Carp France - The Fishing Holiday Specialists

Another cracking week !!

11/05/2013

We have just enjoyed a very successful weeks fishing with a total of 82 fish banked (79 carp and 3 sturgeon) with everyone banking 40′s and Tim and Mark topping their catch with 50′s. It was strange that we have yet to see the bulk of last years big fish with both this weeks 50′s being new to that weight and all the carp showing evidence of good growth increases over last year. We have seen quite a few fish marked up from their recent spawning efforts and a few that still were holding spawn which would indicate that as soon as things warm up again we will be seeing another round of spawning activity. Lots of the 40′s and 30′s are now at the top of their weight bands so should be moving up into the next weight category during the summer which gives us a lot to look forward to in the coming months. Last night was fairly quiet with rain falling from the early hours until breakfast but whilst packing up Gareth, fishing ‘Island swim’ noticed line peeling from one of his reels and quickly hooked into a cracking mirror of 37lb 12 oz. A little later his last rod went off resulting in a last gasp 39lb 8oz mirror and whilst Tim was netting the fish one of his own rods took off resulting in another lovely mirror of 39lb 4oz. It really was ‘Happy Hour’ for the lads. A roundup of catches shows that the shallower swims were producing far better this week which is a contrast to the previous week when the deeper water was producing. Anyway, Tim had 19 carp from ‘Deliverance’ topped by a cracking mirror of 56lb 6oz and also including another eight fish over 40lb’s and seven big 30′s. Gareth fishing ‘Island’ also did well with 18 carp including seven 40′s and 10 (mainly upper) 30′s. Mark fishing ‘Car Park’ had the most fish for the week with 27 to his name including a 51lb 12oz mirror and another seven over 40lbs. Mark also had 6 x 30′s in his catch plus the bulk of the smaller carp caught during the week. It seems that the smaller males were holding up in the shallows in hope that the big females would turn up for a few hours fun but unfortunately for them the water temperature never looked like being right for spawning. On the opposite bank Will (the Paddler) was fishing the shallows from ‘Sanctuary’ where he bagged eight carp including a trio of good 40′s. On the Home Bank we had Phil fishing ‘Middle Ground’ where he caught 8 fish including a brace of sturgeon and five 40lb+ carp along with a brace of big 30′s and along on ‘Sams’ we had Steve who suffered from the fish not being in the deeper water and only had a 40 and a 20 for his efforts. Here is the summary of carp for the week. 50lb+ carp – 2 (best 56lb 6oz) 40 – 50lb carp – 28 (best of 49lb 2oz) 30 – 40lb carp – 30 20 – 30lb carp – 12 Doubles – 4 Singles – 3 Total for the season is as follows. 50lb+ carp – 15 40 – 50lb carp – 94 30 – 40lb carp – 93 20 – 30lb carp – 35 Doubles – 13 Singles – 6

Le Moulin du Mee - week 5 roundup.

22/04/2013

It has been another strange week where neither the carp not I knew what was going on. More fish were showing as the week progressed and everyone managed a fish or two but we failed to really understand whether the carp were preparing to spawn or just being plain cussed. Eventually the lads managed to put together a respectable bag of fish that was notable for being made up of a good mix of sizes but also including more of the smaller, male fish than we have seen all season. Cumbrian Dave made the best of things with an exceptional catch in the circumstances comprised of 19 carp. His catch included 5 x 40′s up to 46lb and 7 x 30′s along with 5 x 20′s and a double and a single. Total catch for the week was 31 carp with a solitary 50 at 59lb 8oz, 9 x 40′s, 13 x 30′s, 6 x 20′s plus a double and a single. It was especially pleasing to see Jim bag a last night brace of fish including a 46lb mirror and a 36lb common and Lee also have a last gasp trio of fish. All in all it turned out to be a most enjoyable week made all the better by the banter and laughter around the table at meal times. Happy days ! Seasons totals for Etang du Mee are as follows. 50lb+ carp – 9 (up to 59lb 8oz) 40 – 50lb carp – 36 ( More than half over 45lb ) 30 – 40lb carp – 39 20 – 30lb carp – 16 Doubles – 3 Singles – 3 Total + 106 carp landed so far.

Wet,wet,wet at Le Moulin du Mee

14/04/2013

The lads have endured the wettest week ever experienced at Le Moulin du Mee with the stream breaking its banks after rising 4ft in a matter of hours. Both lakes were at an all time high and even with the sluices open we saw swims under water and rivers running down the tracks. It really was a nightmare of mother natures making that was partly made more bearable by the great stamp of fish the lads managed to bank. Tony, fishing ‘Sams’ fished well for his 13 carp with a common of 54lb 4oz topping a list that also included 40′s of 48lb, 46lb 8oz and 44lb plus 7 good 30′s and a solitary 20 at 29lb. Stephan, fishing ‘Deliverance’ also managed a good bag of 12 carp topped by a brace of 50′s at 53lb and 51lb plus 4 x 40′s at 49lb 7oz, 47lb, 46lb 6oz and 40lb. Stephan also had 4 x 30′s, one x 20 and a solitary double. Adrian and Kevin both had 50′s and Dennis a 48lb 8oz mirror in his catch whilst poor old Ainslie drew the short straw and finished with a brace of 20′s. All in all a great result from a dreadful weeks weather and with sunshine and warmth forecast from Sunday onwards I am hoping that the big girls of last year will start showing up in the catches. It is strange that all the 50′s banked so far this season are new to that weight and the 50′s and 60′s of last year are yet to make an appearance. Exciting times ahead methinks !! Total bag for the week is as follows (total for season in brackets). 50lb + - 5 (8) 40 – 50lb - 9 (31) (more than half over 45lb). 30 – 40lb – 12 (32) 20 – 30lb - 6 (11) Doubles - 0 (2) Singles - 1 (2) The new lads have just arrived and within an hour Andy has banked a stunning 59lb 8oz mirror ! Happy days

