@Clive
Well-known member
With the rivers over their banks it was a choice of which of the two lakes to fish. They are both around 120Ha, constructed 20 to 30 years and have a main basin with one and three seperate arms respectively. Whilst the main basins are used for abstraction the four smaller arms are full all year. I arrived at the Charente arm of Lac Lavaud to find the strong wind and necessity for a brolly to rule out the best swims. Ten minutes later I was at a small arm of the Lac Mas Chaban. When I say small, it has a mile and a half perimeter enclosing 36 acres. It was 14C, wind speed 20mph gusting to double and rain all day.
I set the brolly up first as it was raining heavily. Then I got the float rod out with a windbeater float and plummet to find the drop off. Once I had found it I left the float out and used it as a marker to cast a maggot feeder helicopter rig out with double ruby red gozzers. I haven't used a helicopter rig for roach before, but in the blustery conditions I didn't fancy using a 2 foot leader as I normally do. I got bites, but struggled to convert them into hook ups. When I did get a roach it invariably required a disgorger which I found strange given the hook link was only 3". Anyway, I started catching better but got no takes on sweetcorn and they just shredded worms. It was maggots or nothing. At midday the rain relented enough to put the pike rod out. I used the tail half of a mackerel on a barbless treble and arranged a drop off bobbin and Delkin to warn me of any takes.
The rain returned and became very heavy for around 2 hours. When it relented I swapped to the float rod, stood outside the brolly and gave my newly made balsa and quill float a trial. I would like to say that it got a fish first cast, but that would be too Hollywood. It did however catch on the 2nd, 3rd and 5th casts and then at least 50% of the time after. What surprised me is that I didn't need to bait the swim. The float was fishing closer in than where I had been ledgering and I hadn't put any groundbait or maggots anywhere near where I was catching. They were nearly all lip hooked too, no disgorger required. In some cases I didn't need to change the bait. I probably caught 15 to 16 roach in the half hour weather window before I was driven back under cover.
I continued to catch small roach on the heli rig for the rest of the afternoon. The only nettable fish was a perch of around 10oz, the first perch I have caught here in just under 12 years. The pike rig remained undisturbed.
The gear is now spread out in the basement drying.
I set the brolly up first as it was raining heavily. Then I got the float rod out with a windbeater float and plummet to find the drop off. Once I had found it I left the float out and used it as a marker to cast a maggot feeder helicopter rig out with double ruby red gozzers. I haven't used a helicopter rig for roach before, but in the blustery conditions I didn't fancy using a 2 foot leader as I normally do. I got bites, but struggled to convert them into hook ups. When I did get a roach it invariably required a disgorger which I found strange given the hook link was only 3". Anyway, I started catching better but got no takes on sweetcorn and they just shredded worms. It was maggots or nothing. At midday the rain relented enough to put the pike rod out. I used the tail half of a mackerel on a barbless treble and arranged a drop off bobbin and Delkin to warn me of any takes.
The rain returned and became very heavy for around 2 hours. When it relented I swapped to the float rod, stood outside the brolly and gave my newly made balsa and quill float a trial. I would like to say that it got a fish first cast, but that would be too Hollywood. It did however catch on the 2nd, 3rd and 5th casts and then at least 50% of the time after. What surprised me is that I didn't need to bait the swim. The float was fishing closer in than where I had been ledgering and I hadn't put any groundbait or maggots anywhere near where I was catching. They were nearly all lip hooked too, no disgorger required. In some cases I didn't need to change the bait. I probably caught 15 to 16 roach in the half hour weather window before I was driven back under cover.
I continued to catch small roach on the heli rig for the rest of the afternoon. The only nettable fish was a perch of around 10oz, the first perch I have caught here in just under 12 years. The pike rig remained undisturbed.
The gear is now spread out in the basement drying.
Very well done!
