Here we are in France for the week, fishing for carp on the lake that is renowned for producing huge carp to a staggering 66lb. It is my third trip to a lake that has been very kind to me in the past, with several fish over 30lb, including a 46-pounder and one of 521/2 lb.
As usual I’ve made a slow start, in fact you can’t make a slower start to a fishing trip than the one I’ve made this week – it’s Sunday, three days into the trip and I’ve yet to have a fish! But that doesn’t worry me, for I usually come into my own at the end of trips rather than the beginning, so I’m not bothered yet.
I’m not too worried anyway, for I’m here for a rest as much as anything, and if I go home without catching anything at all I will have enjoyed my self and charged up my batteries.
There are 15 of us on the lake and one of the lads netted a beautiful carp of 40lb 4oz within an hour of casting in. He deserved it, for on a trip last year he had only one 20-pounder for the week. A couple of the other lads –
…..I’ve just had to break off the report. Eddie Bibby, who I’m sharing a double swim with, has just had a terrific run and struck into what was obviously a very big fish, only for it to slip the hook after five minutes of playing it. It was one of those big lumps that hog the bottom and do what the hell they like, slowly but steadily where nothing you can do will stop them. So things are not too bright at the moment, but no doubt we’ll get over it and move onto the next fish….
As I was saying, a couple of the other lads have had a big twenty and a couple of thirties, including a beautiful common of 35lb.
Ed’s recent loss of the big fish isn’t the first fish we’ve lost this trip. I lost a good one on the first night and Ed lost one yesterday at the net. A nice mirror of about 20lb or so. Ed’s had two grass carp of 18lb apiece. The swim we’re fishing is a bay and we’re fishing across to the far bank about 100yds away, where the bank is laced with tree branches and other big fish-holding areas.
More soon………