The start of the 2013 season

01/04/2013

Another very cold week saw the carp once again playing very hard to catch. With a mixture of north winds, clear freezing nights and towards the end of the week, mizzle and murk, resulted in conditions that were more like January than early spring. Most of the fish were lying up in mid water and just refusing to feed in the winter like conditions however some good angling saw the lads put together a really impressive bag of carp. Top rod was Keith Williams who worked very hard for a deserved catch of 25 carp including a brace of 50′s and a further 14 fish of over 40lb. That sets a new record for the amount of fish over 40lb for an angler at LMDM – great fishing !! Tony also did well with 6 x 30′s and 4 x 40′s including a brace of 47′s and a 46. Andy struggled to get on the fish but still managed 4 mirrors up to 39lb 10 oz. Lynn enjoyed the warmth of her sleeping bag for much of the time but still banked the only sturgeon of the week at 26lb. All in all I am very happy to see the carp in such superb condition and by all reports, fighting extremely hard despite the cold water. It augers well for the future and I am excited at the prospect of seeing some of the big girls banked once conditions improve. In particular I would like to see how ‘Saddleback’ has overwintered as last time we saw her she was struggling to fully submerge. We are hoping that she will turn up as fit as ever but in all honesty I am preparing myself for the worst. We will see ! Anyway, total catch for the week is as follows. 2 x 50lb+ 18 x 40lb - 50lb 13 x 30lb - 40lb 4 x 20lb - 30lb 1 x double 1 x single Total catch to date is as follows. 2 x 50lb carp 25 x 40lb - 50lb (including 15 over 45lb) 16 x 30lb - 40lb 5 x 20lb - 30lb 1 x double 1 x single 2 x sturgeon Week 3 has started very, very cold however Ian bagged the first fish of the week - a stunning mirror of 57lb. Happy days !

Le Moulin du Mee 2012 review

26/11/2012

This morning I walked around the lake, warm in the mild temperatures and enjoying the quietness that is a feature of this time of year. No birdsong nor chatter of squirrels to accompany me, just the misty tranquility of a November morning broken only by the sound of the waterfowl quietly going about their business and the occasional scatter of fry as the pike enjoy a winter hunt. It is easy to forget that just days ago we had the last of our anglers sitting around the lake and we now have several months of work to get underway before our first guests arrive in mid March. Looking back over the year our conclusion is that we have learned a great deal more about the high’s and Low’s of running a French carp fishery than we could have imagined at the beginning of the season. The vagaries of the weather had a much greater impact throughout the season than we have seen in previous years with a wet, wet spring followed by the driest summer on record. We also experienced the heaviest and most protracted spawning imaginable with consequences that took us completely by surprise. On the plus side we had our first 70lb carp with the very spawn laden ‘Saddleback’ common and on the downside we lost several carp that were left partly spawned due to the rapidly changing spring weather. With the long dry summer and resulting low water conditions it was a pleasant surprise to see so many great fish banked throughout the year with 50′s coming our on such a regular basis that when we had a week without at least one being landed we were a tad disapointed. With a huge head of big 30′s and 40′s it was no surprise that our average weight for the year was nearer 40lb than 30lb with several weeks seeing the average being above the 40lb mark. Highlight of the year was a week that saw 5 anglers have a catch that included 11 x 50′s and a 60 along with a host of 30′s and 40′s. We also enjoyed the experience of seeing ‘Saddleback’ landed at 70lb and just a few weeks ago our first 60lb+ mirror being banked. To be honest we were expecting perhaps another couple of 60lb+ fish to show up during the year as we know they are in the lake from what we handled during the netting in the winter of 2011. All in all the year was our best ever for quality of the fish and although we did have a few difficult weeks during the heat of the summer the overall catch rates for the season were very good considering the size of the carp. As ever, the development of a specimen fishery we see a gradual transformation of the fishing with the carp becoming bigger each year but also becoming wiser to the way of anglers. The naive 20′s and 30′s of a few years ago have become wiley carp of 40 and 50lb and as a consequence tactics have to be more subtle and varied to achieve success. It certainly leads to more challenging and interesting fishing however in turn it will mean that the catches of 40 or 50 fish per angler that we saw in the early days will now be a rare feature at Le Moulin du Mée with quality taking the place of quantity in the catches. Having said that we have still seen some wonderful bags of carp landed this year made all the more special by the sheer size of many of the fish included. Next year should be very exciting with so many of our 30′s likely to break the 40lb barrier and all the high 40′s banked this year moving up to the 50lb category. Average weights are likely to be around the 40lb mark and there will be every likelyhood that we will be seeing several new 60′s showing up in catches during the year. It is so satisfying when you see the years of hard work that we have put into Le Moulin du Mée being rewarded by the return of so many of our anglers year after year. Many of you that read this will have seen the development of the fishery yourself and will have enjoyed the transission from ‘runs’ water to true ‘specimen lake’ and in turn seen your own pb’s rise year on year as a result. To be honest the real delight for us as fishery owners is seeing our guests having a great week with us and hpefully landing some great fish in the process. We never forget that having a beautiful lake stuffed with big carp is a dream all us carp anglers yearn for however it is the anglers that pay to fish here that makes the whole thing possible. Our intention is to continue developing the fishery to ensure that a visit to Le Moulin du Mée will be better than ever in the years ahead.

A good night had at Le Moulin du Mee...

