mrs_rusheslake

A fantastic year for you both & of course your anglers. Was lovely spending a lazy day with you back in the summer. Your fishery gets better and better & with hosts like you & Val 2012 is poised to be a very special season. Kim & Iain

Worrying..... How long have you been trying to contact him??? Hopefully you will read this thread thoroughly and be prepared for the water situation.

Thats spooky Eddy... I now know why I dont drink... leaves me available to do the hospital run when everyone else fishing has had a few drinks and arent fit to drive!

July 2 – July 9 Strange week this one. In The Willow were Gary Allison and brother Rich returning to Rushes for their 3rd visit. Gary described the weather on one day as ‘having 4 seasons in one day’ Hot, calm, windy, monsoon rain, sun, cold all in 12 hours...Gary netted himself a load of big doubles, 4 over 20 and a common of 34lbs 2 ozs, whilst Rich managed 4 over 20lbs, a load of doubles and a mirror of 32lbs 4ozs, and the brothers shared a bunch of catfish topped by a 43lbs for Gary and a 47lbs for Rich along with 6 other cats over 40lbs Mick ‘Alan’ Wise set up shop in Stumps and among plenty of 18s and 19s sorted out 3 x 20s, a 31lbs 12ozs common and a few cats. Over the other side were Oliver and his girlfriend Linsey.....after a marathon 9 hour drive from Le Havre (should be no more than two and a half hours) they arrived and set up in Goffees. Despite ‘resting’ his swim for up to 15 hours a day, Oliver managed to winkle out 3 x 20s to a PB of a 28lbs 14 ozs common and some catfish in the low 20lbs....hopefully they managed to find the ferry and get back safely to Southampton... strange week weather wise and although the fish were very much showing themselves, crashing out and rolling, they never seemed to get fully in feeding mode...thats fishing !!!!! July 9 – July 16 Next up at Rushes were the Hinchcliffe party from Gods Own Country (their words, not mine) In Stumps was big Chris the bodyguard (he’s looked after Jedward, guess they need looking after to stop music lovers killing them) Anyway Chris helped himself to10 of our 20s and 2 x 30s with a best of a 34lbs mirror Next door in Archies was Jamie who managed to catch 3 PBs amongst his haul, a PB 31lbs mirror, a PB 31lbs 12oz common and a PB 45lbs catfish David, next door in The Willow, had a slow week and only landed 10 carp with a best of 29lbs 6 oz Over in Goffees top rod for the week was Matt with 34 fish, made up of 7 x 20s, 3 x 30s to 32lbs 9 ozs, 6 catfish to 39lbs 8 ozs and some doubles, both cats and carp Peter, in Beatties also had a slow week with just 2 x 20s to 24lbs and the weeks largest catfish at 57lbs Round the far end of the lake in Bin There was John. This swim is rarely fished as its a bit of a ‘Billy no mates’ swim but John fished it well for 3 x30s to 38lbs and 4 x 20s...pics of the 38 are on our Facebook page July 16 – July 23 Darren and Mark from Oldham came next, fishing in Beatties and Goffees...Darren just couldnt get a decent fish no matter what he tried,and ended the week with just 5 carp to just over 15lbs for his trouble.....oh yeah he also had a catfish......all 2lbs 12ozs of it !!!! Mark, next door, fared somewhat better with 6 x 20s and a PB 30lbs 1oz mirror along with 6 catfish up to 41lbs 9ozs Over in The Willow, we had returning guests, Rob and Alan along with Alans son James. James’s biggest fish before his trip to Rushes was a 4 oz roach so to catch a PB wasn’t going to be to difficult, however I think even he was surprised by the 54lbs 6 ozs catfish that he caught As Alan and Rob both used to be policemen, their catch report reads just like a PC’s notebook...just plain facts so here it is 18 doubles 3 over 20lbs 1 over 30lbs 1 catfish over 50lbs Robert PB carp 31lbs 13 ozs Alan PB catfish 39lbs 8 ozs James PB catfish 54lbs 6 ozs July 23 – July 30 This week should have seen Scott and family from Birmingham return to Rushes, but they cancelled, so we just had Richard, Nick and Louise Mesquita from Sussex for a return visit. They came here off the back of a week at a nearby lake, Nick decided he had fished enough and decided to take a flight home on Sunday, leaving Richard with the lake all to himself. Well, he took advantage of this and on Saturday night he had 3 x 30s and a 42lbs catfish. This still wasn’t enough to persuade young Nick to stay, so Sunday morning saw them taking him to the airport....very little fishing for them on Sunday Over the course of the week, Richard caught steadily ending up with a 43lb PB mirror (returned without a photo...arrrggghhhh !!! as his camera was in the bedroom with Louise) 6 x 30s including commons of 34lbs, 32lbs and 37lbs and 7 x 20s (3 x 28lbs commons) along with 4 x 40lbs + catfish..most of the fish were caught before Wednesday night as he did very little fishing after then, think he was just ‘fished out’...but still a good week though. July 30 – August 6 Robert Ashdown and his family and friends arrived & Jeremy ‘the boy scout’ pitched his 1960’s style scout tent in Stumps and by Friday had managed 9 carp to just over 23lbs and a couple of small catfish...seems like catfish are not over keen on Cell Along the bank in Archies was Stuart . By Friday when he and Jeremy left, Stuart had managed 14 carp to a little over 33lbs along with another of 32lbs and a small catfish...see I said they don’t like Cell.. Next door in The Willow was Robert ‘The Hook’ Ashdown and family Apart from hooking an index finger, which entailed a trip to hospital at 1am, Robert also had a PB common of 28lbs, a PB catfish at 38.08 lbs, 18 other carp to 32lbs and 9 catfish including the 38.08 and a 36.08.....cats were on pellet

