| Archive for Catfish Group Big Ron's Carp & Catfish Group |
| Big Ron |
Last week at the lakeHi Just thought we would update you all ..on last weeks visit to the lake and how it went.Here is a link to the Pictures so you can compair the summer conditions to the winter ones we just seen 
http://catfishgroup.myfreeforum.org/ftopic9-0-asc-0.php Well it Started off realy..... a couple of weeks ago ....when I drove down to Wales to load up the mobile home before it was picked up for transportation to France. We had purchased a plastic shed 
which was placed in the mobile home with alsorts of things, Beding, pots and pans, plates, cups, cutlery etc etc. then on Sunday the 10th of Feb , we traveled down to Dover to get the 23.30 ferry crosing to France. The car was loaded to bursting point, with tools and and other stuff we was taking over even after loading the mobile home 
After traveling through the night ( which included stoping for a sleep ) we arived at the lake Monday morning and was greted by François et Benoîte, after a reviving cup of tea and a sometime spent chating about how things where ( with Trish practicing her Freanch as she had been listening to the Freanch CD's on the drive over ) we eventualy went with François down to the lake to disscuse what where the plans for the coming week. he showed us two large piles of broken up stone he had already ordered in to cover over the tracks around the lake, so that the surface would be much better for driving on and also stop the large truck that was bringing the mobile home sinking into the mud, as they had had a lot of rain out there and as we was to find out the ground was quite wet and soft. We discused with him where the mobile home would be situated and also which areas we would like cleared to start the swims. He had aranged for a locual farmer and his son to be there on the afternoon, with all of the relivant equipment to clear an area for the swims and mobile home ( I think with out them it would have took me all week just to clear a swim ) as the lake is totaly suronded by trees apart from the dam. So that afternoon they arived and we set about cleaing the swims that would be infront of the mobile home. 
as you can see from the pictures they did not mess about and started riping out the smaller trees .....we had already agreed with François, we would not touch the bigger older trees and leave them standing. 
as you can see above. |
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| Big Ron |
Im not sure if it was the Language barrier ....but they actualy cleared a much bigger area than we was looking for, the area infront of the mobile home will end up being a double, double swim 
they then set about removing any of the overhanging branches that looked suspect or week or would hinder casting .....as some where very high, the farmers son, just climed in to the bucket on the big digger and was lifted up with his chain saw to cut them down
as you can see here 
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| Big Ron |
By the time this had been done ....the night was drawing in and I took the opertunaty ....to get a few of my first sunsets of the lake
if you look at the bottom one you will see the stock pond just the other side of the dam
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| Big Ron |
The next day which was Tuesday ....we set about making an area for the Mobile home and also graveling the paths around the lake as the modile home was due to arive on the Wednesday morning at about 10.30
We leveled an area at the back of the swim's that had just been cut out then we laid down the broken stone to have good areas to drive on ....we also leveled an area just up from the Mobile home area that can be used as a car park area
area infront of the mobile home 
the bend of the dam leading to the mobile home and also all along the dam its self .....so once you drive down his private road from the house, you will be straight on to a good surface
Here is a veiw looking back up the private lane to his house from the 500 year old Oak Tree 
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| Big Ron |
Well that was another day over and that night me and Trish took both François et Benoîte out for a meal in the local town of Monty en Der.
Then the next day ( Wednesday ) we was all ready for the mobile home to be delivered ....I had been incontact with the driver by mobile phone as he had traveled through France .....and just after 10.30 I had a call to say he was just a few minuest away ....so I said I would stand out at the front enterance, so I could flag him down. 
Well the lorry arived and after a few near scapes with some of the trees, which we had to trim back ...it was very slowly driven over the dam. 
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| Big Ron |
now this is where all the fun begins
As there was no way he could drop it of the back of the lorry and the turn to come back across the dam .....we had to drop it on the feild to the side, which ment would would have to tow it in to place, so we all set about running it off the back of the lorry in to the feild ...then we paid the driver his final payment and off he went to pick up another load in France for his return jorney to England
if you look closely behind him coming across the dam ...you will see the mobile home sitting in the feild
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| Big Ron |
As we had no means to tow it into place ....it stoped there that night untill the farmer could bring hs tractor over the next day.