24/10/2012

The week has been steady rather than hectic and up to last night everyone had caught with all but one carp being over 30lb. Overnight saw the carp really starting to get on the bait and we have Uncle Albert (Eddy) bank a 54lb mirror, Creepy (Gavin) another cracking mirror at 53lb, Handles (Trevor) 3 good mirrors of 49lb 6oz, 44lb and 30lb 8oz, Matt a 44lb mirror and Compo (Paul) a 36lb mirror. With a total of 19 carp up to Wednesday morning we are more than happy especially when you consider that the catch comprises 2 x 50′s, 7 x 40′s, 8 x 30′s and just a solitary 20. Lots of time yet and with the weather settled mild we are expecting more good fish to be banked.

Only a few spaces left for 2013 including a cancellation for 25th May - 1st June '13

For further information click here: http://www.carp-france.com/Venue.aspx/LeMoulinduMee

2 weeks now available this summer

17/04/2012

We have 2 weeks which have become available for either exclusive use (up to 8 anglers) or on an individual basis. These weeks are:

21st - 28th July '12
4th - 11th August '12

This is one of our most sought after bivvy venues, so please be quick to enquire.  

The netting of Le Moulin du Mee - 2011

10/12/2011

 Here at Le Moulin du Mee we are just beginning to come to terms with what turned out to be a netting of epic proportions. Our task was to remove all but our very biggest catfish and to re-home about 60 carp to Poppy's Lake. The thinking behind this was to enable our head of big carp to continue to prosper in a vastly improved environment without competition and hassle from hoards of catfish and also by reducing the overall carp numbers. We have been lucky to maintain such impressive growth rates up to now in a lake that technically was well overstocked with carp (around 500). We felt that it was about time we took matters in hand to ensure the continued growth of our carp as well giving them a much improved environment for the coming years.

With a smaller netting team than planned for we were a little unsure how we would manage but it turned out that despite the bitter cold conditions everyone got stuck in and worked like heroes. After 48hrs of heavy rain the day of the netting dawned still and bright with even the odd ray of sunshine to brighten things up. Both air and water temperatures were very cold, ideal for ensuring the carp survive intact but very miserable conditions for the hardy souls that were to be in the water. We opted to net the lake in two separate sweeps to ensure that we had manageable amounts of fish in the bag and thus reduce the chance of fish being damaged. It was hard walking in the deep silt but the net was run out and gradually pulled in with the lead line proving pretty hard to move at time due to the amount of silt being picked up. Eventually we closed the net on what turned out to be a very big head of carp and pike although catfish could not at first be seen. No worries, the catfish were right at the bottom of the net and after we have moved all of the big carp to the holding pen we were able to tackle the removal of the catfish. As often happens in nettings around half of us were soaked to the skin and shivering for most of the period that it took to sort out the catch but everyone battled on and enjoyed the site of a great many fish of 40lb+ with countless 50's and at least 2 that were well estimated by all present as being into the 60's. With so many big fish it was noticeable that our perception of weights became rather bad. Several times I held up a carp that I estimated as a high 20 only to be informed by others that it would be a scraper 40lb fish and this was a common factor throughout the day. All present agreed that the average weight of carp retained would be close to 40lb with a great many in the 47lb - 54lb category which augers well for the coming season. Strangely, we came across no more than a handful of small carp and can only presume that the large amount of catfish would have mopped them up. With a smaller team than expected we just could not stop and weigh individual fish but with 4 of our anglers present as well as another fishery owner you can rest assured that our assessment of stock and sizes is as accurate as it is possible to make under the circumstances.

I have no doubt that the coming season will be our best ever. With the average size of carp now being well into the 30lb category and many 40lb plus fish together with a healthy stock of 50lb + carp we are very excited about what 2012 will bring. It must be remembered that our tremendous growth rates have been with the lakes biomass being far to high and with the removal of around 3 tonne of unwanted fish we should see at the very least a continuation of the progress made up to now. We have 2 verified 60lb + carp and the chances of several more hitting that target sooner rather than later so roll on next season !!

3 more 50's and a hatful of 40's !!

01/11/2011

 Despite some really poor conditions for fishing the lads managed to bank some real quality this week. A total of 31 fish were banked including sturgeon of 39lb and 37lb  plus the following carp... 3 x 50's up to 52lb 4oz, 9 x 40's including commons of 44lb and 41.6lb, mirrors up to 46lb 4oz.. We also had 14 x 30's up to 37lb and 3 x 20's. As usual, all the fish were in superb condition and although we were well down on numbers of fish the average size of 38lb more than compensated for it. 

Colins Crackers !!

24/10/2011

 Colin Poynton has made the best of some difficult fishing conditions and despite bright sunny days and freezing nights he has still managed to bank some good fish. Best of the catch is a brace of mirrors weighing in at 47lb 12oz and 57lb 8oz !!!! At last it seems that the big girls are starting to show so let's hope that it augers well for the remainder of the season. Cracking fish.

Keiran has a week to remember

10/10/2011

Whilst the fishing continues to be more challenging than we would expect at this time of year we still saw 5 carp banked this week. All the accolades must go to 19yr old Keiran though who bagged 24 carp including a stunning 52lb 11oz mirror plus others of 49lb 8oz, 46lb 2oz, 41lb 8oz and a common of 42lb. Backing this up was a host of good 30's and 20's .

All in all we were surprised to find daytime temperatures more like mid summer than autumn and the carp responded by proving fairly hard to tempt. Everyone caught despite this and with a lot of fish dropped, some at the net, the week could have been even better. The carp continue to maintain superb condition and growth rates are now picking up once more after the very heavy spawning earlier in the year. We are expecting some more new 50's before the season closes are are very excited for the prospects for next year. Happy days !!

Quality rather than quantity at the moment.