I dont want to criticise the lake owner but allowing 4 anglers to fish 3 rods on 2 acres, especially considering its depth, is absolute madness. You didnt mention the sizes of the fish you caught... did you catch anything less than 20lbs as the stock seems to be one of the contentious issues here.

June 18 – June 25 Saturday afternoon sees the arrival of Dominic Kinsella and Tim Valentine for their 2nd visit along with Dazza Weston, Mike and Martyn Typing this on Monday night, they have already caught quite a few, the fish seem to have got used to the grotty weather and got back on the munch More details later in the week........ Well, the fish certainly seemed to like the wet, cold and windy weather. Big Darren set himself up in Stumps and had a load of doubles along with his first ever 20lber and followed that with his first 30lber, a common of 30lbs 2 ozs...he seemed pretty happy with that one Mike was in Archies, (the new swim) and among a 50 fish catch topped with a PB 33lb common, he also had a PB 37lb catfish Dad Martyn in The Willow swim topped that with a cat of 39lbs. 2 at 34lbs and plenty of carp to 27lbs Meanwhile, across the lake in Beatties and Goffees, return visitors Dominic (Les Boules D’or) Kinsella and Tim (Flipper) Valentine were steadily catching loads of carp and a few catfish Dom finished the week with a catch of 13 doubles, 15 x20s, 2 x 30s and a new PB mirror at 40lbs 1oz .He dived in the lake after returning that one, never seen anyone so excited about a fish !!! Well done Dom, back next year for a bigger one ?? Oh yeah he had a 36lbs catfish too. Tim wasn’t hanging about either with 17 doubles, 14 x 20s and 2 x 30s including a new PB at 35lbs (common ) along with a 26lb catfish The text messages were soon flying back to Gareth in Wales after the 35lbs common as it beats Gareths PB last time here... June 25 – July 2 And the along came the Cage’s for their 4th visit to Rushes. Considering the weather (extremely hot, Sunday and Monday reaching 98 degrees) they had a very good weeks fishing. Arthur in Stumps netted himself a new PB catfish of 52lbs along with 2 carp over 30lbs, both mirrors at 30lbs 8ozs and 32lbs exactly. Arthur also had several 20s and some doubles Down the bank in The Willow was David Cage and his wife Eileen, David fishing and Eileen catering..... Dave caught steadily all week, using a variety of baits including our own Smoked Fish boilies and his own pink pop ups, as well as the Method feeder At the end of the week the scores on the doors for David read as follows...59 carp....26 carp over 25lbs.....10 carp between 20lbs and 25lbs....and 10 over 30lbs up to 34lbs 12ozs Over in Beatties/Goffees were Rod and Stuart who found it harder going with around 20 x 20s between them but still had a good time all the same

Looking forward to visiting you next week Eddie.... and a very leisurely walk round!