That night we had aranged to meet up with Paul-François Bachelier for a meal, he was the fish farmer that I had perchased the Carp from. So myself, Trish, Francois & Benoite drove over to a nice restarunt by Lac Du Der and meet up with Paul.
We speant a plesent night talking about how best to manage the lake etc. The only down side was when I lernt of Paul that Lac De Orient will be virtualy totaly drained this year for work on the lake and the president of the lake will not alow it to be netted  this may mean the death of its many big carp to over 70 lbs
The next day ( Thursday ) seen the Farmer and his son return to the lake, with a monster of a tractor to tow the modile home into place ....well before we had gone six feet it was stuck in the mud ....we eventually got it to the area it was going to rest ....but it was sill down to its axels in mud ....We did not have anythink that would lift it ...so the farmer said he would come back the next day with a different machine that they used for lifting pallets and big logs.
So we just carried on cleaing the swim, sawing up wood and stacking it to one side. the next day ( Friday ) he returned and we slowly with the add of big planks of wood to spread the load, lifted it out of the mud and set about beding it down in palce. Finaly by the end of the day, we had suported by some very large reinfoced concred blocks. Trish could now get in and start to clean it and me and our newly made friend, a young lad called Julian ( who was stoping with his grand farther and mother who work for François at the big house ) started to paint it .....but it was actualy that cold that the pain keept runing, so we give it up as a bad job  so we just carried on clearing the swims and help Trish sort out the mobile home.
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| Big Ron |
The next day was Saturday ....and we had been asked eairler in the week by François , if we would like to jouin in on the local hunt, it was the last one of their hunting season and François has such a big estate that he is one of the main organisers in that region.
I knew it was not Trish's cup of tea and not realy mine also, but one thing I have learned in my many years fishing abroad is ....that it pays to get in with the locauls
So I said yes I would very happy to take part. as you can see from the pictures below ...its quite a big thing over there ....it started around mid day with a meal 
Look at this for a barby 
I rember saying to Trish as we sat there at the meal ....its a wonder they dont shot each other with the amount of wine they where consuming LOL LOL after the meal, we split in to two groups ....I was in the group with the dogs ....while the others set off in the cars to position them self on the outskirts of the woods ......the idea being that we flush them out and the other group are waiting for them. So I put on my bright orange jacket ( so they did not shout me ) and off we went 
we went through several woods in line with the dogs running before us 
We would stop at each breake in the forest and then all start off again, with them shouting and blowing their horns. I actual seen a kill right in front of me ....as we was walking through one area .....the dogs picked up a sent and as they went after the prey and it broke cover the person next to me rasied there gun and a shot rang out and down went the dear 
Here they are carring it away. after we had been through severl woods ...we returned to the hunting lodge ...and they all drank somemore and talked about the one that got away ( Bit like us anglers ) then the kills for the day was hung up and shared out. |
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| Big Ron |
Well the next day was Sunday ....the day we would be returning back to England, so after a bit of lesure time in the mobile home.
we set about puting everthink away, ready for the next vist, we did not do any fishing as the lake was total frozen 
We said goodby to our newly made friend ...Julian 
Then went down and said our goodbuys to François
It was a interesting week, very cold, But I think that both me and Trish would have gladly stayed there longer
Hope you have enjoyed this small update .........Ron & Trish |
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| carp-guru |
Absolutely fantastic review of the work carried out. Looks like alot was acheived during the week. A credit to yourself and Trish. It always pays to intrigrate within the local community and it certainly looks if you done that. | ||
| Hodster |
excellent write up and what a huge amount of work was done!
its really impressive the effort being put in, i feel priveleged to be able to get to fish somewhere like this which is obvioulsy very dear to you |
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| Big Ron |
Glad you liked the write up
Me and Trish where not realy sure if we should of had members the first year ....as there is so much to do to get the lake how we want it
But being involved from the start can be a good thing in my experiance .....as you get the fealing its also partly your lake ...as you have been there from the start and seen it grow
I have worked on lakes in the past ...like Cuttle Mill when my mate Tony ( RIP ) bought it ...and every time I used to fish there after it was all done ....I would reflect that I built this swim or tiled that roof etc .....I rember well one weekend while fishing peg 16 ...me and my mate Paul, built the footings and brick work for the are pictured below
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| activecarper |
a fantastic write up ron, and trish, you certainly had your work cut out, weldone to you both on suceeding what you aimed to do.......re: the mobile home.