03/10/2011

The unseasonally hot weather has slowed the fishing down somewhat over the past couple of weeks however we still have seen some cracking fish banked. last week saw 6 good 40's included in the catch plus a lake record sturgeon at 40lb and a solitary catfish of 66lb. The remainder of the catch were mostly good 30's so our average size of around 35lb is holding true. So far this week (Monday morning) we have one young angler (Kieron) who amongst his 6 carp catch has had mirrors of 49lb 8oz  and 52lb 11oz so perhaps we are in for a week of big girls !!

Mixed fortunes !!

26/09/2011

 I always like to give a totally honest appraisal of our results and it is fair to say that the past 4 weeks have been up and down, much as the weather. That is not to say that catches have been poor all through but the fishing has rather been more challenging than we are used to at this time of year. The average size of the carp banked has been well into the mid 30's and although we have only seen 3 x 50's (all new 50's) landed that is more than compensated by the general size and condition of the remainder. Along with the 3 x 50's we have had 16 more over 40lb with a good many of those being close to the 50lb mark and 84 carp of between 30lb and 40lb. One noticeable feature is that more than half the 30's were over 35lb. Backing up those fish we also had 39 x 20's (mostly upper 20's) and 4 x doubles. There were also a few catfish up to 59lb 8oz banked along with sturgeon up to 35lb.

The condition of the carp continues to be superb and it will be interesting to see how the real big girls have recovered from spawning so hopefully we will see some of them on the bank in the coming weeks. This year we have seen the heaviest spawning yet experienced at Le Moulin du Mee and even now some of the carp are still rather hollow at the back end. Growth rates are still overall very good and a great many of the 30's will be breaking the 40lb barrier by next spring. We should also see a good many more 50lb+ fish as a good few of the 40's caught have been very close to that mark already.

Although the strange weather this year, along with the lack of rain, has influenced the catch rate we are expecting the last few weeks of the season to be very exciting. Many of our biggest fish have not been seen since the first month of the season and several of the known biggies have yet to be landed this year. We have had quite a lot of 'big fish' lost after protracted fights this summer with several 'monsters' lost at the net so it will be interesting to see what the lads manage to bank in the coming weeks.

Full details can be seen on our blog at ...carpdreams.wordpress.com

Record cat and some nice carp !!

28/08/2011

 The lads battled hard this week in both tropical temperatures and tropical like storms. The early part of the week saw temperatures rise to 43c and with very high air pressure the carp became as lethargic as we felt. The end of the week saw a complete change with thunder storms and a deluge of rain together with air temperatures that dropped to 14c yesterday evening. It is no wonder the carp were playing hard to get !!

Having said all that everyone caught and there were both a handful of new pb's set as well as one lake record. Andy (Wimp) was top rod with both a 90lb catfish and a 50lb common in his 11 fish bag. Other notable fish were a 47.4lb mirror to Brian (Uncle Albert) and a couple of other 40's, one to Andy and one to Ashley. Total catch for the week was as follows....

50lb+ - 1 at 50lb 14oz

40''s - 3 (best 47lb 4oz)

30's - 16 (4 x 39's)

20's - 11 (8 over 25lb)

Catfish of 90lb and 60lb

The lads fished hard all week and although there were plenty of fish seen feeding at times takes were hard to come by. Once again bait choice seemed important and our Maple Cream boilies produced the bulk of the fish although the lads started the week on their own baits. Some numbers of carp were also lost with Peter losing the first 6 he hooked and everyone losing others at some time or other. It was also noticeable that the carp fought a lot harder when the rain had cooled the water somewhat than they had in the very hot conditions. Anyway, a great week with some lovely fellah's.....most enjoyable.

Full details can be seen on the blog at ...carpdreams.wordpress.com

Week 21...another great week.

22/08/2011

 This week we enjoyed a return of 4 members of the 'Crazy Gang'. They are now on their 6th visit and always manage a good bag of fish. Most of them seem to be setting new pb's on each visit and this one was no exception with Kevins 47lb mirror, Phil's 46lb mirror, Richards 45lb mirror and Shane with a new pb common of 41lb. The weather was very changeable with wind from every direction of the compass, hot sunshine and a night or two of rain. Despite the weather the lads once again used their experience of LMDM to great effect and some great sport was enjoyed. None of the real biggies showed up for a second successive week but I feel sure that we will soon see more of the 50lb+ fish being banked once again.

The total catch for the week was 61 carp and a solitary sturgeon. Breakdown as follows ....

40's - 5 (40lb 12oz, 41lb, 45lb 4oz, 46lb, 47lb 40z)

30's - 31

20's - 22

doubles - 3

Sturgeon - 1 (34lb)

All the lads broke pb's and everyone had a really good week with lots of laughs and a good bag of quality fish.......roll on next year lads !!

Rich and his 40 banked early this morning.

More cracking fish this month.

15/08/2011

 The past 4 weeks have seen us enjoy 3 lake exclusives of 4 anglers and a 'holiday week where we intended having a week free but eventually relented and allowed a couple of lads fish for the week. All in all the fishing was once more extremely productive and although the post spawning period has seen most of the fish down in weight they seem to be recovering very quickly. In fact, a common comment from the lads was on the fabulous condition of the carp banked as can be seen from the pictures that accompany this report (more details can be obtained from our blog at carpdreams.wordpress.com).

The total catch fro the 4 weeks was 173 fish comprising 3 carp over 50lb, 16 between 40lb and 50lb, 92 between 30lb and 40lb, 48 between 20lb and 30lb, 3 doubles, 8 x sturgeon and 3 x catfish.

One thing that augers well for the remainder of the season is that so many of the fish are close to breaking into the next weight category with half the 40's being over 45lb and more than 50 of the 30's being over 35lb. The real big girls have generally stayed elusive and I fully expect that the back end of the season will see some rather special fish banked. With the 'saddleback' common being banked at 61lb in April and several other big 50's being landed early in the season it is reasonable to expect them to be back to best weights by early September. Exciting times !!

