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| Steve Ellis - A Week In France 2nd-August-09 |
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There have been a number of times over the years when I have been asked to put pen to paper, or as we do nowadays punch a few keys, about my carp fishing, so I thought I would tell you all about a recent trip to Windmill Lakes in France, using Baitcraft's T1.
But firstly let me tell you how it all began for me with Baitcraft's T1.Well, there was a link to another bait company’s web site called Carp Gods, and Spencer was doing his bit on there, and mentioned the T1, this was at a time when I was thinking about changing my boiled bait to something new or better still, different. Contact was made with Mark and shall we say it all took off from there.
My first outing with the T1 was to an Angling Lines water called Old Oaks in 2007. Here I was told that my bait would fail, due to the large number of Poisson Chat in the lake and my bait having fish meal in it. I went on to catch the lakes largest common at 39-8 and the largest mirror at 38-00, also catching six other 30s and two upper 20s. Not bad considering that one of my friends blanked and another only caught three fish, after I offered to bait an area in the evening and supply the hook baits. (Three evening feeds= three fish). Note I was the only one using T1; my friends were using another company’s bait.
Next we went to Windmill Lakes in September 2008, now there are two lakes to this complex, one that has loads of mid doubles and a few bigger fish to about 35 pound with some quite large Cat fish to possibly 80 or 90 pound, and the other lake being a more difficult proposition altogether with 120 Carp in it up to mid 40s. I managed five fish including a 36 pound Grass carp and my friend caught one, again on the T1 after I baited an area and supplied the hook baits.
Now to this years trip at the end of April. It was a chance thing really, as a large work project had been delayed, and the lake had not been booked, so it was a quick call to Mark to see if it was possible for him to produce the bait, which was just about ok and then pack the van and get over there. This time I took a work colleague with me who's PB was 26 pound and he was hoping to catch his first 30. So this became our aim and I had to warn him that this was not by any means an easy lake, and to not get the idea that all French Lakes are runs waters stacked with over sized Carp.
After arriving on Saturday, and having a bit of a chat with Dave the owner, we began to put our houses up and get our gear sorted. By early evening my friend was eagerly waiting to get his rods out, but I suggested that we baited some likely looking spots before dark and then get good nights kip. I feel that this pays dividends as the party the week before would probably put any left over bait in the lake and it gives the fish a chance to have a feed and clear up any left over’s without any lines in the water, also to have a munch on our baits as well, without any pressure.
We baited with about 50 baits with some pellet in a few areas before retiring for the early start the next morning. This again I feel works much better than filling the lake in from the start, something I have seen, only for the anglers to fail and get despondent and start to fish other areas, while the fish come in and clean up when they have removed their lines.
Sunday morning and we start to get my friends rods out, now I could tell you that we using the latest self hooking, re-aligning blow back rig, but all was very standard, Fox SSC hooks with a blow back ring and a fairly long hair, fished with flat pear inline leads. The lead arrangement was to keep the line as close to the lake bed as possible, we also used a flying back lead and then when all was in place we added another flying back lead just off the rod tip to make sure that our lines were as hidden as much as possible. Sunday afternoon and my friend has his first fish at 22 pound and then another at 27-8 a new PB for him. I also managed two fish a 28 and a 29-8, things were looking good, very good indeed.
Monday and my friend has another PB at 30 pound on the button and it’s mission accomplished, as the week went on he managed to beat his PB 4 more times ending with a stunning looking 37lb mirror. I went on to greater heights with three 40's the biggest being a 43-12 mirror which we think could be the lakes biggest mirror. I did notice that by Thursday they seemed to have wised up a bit and we started to get some single bleeps instead of the full screamers that we were getting earlier in the week, so we changed our rigs over to fluorocarbon and managed to take a few more fish.
If I was to give any advice to anyone who was going to any small intimate waters be it English or French, it would be to set up as far away from the waters edge that is as safe as possible and try and keep away from the waters edge, try to be quiet. I have seen and heard Guys calling their pals on the other side of the lake and then wondering why they’re not doing to well. All use the same bait and use good quality food bait; you won't go far wrong with the T1, and take plenty of it, even if you bring some back with you. The times that I’ve seen anglers with a kilo of bait for a 48 hour session, only to take half of it home and then start to wonder why they are not doing to well, its beyond me.
For the record my friend managed 8 fish up to 37 pound, and I managed 12 fish up to 43-12, our catch included 15 fish over the 30 pound mark, which Dave the owner tells me no-one has ever managed before and that no-one had ever managed more than a single 40 since he has owned the lakes.
So to all that read this, tight lines and try to think when you’re on your away trips, I know it’s hard with the beers flowing but a bit of thought can make all the difference. Why not give Windmill Lakes a call for later in the year or perhaps next year, you never know you could be writing an article very similar to this with an even bigger fish to your name.
A Big Thank you to Mark of Baitcraft (Great bait mate) and to Dave and Sue of Windmill Lakes.
Regards to you all and I hope something special really pulls your string soon.
Steve Ellis
www.windmilllakes.co.uk 0033 243 6983 32 0044 7768 231968
www.baitcraft.com 0044 7980 664698
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