What a venue this is! - especially for those like us, not wishing to travel too far. Easily accessible from Calais ferry port, just 3 roads and 1hr 20 mins later and your there. I can fully recommend it to anyone wishing to seek out a personal best or specimen fish in excellent condition. The place itself is very tranquil and the scenery is absolutely stunning. The facilities are brilliant, extremely clean with roomy Showers and hot water always available.
Mark and Nathalie are extremely helpful and always available should you need them. However, on the other hand, if you want peace, quiet and solitude they wouldn’t impose.
Justin the bailiff is also very helpful and nothing was too much trouble for him. Again, didn’t impose on you unless asked.
The bins were empted daily and the premises were spotless with no sign of mess or litter anywhere. All in all very well organised.
There were 4 of us in total with 3 of us fishing pegs 6, 7 & 8. The forth was my son who is 9 and came along for the adventure. We actually bivvied up and although we had the Carpers Cabin never used it for sleeping. Again, it was clean, comfortable with good cooking facilities and a television which helped us keep up with current affairs over a piping hot cup of tea.
We didn’t opt for the food package but decided to try the breakfast on a couple of days. It was a French stick full of egg, sausage, bacon and beans. Very tasty and enough even for those with the bigger appetite. The cost was 8 euros which I thought was a little expensive; however you have to bear in mind that this is all in, delivered to your swim. We didn’t have any evening meals so I cannot pass comment on value for money on those.
Now for the fishing - In my opinion not the easiest of venues but plenty of big fish, you could hear them crashing out all night! If you work hard and get your tactics right an opportunity to bag a good head of quality specimen fish. All the fish I saw were in stunning condition and you could even question if they had actually even seen a hook before. We decided to take our own frozen Boilies and order particles as per lake rules. The quality of the maize, hemp and partiblend supplied had us all questioning why we even bothered to take our own Boilies. You live and learn and we would most certainly order all our bait direct from Mark in the future.
Catch report: 12 fish out over forty pounds including three fifties to 58lbs 4oz.
Swim 9 being the biggest @ 58lbs 4oz + four forties four thirties to 39lbs and four upper twenties to 29lbs.
The lodge having a 51lb mirror and 5 forties and four thirties.
Swim 4 a 50lb 8oz mirror and a 36lb Mirror
- Please see below photos…………the first being the 58lbs 4oz off peg 9.
- The other 5 photos are from peg 6 (my mate Tony’s peg) ranging from 19 to 36lb
- Pegs 7 & 8 didn’t catch, although I did loose a fish the first night (19/04) from peg 7 and it was a big one
http://img535.imageshack.us/img535/2438/58lb4oz.jpg
http://img535.imageshack.us/img535/3886/19lb.jpg
http://img535.imageshack.us/img535/9346/28lb.jpg
http://img535.imageshack.us/img535/7216/34lb.jpg
http://img535.imageshack.us/img535/9381/35lb.jpg
http://img535.imageshack.us/img535/8039/36lb.jpg