A touch of rain and some cracking fish.

26/07/2011

 It has been another great week with lots of laughs, much needed rain and some cracking fish. The carp continue to turn up in stunning condition and this weeks catch saw so many fine fish recovering well from spawning and fighting like tigers. The final tally was 60 fish banked with one 50lb mirror followed by fish of 47lb 8oz, 45lb 10oz, 45lb 6oz, 45lb 4oz and 42lb. There were also 30 x 30lb carp banked with 12 of them over 35lb along with 15 x 20's and just 3 doubles. Just the one catfish at 40lb plus 5 sturgeon up to 35lb made up the bag. Top rod was John Merritt who had the 50lb mirror plus 3 x 40's, 10 x 30's and a 40lb catfish in his 22 fish bag. John's wife Christine was also amongst the fish and had 13 fish with her best being a 42lb mirror and a 39lb 8oz common. Everyone caught a good few fish with Roger having a new pb of 47lb 8oz, Tony a best mirror of 38lb and Simon a best of 35lb 13oz. All in all a cracking week.

The weather has been very wet with the rain giving us another 5 inches of water over the period and with more rain due our worries regarding water levels seem to be over for this year at least !! With the carp showing up in numbers once again we have been able to get a much better idea as to how spawning has effected them this year. It seems that most fish are down a few pounds in weight with very hollow back ends but we fully expect them to be back to top weights once again by September time with the final weeks of the season seeing best weights of the year. With such a heavy spawning we were worried that the big girls may be a bit knocked about but the overall condition of the carp is so good that I am now looking forward to seeing how they develop between now and next spring. It is possible that the opening weeks may throw up another 60 and that the 'Saddleback' common may well achieve the upper 60's but more importantly we should be seeing lots of carp breaking the 50lb barrier. Happy Days !!

Another great week.

21/07/2011

 Despite the weather contiinuing hot and dry we saw the anglers bag some cracking fish, mainly at night but with some real lumps also landed in the early mornings.Best of the bunch was yet another 50 to Ek who also managed mirrors of 47.4lb, 44.2lb and 40.6lb  along with 10 good 30's and 6 x 20's. Plenty of other good fish were banked by the other lads with Ian managing another pb in the form of a 45lb mirror and Lee also setting a new pb with another mirror of the same weight, 45lb. The final tally for a week that promised so little was one 50 at 50lb 8oz, 5 x 40's up to 47lb, 24 x 30's (10 of them over 35lb), 22 x 20's 2 x doubles plus a catfish of 50lb and a sturgeon on 28lb.

Already this week we have seen another 50 banked plus 3 big 40's and 21 x 30's with still 3 days to go. It seems that things are on the up and with the lake level rising 5ins in a couple of days (boy, it did rain !!) the prospects are excellent for the weeks ahead.

'Scorchio' !

11/07/2011

 The month of June has been one of the hottest and driest on record. In fact, here in France we are experiencing our worst drought in 100 yrs which, quite naturally, in impacting on the fishing. Having said that we have still managed some cracking fish and although the big girls have proven elusive the past few weeks has seen a 52lb mirror plus quite a few big 40's banked. Last week we had just 4 anglers on the lake and they managed 54 fish including a 54lb catfish and some stunning low 40's and big 30lb carp along with lots of fish between 25ln and 35lb. With such a heavy spawning this year weights are well down but on the plus side the carp remain in stunning condition. As the year progresses we expect the carp to pile the weight back on and we fully expect that our current lake record of 61lb will be broken before close of the season.

Water levels all over France are falling fast as I write and we are in desperate need of a good few weeks rain to replenish the water table. Here at LMDM our water levels are holding up reasonably well however in fairness we are at a level normally seen at the end of August, not early July. The fishing this week is coming along nicely despite temperatures into the upper 30's and already the lads have banked some cracking fish including a spawned out mirror of 47lb 4oz.. With storms forecast for tomorrow it is fingers crossed for some much needed rain.

A challenging couple of weeks.

20/06/2011

 With the early spawning caused by the April heatwave we have seen the carp rather preoccupied on things other than feeding. Fishing has been slowish by our usual standards with catches containing more 20's than we have seen for some time. These are generally male fish that are still picking up the odd bait whilst the bigger females carry on with reproducing ! Having said that we are still seeing some cracking fish each week with a well mended 52lb mirror last week and this morning a 49lb 12oz spawned out common so although we have not had the large catches for a couple of weeks now the quality of the fish banked is still very good. One thing everyone commented on was the hard fights they were having from the carp in particular the commons that were described as 'being on steroids' by several anglers. With spawning reaching its conclusion now we are expecting the fishing to improve back to normal levels so keep a look out on the blog at ..carpdreams.wordpress.com for regular updates.

Pictured below are Mark and his 52lb mirror and Mike with his 49lb 12oz common caught this morning.

 

Late cancellations

10/06/2011

We now have space for 3/4 anglers on 16th - 23rd July '11 and 4 spaces available on 23rd - 30th July '11. Le Moulin du Mee is a first class water with numerous 50lb's - check out the latest news. To reserve your space please call the office on 01455 220390.

Week 5 2011.

03/05/2011

With the carp in the early stages of spawning when they arrived we were rather concerned about the prospects but once again mother nature had her way and the carp appeared to have stopped spawning for no good reason that I could ascertain. The weather was changeable with mostly hot sunny days but a cold north wind cooled things down somewhat at the end of the week. The strange thing about the results was that for the first time this year the real big girls stayed at home. We did see some cracking 40′s up to 49lb but the 50lb+ carp just failed to show up. Just a blip I am sure and next week will see them put in an appearance.

