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Plenty of great Beausoleil memories for these anglers on their first trip with a 41lb mirror, 12 x 30’s and a massive 90lb catfish!

Adam with rarely seen Shorty at a top weight of 39lbs
Adam with rarely seen Shorty at a top weight of 39lbs
We all agreed it was the best place we'd ever fished.

This week we had the pleasure of welcoming another new group to the venue from Hampshire. The weather was bang on for bites on their arrival but so wild that they’d chosen to skip two nights rather than take a soaking and enjoy the comforts of the house. Alan was quick off the mark on the first night though with a lovely mirror of 33lbs and by the end of Monday he’d added three more low thirties to his scorecard which is great going for his first trip to the venue. Alan had really done his homework on the lake and followed our advice to the letter on rigs and setup so it was smiles all round when we met up on Tuesday.

And another 30lbs+ for Alan, here with Fan Tail at 33lbs 12oz
And another 30lbs+ for Alan, here with Fan Tail at 33lbs 12oz

Alan had also brought along his son Luke for the trip. Luke expected his normal way of fishing to be good enough but 72hrs in, he’d failed to connect with anything despite activity on his alarms. A quick inspection of the state of one of his hooks told me all I needed to know and after I sharpened one up for him he banked the sturgeon.

Click here to see all the fish caught this week.

Top rod this week: Adam with 13 Beausoleil beauties

Adam with new king of the pond Mr Angry at 41lbs 2oz
Adam with new king of the pond Mr Angry at 41lbs 2oz

Luke’s mate Adam was the most experienced angler of the group and spent the first 48 hrs fishing with his favoured lead clip setup but by the end of the 2nd night he knew he’d been done too many times and two had dropped off during the fight. With Alan catching a 30lb carp a chuck on the Beausoleil lead system, Adam made the switch and banked Moonscale at 33lbs within hours. Adam had total faith in his stiff hinge and snowman rigs so he simply coupled them with my lead system and it made all the difference. Adam was also skilled in the art of hand sharpening his hooks and during our Tuesday visit he had back to back takes when he banked Shorty at 39lbs, followed by a 28lbs common.

Adam with one of our latest additions Magnum at 30lbs 6oz
Adam with one of our latest additions Magnum at 30lbs 6oz

For the rest of the week, Adam’s experience shone through and he ended the week with a total of 13 carp including 8 x 30lbs+ and new king of the pond Mr Angry at 41lbs 2oz. Apart from getting all the essential technical elements spot on, baiting strategy was the key to his success and tiny bait boat traps coupled with dotting baits along the margin got them moving between bait and induced mistake after mistake from the carp.

“Over the moon!”

Luke with a 90 pound catfish
Luke was ecstatic with his capture of a 90lbs catfish

Mid week, Luke banked the fish of a lifetime in the form of a 90lb catfish. Things got a bit hairy during the fight as the cat made a move towards the wrong side of the island. Luke took the decision to get in the boat and then went on the ride of his life as he got towed round the lake. He managed to get into the Catfish corner swim and back onto dry land where the fight continued. No one wanted to have a go at gloving such a beast so they went for the netting option. It was very lucky that they did as the 25lb mouth trap chod element failed as it came over the cord!

Fortunately some swift work by dad saved the day as he bundled it into the net. With no catfish experience between them the guys did very well to bank it so big congratulations to the team. Alan also got his catfish experience later on in the week when he banked a “small” 56lbs specimen. They don’t compare with the battle royale of a 90lber but they don’t half hang on!

Battling a monster catfish
Half way through a 45mn battle!

As well as fishing for himself, Alan was also helping his mate Noel who was more at home fishing the seas off the Hampshire coast. This type of fishing was very different to what he was used to and unfortunately he’d hit the wrong rod in the dark on the first night and blown his first chance. Despite the best efforts of the whole group who went above and beyond in an effort to avoid a blank for Noel, it just didn’t happen for him. Fortunately it was as much a social as anything else and he had a great time with the boys.

Catch report & Feedback from:

Alan & friends
Dates at Beausoleil: 29th April to the 6th May 2017
Number of anglers: 4

Brief details of your catches:

20 fish in total
12 x Mirror Carp: 41lbs 2oz, 39lbs, 37lbs, 33lbs 12oz, 33lbs 8oz, 33lbs, 33lbs, 33lbs, 31lb 6oz, 30lbs 8oz, 30lbs 6oz, 30lbs, 26lbs 8oz,
5 x Common Carp: 31lbs, 30lbs 8oz, 28lbs, 27lbs 4oz, 26lbs 4 oz,
2 x Catfish: 90lbs, 56lbs
1 x Sturgeon: 21lbs 8oz

What did you find were the best swims/tactics/baits?

Island point and the point swims, snowman rigs stiff hinge rigs and sausage oil boilies!

How was the weather?

Some days wet and windy, some days very hot. Generally mixed.

How did you find the accommodation?

Fantastic, could not have asked for more

What could we do to improve your holiday?

Nothing, it was a great week!

Would you recommend our venue to a friend?

Yes

General comments

Well, what can I say, from start to finish without doubt one of the best places I've ever fished. The place itself is beautiful and secluded, you lock the big gates and you're in your own little world dedicated to fishing. The lodge is brilliant, everything you need and more, the pool table was much appreciated when the heavens opened. Matt and Irene make you so welcome with their enthusiasm for the place being quite infectious. And a final mention for Matt I will forever be hand sharpening my hooks, thank you, another tip learned and taken forward into my own fishing. We all agreed it was the best place we'd all fished. We spent the whole trip back planning when we are going to be back. Thank you!

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