego box had stopped, how toys were no longer about the house, all the innocence gone. Now the kids question things still, but in a more serious manner i.e. wars on the news, why children are starving around the world, why some people in some countries have no money. My biggest concern is children going into teenage years without a passion. May be this is based from what I remember when I was a teenager, just how happy I was to go fishing & how important it was to me at that time. Do we parents all have the same reservations about the current electro-gadget era? Those personality removing gadgets. Fortunately though, respective passions appear to be flourishing.
Ellie continues to develop her relationship with horses, growing her independence, & goes off riding each Tuesday evening. She had her first tumble from a horse this year, which I understand can be a clincher of a moment for if people get back on a horse or not. She did & yip dad was proud. Matthew likes water, not so much to cast into it, but to be afloat on it in a kayak. Kayak club each Saturday afternoon a right through the winter. Like most things in France, there is a big emphasis on family participation & there is usually something going on out of the water as well as on it.
With both Matthew & Ellie now at college, two beaming faces came home earlier in the year & enthusiastically asked ´Can we go skiing with school?` From where we were this time last year, for me this is a huge personal success when we can say ´yes`& get our kids on that trip, especially as I never had the opportunity. They go off to the French Alps in January.
We have just received a letter & Christmas card from some good friends in the UK, whom we have not seen for some time. They wrote that they had visited their son, who lives here in France. One short simple sentence put me into a burst of uncontrollable laughter. It read ´everything seems to take a long time in France`. I have to be careful here because the French are lovely people, which they have a good reputation for here in Brittany, plus it is a lovely country. But trying to get anything done is always a constant battle. In the UK, there is always a way, keep bulldozing at the problem & eventually you find a way through. The French have nailed down everything down they can in so tightly in Codes, Articles, Regulations so that a) it is difficult to breath because everything is so stifled in Regulations & b) things are so complex that the respective experts themselves don't understand their own rules. Nothing gets done here without first opening a dossier. It is so inconceivable to even try & get something sorted, however simple, without first opening a case file. It's hilarious. A train of thought lurks though; socialist country - creates lots of jobs, even if those people don't actually really do anything. So next time you wish to complain about the UK HM Customs Income Tax Dept, remember; the UK system is a breeze.
We run the lake as a small business. We did go through lots of groaning setting it up with the local authorities; wasn't on this list, this is not on that list. But when up & running, dare I say, is pretty straight forward. So off I trot to look at setting up a small business as self employed. One of my meetings went something like this..........
´What do you want to do?`
´Multi-service` (I knew this was a huge mistake at the outset)
´For example?`
´Plumbing, DIY.` She cut me off before I could venture further.
´Do you have a certificate for that, for plumbing?`
´Not specifically. Learning to weld, braze & solder was part of my apprenticeship. I have a certificate for that.`
´But does it say plumbing?`
My head sinks ...´No`.
´What else?` she enquires.
My big chance to make progress I'm thinking. So I say ´Gardening`.
´Do you have a certificate for that?`
Next we talk:- electrics, painting, plaster boarding, wood work, fencing, wall building, tiling. Do I have certificates she wants to know. I explain that I learned a trade as a maintenance fitter; I continued with college for a further seven years, I studied civil engineering, mechanical engineering, I have lots of certificates. I explained that we even won the Mow Cop gardening competition where we used to live (which we entered so we could see other peoples gardens). ´Did you get a certificate`.
I surrender. Without the Town Halls blessing I can't progress. If I said I just wanted to pick up litter & did have a certificate, then I could get my needed letter to get insurance. But then the insurance company would only insure me for picking up litter & transporting litter. If I had an accident & was transporting bales of straw in my van at the time - insurance invalid. ´You are not insured for transporting bales of straw, you need different insurance for that`.
I ask about bringing photos of my work, witness testimony from happy clients, offer for a ´professional` to come & see my work, but its no good. I haven't got a certificate. Imagine how I feel; the French trades people generally are very very slow workers, never break sweat, many drink (excessively) at lunch time, rarely turn up when they say & the most important thing in the day is their lunch.
I find all this hilarious, because when I think about it, I am just trying to do things right. I have found a way of paying my dues & avoiding the knock on the door. France is in a real financial mess too & Zarkozy is trying what he can to recoup funds, especially from non tax paying Brits. For those considering working here; I signed up with Pole Emploi, got set up on-line & declare my earnings every month that way. We did get a home visit from the tax man, who asked to see lots of paperwork. At the end of which he left happy that we were doing things properly. If we had been getting our earnings paid on the black, I imagine we would be in a lot of deep soup now. There are a surprising number of stories about of Brits who have had to sell up & go back to Blighty in order to pay a tax bill.
Some of which have been staggering. The French certainly take no prisoners on the fiddling front.
Still on politics; there is a very quick way at the moment of sending a Frenchman into a frenzy of excitement. Say to him ´there is no euro crisis, because Zarkozy walks a path of ultimate extravagance wherever he goes`. Watch French TV & it blares out at you. A festering zit got burst just recently when a policeman of the Gendarmerie National blew a gasket. Said policeman had the responsibility of sorting the police duties when Zarkozy was making a swift public visit on his patch. He had to organise one rail journey with SNCF, two helicopters on standby in case the train ran late, 1,265 police officers, a flotilla of police & civil servant vehicles, plus multiple other lesser items. On his way home, he looked down at his car mileometer, which was reading 235,000kms. This was the drop of water which toppled the heavy load.