Paul fished ‘Deliverance’ and had a cracking catch of carp, 23 in total including a 47lb mirror and another mirror of 41lb. John, fishing ‘Sanctuary’, also had a good catch of 20 fish including a couple of 40′s, a 59lb catfish and a 32lb 8oz sturgeon. Chris fished ‘Sams’ and had 10 carp including 3 x 40′s but she also managed to show the lads the way with the biggest fish of the week in the form of a 49lb mirror. Well done that lass !! Tony had a slow start but finished with 7 fish from ‘Island’ including a 42lb mirror and a 50lb catfish. Alec decided to fish the shallows from ‘Car Park’ and had 11 carp including a couple of 40′s up to 47lb 12oz.

The total for the week was 71 fish comprised of 65 carp, 2 x catfish and 4 x sturgeon. The carp banked included 10 x 40′s up to 49lb, 32 x 30′s, 20 x 20′s and 3 x doubles.

Total catch for the opening month of the season is…

1 x 60

8 x 50′s

44 x 40′s

134 x 30′s

75 x 20′s

4 x cats

Week 3 results and another brace of 50's.

16/04/2011

 This week has been a good bit harder than we anticipated with the strong north wind, bright sunny days and bitter nights playing havoc with then fishing. Some good anglers on this week and all credit to them for achieving such good results despite the challenging conditions. Kyle Fagg on his third visit to LMDM used his experience to good affect and fishing over very heavy beds of bait totalled a catch that is amongst the best we have ever seen at the venue. Not the numbers that some weeks produce but for sheer quality a really exceptional catch. Kyle had 16 carp for an average of over 40lb. Smallest fish was 31lb 13oz and biggest was a mirror of 51lb 8oz closely followed by another mirror of 51lb. Best common he banked was 46lb and one of 5 x 40's included in his catch. His son, young mop head (Bradley) also managed a last night 40 so all in all it was a great week for the Fagg's.

For numbers, then top man was Tony (short, shorts) who banked 16 carp up to 48lb 8oz, a stunning common, plus a first ever sturgeon that turned the scales to 32lb 8oz. Danny had 7 fish with best being another 40 at 40lb 8oz and young Adam had 3 fish including a stunning mirror of 28lb. Mardey Tom and his pal Chillie (Dean) worked very hard for their fish and really deserved to get amongst the big girls. For sheer effort they should be applauded it was not to be and Tom finished with a bag that included 5 x 30's up to 35lb and a solitary catfish of 30lb whilst Dean had some nice 20's and his first 30 in the form of a cracking common of just short of 31lb.

Total bag for the week was as follows.

2 x 50's at 51lb and 51.8lb

10 x 40's including a common of 48lb 8oz, 47lb 8oz and 46lb.

30 x 30's including 16 over 35lb up to 39lb 8oz.

16 x 20's.

2 x upper doubles.

2 sturgeon of 32lb and 35lb.

1 small cat of 30lb.

Total catch of 60 carp, 2 sturgeon and 1 catfish.

Catch do date for 2011 is as follows.

1 x 60.
6 x 50's.
28 x 40's.
84 x 30's.
39 x 20's.
6 x doubles.
5 x sturgeon.
2 x catfish.

Total catch up to end of week 2.

12/04/2011

 Total catch for the week was 1 x 60 (61lb common), 2 x 50's (53lb and 50lb commons), 9 x 40's, 29 x 30's 16 x 20's, 3 x doubles and 1 x catfish of 48.8lb's.

Total for the season is 1 x 60, 4 x 50's, 18 x 40's, 54 x 30's, 23 x 20's, 4 x doubles, 3 x sturgeon, 1 x catfish.

A great many of the 30's are over 35lb and should be around the 40lb mark by seasons end.

The weather has yet to settle down and once it does we should start seeing some rather special catches made. Up to now the results have been superb and we expect this year to be far and away our best ever. Already, as I write on the tuesday of week 3, we have had another 2 x 50's banked as well as some good 40's and lots of back up 30's so it is a great start to the 2011 season for us. Happy Days !!

New lake record - 61lb common !!

06/04/2011

 After having a host of good fish this week including commons of 53.8lb and 50lb we were staggered to be woken at 4am with the news that a new lake record had just been landed by Jean Mesters. Weighed carefully on 2 sets of scales the huge common was found to be 61lb and in mint condition....Happy Days !

Newsflash!

04/04/2011

 Monday morning, April 2 and we have just had 2 x 50lb commons banked including a stunner at 53lb 8oz. That makes it 4 new 50lb carp already this season !!

Week 1 catch results.

04/04/2011

 For our first week of the season we had 3 anglers book the lake on an exclusive basis. The weather was poor and constant rain and low temperatures certainly had an adverse effect on the fishing.The total catch for the 3 guys was 32 fish comprising 3 sturgeon and 29 carp. Weights were good and the carp averaged out at just under 35lb with mirrors of 51.11,48, 46, 44.9, 43.3, 41.4, 39.2, 39, 38.6, 37.6, 36, 36, 36, 36, 36, plus another 5 over 30lb and 7 x 20′s. Only one common was landed but at 46lb is was a real cracker. A solitary double was also banked at 18lb. All 3 of the lads did well in the circumstances and with Keiths 46lb common, Jons 51lb mirror and Tony’s 48lb mirror they all can be well pleased with their catches. Good fishing in tough conditions.

As I write we have just started our second week and already some cracking fish have been banked including a new 50lb common. With the weather due to turn warm once agin we can expect the fishing to improve even more.

Some cracking early season carp.

14/03/2011

No anglers on the lakes as of yet with our first arrivals due on March 26th however Jimmy and I have occasionally managed to put a rod out whilst working around the lake and some great fish have been the result. So far we have banked 12 carp including the new lake record of 55lb 8oz, 4x 40's, 6 x 30's and a little home bred mirror of 17lb that was transferred to our stock pond to grow on. Average weights are looking to be well up in the 30's this year with an exceptional amount of 40lb+ fish and a very real chance of a 50. The carp are all in superb condition and already putting a real bend in the rod which all bodes well for the season to come. Happy days !!