It was also lovely to see you have some good people to help out, and support your venture, because you also hear all sorts of stories to the contrary of this. I can see you both will get a massive amount of pleasure from this, and I can see it giving you pleasure in return............... such commitment
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| Trish |
Thanks AC....
Yes, you're right, the people over there are great and they made us feel very welcome. I had a real bubble of pleasure, I know you'll understand, the first night we sat in the mob home as it was getting towards dusk, with the heater on, the oil lamps lit, looking out of the window at the sunset across the lake. Also, just wandering around by myself, listening to the woodpeckers as I found the next site for a swim (While the men were struggling to get the mob home in its final site ... I couldn't watch... I'd been told they're actually quite easy to break!) We're not going to alter the site much. It's never been fished before, though, so you can imagine there are lots of little willows, birches, beeches and so forth in amongst the bigger oaks so we'll just thin them out enough to create another swim and then see how it goes. The swim in front of the mob home gives a great view but it's definitely bigger than we'd anticipated....still... I'm thinking summer night, rods out, glass of wine, big hunk of cheese, just 3 or 4 of us on the lake... it's going to be fabulous! I just need to improve my French now and I'll be really happy! |
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| activecarper |
well trish, it is a lovely wild and pleasant place to look at, I would imagine the birds and wildlife are fab, such a dreamy place to be, so I can see why you just love it............
and not changing too much will give it that extra sparkle, and attract people just for the solitude, I'm gonna dream we are there toasting your good fortune, as I believe this will be the making of you both.... xx |
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| carp-guru |
The thought's of everyone I would say. 
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| activecarper |
thing was c-g, it was straight from the heart....
and I just couldn't describe it any other way..... |
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| stax |
sounds great. is there much wild life you`ve seen yet ? | ||
| Big Ron |
Quite a bit there ....will have to ask Trish all the different birds ....she is into that more than me
seen quite a few tracks through the woods ...dear and wild pigs etc
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| Trish |
I wasn't really looking much this time but there were several egrets, green woodpeckers, various tits and some mallard....plus lot of mosquitoes and other biting flies that we disturbed while working (whilst really cold at night it warmed up a lot in the daytime) Not so good!
I'd say that mosquito repellent would be good to have in the kit..... Any tips anyone? |
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| Trish |
I wasn't really looking much this time but there were several egrets, green woodpeckers, various tits and some mallard....plus lot of mosquitoes and other biting flies that we disturbed while working (whilst really cold at night it warmed up a lot in the daytime) Not so good!
I'd say that mosquito repellent would be good to have in the kit..... Any tips anyone? |
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| stax |
wild boar. great stuff ! they make a great bar b q meal !
nice to hear that you have seen tracks of deer and boar. i bet when it warms up there will be loads of birds of prey ? |
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| activecarper |
well, a very good tip from me would be:
get an Aloe Vera plant for the van........ why?? if anyone burns, or has an injury, or bite they can gently break off a piece of its leaf/stem type, and rub its juices onto the wound this is an instant relief.... and has very good healing powers. likewise, Aloe Vera spray for midges..... they hate it.... :) |
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| carp-guru |
Mosquito milk is what I use . Its a roll on and you can get it from BOOTS. It is not on general sale so ask for it at the counter. | ||
| Trish |
Mosquito milk? Bet it's expensive .....must take ages to get a pint out of the little s*ds.