The next day he returned to work, expressed his disgust in the cost of all of the above & emailed it anonymously across the Gendarmarie of France. Then from within the gendarmarie it spread outwards into the public domain. France has a population which hovers around 50% socialist, so if this will have any effect on the pending presidential election result remains to be seen. Rumour HQ tells us it will be a two horse race; Zarkozy versus socialist Francois Lande.
Anyway, if the burdening French administration & politics all seems too much, I still go & have a good blow out each Friday night & play with the local samba band Zumbahuazil. When I first joined two years ago, our gigs were small village fetes & small town street carnivals. This year we progressed to music festivals & played at some big events within Brittany, playing alongside some well known Breton bands. A band called Ty Yann are huge over here & with four other bands we played in front of ten thousand people on the evening when the Tour de France came to Redon. Forty eight years old & getting the willies before you play - fantastic! I have heard a phrase that seems to pass around music circles - ´Learn to play an instrument & you will always have a friend`. If you have any interest in learning to play - do it, please! At times it is so hard, but you will never ever regret it.
The Fishing
The fishing in general this year has been good, thankfully. I say thankfully because last year I suspected there was a problem emerging in the lake. I had fisherman on the lake in September & November. Carp were caught but some of the fish which I identified, were down in weight. Some of the forty pounders were five to seven pounds down. This at a time of year when weights would normally be returned to pre-spawning weights as a minimum. One angler said that the fish did not fight well at all. This alarmed me somewhat because the carp here have a reputation for quite the opposite. No fish popped up dead then or through the winter. The next thing was then to sit it out & see what happened in the spring. I limed the lake in winter again & in the spring started to feed some protein into the lake. However, I needn`t have worried. One fish that was caught the previous September weighing 40lbs, was landed again in early April weighing in at its heaviest weight to date; 47lbs 8oz. By summer it was clear that what ever was going on had cleared up & fish weights were back where I hoped they would be.
Looking at the year overall, fish weights have been averaging the same as last year but the numbers of fish caught has clearly been up. It has been very nice to see some more new mirrors coming through, some fully scaled too.
Mirrors
The heaviest this year was 49lbs 8oz. It was the same fish which tipped the scales over fifty pounds last year. There was a difference though which I viewed as a good result. Last year the fish was full of spawn, this year the fish was landed post the big early April spawning. Due to the very warm & dry spring, the carp spawned early over three days in mid April. There were a few other small bouts of spawning activity later in the year but nothing like the April romp. Plenty of forty pounders were caught this year, most in the forty to forty-five bracket. These results, coupled with last autumns mystery, I hope is suggesting that 2012 could be a very good year for some big mirrors.
I have thirteen mirrors coming through into doubles in the Bridge Pool. I will check their size & growth in February & will then have a better idea of when these will be moved into the main lake. This I anticipate will be February 2013, when I hope they will be in the fifteen to twenty pound category.
Commons
The common record keeps nudging up, this year rising from 36.8 to 38lbs 8oz, tantalisingly close to forty. The fish was caught in the first week in August, so if this fish hits the mat next year, surely it will be a forty. A 40lb common is a fish I have been wanting to see for some time now & can't wait. Unlike the mirrors, the commons average weight is climbing, slowly but steadily. I have taken twelve commons out this year, which incidentally will be sold & moved out this February. There are plenty of small commons in the main lake, I see them leaping enough, just can't catch them.
Grass Carp
Where? I see them all the time, usually where they tend to spend their time, along the northern bank in the shallow water. But for the last two years their capture has been a rare occurrence, only two leaped onto the bank this year & wrestled with their captors. The lake record still remains at 28lbs 8oz, which could go with some significance at any time.
Cats
The mysterious cats, the black death. Only one landed this year, a baby at 18lbs. Time for a prediction though; 2012 will be the year of the cats at La Morinais. This is based on what I have seen while fishing for the carp & spending my time by the water. I had several nights out this year in attempts to hook a cat. I landed slippery eels which slipped their way into the freezer for pike baits but no cats were hooked. I tried sardines, roach deadbaits & those huge foul smelling pellets but no joy. These failures I think indicate some other things though; firstly I was surprised by the lack of attention from the crays, perhaps the cats are keeping their proliferation right under control? Secondly, if the cats are not eating the deadbeats, nor anglers baits, then they are munching on a plentiful supply of something else. If this something else is plentiful, then it is very likely that there are some huge cats in there.
Roach. The lake has a healthy stock of them & good quality roach too. The angler who fishes roach in 2012 will open the door to contacting the cats. In 2011 one angler put out a roach live bait a few nights in May. On one of the nights three takes, one fish on the bank, the eighteen pounder. The next livebaits were fished in October. Baits fished from dusk until midnight; two takes, both fish lost. Both of these fish were suspected as not big fish but proved that the way to catch them is livebait.