Early season excitement!

18/02/2011

 Although we usually do not start our fishing season until April the sudden good weather encouraged Jimmy and I to put a couple of rods out whilst we worked around the property. First off was Jimmy's rods and he managed mirrors of 31lb, 33lb and 35.5lb followed the next afternoon with the new lake record of 55lb 8oz. I also had the rods out briefly and caught a mirror of 32lb followed the next afternoon with a rapid pair of hard fighting 40's at 41lb 4oz and 43lb 12oz. All the fish were in stunning condition and it really augers well for the season to come.

 

End of season report

09/11/2010

Once again we have seen a season pass all expectations with the carp showing tremendous weight gains and remaining in superb condition throughout the season. Our first 50 was banked early on in the year and that was followed by another 15 over that weight by seasons end. We even enjoyed having a single angler bank a brace of 50's for 2 consecutive weeks so the anticipation of what next season will bring is very high indeed. Over the coming weeks we will have time to reflect on the details of this years fishing and will be making our plans for next year with several more improvements to the fishery being undertaken. We are far from complacent and fully appreciate that however good this year has been we will be expected to be even better next year. That's the challenge !!!

A big thankyou to all our anglers for making our year one to remember, in particular a special thanks to all those of you that have now been with us for several years. Its the return of old friends each season that gives us so much pleasure and without this aspect of our year our lives would be so much less rewarding. Thanks to all.

Now the nitty gritty.

We have compared the last couple of years to illustrate our progress as a fishery.

2010 figures ( 2009 in brackets)

Carp

50lb+                            16     (nil)

40lb-50lb                    93    (48)

30lb-40lb                    530  (353)

20lb-30lb                    620  (979)

Doubles                        81      (305)

Singles                           3        (8)

Total carp                    1343 (1745)

It is expected that fewer carp will be caught now that we have removed lots of the smaller fish during the last vidange. Also we will continue to see catches being slightly down in the future as the carp get bigger and wiser. We are now looking at being regarded as more of a specimen water than an out and out runs water and although we have seen some spectacular individual catches this year the more impressive aspect is the increase in size of the average fish banked. In just 12 months we have moved from a position of having 22.9% fish banked being over 30lb in 2009 to this years figure of 47.5% being over that weight. At the top end we have now seen 12 different 50's banked and a good few more being so close to that mark that they will certainly be breaking the 50lb barrier in the coming weeks. In addition a great many of the 30lb+ class of fish are already approaching the 40lb mark so next season will see a great many more 40's being landed. There is plenty of talk amongst our regulars that 2011 will see the first LMDM 60 being banked and although we are confident that it will happen in the early weeks of the season we are more excited about the prospects for a good many more 50's showing up in catches. With our carp all being relatively young fish there is still plenty of scope for skeletal growth ensuring that we will see genuine 'big' carp and not just 'fat' fish. Our feeding regime will continue as usual throughout the winter with the change that early spring will see the addition of a winter pellet with very high levels of vitamins, especially vitamin C, that help fight infection and ensure the carp stay in good health during the difficult period as the water starts to warm up in the spring. Lots to look forward to and I will keep you all informed of changes we are making over the coming months.......Happy days !!

Moulin du Mee

27/10/2009

 

Latest News

24/09/2008
Le Moulin du Mee A great week for the Mancs lads! Well the lads from ’sunny Manchester’ have completed their week and what a great week it turned out to be. Pb’s broken daily and the lake record common landed also plus the biggest brace to date meant it was of Le Moulin du Mee’s best weeks this year. Keith Jones had 28 carp including the new lake record common and the biggest brace (common at 43.25lb’s and mirror at 39lb’s) and Gary Rothwell also broke his Pb’s for both mirror and common and finished up with 28 carp also. Gary had 5 x 30’s up to 38lb and one wonders what he and Keith would have totaled had they fished all nights instead of bringing the rods in for a couple. Mark Aldridge and Shaun Hall spent the week doing there own version of ‘Passion for Angling’ and were to be seen spending their days creeping around the undergrowth stalking the carp. They each had some fabulous fish including a stunning 36lb common to Shaun and 5 x 30+ mirrors to Mark. I reckon the highlight of Marks week was the 31lb mirror he stalked from the narrow channel at the top of the lake. Young Dean Bishop also had some lovely fish including 2 Scale back to her best at 37lb and Dell Griffiths managed new Pb’s for both mirror and common as well as some other cracking fish. Only Chris Booth failed to get amongst the carp in numbers but still managed a new Pb after moving swims at the back end of the week. The total for the week was 132 including 128 carp and 4 sturgeon. As well as the lake’s new Pb common at 43.24lb the catch included the follows: 40lb +-1 carp, 35 - 40lb-5 carp, 30 - 35lb-10 carp, 25 - 30lb-27 carp, 20 - 25lb-49 carp, doubles-37 carp, Sturgeon-4 with 2 at 20lbs and 2 doubles. The weather was warm and sunny during the day but quite cool at nights for the whole week with just a little wind from the North East. Water temperatures dropped to around 18c from 25c just 2 weeks ago so the carp are now starting their pre winter feed and they anticipate some great fishing for the rest of the season. The successful tactics were boilies over a heavy baiting of our carp pellets. Their crab boilie was very successful and had the new record amongst many other carp.