Good idea re the aloe vera AC! I've some gel - I'll try to remember to take it out next time. |
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| carp-guru |
Not as long as it takes to get one out of my mate 
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| Big Ron |
Hi all ...just got back at 5.00 am this morning from the lake
I took a friend of mine out there who is great at cutting down trees ....Dave Smith 
The weather was not too good as it rained every day and on our last day it actualy snowed
But after a hard 5 days ....we have the makings of some great swims
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| Big Ron |
The 5 days started off quite badly .....as on the way there the M6 had been closed off just before the M1 and also, due to Sea France being on strike our 11.30 ferry did not sail untill 3.00 am the next morning. Glad I have just made a bulk booking on the Euro Tunnel for the next 5 trips
Well once we arrived at the lake and unloaded the car we walked the right hand side to see where the swims could be fitted in This was no mean task as the lake has never been fished before ....there were no natural spaces apart from the dam
Every inch of the right hand side was covered with either trees in the lake itself, or large overhanging trees, or just lots of dead trees
Even an area with only small ones like these had much bigger ones just behind overhanging or in the lake
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| Big Ron |
So we picked out 4 areas to tackle and set about removing any fallen, or overhanging, or small ones ....as I had already said to the owner I would not touch any of the big old ones.
So Dave armed with his two chain saws started thinning them out as I removed them out of the way ....Here are shots of Dave at work, removing overhanging trees 
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| Big Ron |
Once we had done the overhanging ones in each area we had selected, we then tackled the ones in the swim itself and the ones fallen in the lake
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| Big Ron |
After 3 hard days work we had cleared 4 more areas to turn into swims
Here are a couple of them 
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| Big Ron |
Next we set about putting in some bases
here is a double above and a single below 
this was done by using some of the smaller trees we had taken out ... I wanted the swims to be higher than the current level in case the water came up .....we checked on the monk at the dam to see where the level had been in the past 
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| Big Ron |
Next was the job of back filling them all ....well that was fun as we needed to hire a small digger and did not have a clue where to go
I had spoken to François and he wanted me to use the farmer I had last time, with the big digger ....but I did not want a repeat of the last time with the farmer just plowing in and levelling everything in front of him. We started looking around for a mini digger in the nearby town and found that to hire one, we would also have to pay a driver
As Dave had driven them before, I wanted to hire just a digger ....then there would be no problem trying to translate what I wanted
So eventually we were told of a place in St Dizier ...so off we went with the sat nav ....to a place called S.E.M.A.L.O.C ....only to find that no one in the office there could speak English ....both me and Dave tried with our limited French ....but were getting nowhere fast
Then the young girl in the office set up a translator on her PC and Dave typed in the questions we wanted to ask ( as he can spell unlike me!) and she translated it in to French .....then she would answer in French and translated it to English for us to read
Well this worked well and we had arranged for the mini digger to be delivered at noon that day and it would be collected the next day (our last at the lake ) |
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| Big Ron |
So we drove back to the lake and were ready to start filling the swims as soon as the digger arrived, we did not order it till 11.00 o'clock that day but it arrived bang on 12.00 o'clock
The driver showed us how to change the buckets and off we went picking our way through the woods to the swims. The big digger would never have been able to do this so it was the right decision
it was a bight tight getting to the far double ....but once there we started backfilling the swims. 
Although Dave had not used one for over 10 years ...it didn't take him long to get back into using it
As you can see from this shot below, the weather was against us ....but we just carried on in the rain ..backfilling the swims .....there was one that was much worse than the others .. it was down a hill ....I was amazed we didn't get the digger stuck as the treads just sank in the mud
With about half an hour to dark we finished the swims ....then we decided to make the area next to the mobile home a bit bigger so there was room for a car
We also tried to level out the swim in front of the mobile home ....but had to give up as the ground was far too wet and we were making it worse not better 
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| Big Ron |
They came and collected the mini digger the next day just after 8.00. Dave and I had planned to start graveling the area around the mobile home. We had the gravel all ready and waiting
But about 15 mins after the digger was collected it started to snow
We had had rain every day ...and then snow  ....so we just cleaned up the mobile home, loaded the car and called it a day.