May 14 – May 21 Mid May saw a very welcome return for Dubai Dave and his brother Ray(Bill), son Rob and friends Ken, Dan and Ash (Ash from Norfolk, who had a 27 hour journey home from here last year... don’t ask about the route they took...suffice to say they saw a LOT of the French countryside on the way). Dubai Dave set up again in Stumps and managed plenty of fish including a lovely 32lbs 2ozs mirror and a 34lbs catfish. Most of the other fish were doubles to 19lbs (the bigger fish just didn’t seem to be feeding in the very hot weather) Rob went in Archies (the new swim) and had a good week chillin in the sun, but managed to avoid the carp having a largest fish of an 18lb mirror amongst a catch of doubles and catfish Ash fished The Willow swim and ended the week as top rod with 3 x 30s (2 at 30lbs 60zs and a 31lbs mirror) 6 x 20s to 29lbs , and some doubles along with a shedful of cats, plenty over 30lbs , topped by a 42lbs 8ozs creature...also managed to get comprehensively smashed up by a real zoo animal of a cat.......one day this thing will be banked!!!!! Over the lake in Beatties and Goffees were Ken and Billy Ray ..lol Ken scored with 9 x 20s to 28lbs 8ozs and a lovely 31lbs 8ozs common along with cats of 43lbs, 37lbs 8ozs and 28lbs while Bill/Ray had 21 fish topped with a mirror of 26lbs 8ozs and a catfish of 23lbs 9ozs Dan was round in Bin There, a swim that is rarely fished as it’s a bit away from everyone and netted 16 fish including a 27lbs 9ozs mirror and several double figure cats A slow week in terms of 20lbs + fish, mainly due to the continuing high pressure and roasting sunshine every day...the fish could be seen cruising around but not feeding much...hopefully some much needed rain will appear soon and things will be back to normal.. Oh and Ash got back to sunny Norfolk on the same day that he left France this time, much to everyones relief !!!!! May 21 – May 28 New arrivals this week Will, Milky (Bar Kid) , Eon , Ian and Ed. Will, fishing in Beatties, topped the week with 15 x 20s up to 39lbs and another of 38lbs 4 ozs along with a few cats to just over 20lbs Next door in Goffees was the Milky Bar Kid finishing the week with 10 x 20s and a 32lbs mirror Over in Stumps was Ian who weighed in with 6 x20s and a 30 at 30lbs 8ozs and several catfish to 25lbs The new swim, Archies, was occupied by Henny who managed 11 x 20s to 28lbs 8 ozs along with 4 catfish of 20lbs plus The Willow swim saw Eon ( yeah very confusing with an Eon , an Iain and an Ian here this week) who seemed to specialise in catfish with 2 cats of 41lbs 8ozs and 48lbs plus a 29lbs 8oz mirror as his best carp May 28 – June 4 This week sees the very welcome return of Mark, Stuart, Jay and Martin from Kent. The weather has changed a little from baking hot sunny days and clear nights, to showery and a bit cloudy so hopefully the fishing will pick up when the water is cooled down by the much needed rain, which has already shown up. Well, all was going fine till Monday/Tuesday when I managed to have a heart attack...mmm well I ended up in Le Mans hospital having all sorts of tests, loads of nasty needles in my arms, most of my blood being removed (well that’s what it felt like to me) for tests, finally ending up with a stent in an artery...wouldn’t recommend it to anyone but I am now all fixed up and raring to go. Meanwhile back at the lake Kim did an absolutely fantastic job, feeding the guys, cooking particles for them, shopping, cleaning walking the dogs and all the myriad of other little jobs that need doing, then driving to the hospital to visit me, back to cook the dinners and finally getting to bed at 1 am..... Fishing wise I havent got a clue as I didnt get back til the guys had all gone home, sorry I missed you fellers , thank you so much for the phone calls and the card..see you next year when I will try and stay all the week..... June 4 – June 11 This week sees Trevor Harland and his mates arrive at Rushes Lake along with my return from hospital (did I mention that I spent a week in hospital) Fishing was still slow by Rushes standards , But Andy in The Willow swim managed to nab over 40 fish including 7 carp over 20lbs up to 32lbs, along with 6 catfish over 20 with a biggest cat of 47lbs 2 ozs Next door in Archies (the new swim) saw Pete bag 25 fish, with 7 carp over 20lbs up to 29lbs and a best catfish of 34lbs 4ozs Across the lake in Beatties was Jim . Amongst a catch of 13 x 20lbs plus carp Jim managed a new PB carp of 31lbs 4ozs and a PB cat of 42lbs 6ozs. Jim also had a PB common of 29lbs 12ozs The other two promised to send their catch reports but at the time of typing this they havent arrived. Details when they become available June 11 – June 18 Slightly confusing this week as we had Parkers on both sides of the lake..Alan Parker and his mate Dave returning for their second visit over in Beatties and Goffees. Despite very poor weather, rain, wind and cold Alan had 22 fish but only 3 over 20lbs up to 24lbs 3ozs and a catfish of 31lbs...Dave, next door in Beatties had 18 doubles, a 32lb mirror and several catfish up to 21lbs 14ozs Vernon Parker ( no relation) was in the Willow swim . His catch consisted of some doubles, 5 over 20lbs and 2 x 30s while David, in Archies had some doubles and 1 x 20 at 25lbs 8 ozs A slow week for Rushes, all we can think is that the carp were feeding on the fry, as they were showing a lot every day, but just not getting caught, also with Rushes Lake being shallow it is affected by sudden temperature changes and maybe this very changeable weather wasn’t to their liking June 18 – June 25 Saturday afternoon sees the arrival of Dominic Kinsella and Tim Valentine for their 2nd visit along with Dazza Weston, Mike and Martyn Typing this on Monday night, they have already caught quite a few fish so they seem to have got used to the grotty weather and got back on the munch More details later in the week........