Latest News

22/08/2008
Another cracking couple of weeks at Le Moulin du Mee with 5 anglers sharing a weeks bag of 139 carp comprising 16 x 30's up to 37.5lb's and a further 32 x between 25 and 30lb's and 38 between 20 and 25lb's. The remainder were mainly good doubles. Top rod was Shane Beckinsale, a Le Moulin du Mee regular, who had 46 carp including 10 over 30lb's. Best fish was the 37.5lb mirror to Eric Brown. The following week saw Arthur and Tay from Holland really bag up and in just 4 days fishing banked 52 carp up to 40.4lb's. Breakdown of their catch shows a good average size with 1 x 40lb, 3 between 35 and 40lb,13 between 30 and 35lb, 15 between 25 and 30lb and 11 between 20 and 25lb. The remainder were grown on doubles. There is no doubt that our policy of never having more than 6 anglers max fishing the 15 acres on Le Mee is really proving a wise decision with nearly all anglers catching well and the condition of the carp being really first class. Everyone is staggered at the fighting ability of our fish with even the doubles punching well above their weight and the bigger fish really being quite a handful once hooked. We estimate that the back end of the 2008 season will see a good few more 40+ fish being banked with 2009 seeing a huge amount of 30's as well as a healthy head of 40+ fish. Certainly our anglers are anticipating a great 2009 with most of them already booked in !!!

Latest News

02/08/2008
Another cracking week comes to a close with all anglers enjoying some great sport and vowing to return. Total for the week was 73 carp with 13 x 30+ fish, 36 x 20’s and 24 doubles. Koors and John from Holland came for a 4 day break and managed 32 carp between them fishing our maple fudge boiles over beds of pellet. Koors had 19 carp with his best at 35.5lb’s closely followed by fish of 34, 33 and 32lb’s. His friend John had 13 carp topped by a 33lb mirror and including some high 20’s. Robert from Holland managed 18 carp with 2 over 30lb and lost a good few other lumps during his stay. Colin Berry was on for his second week and only fishing occasional nights, Colin likes to help out generally so only fished as ‘chores’ would allow, banked another 24 fish with the pick of the bunch being a new pb common at 33lb’s plus a cracking 35.2lb mirror. Father and son Andrew and Danny Wiles stopped off for a 48hr session on their way to Spain and both managed new pb’s with 2 x 30’s included in their 12 fish catch. Andrew only fished the one night as he was conserving energy for the drive down to Spain so a good result for the chaps. The weather was hot with a dramatic thunderstorm in the early hours of tuesday night that was accompanied by a deluge of rain. Just what the lake needed, but not what we needed as Jimmy and I spent the early hours of the morning (4am) sandbagging Frog Cottage to stop the water flowing in. Since then the temperature has been a more bearable 25c or so and the carp seem to be getting their heads down for some serious feeding. Shane and Philip, regulars at Le Moulin du Mee had 4 carp within their first hour of arrival with a 17lb mirror, a 24lb common, 25lb common and 32lb mirror !!! Not a bad start at all.

Latest News

30/07/2008
The lads from Holland had a very interesting week with constant heatwave conditions slowing down the carp during the day. Most fish were coming in the hours of darkness over the usual beds of pellet and despite the hot water/low oxygen situation were still fighting like demons before being netted. It certainly seems that the grown on originals that are making up the bulk of the catch at the moment are getting a well earned reputation for their fighting ability and Roy had one high double take 35 mins to land. Although it is always nice to see the bigger fish on the mat it is good that anglers can still enjoy the excitement some of the lesser fish offer. It is important to remember that these sort of conditions would be considered almost ‘unfishable’ in the UK so to bank a total of 62 fish in their week is a creditable performance. There is no doubt that the bigger fish are holding up under the tree’s or in the deeper water and only feeding accasionally, I anticipate this continuing until the weather breaks. Water levels are under pressure but we are holding up well by topping up with water from Poplars lake so are suffering less than most. Anyway, back to the weeks catch….Total 62 fish with 5 x 30’s up to 34.5lb, 26 x 20’s including a good few of around the 28lb mark, 24 doubles and 7 x singles. There were also a few sturgeon and catfish caught so it was a good mix included in the catch. This week we just have friends Paul and Colin who are both just fishing nights with Paul arriving at the end of last week and Colin on Saturday. Betweem them they have already had 21 carp and a first sturgeon for Colin so are more than happy with the way things are going. As last week, the smaller fish are showing up well but they have also had a cracking 32lb mirror along with another 30lb mirror and 5 more carp between 25 and 30lb’s. With a further 5 x 20’s I think they are doing rather well considering the conditions. I am sure that a little rain or better still, a good storm will liven things up a tad.

Latest News

23/11/2007
Well a good season finished with a real bang with John Worker, a regular guest from Leicester, banking 82 carp during his week. Good conditions plus some good fishing saw John bank 9 nice 30’s and a stack of good 20’s with some doubles to back them up. Average weight was approx. 24lb and considering there were around 18 carp between 15 and 19lb it shows how the 20’s are coming along. Once again though the bigger carp and cats failed to show and we are expecting a few big suprises in the 2008 season. A pleasing aspect this year is that the carp we can identify have all shown fabulous weight gains and we fully expect a few new 40’s in 2008 along with a good many extra 30’s. The higher doubles that have featured this year should all be pushing the 20lb barrier as well so there will be plenty of good fish to go for. We are in the process of netting Poplars at the moment and any 20lb+ fish that we find will be added to the main lake. I would like to thank all our friends/anglers that spent time with us this year as it turned out to be far better than we could have hoped and we have a great many memories to carry us through the winter. One very pleasing aspect is the amount of you that will be returning in 2008 which, business aside, once again gives us plenty to look forward to. We are working hard between now and then improving the fishery with upgrading of swims, tree planting and the liming of the lake to keep us occupied. The en -suite guest room is almost completed and straight after Xmas we will be starting work on the new anglers dining room/kitchen which should be ready for our first guests at the end of March.