So for the forthcoming season, if you want to try for the cats, let me know in advance & I will have you some baits ready. I suspect I will be doing some thinning out of the smaller cats, while being very much entertained when a true big cat is hooked & hopefully landed.
Silver Fish
Those who have tried for the roach have enjoyed some very good fishing; plenty of fish & some nice roach. No real big ones this year but some requiring the landing net. Maggots catch many small roach with a few bigger ones, sweetcorn for better fish plus the odd tench but hemp & tares for a weighty catch.
The rudd seem to have almost disappeared over the last ten years, a fish which I think is stunningly beautiful. I have found a nice secret supply of rudd, keeping Matthew & I busy during a few Sunday afternoons. Hence, a small scale rudd restocking programme is underway.
Pike
The pike stock remain pretty much untapped. Few pike baits hit the water during 2011, alas the record stands at 17lbs 8oz which was caught two years ago. As with the scenario with the cats, with the healthy roach stocks, I am sure that there are now some big pike swimming around in the lake.
Onwards to Where?
As we speak I am waiting for a lake inspection date from the Departmental authorities. Lakes are put in one of four classess here; A, B, C & D. La Morinais has been given a D classification, meaning Low Risk. The classifications have been devised in order to assess the risk to surrounding areas, in the case of flooding, dam breaches, spreading of fish parasites, bacterial infections & non native fishes into other water courses. The higher the risk, the more frequent & rigorous the inspection. Class A lakes are inspected annually, in my case class D - every ten years. My time of ownership has passed ten years but the scheme was only revamped around 2002/3.
This brings me to the point - a new ten year plan. When I started out here, one of the first things I did was to produce a ten year plan. Where did I want to be in ten years time & how do I get there? In the beginning I thought my plan was a good plan, robust & would get the lake to where I could foresee. In reality as time as passed, I have looked at the plan less & less. Partly because many of the goals have been achieved making the plan redundant but also partly because despite what I thought at the time, I was naïve & inexperienced about certain things. So I feel now is the time to take an in depth look at where I want to take the lake during the next ten years. With the experience I have gained, a ten year plan will force me to take a realistic objective view as to what I need to do, to get where I want. This excites me greatly & in some ways is like starting out again. This time though, I will leave a copy of the plan in the hut, as you the visiting angler will be a participant within the plan. Also, as always, I value the views of experienced others.
Some of the things will include; installation of a bore hole, re-digging & puddling of the Lily Pool, mass planting of marginal plants, creation of a sub surface island in the main lake, improving the Boat House Pool for holding carp & deepening the very shallow parts of the lake along the north bank.
In September a had two anglers fish the lake for a week. Tom Good had enviously been through Sparsholt College, he was clearly a thinking carp angler & was on his ninth angling trip to France. I was very interested to hear what he thought of the place at the end of their week. On the fishing front, I think it was no coincidence that they landed as many carp as they did. In one twelve hour spell, one guy took eight carp. Well, it was very rewarding for me, to hear that much of the work I had undertaken was good for the fishery. Some of the other things Tom talked about were also on the ´to do` list, again all good news. However, there were some things that I had not even considered but once explained all made good sense. I guess its all about getting the best out of what is possible, so Tom`s suggestions will find themselves into the lake new management plan. Thank you Tom!
One task of work I have had to put on hold for 2011, has been the rebuilding of some stretches of the east bank, due to erosion. The reason is that the funds will now be used for the drilling of a bore hole. The verbal quote for the actual drilling & lining is in & a date is in the diary for the drilling contractor to visit site. Once the site is confirmed as acceptable & plant access route is agreed, then I will have the finite estimate. Declaration Travaille from the Town Hall & a bore hole will be done (to the depth of 50m!), I hope before next June. The bore hole will help hugely. I will be finally be able to turn the Lily Pool into a tench & crucian fishery, the overflowing water into the Stock Pool will keep the water level constant throughout the year. This will enable the flourishing of nutrient guzzling marginal plants, this helps with the amounts of fish feed I can safely introduce, thus help up the growth rates before selecting carp for further growing on in the Bridge Pool.
.....& Finally
For now, its time for that lovely winter job of liming. The leaves are raked away off the banks & the dead branches are burnt. After the awful liming job, then its back to enjoying the place as usual. Interesting though for me, is how much I can enjoy a small pond just as much as the activity on the main lake. I sit like a garden gnome by the fish pond by the house, just watching the life in & around the pond. Down at the main lake its just repeated but on a grander scale. One exception being the winter visiting cormorants, but lets not get ourselves all excited over that debate (just think bang bang, what officer?).
So Happy New Year, I hope you can make 2012 a good & kind year for you. See the New Year in with a nip for me, I for certain will certainly be doing so, in the usual fashion!
I wish you very best wishes, get through the rest of the winter then its green leaves & warm weather again. Can`t wait.
Best Regards,
Mike Walker
Jan 2012
Mike Walker is a north west ex-pat with over ten years experience running a French carp fishery. For more information on his stunning L'etang du Morinais venue visit: http://www.lamorinais.net