April 30 – May 7 Saturday morning saw the arrival of Kent boys Pete, Scott, Martin, Dave and Tom Pete went into Archies (the new swim next to the Willow) and had an enjoyable week with a catch of 3 x 30s including a lovely 32lbs common, 10 x 20s, 3 cats over 30lbs and 1 cat of 40lbs 14ozs Next door in Stumps was Petes son Scott who landed 1x 30 at 31lbs 10ozs, 17 x 20s and 30 cats over 20lbs including one of 37 lbs 12oz Martin in The Willow swim (was Blue Camp) managed 6x20s including 3 at 27 + and a 28lb’er. Martin managed to break through the 30lbs mark with a cat at 36lbs 14ozs and 2 other cats over 20lbs Crossing over to the Goffees/Beatties bank we had Tom and Dave .. Tom only had 2 carp over 20lbs up to 28lbs 10ozs and 5 catfish, 4 x20s and one of 36lbs 8ozs Dave , next door in Goffees had 9 x20s including a 29lbs 8ozs common May 7 – May 14 More Kent men arrived on Saturday, Rob, Gary, Ray and the two Andys After some ‘discussions’ about where they were all going to fish they soon got settled in to their choice of swim and got set up Robin was in The Willow and had 11 x 20s to 29lbs and 4 cats to just over 40lbs...Robin also spent quite a time taking photos of lizards, frogs, caterpillars, a snake, buzzards, blue tits, yellow chats aeroplanes, herons, Buster, Alfie, Harvey oh yeah and some fish too Gary next door landed 4 x 20s to 29lbs 8ozs and a cat at 31lbs Ray in Stumps managed just a single 30 at 31lbs 8ozs and a lot of doubles He also managed to completely avoid the catfish Crossing the lake to Beatties saw Andy have a cracking week with 5 x 30s to 32lbs 4ozs and 14 x 20s including 3 at 29lbs + along with 2 x 40lbs catfish at 4olbs exactly and 47lbs 8ozs Next door in Goffees Andy 2 and girlfriend Lisa only managed 2 x 20s to 26lbs, a cat at 21lbs and some smaller carp and cats. They also went on a trip to Le Mans racetrack, hoping to see the MotoGP practice....70 euros to get in !! so they went for a drive round France for 3 or 4 hours getting totally lost in the process. When they phoned us for directions they were heading in completely the wrong direction but they made it back in time for dinner

April 23 – April 30 John Laird, from AUSTRALIA !!! , his nephew Todd and his friend Mark are here now on an exclusive week and have already had a few fish up to 31lbs 8ozs More news as it happens.........another 30 for Todd this morning and Mark had his first ever catfish at 38lbs last night Well they have just left after ‘the best week ever’ according to Todd Crocodile Laird finished up with a PB cat of 38lbs 5ozs (his first ever catfish) and a whole load of carp to 29lbs 8ozs Todd managed 19 fish, including a new PB carp of 39lbs 2ozs and a load of 25lbs + carp Mark on his first French adventure had a new PB cat and Carp at 33lbs (carp) and 32lbs (cat) Between them they had over 60 carp including 10 x 30s , 25 over 25lbs and 15 x 20s. John just has to go back to Oz and try and convince the locals that carp are worth fishing for and that they should be returned after capture and not made into fertiliser !!!!!!

April 16 –April 23 Dale Smith, Neil Whittle and young George have just left after their week at Rushes, the 5th time for Dale, 3rd for Neil and Georges first time. George managed to increase his PB to 27lbs 10ozs along with some doubles and 2 more 20s. Dad Neil amassed a total of 16 over 20lbs up to 29lbs 10ozs, along with some catfish to 45lbs, not quite beating his PB last year of 49lbs 12ozs. Dale once again managed to completely avoid catching a catfish (he hates them) but did manage 2 x30s with a best of 35lbs 4ozs, along with 11 other 20 + carp. Actually, even though he is a fan of QPHAHAHA he aint a bad fella !!! Good luck in the Premier next season, see ya back in the Championship for the next season mate....... Over in Goffees and Beatties we had Wesley and Kier Davidson from Bristol . Keir weighing in with 4x 20s to 29lbs and a few cats to 38lbs Wesley managed 3 x 20s and a new PB of 31lbs 12ozs along with a few cats, the smaller ones have now been rehomed...... Considering the extremely hot weather we have been having, the second session of spawning and the clear nights, they caught pretty well, we are just waiting for some dull overcast slightly wet days to really get the fish on the munch.. April 23 – April 30 John Laird, from AUSTRALIA !!! , his nephew Toby and a friend of Toby’s are here now on an exclusive week and have already had a few fish up to 31lbs 8ozs More news as it happens......... Lots of photos, as usual, on our facebook page!

