mrs_rusheslake

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

I get the email notifications when the ferry operators have their special offers on if you like I can email you when I do.... Please treat it as primarily a holiday with some good company and a few laughs fish are a bonus. You seem up for a few french phrases... Je voudrais un biere s'il vous plait (I would like a beer please) Mange tout Rodney..... ( Thank you bartender)

Congratulations & well done on finally popping your French cherry! Less of a drive from Le Havre or, better still Caen. Ferry prices on these routes are more expensive so you need to work out whether cheaper comes out on top but dont forget to factor in tolls and of course petrol costs. Transit is more expensive but you can go through the booking procedure for your dates on all the routes to make a comparison. Fags are cheaper here... best bet though is to get them from the bar/cafe/restaurants on the ferry you are allowed to buy a couple of packets from these and if you buy from all the different outlets you could bag yourself upto 10 packets for around 3 quid a packet. Bring your bacon from the UK... also bring sausages. French sausages are much meatier than the UK ones but might not suit your taste and are considerably more expensive. Beer buy in France same as the wine LOL. Hope this helps.

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

Not heard good things Eddy... Have heard good reports on the Big Lake Boat which is reasonably priced and carries 4kgs. Whatever you do dont get a V...r I..n LOL

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.

You will have a fantastic time CC.... visited Eddie & Val last week for a nice lunch (& Val CAN cook!!! mmmmm) Stunning lake & 2 very warm, welcoming and VERY unpretentious lake owners!

keenock... your contribution to this discussion is?????????

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

I definitely think you need to email the owner, he will be only too happy to take time to answer all your questions. That being said have a great holiday cos Im sure you deserve it!

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........

Due to family reason have just had 3 places cancelled for w/c July 23rd 2011. The 3 places are together on the BlueCamp bank ( 2 others fishing on the other side of the lake) Please note these spaces are the ONLY availability left for 2011.

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

Why dont you contact the lake owner, as time is obviously running out. He would be best placed to give you a great deal of information. Best of luck

Have done a bit of searching through the forum, best advice I can give is to pm a member called chinky who appears to have gone to Marolles on more than one occassion. Think he might be able to help you.

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

To every lake owner & angler visiting France this year May the season be good and plentiful & your expectations be fulfilled.

Keenock... we are quite civilised here, our lake water stays where it is meant to be in the lake!!!! We, and our guests, enjoy clean and gorgeous water from the mains supply for drinking, showers & everything else!

Always best to check with the lake where you are going, but if you do have to use bottled water buy it over here its cheaper (i think!) Ive been drinking our water for 7 & 1/2 years and Im still alive! In fact our water has a better purity reading than the UK... so it maybe a question for me now.. Can I drink the water in the UK? LOL

I have a week which has been booked exclusive and I think theyve had a person drop out so they maybe looking for 1 angler. Also have 2 weeks where I have room for a single angler. If you are interested of course.