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Big Lake Opening & Catch-up Blogs

Posted: 11th Sep 2017

First of all I need to apologise for lack of updates this year....we have been flat out with customers, but the work load on the large lake has just consumed me.

 

I will quickly speed through the last months fishing on the 7 acre lake just to bring you up to speed. The fishing has been very patchy due to weather this year, but also you have to take into consideration each group require something different from their fishing, holiday and evening beers and relaxing for some groups with the fishing being second place.....then on the contrary we have anglers who fish hard and serious from the moment they arrive until they leave...and this has a huge effect on the weekly catch report!

 

12th August was still very warm and the amount of natural food was keeping the fish very happy indeed with so many fish to be seen in and out of the weed beds, crashing and generally having fun. With the amount of bubbling to be seen you would think the lads would be hauling, but the fish seemed reluctant to pick up bait and only 4 fish landed, but a good one of 48lb 2oz came out on the last night.

 

19th August saw a regular group fishing but with the few fish coming out at night recently and the guys only fishing days for most of the week it was going to be slow going. Highlight of the week for myself and Les was his moth trap that he set up this week. He was shell shocked at the amount and range of species present and I learnt something new myself about the moths present onsite, something I knew very little about to be honest. The week ended on only 4 fish again to 39lb 8oz, Gary in 3 catching the largest along with a 37lb and losing one, by fishing only 30 yards out amongst the weed. This week we had a Regular chap fishing the large lake...he booked the venue to himself looking for a new challenge and wanting some peace and quiet from his busy, hectic work life. The last part of this blog will cover his fishing on there but I will carry on with the results from the 7 acre lake for now, because Richard then moved onto the smaller lake as an exclusive booking and this has been the change point in the fishing with a cooling of temps and the weed dying back. Richard settled for the middle of the lake in Peg 3 with so many fish to be seen in the weed. Tactics of one baited patch and the other two rods on bags placed careful with a few freebees scattered about worked well. The weed held the fish and everything fell into place with his first fish going 50lb 4oz....followed by a 40lb 8oz, some stunning fish to mid 30s I have not seen all year, and in tip-top condition. watching and adjusting accordingly he then landed a stunning leather of 49lb 2oz, followed by more big 30s, 40s and a last fish being a 45lb+ common....great result and angling indeed. 9 fish landed in total, with the largest going 50lb+, 4 fish over 40lb+ to 49lb,3 good 30s and one stockie of 23lb.

 

This brings us back up to speed with the lads last week having another good weeks fishing. The weed started to drop back almost by the day this week and the fish that have been hiding for most of the summer are now coming out to play and they are looking a bit special to say the least. 3 regulars brought a new chap along, so the first time here and first fish on the bank going 50lb+ it went down like a lead balloon ..LOL Little and often baiting approach again working well and the fish kept coming. Kev & Bod moved between Pegs 4 & 5 throughout the week and this time kev had his luck with a stunning mirror of 49lb 13oz from Peg 5 in the day time. John took a mind blowing male fish of 45lb 12oz from peg 1 and Bod had fish to 43lb from Peg 4 so all the guys catching some lovely fish indeed. week ended on 28 landed, best going 50lb+...6 over 40lb+ to 49lb, stacks of big 30s with 2 going 39lb+ along with some very special stockies now coming through to upper 20s along with a lone tench of 8lb+.....great week and as always great company, well done chaps! We have had a full lake booking on the large lake this week but that blog will have to follow this for now......below is an update from Richards exploits from a few weeks ago on the 15 acre lake along with what has been taking place.

 

15 Acre lake

 

I have had to take quite a drastic measure this year by reducing the water level by over 2.5 feet to finish the peg work...it's been almost impossible to complete each peg with the water level near max because the front row of railway sleepers need to be bedded down on firm clay, then bring into the equation of a 14 ton digger I have had no other choice. Reducing water levels at this time of year is anything but ideal so I have built into each peg a drop down level top compensate for the lower water level and making fish landing easier. When the lake returns to max level this area will be covered but it will provide a standing platform for getting in a taking water shots with your prize so it's worked out very nice indeed. I could have gone for the easy option and thrown some bark chipping down on a slopped bank, and when the water rises and falls like it does on many lakes you just get on with it...............but that has never been my attitude and any of our regulars know I try to do things "the right way" regarding of how hard the work is involved but long term it matters both to us as a fishery and you as the customer. That half hearted mentality, that will do attitude is not in my nature....and you could fire a bunker bomb into the pegs without damaging them, but once complete the job is permanent and they will last many years to come.

