david1951

No it isn't, been happening for quite a while on all forums!

At least the owner was being honest, the temperatures anywhere in Northern or Central France can be very cold in March, if you can only do March you would be best advised to look at Western France which is probably the warmest part at that time of year. A lot of the fisheries I know, no longer open at the start of March as in some of the past seasons the lakes have been frozen which means you have no chance of catching and at the temperatures you have been quoted at the Limoges lake, you might be better advised to try and fish another month or find a warmer area at that time of year.

So real carp fishing is not your forte then?? If you find a lake with the size and number of fish you are seeking to catch, keep it secret as all non carp anglers would like to fish there!

Time to move on then!!

"I will add the pictures of the 40's and 50's when my oxford mates send me them.....I can assure you that it was a good week with excellent facilities......don't believe the nonsense on the net which I suspect are novices anyway." Think you should read again the last part of the above which you wrote, not me, just responding to what you said. By the way I am 58 years old and have been carp fishing since I was 13!! Perhaps you should also re-read the comments I have previously written which in no way questioned your catch report, bit out of the blue though compared with other people who have been there and reported back! At the end of the day as long as you enjoyed it and was satisfied with what you caught, does it really matter what other people think? What some of us are concerned about is some (not saying you though) new posters are offered inducements to post exaggerated catch reports.

That will be good, most of the people who I have met and who have actually been to Vallee are guys aged 40+ and very experienced carp anglers in the UK and France, just because people have different opinions doesn't make them novices!

Read this on another forum this week "Has any one been or know of anybody who has been?? Ment to be going next year(3/4/10) but owner has said we need to pay 50% deposit up front and we need to pay by tomorrow, so feel like i am panick buying. Many thanks Gaz" Now that sounds like a true story!!! 100 more 30's sounds very impressive especially with so many 40's coming out, be nice to see some pictures on here to shut up the sceptics!! We have already seen plenty of pictures of 20's and 30's on the website reported as 40's!! Glad you apparently had a good trip, 1 of the few to do so according to the reports!!

I live in the Champagne Region and I have never heard of it!! How did you hear about it?

Willi I don't think that Shane said that Danny admitted that Korda rigs are suspect, it would be nice to read what reply he got! What he said according to his posting was that Danny recommended some other things, possibly made by Korda who knows, until the reply is posted to repeat myself, who knows? Just watched a program on Sky about Sky lakes, lot of up and coming anglers (well known ones apparently?), can't beat the old school though!! 1 thing I appreciated is that they weren't hauling, which 1 would expect when swims are prebaited prior to TV coverage, happened in the days of Jack Hargreaves and Matt Hayes has tried it and failed sometimes, these guys are not carping gods, just anglers like you and I!

Neil is Blavet's No. 1 advocate of the place, have a look at other forums, a little suprising as he knows and supplies a lot of venues with carp! Are they struggling Neil (and I know you are not an agent or paid employee as those idiot mods have suggested on that other forum)!

Didn't you ask the owner the question about the double swim before you booked the holiday, very strange??

Rushes lake would be good for you, Kim and Ian are superb hosts!!! Not sure why people put such an emphasis on bait boats though, sounds like insecurity in their own ability to catch carp? On my shopping list the allowance of bait boats would be at the bottom of the list not at the top!

We all have our views and I am afraid I totally disagree with the last 2 comments! Though obviously a very successful commercial fishery and offering what it does, is unique! I am afraid it will only appear to a certain type of angler and long may they continue to choose that sort of venue, us connoisseurs wouldn't dream of going there, too much bad publicity and fishery management skills operated by the bailiffs, Dream on, trading cats for carp, I thought they were burning the cats, at least that is what was reported on another forum! I personally have nothing against the venue, I have seen it, adjudged it to be nothing special compared with the venues I have been to which are not operated on the same basis i.e. with the all inclusive packages, you know, get [censored]ed on the coach, get [censored]ed at the lake etc. and worse! 1 question I ask every year when I see the same adverts i.e. another 3 or 10 tonnes of carp added, is WHY? They would be better saying nothing! Better leave it at that! Good luck to the guys going there this year, if that is the venue you have chosen, you will probably enjoy it!

Good luck for the season, look forward to seeing the catch reports!!

