Mac
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Mac in FranceAs most of you know I've just spent the last 7 days in France at a place called Deux Pierres 
12.45am Saturday morning sees me outside Chads house and we soon have the van loaded and we're off for Dover, doesn't seem too long and we are at the port and waiting to be loaded onto speed ferry 1. We're on the ferry and an hour later we hit French turf, it now feels like I'm on holiday Deux Pierres is about a 4 hour drive inot the Champagne region and about 1.30pm we are greeted by owners Graham and Jane. After a quick beer Graham takes us through the rules and the facilities. There's only 1 main rule, common sense, which I liked a lot  There's 10 swims on the 14 acre lake with a max of 8 anglers, Graham informed us there was only 6 of us fishing that week 2 guys were already setting up and a quick chat with them we find out they are quite local to us being from Castle Donington (East Midlands airport area for you suvverners) Whilst walking round the lake fish were boshing out all over the place and it was really hard to listen to Graham as all I wanted to do was get my rods out, didn't care what swim I was in. We finished our tour and Graham left us to decide what we wanted to do, we ended up choosing a swim called the beach, a big double swim and everywhere you looked had fish crashing out, most of them within an easy cast of around 30/40 yards Rods out and the house and kitchen set up and I really am on holiday now. The tactics were quite easy, all 3 were cast to areas where I had seen fish show. Rod 1 was baited with CH Sweetcorn cast over a spodded area.
Slicked up
Rod 2 was baited with UCN Moonfruit on a snowman rig with a pineapple pop up with PVA bag and rod 3 was baited with the homemades and around 100 freebies pulted out.
Graham told us the fish generally came out during the day which I was surprised at because everywhere else I have fished in France most of the action has been at night. No action to my rods until Sunday morning resulting in a 17lb 10oz Mirror falling to the sweet corn boilie tipped with fake maize A couple of hours later and one of Chads rods screams off, 15 seconds later and my middle rod screams off, great stuff, both of us are in It's been an ambition of ours to have a brace shot together and after a lot of years fishing together this is our 1st chance. We are telling each other to take their time and giving each other advice Chads is in first and he leaves it in the net in the margins. We net mine and it's obvious it's a lump. On the mat and the scales go round to 42lb 4oz (Caught on the UCN Moonfruit snowman rig) Chads was "only" a 20lber and he wasn't too keen on a brace shot but a 20lber is still a good fish and I'll argue with anyone who says it ain't.
Ambition achieved 
Once we have a few pics done it's then time for another ambition of mine to have a pic of me in the water with a lump (There's a line for ya to pick up on  )
Once put back me and Chad are patting each other on the back and have to have a beer to celebrate Monday comes round and I've had 2 fish whilst Chad has had a few more and a common thing on most of the captures was the colour yellow, so I decide to change the bait on rod 3 and take off the home-mades and put a maize stack on, cast over a couple of spods of maize/hemp. About an hour later and this rod is off with this 33lber the culprit
This was to be my last fish for a few days, the wind which was a great South Easterly blowing into us had now changed to a Northerly and the lack of fish crashing was a sure sign they had moved away from us. Spirits were still high and we always eat well whilst on our holidays
You can take the boy out of Ashbourne but can't take the Ashbourne out the boy Apart from having no idea what a kettle is Chad still hasn't progressed to a knife and fork but Gayle is doing her best, at least he can change his own underpants now. (He still wears slip on shoes though  )
Prawns were on the bbq a few days in a row
Thursday sees my next action with this 23lber coming in to the Moonfruit (without pop up)
Thursday night I was in a dilemma, fish were showing in front of me but out of my casting range and Chad offered me the use of his baitboat. I'm not a big fan of them but do believe each to their own on them and have no problem with folk using them, after much deliberation I decide to move over to the "dark side" and boat bait out loaded with maize, hemp and pellet. A quiet night and we are having a brew when a fish crashes right over where I had dropped the bait, Chad comments on this and 5 minutes later that rod is off. It feels like a right lump on the end (Don't they all?) After what seemed an age (I've never hauled a fish back so far) a 28lber kisses the spreader block, caught on CH sweet corn
About an hour later I have a 17lber which was my last fish of the week.
To sum up Deux Pierres, it's a great place, all the swims are nice and comfortable and the facilites are nice and clean with plenty of charging points for batteries, phones etc. There's a supermarket 10 minutes away and Graham and Jane were extremely helpful, if you don't want to go down the shops they will go for you. The place has only been open around 18 months and Graham is working wonders with the place, it is securely fenced in and away from main roads. Plenty of wild life to see whilst waiting for those screamers, we had loads of these changing from their pupae stage to this
So whilst it would have been great to bag a few more fish (We could have moved and decided to stay where we were) Deux Pierres is a place I would highly reccomend.
A big thanks to Chad for not snoring too loud and he did put the kettle on....................once
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richchappy
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nice one mate, some gooduns there..
looks a stunning venue...
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Ben
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looks like a nice place
some craking fish there, good write up aswell btw, enjoyed reading it
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Beaky
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Nice one lad's 8)
Looks like you had a good break
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bigkipper
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well from your blog mac i can tell you both had a cracking time and there`s nothing better than word of mouth when it come`s to choosing a venue, i will have to look in to this place and maybe book a session me self.
well done to both of you top dangling fellas
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NOSEY WIFE
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well done guys love the photos and a cracking report to go with it to
well done buddys 
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