 

I have had a regular angler fishing the lake last week and he moved around most days, trying different swims and areas to get a feel for the lake. The fish are very nomadic indeed and they do move on mass with a prevailing wind, so one moment they could be down the far bay, the following morning they have moved on mass around the spit and down the far bank ripping the bottom up as they go. Richard had a little taste of this because he dropped into the middle of the lake... a swim that will be named "Coypu HQ".....first night he took 5 fish including the largest of the week at 36lb+ we are now into our 4th heatwave of the week and the days are quite and the fish are in night mode due to the temps. I checked the water dissolved oxygen this week and its high in both lakes but the water temp is some of the hottest I have recorded with the large lake running at 29 and the smaller lake measuring 27.5oc......granted this is in the very upper layer but its still a very high reading which explains the carp lack of enthusiasm in picking up anglers bait, and that's why they are feeding on naturals at the present with plenty of fish crashing and bubbling right over the baited patches. I keep in contact with numerous fisheries in France and it's interesting to hear this has been the story of the season covering waters from the north, south, east & west of the country.

 

Back to Richard..........the following night was very quiet indeed and very few fish in front of him but he did mention he could hear fish boshing out all night on the other side of the spit. Now the far bay is only shallow, so Richard & I walked out along the spit to the end so you are 3/4 of the way out into the lake at the bottle neck point.....as you looked into the shallow bay it looked like an atom bomb had hit the lake bed, left hand side of the spit covering the main body of water was lifeless. I have seen the fish do this many times before but when you seen them on mass turning the bottom over it's unreal and quite something. Richards jaw drop hit the ground and the difference was so visible that one side of the spit the water was so clouded up and the other side being a slight clear/green colour the two waters were mixing creating almost what looked like a tidal estuary mix of salt and freshwater with every fish in that lake hard on bloodworm and not a foot square of water in that 7 acre bay was not bubbling or rocking with fish movement. It was a little cat and mouse most of the week and the fish knew instinctively something was different from the normal. This will take time and the fish will settle down but they are so used to zero angling pressure and general backside noise each day so they are more spooky than I first thought.

 

Regards the stock it seems the sheer numbers of fish in the lake are holding the weights back and a drain-down in the near future will be needed to adjust this and allow the fish to push on.. Combined with 4 bouts of spawning this year the fish are lean and need to bulk up a little because their frames are so much bigger, but they are fighting like caged tigers that is for sure..... I'm hoping over the next month they will do this, but the average weight is between 18lb-21lb from what I can see. This lake is unknown, I'm not going to sell a bull-S--- story just to get punters through the door because that's not how we have run the fishery for the last 10 years. Both groups we have had this year have had fish to 36lb+ so far, odd other fish in the low 30lb bracket, some nice mid to upper 20s including some stunning 28-29lb commons, and lots of fish, like I say, being very close to moving into the 20lb bracket or just over. It appears some 3 summer fish have also survived which will need removing so odd singles and low doubles have turned up but they are not part of my initial 500 fish stocking. Yes I'm a little disappointed, I wont lie, I was hoping all the fish would have been a couple of notches up but I think by next spring that will be the case.

 

Richard ended his weeks fishing with 30+ fish landed, possible the largest of the week was lost due to a hook pull close in after a long drawn-out fight...largest this week went 36lb+ along with 7 others over 20lb including a 26lb+,25lb,2 x 24lb....12 fish between 17lb 8oz-19lb 8oz with another 10 just under this weight. He had two stunning looking fully scaled mirrors and mint 20lb+ commons in his catch. Looking at these weights we are 6 months behind...towards the latter part of this season, stepping into April next year we will be seeing most of the stock coming out at 20lb+,with a good sprinkling of 30s each week along with a couple of big fish.

 

Regardless of the average size the lake does hold some prizes indeed and these jewels will show up in the fullness of time....we are not all about size, we make that so clear without being rude, and plenty of other lakes in France do hold far bigger fish. What we offer is the whole package, the real deal for keen, passionate anglers who care more about the looks of the fish, there lake surroundings and lets be honest trying to find a lake these days full of uncaught carp with prefect mouths is getting harder and harder. We genuinely care about you as a customer, I want you to leave from here with good memories and happy regardless if you have caught 1 carp or 100...that's what matters. We are not about taking your money, sort yourself out boys and we don't give a toss if you blank or struggle....we are not "that fishery" it's as simple as that. Rome was not built in a day, and you cannot make an omelette without cracking a few eggs, but for the first time the fishery is closer than ever before regarding what we wanted to achieve in our minds eye....the best is here now on the 7 acre lake and next spring is going to showcase that, the larger lake is only going to keep improving in the next few years...watch this space.

 

Anyone who has booked or is looking to for next year, get in touch, ask questions and we are happy to help.

 

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Team Sanctuary