2010 continues to impress with great results from right across France. Vallee Lake 1 stands out boasting 80 x 40’s and 36 x 50’s on the bank this year alone. A fantastic report by anyone’s standards. By no means are they alone in reporting good results. Le Moulin du Mee have also made great headway this year already banking 7 x 50’s, 43 x 40’s and Cats to 70lbs.
Our smaller waters have also produced with Les Croix standing out with a superb 52lb common banked by Jeff Hildon beating his PB by 10lbs. Les Croix is an exceptional small water banking countless 20’s and 30’s week in, week out. Happy Valley is our smallest water at 1 ¼ acres but again can boast wonderful catch reports every week with the Gibbons party being most succesful banking 70 fish in total including 48 x 20’s and 9 x 30’s. Hunters Retreat is also producing with Yukes and Paul banking a stunning 38lb 8oz common plus a 42lb Mirror. Steve and Barry managed to bank a 40lb 2oz common two weeks ago despite the weather being awful.
It seems as though spawning has generally come to an end right across the board now so hopefully they’ll get there heads down for some serious feeding.
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A selection of reports below.
Les Croix
An inspiration to all of us this week in the form of Dennis Hildon aged 89, still fishing for carp, aided by son Jeff and Jeff's wife Norma, from Darlington, County Durham.
I'm sure we would all like to think that we might be able to go on fishing forever, but of course, one day eventually we will have to hang up the rods for good - to go on until the age of 89 is a real achievement in my book !
Jeff and Dennis fished days only, from the gite swims, and banked 27 fish between them for a total weight of 660lbs including 4 x 30's to 39-08, 13 x 20's and the big common to Jeff on the Thursday at a new record weight of 52-00, smashing his old PB by 10lbs!
The pair fished with boilies only and caught all the fish with single boilie hookbaits on 12" nylon hooklinks with inline lead setups mainly cast to the deeper water in the centre of the lake.
The weather was very poor for the month of May, starting off wet and then continuing cool for the rest of the week, but it didn't stop the carp from feeding!
 
Vallee Lake 1
What an incredible story so far, Vallee Lake 1 has shot into the lime light producing 80 x 40's and 36 x 50's since March this year. Mark and his two sons have just returned banking 2 of the many 50's to 55lbs. Len Wood and his partner managed a stunning 59lb'er and the guys the cabin and swim 9 banked 16 x 30's and a 41lb mirror. Matthew Parker, who has also recently returned caught a 57lb 1 oz and 51lb 15oz - both mirrors. The list can go on and on.
 
Le Moulin du Mee……the year so far.
They have had a cracking season so far at Le Moulin du Mee and despite poor weather and an extended period of spawning the anglers have managed some wonderful fish. Once again we have seen extraordinary growth rates evident in the whole stock with average growth or around 8lb per year being achieved. This season was expected to be the one where our first 50 was banked and they certainly achieved that with 7 carp over 50lb being caught to date. Of these, 5 are mirrors and 2 are commons and many of the known big fish have yet to be banked so by seasons end we have no doubt that the tally of 50lb+ carp will be a good bit higher. With the ever changing conditions over the last couple of months it has been more difficult than usual to establish the right baiting technique and the most productive swims with any degree of certainty. The usual large beds of pellet have certainly been productive and interestingly we have seen many of the bigger fish caught just off the baited area rather than on it. This is something they have found to be quite common there and always suggest a rod is placed either on the edge or just off the bait and this year it’s this rod that has been most effective for the bigger fish. Quite a lot of the regulars have now been converted to Jim’s favoured tactic of light running rigs and slack lines and it is very apparent at times that this technique will out fish the more usual lead clip/heavy lead most times. Jim has been fishing the lake for over 4 yrs now and the carp are starting to wise up to the fixed lead method and Jim believes that some of them will actually pick up the bait and feel for the tension caused by a fixed lead before ejecting the bait. With a running rig and heavy lead Jim believes that the lead will sit lower in the silt and more of the line will be pulled down behind causing friction when a fish takes and nullifying the benefits of a true running rig. So light lead and running rig it is...........well for Jim anyway !!
The latest 2 x 50's were caught by regulars Lambert and Rene with best being the 52lb 8oz mirror banked by Rene.
 
Ultimate Lake
Kevin Fearn and his party enjoyed their recent week at Ultimate Lake banking 3 x 40’s, 5 x 30’s and 6 x 20’s. Alan, who visited in May caught 22 fish including 4 x 40’s up to 48lbs with a lovely 42lb common. Alan said “Our group cannot recommend Ultimate lake highly enough, whether it's your 1st or 15th trip. Mick the owner is always on hand for advice & goes out of his way to ensure that your trip is the best experience you can possibly have in France. A 15 minute walk takes you to the quiet village of Desertines that has great english & french bars which keeps the girls happy. We will book again for the 3rd year running as this is the best lake we have fished in France”
 
Etang Cailleaux
Andy Berry had the sole intention of banking a catfish when he visited Etang Cailleaux. He certainly got what he wished for managing to bank 22 cats including 132lb, 103lbs, 101lbs, 92lbs, 91lbs and a 79lb. They fished pegs 8 & 9 using live trout which Jacque, the venue owner, brought to them. A fantastic result….we wish him well when he returns again in August.
Lee Oates and his party caught 1454lb of fish including 28 carp to 33lbs, sturgeon to 38lbs and 14 cats to 115lbs, another superb week…
 
Etang Marolles
Anthony Mundell and his party of 4 enjoyed their week at Marolles and I’m not surprised after catching 41 x 20’s, 3 x 30’s and a 40lb 8oz mirror with 8 fish lost. Bearing in mind the fish were showing signs of spawning it was a fantastic result.
Orchard Lake, Birch Lake, Poplars Lake and Eagle Lake
Carp-france.com clients Steve and Carl banked a total of 33 fish of four species from Orchard Lake. This included two new p.b.’s in the shape of a common of 32lbs 4ozs and a Wels’ catfish of 35lbs 10ozs. The pair landed numerous twenties.
Over on Birch Keith Copple found it tough going and lost a couple of good fish, but on his last night banked a mirror of 23lb 6ozs and then a personal best Wels’ of 65lbs on luncheon meat.
Keith’s companions Phil and Stew fishing on Poplars Lake took twenty fish, with a personal best mirror of 36lbs for Phil and a personal best Wels’ catfish of exactly 30lbs for Stew.
Sam Precious from Saffron Walden, Essex, smashed his personal best Wels catfish with a huge 81lbs specimen from Poplars Lake. Sam used half a tin of luncheon meat presented on a hair rig in the margins and landed the fish after taking to the boat. Sam also banked another cat of 26lbs, along with mirror carp of 23lbs, 20lbs, 28lbs and 33lbs on boilies. Sam's brother, Nathan, wasn't so fortunate after he lost an even bigger cat - estimated at well over 100lbs - after a protracted fight. The monster moggie chomped through his hooklink to swim free. Nathan’s best fish was a mirror of 24lbs.
Carp-france.com client Terry Swift had a guest afternoon session on Eagle and Peter’s and was rewarded with a new personal best and his first-ever 30lb mirror.
  
Etang Le Fays
Etang le Fays had some cracking fish out last including 9 x 30’s, 7 x 40’s, a 50lb 6oz, a 50lb 8oz, a 50lb 2oz, a 51lb all mirrors and a very nice 50lb common.
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