April 2 – April 9 At present we are still waiting for detailed reports from Gordon Vaughan and Alan. Briefly they all had carp over 30lbs including a beautiful 41lbs 5ozs mirror for Chris amongst a catch of 9 x 20s, 6 x 30s . Tony managed 4 x 30s and 20 x 20s , along with catfish, of 36lbs and 23lbs .Alan had a lot of fish to over 30lbs and even Gordon had a 30 or two lol.... Chris also had 4 x 20lbs cats, 2 x 30lbs cats and 2 x 50lbs cats at 51.08 and 53.08. With Chris’s help we also rehomed 29 small catfish.... On the Thursday the fish started their annual spawning rituals and understandably stopped feeding for a day or so..... April 9 – April 16 Simon Sheperd and his mates from ‘sunny’ Doncaster arrived after a long journey (mainly stuck in traffic in England) Simon and Trevor set up camp in The Willow and despite the cold and changeable weather had a great week at Rushes. Simon having only 5 x 20s including 2 at 24lbs + and a pair of 23lbs catfish. Trevor seemed to attract a lot of double figure fish but managed a PB 23lber and an 18lb catfish Over the other side of the lake Lee had a 30lbs 10ozs mirror amongst his catch, along with a 28lbs common and a 41lbs 1ozs catfish, whilst Pete had mirrors to 28lbs 10ozs and cats to 27lbs All 4 of them went home a few pounds heavier than when they arrived, especially Simon..like his food does Simon !! and he supports Grimsby !!!!! Photos can be seen on our Facebook page, so why not follow us on there on a daily basis! http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=346986&id=664766139&l=fab75abb81

2011 Well, after another winter keeping several brass monkeys company, we’ve come around to a new season again. Contrary to popular belief, we do stay here at Rushes through the cold months of the year, we don’t fly of to St Lucia for a month (although that would be nice) we stay here and do all the little jobs that keep cropping up, painting, swim repairs, bramble cutting and so on. Then we suddenly realise that the new season is just a few weeks away and a mild panic breaks out...but once again we were ready for the first arrivals of 2011 !!! March 26 – April 2 The Kearsley family arrived and set up in The Willow swim (ex Blue Camp) and Archies . First day saw a few catfish and a couple of carp grace the bank in The Willow swim, whereupon Mike decided to move to Stumps and proceeded to collect himself a total of 41 carp and 3 catfish. 9 of those carp pulled the scales round to more than 30lbs , one reaching 38lbs 8ozs and another just 2 ounces less at 38lbs 06ozs. Biggest catfish went 34lbs Along the bank, in Archies, was first time carper Mikey who did really well and managed 21 carp including 2 x 30lbs + at 37lbs and 31lbs And a PB catfish at 37lbs Dad Terry, in The Willow had 10 carp and a cat, largest carp pulled the scales round to 32lbs 8 ozs and the catfish was 31lbs Across the lake in Beatties and Goffees were Gary Hanson and “G”, Gary coming out on top with 31 carp and 6 cats. 4 of Gary’s carp were over 30lbs including a 34lb 4oz common and a 30lbs 8oz common and another of 29lbs 13ozs His largest catfish went 42lbs 11ozs “G” chipped in with 21 carp up to 28lbs 12ozs abd 3 cats to just over 20lbs Not a bad start to the season considering the weather, which was mostly wet and generally pretty horrible...... Photos can be seen here:- http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=346986&id=664766139&l=fab75abb81

2 pints of lager... and a big lump? Nice photo & well done!

Dont be shy Keith... ! The grapevine has it they you were the captor of these fish? Well done on Clover... she has to be a prime suspect for being your first 60 next year

Have a great time Gaz.... look forward to some great photos & write up! Give my regards to Val & Eddy

