And didn’t they do well !!

It has nor been an easy few weeks since spawning for us as well as many other fisheries here in France. We have all been racking our brains as to why with the common answer revolving around a profusion of naturals pre-occupying the fish. The truth is that we can only speculate as to the reason and should move on as, and when, the carp allow. Well, this week illustrated what can happen when the carp do decide to move on from a diet of naturals and start feeding enthusiastically on the anglers bait.

Both lakes really took off from the off and by Sunday morning it was obvious that the quiet period had finally come to a close. The quality of the fish banked this week was also very impressive with the main lake having a marvellous catch of carp totalling 81 fish including 21 of over 50lb. Of those we had 2 x 60’s plus another 6 carp that will be over that weight within just a few weeks time. It is so pleasing to know that the big weight loss seen due to spawning is quickly being made up, albeit on naturals for the most part so far, and now that they are back on the anglers bait we can look forward to some impressive weight gains in the weeks ahead. Find the total main lake catch below…

64lb, 63lb 12oz, 59lb, 58lb, 58lb, 58lb, 57lb, 57lb, 55lb, 55lb, 55lb, 54lb, 53lb, 52lb, 51lb, 51lb, 51lb, 51lb, 50lb, 50lb, 50lb plus 18 x 40’s and 30 x 30’s.

A good proportion of the 40’s were above 45lb and the 30’s also included a good number that will be breaking the 40lb barrier shortly.

A great week with a special mention to Kieran who banked 32 carp including 7 x 50’s and a 60. His father, Darren also did well with 13 carp with 7 of them being over 50lb…some average. Paul had a good haul with his best being a 64 plus another 3 of over 50lb. Tom also had a good week with a brace of 50’s in his catch however Pete and Toby, fishing the shallower water struggled to catch more than the odd fish or two. It was not reflection on them but more an indication that the carp were seemingly happier in the deeper water with very few signs of activity in the shallows. I am not sure why to be honest as the conditions were perfect for the shallower end of the lake that are normally full of fish at this time of year. Something else for us to ponder over !

As ever it was a most enjoyable week with the Chichester lads and we look forward to seeing them once more in 2023.

On Poppy’s lake we have two old friends and long standing LMDM regulars Eric and Tony who enjoyed fishing back to its best after a couple of tough weeks. Lots of bait really kept the fish coming and the boys bagged over 100 fish for their week. None of the big girls showed up, which is a surprise, but Tony did have a 41lb mirror and Eric a stack of big 30’s, all of which were in superb condition. As in the main lake a very heavy, prolonged period of spawning has really knocked the weights of most of the fish but now that they are back on the feed we can anticipate some rapid weight gains as the season rolls on. I cannot get a mental grip on this lake as it goes against all established wisdom on how to maintain a healthy fishery. Water quality remains superb all season with very little algae even in the hottest weather, however the stock is vastly higher than it should be according to fishery management rules. We have over 300 carp in just 4.5 acres, flourishing, putting on weight and remaining in superb condition so something special is going on there. I think that Jimmy is planning to net Poppy’s again this winter to remove some of the smaller fish in which case growth rates should pick up even more. We have never moved any big fish from the main lake into Poppy’s, just some of the smaller, pretty carp, so seeing the fish growing from such small beginnings to over 60lb is rather special. The bulk of the stock is now 20’s and 30’s but come next season there should be a really good stock of 40lb fish with expectation of our first 70 to boot. All credit to Jimmy who has invested in feeding the fish here all through lockdown and continues to do so on weeks without anglers. I anticipate 2023 to be very special here……Happy days indeed.