Firstly I wish you all well for the 2009 season. This is a venue that I had not heard about before, though I have a few friends who have mentioned the venue to me and asked what I know about it (being a pioneer of France and trying to keep up to date on new commercial venues), but I couldn't help them as I don't know anybody that has been there to date!! I have had a look at the website tonight and I get the impression that this is a very new venue with virtually no past catch results, which is fair enough, better to say things the way they are, than exaggerated advertising and made up catch reports! As somebody who is always looking to fish new venues, in the absence of recommendations from my many friends who fish France, I first always look at websites and can easily identify the new venues desperate for business, this can't be said about Crystal Waters. I was a little disappointed though that there was not any information about the history of the lake and more information on the people running the lake, a lot of websites say "we have fished France so many times and been let down etc. etc", something again said on this website. Maybe it is my computer or slow connection (not being on Broadband) where I live, but I could only access views from a couple of the swims, must admit the lake looks nice. Final point and I am trying be constructive not critical, the prices are probably 10 - 15% over the norm on commercial fisheries in France which would be difficult for me to justify spending on a new and unproven venue! Maybe a little more work and information on the website would be beneficial. No offence intended, just an opinion!!

Surprised to read your comment, but albeit true, the news reports are way out of date even for Mirror Pool also, 1 of the best small lake big carp fisheries in France!! Maybe they are resting on their laurels perhaps, and it is only a suggestion, people should check the fisheries out 1st before asking others to comment! From my own personal experience, 2 trips to Mirror Pool and I know quite a few other anglers that have been to Millstone, assuming fish standards have been maintained, you should have a good holiday! The 2nd poster has not been helpful at all! Sounds like Zammmo fishes there all year but from his own comments WHY!!! Ignore him and speak to others, best advice I can give you! Also just looked at the galleries, they are way out of date, am going to give Rob a call in the week to see why?

Only basing an opinion on the amounts that some of my friends have paid and also prices quoted on some of the agents websites. If that was the price that Clearwaters was sold for, good luck to them!

Keith 850,000 euros are you serious?? I pity the guy who has paid that amount if true, way over the top!! To the original poster, if you wait another 6 months there will be plenty more venues available for purchase and the prices will fall, though with the exchange rate this might not make a difference to the buyer. I can endorse what Keith has said, we have a similar background and support, though I gave up trying to write an article for Jasons book (though I was 1 of the 1st invited to do so), because after writing 18,000 words, I gave up, kept going off topic!! Good luck if you decide to make a life in France, but you must put quality of life before money, if not ......

You certainly don't need a baitboat at Mirror Pool from any swim!! Rely on your casting skills, the fish have seen it all anyway, go back to basics and you will do better than others, trust me!!

WRONG!!! Not enough anglers try it, that is the problem! As for depths, around 19 feet where the pole left of the suicide swim is, deepest end is at the lodge/dam wall end. My advice would be to fish the beach swim at the other end of the lake, only 1 swim down there and no pressure from any other anglers, though if you are going for a social then not the place to be! Nice lake, hard these days though I haven't been for a few years now! In the 2 trips I went I caught 2 out of the original 50's and a fair few other fish while everybody else struggled, beach swim both times!! Have a good holiday m8!

If any of you guys are booked with Sea France or are thinking of booking with them, you had better read this news report :- http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/kent/7839180.stm

Best to ask the guys who operate the venue not the forum members!!

Dondoncarp has reported :- "I regret to inform all concerned that speedferries are no more. attended a meeting at 1700hrs today to tell us potential buyers withdrew their offers and the company was in liquidation. We were informed that we are now redundant. They have not updated the website yet but would imagine tomorrow that they`ll tell customers what to do as there next step. sad day". Bet the other ferry companies will be laughing all the way to the bank next year!! Us anglers won't be though!

Danny will be here and the weed will disappear, shame it takes the carrot of having a Korda dvd filmed at the lake for corrective action to be taken, the rats will probably have gone by then as well. My mates were there earlier this year and unfortunately (as the info is 2nd hand....even though I have known them for years), it is not for me to publish what they thought!! Sounds like it would have been a great dvd to be filmed in thick weed, something for Korda to waste their money on, there again the cost of their goods would be adjusted accordingly!!! Thought they would have been far too busy with their own new venue in France, what was the name again Gigantica or something similar???? Commercialism, have to say I hate it!!!

Has changed hands this year!