A Rushes tale Well it’s about midnight and despite being nearly unconscious I’m still buzzing. This is me last Saturday night after a week’s fishing at Rushes and a 12 hour journey home and this is my tale about my first continental carping experience based at Rushes Lake. After the 450 mile journey over in a battered old Volvo with my passenger and two sets of kit we were greeted by Kim and Iain on the patio of an old French hunting lodge which they had transformed into their home and a Mecca of carp fishing. Only one other person was there for the week so swim choice was not an issue so me and Tim settled into the double swim of Blue camp and set about getting ready. The swims were nicely set out with a bark chipped area and plenty of room for the bivvies and other assorted gear that only a carper to take away with them (although I wish I’d have not lent Tim my pod as the ground didn’t like bank sticks!) but after a couple of hours we were away, just in time for dinner. The dinner bell goes everyday at around 1800, so we made our way over (after taking the rods out) and awaited the legendary food that’s raved about on all reports from this place. I not sure what I can say about the food that hasn’t already been said but if you like pot noodles and processed ‘food’ then take your own! You’ll get nothing like that at Rushes, over the week we had meatballs, Sunday roast, burgers, chicken and pork, all cooked fresh and butchered the proper way (with all the little bits left in) I doubt very much that the produce Kim and Iain used has ever seen a polythene wrapper or a carrier bag. Food as it should be fresh, tasty and prepared to perfection. Following this a homemade desert comes out every day to the same standards (although, the chocolate fondant doesn’t appear as often as I’d liked!!) Fresh French bread accompanies the meals and bread has never tasted so good. No rubbish pumped into it, just like your granny used to buy! So back to the fishing and apart from a couple of stockies by Tuesday I’d had nothing where as Tim had had a 25.5lb carp, 20lb catfish and more than few doubles so a change in tactics was needed as I was getting increasingly frustrated and wanted to get some fish out, so I made up some stick mix and cast them out with each rod. Once this was done, the fish rolled in and I started to catch, Tim carried on catching and the other guest (now having moved swims) was pulling out big catfish like a madman. By the end of the week myself and Tim had new PB’s and had caught that many fish when the fish were feeding we stopped fishing at night to get some rest! Like a lot of lakes, Rushes has periods when it’s really quiet (we found this to be between 1100 and 1600) but it’s busy times can, and were, manic. At times it’s like you’re match fishing, they come that quick and fast! The last night was the most eventful for me, we’d already decided not to fish over night so we cast our lines out for the last session of the holiday. We brewed up a coffee and I started a nice Cuban cigar ready to catch the last fish of the week when the left hand rod had the weirdest bite I’ve ever witnessed. The indicator lifted and stopped, dropped and stayed still. 5 minutes later the same again but when a little line left the spool I picked the rod up and hit what I was a lump of weed. Dragging the weed back in, the rod tip felt like I was dragging over pea gravel. About 2 rod lengths out the weed had had enough and took off. Now I’ve never had weed do this so fish on! Little by little, it came in and then went off again taking more line on each run but now the right hand rod goes off. Tim grabs that and starts playing it, and then one of his goes off! Bloody hell, three rods on the go, and two pairs of hands WTF! Tim puts a loose clutch on my rod and goes for his which is then promptly dropped (nothing on it) and he grabs mine again. I eventually get mine ready for the net and the net separates from the block in the water (new net now with a stripped thread on the spreader), [censored] me two fish on, one net. I grab Tim’s net and get my fish on the bank and in the safety of the unhooking cradle and throw the net to Tim as he’s about ready. My fish is weighed (a 28lb common my new PB), treated, photo taken and put back and Tim lands the other (a 25.5lb Mirror) what a last couple fish. The Cuban is re-lit and the coffee brewed again and my middle rod screams off again, after an easier fight a 26lb mirror is landed. Three doubles in the space of 15 minutes no one will believe this! One more fish which came off just at the net and that’s it I’m ready for some sleep and my first French carping adventure is over. Early on Saturday we’re packing up ready for the journey home. After a long and smelly, what with the fishing kit and the Camembert bought at Boulogne stinking the car out, and I’m home. After getting mugged by the dog and showing the pics to the wife I’m back to the start of this tale looking back at a fantastic weeks holiday. Kim and Iain are perfect hosts, giving you as better attention and service as I’ve had in any 5 star hotel. They are both there when needed with advice or basically anything you need (thanks for fetching me some cigars Iain!!) and the facilities (which include clean showers with hot water, toilet, chill out room and freezers for bait) are better than needed or expected. So would we do Rushes again? Well we both would and will next year after booking up already for a week in June 2011. This time we’re taking the wives over, with them sleeping in the room on site and explore France whilst me and Tim settle back in for another weeks fishing. Oh, before I forget. A fresh bacon and egg stick is delivered, along with a pot of coffee, every morning to your bivvy. This was most days accompanied by Buster, Archie and Harvey (the Rushes really well behaved and cute pets) who hang around until you’re finished or you give them some bread or bacon (or in Harvey’s case some Halibut pellets!). I’m reliably informed, by the Oscar winning performances given by both dogs and the cat that Kim and Iain do not feed them so don’t scoff it all and give em some brekkie!!! Rob May 2010