Here is a shot I took as we left the lake
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| Big Ron |
Once again ...not a single rod was set up ...and the carp are still all uncaught ..........we did feed them each day though
Well that's it until the next trip out in a couple of weeks ....when I hope to start tidying the swims and compacting them down so they can be covered with bark chippings 
Ps ....while we were out there we did look at the depths of the lake and the swims and it looks like we will all need to wade out to net the fish as all the bankside areas are a gradual slope .....running into a channel in the centre of the lake ....its around 6 foot at the dam end ....running back to 3 or 4 foot up by the feeding cage. It might be that we need to put a landing pontoon in each swim .....But personally I think it would spoil the look of the lake. It can be a problem landing fish from them if they get underneath too ...what are your thoughts ??? |
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| Hodster |
Initial reaction.... WOW
think i need to reread that.... seems like a months worth of hard work done in a matter of days!!! well done !!
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| Big Ron |
Looks a bit raw ...at the moument ....but after its grown over later in the year it will be ...worth all that hard work
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| Trish |
And wasn't it nice of him to create the plot for my vegetable garden?
Wish I'd been there too .... but then again, with all that rain, maybe not. 
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| editor |
Ron, regarding the depth of water in front of the swims, would it be possible to get a digger in to scoop out the margin in front to a suitable depth mate?
Just a thought! |
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| Big Ron |
Its an idea to be thought about ......biggest problem is access Steve ....the big digger the farmer has would be ideal .....but it would take half the trees down on the way to the swims
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| Paul Mansfield |
I'm truly amazed at the amount you achieved in such a short space of time.. it is now a fishery not just a lake.. wading out to land fish is not really an issue is it? One of the main attractions of the "Lake in the Woods" is it's unspoilt nature, the chance to fish in among the trees and close up and personal with the lake itself.. A pair of chesties should sort it out.. roll on April! | ||
| Big Ron |
Must agree Paul, we ( Me and Trish ) feal the same way , the idea of the ( Lake in the Woods )..is not to be like another Dream Lakes where its suffed with fish each year so anglers have an easy time ......every facility you need is on hand and you get your meals cooked for you 
Its more about real fishing to us ....uncaught fish, that will have some merit, not to easy to catch, so they mean somthink to the capture. I dont see a problem having to slip on the waders to land a fish
Ps ....I took the Landing nets, unhooking mats and weigh slings over on the last trip .....so they will all be there waiting for you
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| stax |
leave it as it is Ron and Trish. lake in the woods means just that ! | ||
| Big Ron |
Well it certainly is the lake in the woods ....just look at this over head shot
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| Big Ron |
Hi all ....just got back from what was a very frustrating few days out at the lake
We had planned to try and finish off the swims. So I had hired a wacker plate, with the plan being that I would pack down the loose earth we had filled the swims with last trip out then cover them all with bark chippings, so they would blend in with natural look of the lake. Trish was planning to carry on painting the mobile home and we had some more paint to mix with the green to tone it down. But as we got closer to the lake and saw all the water on the fields and the rivers that had all burst their banks ....I did not have a good feeling as I know from my time at Croix Blanch ...the lakes there could come up over 5 foot with the flooding of the near by river
The weather on the drive down had not been too bad, but as soon as we got to the lake we could see that the area had had a lot of water over the last couple of weeks. So as we pulled up at the lake, we were greeted with what reminded me of my days on Chanty ....Wet and muddy everywhere
You can see how bad it was from these shots
the bottom one being taken in January. |
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| Big Ron |
The lake itself had come up over a foot even though Francois had opened the sluice gate to let some water out into the stock pond.
He told me it was the highest level he had seen it in years
So I went to see how the swims had stood up to this...when Dave and I started to build them we went and looked at the water marks on the monk so even at the lake's highest level the swims would not be in the water
Well we had not done too bad a job, as even with the lake being higher than normal the swims were still above the water level
the only problem was that they were just like a mud pit
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| Big Ron |
As you can see ...not ideal conditions for working on them
But as I had brought the wacker plate all the way from England ...I had to give it a go
Well it did not take me too long to realize that it was not going to happen as I tried it on a fairly dry area first, so we could put up the shed. The more it vibrated the more water came up through the ground and the deeper it sank
so it went back in the car 
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| Big Ron |
We did manage to put up the shed, but I didn't think it would be any good trying to tackle the swims untill they had dried out a bit more.
