Chad's tales from France 2008

CHADDY321 · Chad's tales from France 2008

Bonjour folks,

Well it's that time of year again when Mac & I pack our bags and head to the foreign land.

Mac arrives at 12:45 hours and we quickly get the van packed and we off on our first leg of the journey to Dover. To be honest I did most of this behind closed eyelids (sorry Mac, but I had been up since 4:45 hours on Friday morning). After a nice smooth crossing we land on French soil and we are chomping at the bit to get to Deux Pierres. Four hours later we arrive at the lake and I'm very impressed with what I see before me. A lovely looking lake and not just another muddy hole in the ground

After having a quick chat and a beer with the owners Graham & Jane, Graham took us for a guided tour of the lake and the facilities. To be honest I didn't take much notice in what he was saying when we were walking around the lake as all that I could focus on was the crashing fish all around the lake. Eventually, after some umming and ahhing we decided to go for a peg called "The Beach". It was a nice comfy double peg and even had it's own beach hut and as the name suggests it was nice and sandy under foot. Now I'm not one for a quick set up of the rods when I'm away in France for a week, I like to have a sit down and have a good look round of the features in my swim but this year was different. The water was boiling with crashing fish in front of us so the rods were set up in quick time and I was first to get a line in the water.

My chosen bait for the week would be CHB Sweetcorn and CHB Tuna. All 3 rods were quickly cast out to showing fish with about 20 freebies around each one, not wanting to over do it at first with not knowing what bait and how much of it the last anglers in the peg had been chucking in. It wasn't long before I had my first run of the week, my heart was in my mouth, was it going to be a nice big common or mirror .............. no, it wasn't to be it was a bloody 3oz Rudd!!!!
Rod re-baited and cast out and it's time to get the bivvy up and settled in. Not long after catching the Rudd the fish disappeared off the surface and no more action on the rods. So it's time for something to eat and get an early night. At 3:30 hours I am awoken from my much needed sleep resulting in a14lb 3oz mirror caught on the Tuna.
Get the rod back out and I return to my pit until I'm awoken by Mac with his first fish of the trip. Not long after Mac's landed his fish my margin rod is off and this time, after a nice spirited fight, resulting in a 17lb 4oz mirror.
[imghttp://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa288/CHADDY321/P1000304.jpg][/img]
Minutes later my middle rod is off and this time it results in an 18lber, they're getting bigger I think to myself. Another hour later and my middle rod is off again and within seconds Mac gets a screamer and we are both in. Could this be the chance of getting a brace shot, which we have been waiting for for such a long time? After landing mine and getting it weighed, I get it safely sacked up in the margins and go give Mac a hand, by now it's obvious it's a lump and it's not long before it's kissing the spreader block. The brace shot is something Mac & I have wanted for many years and Mac's weighed in at 42lb and mine was 21lb. Shortly after celebrating and the toasting of the brace and Mac's 40lber , I'm in again and this time it's a 22lb 1oz mirror, again to the Tuna. No more fish on Sunday and also managed to get a good night's kip.
Awake Monday morning to see the sun coming up and it looks like it's going to be another scorcher. I hadn't been up long and my margin rod was off and after a good long hard battle my biggest fish of the trip so far was on the bank and it weighted in at 31lb 8oz.

Now my prediction of a scorcher was looking a poor one as it wasn't long before the wind swung round from a nice south-westerly into a chilly north wind and the fish were to follow it down to the other end of the lake, so no more fish were to grace the bank on Monday. Got up Tuesday morning and the wind was still a chilly northernly but at least the sun was out and around mid-day my long range rod was off and after a long haul back a nice 21lb 14oz mirror was in the net. Not long after the weather took a turn for the worse from this ............

to this ............................

in a matter of minutes. We had it all, thunder, lightening, hail and heavy rain. As you can imagine no more fish came out that day.

Wednesday morning and Graham, the owner, came round to take the water temperature, which he did every day. Now yesterday it was 20 degrees and after taking it today, it had dropped down to 15 degrees, which really put the fish off so Wednesday we blanked but Leo had a good time out on the boat

Thursday saw a change in the weather as it started to warm up and the wind swung round slightly to a south-easternly and so I decided to change my tactics for the last 2 days of the trip. 2 of the rods were put on 18mm Sweetcorn and a 16mm Tuna, topped with 2 pieces of fake maize and then wrapped in a mixture of Tuna & Sweetcorn past, which ended up about the size of a golf ball. My third rod fished at long range was an 18mm Sweetcorn topped with a bright pink pop-up, all were boated out to their spots with about 2.5 kilo of parti-mix, pellet and broken boilie on each rod. It wasn't long before the new tactics started to work when I was in on my long range rod, resulting in a nice 15lb, first and only, common of the trip. About 2 hours later my middle rod screams off but there was nothing there (those bloody Rudd again). Re-cast the rod to its spot with just hook bait and fired around 50 freebies around the spot. I didn't have to wait long before it was off again this time as I lifted into it I knew it was a decent fish. After a long hard battle, in which it weeded me up solid .. twice, I started to get the better of it and it wasn't until it came to the net that I realised just how big it really was. At this time the nerves really started to kick in and my heart was pumping and after one last run for safety she was in the net, could this be a new PB???? and as soon as Mac tried to lift the fish out of the water I knew it was going to be close. With her safely in the weigh sling it was time to see, as I lifted the scales and the look on Mac's face told me I had done it. When he said the magic words of .............. 53lb dead ............... I could not believe it so I got Mac to lift and I read the scales and he was right. I was shaking like a leaf and my heart was pounding and with the weight of the fish it made it very hard lifting for the pics but here they are .......................

And after she was returned to her watery home ......

it was time for a beer or two Cheers!

No more fish were to come out that day but I wasn't really bothered.

Friday saw two more fish for me, 18lb 2oz and a 24lb 4oz, both falling to the Tuna/Sweetcorn combo.

I awake from my slumber on Saturday morning to find Mac tucking into breakfast .......

Now it's time to pack up and what a great week I had. It's a pity a few more of the bigger fish didn't show there faces but I can't moan too much with my first 50lber French carp under my belt.

I would definately recommend Deux Pierres as it is a great looking place and good clean facilities and the hosts, Graham & Jane, are really helpful, pleasant people and with only real rule, which is use common sense, it's definatley the place for a week in France and I will be going back.

Finally, a big thank you to Mac for doing all the driving

richchappy

an absoloute collosal fish,

mentally big

nice one mate,

can i come next time haha

02jlloyd

cracking fish mate

very well done.
congrats on the pb 8)

richchappy

that has got to be a new avatar

Mac

Rich, you are more than welcome to come next time.............. we need a servant

A few more pics of Chads biggie

richchappy

NOSEY WIFE

lol a cracking report there chaddy great read and some great pics to well done hun

bigkipper

congratulation`s on you pb chaddy, the smile say`s it all fella, cracking write up mate. well in.

Carper_Adam

Well in mate...lovely scales on its tail