May 15-May 22 Up next was the Courtnell party, made up of Rob, Ash, Bill, Ken and Dave Dubai Dave pitched up in Stumps and was the captor of the weeks biggest carp, a beautiful 38lb mirror along with 2 other 30s and 3 big 20s. All the time he was playing the 38 he kept telling me it was just a small one, and was quite surprised and delighted when the big mirror rolled into the net, a new PB by over 20lbs, for him after his long trip from Dubai (apparently there are no carp waters in Dubai) Rob (Dubai Daves son) and his mate Ash from Norfolk, set up in Blue Camp where Ash helped himself to 2 x 30s (1 mirror, 1 common) and 7x 20s and a 20lbs+ catfish (his first cat). Rob in the meantime couldn’t quite get his 30 but came close with carp to 29lbs 12ozs (common) amongst a catch of 9x 20s and a rake of doubles Over in Goffees and Beatties were Bill (Dubai Daves brother) and Ken . Bill managed to land 29 fish including a lovely 27lbs common, loads of other mid 20s and 4 cats up to 31lbs Kenny, had less fish than Bill but topped him on the weights with a fabulous 33lbs common , several upper 20s including a 29 lbs mirror and a few catfish to 28lbs All 5 of them went home very happy with their weeks fishing and eating, after booking for 2011 Heard from them the next day and it seems it took them 26 hours to get back to UK, due to an incorrect spelling of Boulogne in the satnav (which took them in completely the wrong direction) and a small problem at the toll when they ran out of cash to pay the nice lady…….. May 22 – 29 Next a group, although reduced in numbers due to some personal problems in UK, the 3 guys who did get here had a great weeks fishing and some lovely weather In Blue Camp we had Rob and Tim, who, despite the very hot weather amassed a total of 12 x 20s with the biggest at over 28lbs to Rob, both smashed their pbs by over 15lbs also had a couple of cats, the best being a shade over 20lbs John moved around from Stumps after a having a 26 & a couple of quietish days and landed up in Goffees, where he turned into Catman, having 4 cats to 31.5lbs, another of just over 30 along with a number of carp to 26.5lbs A good week was had by all and they too have rebooked for 2011… see you & your wives next year chaps! May 29 – June 5 Jez (Jemsue5), Malc (Mach3) and friends have just arrived, along with a whole load of rain, so after a very leisurely set up they have just started getting some rods in the water (4pm !) so nothing to report just yet, but stay tuned cos Jez is ‘gonna empty it this time’..lol More news later……….. Join us on Facebook for daily info... Rushes Lake www.rusheslake.com Iain & Kim

Well done the lads... !