I also set about clearing some other areas that would take a bivvy until the other swims had dried out and were finished off here is one of them 
We also started putting in some steps 
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| Big Ron |
But the weather was totally against us.... we woke up to snow each morning
and when it was not snowing it was sleeting or raining
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| Big Ron |
So we were mainly confined to the mobile home. We did have a few visitors over the 5 days though, with Francois bringing his son to meet us, the two grand children of the Guardian who works for Francois and also my French friend Val and his girlfriend Charlotte stopped over one of the nights.
I also managed to take a few sunsets one night. 
We even managed to get the car stuck at one stage it was so wet and boggy around the track. So all in all not a great time for work on the lake, but I'm sure it will be one of many memories, and we will sit down and laugh about it once the lake is all set up and finished
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| Trish |
Well, you've got to laugh else you'd cry.... I might feel a bit better about it once I've got over the cold that feels like it's looming!
Would you believe I was so frustrated at the lack of activity that I sellotaped the carpet? (Obviously there's no power, so no vacuum and I ended up with a roll of duck tape, picking up bits off the carpet! And I don't even LIKE housework....) |
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| Hodster |
Well that looks like a cold and wet time to say the least
Shame as a lot of distance travelled and a lot of your time! If its any consolation what you have achieved so far in such a short time makes up for this setback. Think you need a holiday after that!! |
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| Big Al |
That does look like a cracking lake Ron, it must be so exciting creating it for fishing. What a memory in life eh!
I wouldn't mind having a look at the rules and everything, i like the thought of a syndicate lake in France. |
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| Big Ron |
You have a PM
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| trevfish61 |
Hi eveyone,looks and sounds like you have both been really busy,wish i could of paid up this year but alas other responsibillitys first,only 11.5months to go!! (HAhA)
Has anyone caught anyfish yet? and how far is the lake from the french ferry ports, Which would be the best route to take? all the best,Trev. |
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| Trish |
Hi Trev
No one's fished it yet... including us! I reckon it's about 4 hours from Calais. We've used the tunnel the last couple of times and it's amazing how much faster it is. We bought a 'bulk' ticket cos we'll probably need to take the dog over and I can't face the thought of leaving him for an hour and a half in case he panics! Hope you're well? |
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| trevfish61 |
Thanks Trish, I have just been reading a fantastic book called "The Great Anglers" by John Bailey, there is a picture of a lady called Trishia (page 71) holding two mirror carp,it looks very much like you,is it?
4 hours is not so bad especially to fish such a beautiful lake. My nearest ferry port is Portsmouth-Cherbourg or I could go from Poole-St Malo, which would be nearer to the lake? Where is the nearest main town to the lake? all the best,Trev. |
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| Big Ron |
Do you want me to get you her Autograph Trev
yes it was Trish
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| Trish |
Yep Trev... it was me. I have an interesting and lucky past, but I don't claim the 'great angler' bit! There just weren't many women anglers around at the time and John wanted something different I think! Thanks for reminding me .. I haven't got a copy and I probably ought to get one. | ||
| Big Ron |
Off to the lake tommorow to hopefully finish off the swims, had a mail from the owner, who said it is quite dry out there at the moument
Hired the vibration plate again ....just hope the weather holds
Will update you once Im back
and hopefully have some pictures as Paul will be fishing there from Sunday
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| Hodster |
good luck fella's !!
