Fishing report from: Andrew, Keith & family

A good week’s fishing with carp to 40 lbs and cats to 100 lbs!

This week we welcome Andrew and his wife Annette along with his friend Keith and family friend Sally for their first visit to us. They’ve been to France quite a few times over the years and have recently been avid followers of our YouTube channel. 

The videos and photos don’t do it justice, the lake and surroundings are amazing. We had a productive week catching numerous carp upto 41lb 2oz and cats to 100lb plus, these fish will really test your angling skills and your tackle so we were very glad that we booked a day’s tuition with Matt. Matt and Ren were most welcoming, nothing is too much trouble for them, fantastic hosts. A little piece of heaven in the French countryside. Will definitely return. 😁🎣🇫🇷

When we started the tuition on Sunday, it was clear to see that their rig game was already at a very high level. We spent time on carp behaviour and understanding fishing conditions, and took a good couple of hours exploring the lake bed and some of its intricacies. We had a really good day clarifying, exploring and refining various aspects of their fishing. 

When I returned on Wednesday, Andrew was walking like a man who’s caught too many carp in too short a period of time (always a good sign!). He’d had a quiet couple of nights, but it had all kicked off in his swim, and he’d banked three carp to 41 lbs in a day. 

In the swim next door, Keith was having a different time. He’d caught Sammy the Sturgeon four times, and when I called in to see him, he was into him again! Oh Sammy! Sammy loves pellets and flakes and anything bright, so Keith’s gambit of a grubbing mix and a yellow hook bait suited Sammy perfectly!

After some tactical changes, he only met him once more… thankfully. It’s not that he’s not good fun to catch because he really does fight well. It’s just that he loves to tangle other lines together… loves a bit of knitting, does our Sammy! 

We had some catfish action again this week. Keith was cut off on an obstacle that could be felt grating the line, which was unlucky. The second take didn’t quite go according to plan either as the guys struggled to glove the big cat and in the tussle the hooklink failed. 

After these adventures, Keith went on to bank four nice carp to 36 lbs.

Bait & Rigs

On the bait front, the guys opted for one Scopex carp food pack per angler and some particles. Most anglers stick with my running inline setup, but they’d both already mastered my quick change running lead setup, so that’s what they fished with. Andrew prefers the blowback multi and changed hooks religiously. Keith loves my deadly D and re-sharpened his own hooks.

Back at the lodge, the ladies had a lovely time. They headed out most days for long walks to the nearby villages. Sally absolutely loved the great selection of wildlife that calls the lake home, and Annette enjoyed some quality R & R. The ladies kept everyone fed and watered, which left the guys free to concentrate on their angling. They both worked really hard at it and fished every night (save the last). Despite their previous not inconsiderable experience, the guys learned a lot this week. The lake and its residents are good teachers. Well done guys on your first Beausoleil experience!

It was a pleasure to meet them, and we are delighted that they want to return to us at some point in the future.