April 3-10 Next up was Russ Brown, son Daniel and Russ’s Dad Charlie.A cold wet windy week wasn’t helped by Charlie being taken ill and Russ having to drive him all the way home to Essex on Tuesday, returning here on Wednesday afternoon.Using maize and Trigga, Russ upped his PB to 35lbs 8ozs while Daniel improved his best to 24lbs 12ozs. Between them they managed a total of 13 carp over 20lbs , which considering the weather and Russ’s unexpected trip home was a pretty good result Over the other side of the lake Richard and Kevin helped themselves to over 40 carp both managing mid 30lbers with all the others over the 20lb mark April 10-17 Neil and Dale arrived on Saturday for Neils 2nd visit and Dale’s 4th trip They soon got set up and catching although the weather wasn’t helping matters what with warm days but very cold nights meaning the fish never really settled down to feeding strongly. However Neil managed to net 14 carp up to 27lbs 4ozs and a new PB catfish of 49lbs 2ozs while Dale weighed in with 12 carp to 39lbs while managing to completely avoid the catfish which he hates catching Over in Goffees and Beatties Alan and Gordon the chef were steadily catching all week. Alan started off slowly, then got amongst the 30s with 5 to 37lbs 4ozs (common) 4 x 20s and 2 x30lbs+ catfish along with 8 doubles. Gordon had 7 x 20s and a couple of doubles although he managed once agin to lose a couple of big fish, one of which was almost certainly a catfish. Oh and he hooked a couple of trees too !! April 17-24 Then along came the Carefoot crew from Manchester and even though they are Man U fans I let them stay !!! Just as well really as they had a terrific time and ate us out of food !!! Sean loves his chocolate puds. Nick (another chef, this one with his own restaurant in Manchester) spent the week rowing out baits for the other lads and was rewarded for his hard work with 5 x 20s (each one raising his PB) then topping that with a new PB at 30lbs 4ozs common.Not to be outdone Matt had a few rig lessons from angling coach Ian Gemson who was fishing the other side of the lake and they paid off with 3 x 30s up to a new PB of 34lbs 2ozs 3 x 20lbs+ and a few doubles. Sean, when he wasn’t eating Kim’s choccy puds had 4 x 20s, some doubles and 3 x 30s including a last night PB mirror of 39lbs 5ozs. Matt also achieved an ambition with a 34lbs PB catfish and Sean caught a pike !!! Over in Blue Camp we had a visit from Ian Gemson, a professional angling coach and Paul Worstencroft from Angling Intelligence. Paul won the week in Geezers charity auction last season. Soon after they arrived Paul had a call from home telling him that his mum had had a bad accident and fallen down the stairs, leaving her in hospital requiring surgery. Understandably they left on Monday but not before having a couple of fish including a mid 20 and a 30 (see the fish on specialistangler.co.uk where Paul will be doing a write up on Rushes). Ian taught Matt and myself a lot about rigs in the short time he was here (Matt reckons his results were mainly down to a combi rig Ian had shown him) so thanks for that Hope your Mums OK now Paul and see you in July!! April 24 May 1 Next in line were Mick and Steve Ho from Liverpool. As always these two are great company and love their fishing (and Kim’s food) . Mick was first to score with a lovely 29lb 6 oz common, quickly following it with a 34lbs 12oz mirror. Over what was a quiet week by Rushes standards, they put together a catch of 12 x 20s, 3 x 30s and a few doubles along with Mick’s favourite, a 22lbs catfish, just what he always wanted !!! Over in Goffees and Beatties, complete with the white trainers and hoodies lol we had Essex boys Kenny, Tony and Kenny’s dad Pete. Kenny and Tony came last year with their girlfriends, but managed to escape them this year, and bought beer instead . over the week they amassed a total of 23 x20s and a couple of 30s including a PB 33lb mirror for Kenny. Tony weighed in with a 27lbs 12oz mirror amongst a load of mid 20lb fish. Peter chipped in with several 20sand a couple of small cats The weather has been very changeable so far this year, with a very cold, wet start, then warm, sometimes hot days and freezing frosty nights. Now we are having still warm days and warmish nights, although today we have the longed for South Westerly wind and the promise of rain so hopefully things are ‘about to kick off’ May 1 – May 8 The Hoopers have just arrived and on the first night Jase has had a PB 31lb mirror and a 25 so hopefully that’s a sign of a good week to come for the boys Well, the weather didn’t do the boys any favours with the cold Northeasterly wind blowing for most of the week and quite heavy FROST on the ground most mornings. Mark, fishing in Stumps had a haul including 10 over 20lbs with no less than 3 x 29lbs + fish but couldn’t quite get the thirty he wanted, along with a further 12 doubles around 19lbs Jason, in Blue Camp had a further 3 x 20s and a beautiful 34lb common whilst over in Goffees Stuart had just 3 x 20s, and some doubles. Dad Martin,next door in Beatties took 7 x 20s to 28.04 (mirror) and a lovely spawned out 26.07 common All 4 of them went away with new PBs (trouser sizes that is) after Kims cooking and we look forwards to seeing them again next year May 8-May 15 Gareth and Tim from Wales arrived next and set up in Blue Camp. Gareth being fairly new to carp fishing surprised everyone, including himself, when his first run resulted in a new PB (by 22lbs !!) common of 31.02. Sadly the fish were not playing ball in this normally productive swim and they finished the week with just a few more doubles and 2 x20s to 25.08 Dominic went in Stumps and after a pretty slow start, got amongst the fish with a 32.08 common, a further 12 x 20s up to 28lbs and 18 doubles. Finally on the last evening, the long awaited catfish picked up his double 24mm halibut pellet and proceeded to give him the run around for 20 minutes, with Dom praying out loud that it wouldn’t fall off…it didn’t and a 29lb 7oz catfish was soon smiling? for the camera..his first decent sized cat and was he ever pleased with it? Meanwhile over the other side Alan and David, who only fished til Friday due to having a wedding to attend on Saturday, had 25 x 20s to 29.06 and 3 x 30s. Sketchy reporting I know but we are still waiting for their pics and catch report (well they did have to shoot off in a hurry for the wedding) Oh yeah they also had several 20 -30lbs catfish….more news when it arrives here Join us on Facebook! Rushes Lake & join the group Rushes Lake VIP's for more discussions & photos Kim & Iain www.rusheslake.com

The weather, like at most french venues this week, has been horrendous, gale force winds & constant heavy rain. Chris & Terry visited us although Terry had a few days where he couldnt fish & they managed to winkle out a few decent fish and Chris must, as always, be congratulated on the amount of effort he put in. 9 x 20-25lbs 18 x 25-30lbs 3 x 30-35lbs 5 x 35-40lbs 1 @ 40lbs 4 oz Common 3 cats 1 under 20lbs, 1 @24lbs, 1 @ 34lbs