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| Big Ron |
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| trevfish61 |
Have fun and I hope to join you at the end of the month/start of june,all the best,Trev. | ||
| Big Ron |
Just back last night ....and will be updating you shortly of the work on the swims and Pauls visit
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| Big Ron |
Well last Friday the 9 th, seen me off to the lake once again ....I had picked up the wakker plate on my way to the ferry, as due to the very bad weather last trip I had not been able to use it to help in the swims
The ferry was delaid as usual on the way out ....seams to be quite regular these days , good job the next 4 trips will be on the tunnel
because of the delay with the ferry, it ment I arrived at the lake in the dark of night, not a practice I like to do, as I much prefure to arive in the daylight and say hi to François et Benoîte
so when I arrived at the lake, I crashed out in the mobile Home tired after the long drive. When I woke the next morning, it was to a dawn chorus and as I looked out of the windows I could not belive the difference in the condition of the lake, after what was ony a few weeks ...we had left it, very wet, with bare trees
But just over a few short weeks, mother nature had been working overtime and every where was green once again 
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| Big Ron |
As I knew Paul would be over on the Sunday for his first weeks fishing at the lake, I wanted to try and get at least 2 of the swims ready for him
so I was up at 5.00 am that first morning , with all my tools rearing to go
I drove the car down to the 2nd swim along and started sorting it out .....the lake had dropped back to it normal leavel, so I had to decide weather to go with the original area me and Dave had cleared or use an area that would be out off the water if the lake was to come back up  as the areas that had been coverd by the lake when it was up, where still a bit wet, I decided to go for the higher level.
so out came the spade and the fork from the car and I started digging a new area, once I had clead an area, I used the whaker plate to compact it down. Then finished it off with oak chippings
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| Big Ron |
I then moved on to the next swim and followed the same process, as this swim was well out the water ......I did not creat an area behind it, but am planing to do that in the next few months, so you will have an extra area to store your gear when fishing in the swim
here it is after I had finished it 
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| Big Ron |
Well working on them two swims had made my first day fly by ....with the addition of severl new blisters I retired back to the mobile home for a good nights sleep
next morning sean me up at 5.00 am once again to start work on the double swim at the end of the lake .....I followed the same process as the one above, It was very hard work getting the wakker plate to this swim as unlike all the other you can not park directly behind it
here is a pic of me half way through it , just before I wint off to get some more wood chippings ( you would not beleve haw many bags went in to one swim ) 
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| Big Ron |
So off I went to get some more wood chipings, thinking that when Paul arives that night he will have a good choice of swims to set up in.
Paul was due to arive later that night and would be the first person to cast a rod and line into the lake
I had noticed the day before that the carp where showing all the signs of spawning and was wondering what sort of result he would have ??? not onlt because of them spawning, but also that fact that they had never been fished for before, would they take to the bait ?? I knew Paul was bringing quite a few different baits as well as boilies just incase they where not going to feed on boilies. Well Paul arrived about 5.50 pm and the first thing I did was make him a cup of tea. I then walked him around the lake to show him the different swims ( ps there is a map of the lake in the Log Book showing where all the swims are ) 
this will be left by each member in the small shed after their trip, so the next member fishing can see how they got on please add any tips or pointers to help each other out.
Well after we had looked at all the swims with the wind pushing up into the dam Paul decided to fish the double swim out side the modile home ( the only one I had not worked on LOL ) 
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| Big Ron |
Well it did not seam long after he had set up, that he was calling my name to look at the firsy carp he had caught
I think he had 8 takes in that first Swim landing 6 of them
this included a new PB Common of 37.00 lbs 
Well done Paul here is a mirror from that swim 
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| Big Ron |
Well they had gone straight on the bait with nealy all of them taking boilies
they where down in weight with the spawning and the fact that there had only been small amounts of bait going in on my visits
But the way they was feeding it wount take long for them to pack it back on
The wind then changed direction, So Paul decided to move down the lake 
Paul in the third swim down. as you can see from this picture you can drive down and park behind the swim. 
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| Big Ron |
Paul stayed in this swim for the rest of his trip and landed a further 15 carp
He commented to me that they where realy on the bait and he nealy run out, the more he put in the better they liked it. During the week I did take him out to the local intermarch and the area just down the road by the church, where you can dump all you rubish and bottels in the bottel bank
While paul was fishing I carred on working on the lake and the mobile home, I was determing to get as much as I could done for my next trip with Trish. Twice I decided to paint the mobile home and both time's you can guess what happened ....it Rained
I did eventualy get most of it painted, but I think it will need a nother coat next time Im out there .....I also worked on the area around the mobile home and there is now a seating and barbeque area. 
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| Big Ron |
All in all it was quite a good week
I did the odd senic shot as I allways do and did a bit of filmimg for the video diary
here are a couple of shots I took View from the inside of the mobile home 
Veiw out of the mobile home door 
Sun going down over the lake 
veiw from the mobile home 
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| Big Ron |
Well thats it for this update, Mike and his dad go over there today and I hope they have a good trip just like Paul did
Im sure they will update us as soon as they return
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| JAFFA |
Well done to Paul and there pristine fish 
Ron the place is really starting to take shape and once again sorry I could not make it buddy
kind regards Jeff |
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| Val |
Great job you did m8, looks even better now...
Congrats paul for the fishing ! |
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| Hodster |
Well done Paul on the PB, nice result mate
Cant wait to get out there, the lake looks superb!! Ron, the hard work is really paying off the place is going to be very special
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| Big Ron |
Yes its getting there
so far every one that has been on the lake, has comented on how peacefull it is
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| Paul Mansfield |
Hi all.. just like to say thanks to Ron and Trish for developing a superb fishery... I had a wonderful time, very peaceful with some great fishing... it will be very interesting to see how the fishing changes over the next few months as the fish react to the presence of more anglers... at the moment they seem quite willing to take boilies, especially when introduced with smaller feed items such as pellet and particles... i think Ron had most success on large double hook baits whilst I initially took fish almost exclusively on small single baits... however, on moving swim I couldn't beg a bite and changed to large single baits with a larger hook and longer hair (thanks Ron) and started to hit the runs again... maybe coincidence? maybe... in the end it seemed to me that the fish are hungry and actively looking for big beds of food items, the wind also being a big factor in their location means watching for feeding spots and changing your feed plan on a daily basis... the last fish of the session was taken by casting a stringer to a rolling fish, the reaction that quick the bait was taken as I was trying to put the swinger on the line!!
anyway... again thanks to RnT for all their hard work. |
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| trevfish61 |
Well Done Paul on yer ne wpb, and on such a beautiful common aswell.
Ron and Trish you have done us all proud,the lake looks fantastic,cant wait to get out there and cant wait till I hear about Mike and his Dad,all the best,Trev. |
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| Hodster |
any word from the guys on the lake this week ?? | ||
| Big Ron |
Spoke to Mike yesterday for a very short time, as Trev had informed me he was having problems with his line ( Snaping )
So I rang him up to tell him that there is quite a big tackle shop in Montier-en-Der facing the Tabac and he could get some new line there
Not sure if you lads Know the Story of Mike and his dad ?? But when he first enquired about the Syndicate, after buying some tackle of Trev, he said his dad had never had a carp over 15 lbs ( I think ) and as his dad is quite old now, this may be the last year he would have the chance to take him away to try and catch him a big Carp .....he had also picked this week as it was his dads birthday
So you can imagin how happy we where, when Mike said it was fishing slow............................. but he had had a 28.00 lb'r and his dad had had a 30.00+
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| trevfish61 |
Thanks for phoning him and sorting it Ron, and what a great week for Mike & Bob his Dad, if that is fishing slow I cant wait. | ||
| Hodster |
good result for Mike and Bob
well done !! 
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| Paul Mansfield |
i've got a couple of pics from the first session that I'll put up when I get my camera back from the kids!!... one is a 22+ common and is the first fish of the first session, the other is a 28-8 mirror and is the first mirror... the only other mirror was a low double and Ron thinks it is a left over from the original stock... I wish I had taken a piccy but it was "double hooked", the hook had gone back through the lip a second time, and took a while to unhook and treat so was put back asap... if anyone is going and want's the low down on what worked and what didn't (not that my opinion stands for much) then pm me and I'll send you my phone number... also I'm going in July if anyone fancies meeting up, the dates are on the calander... | ||
| trevfish61 |
Had a chat with Paul yesterday and I just want to say thanks mate it was really helpful,it makes a change to find carpers who are not afraid to share some of their hard earnt knowledge,all the best, Trev. 
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| Big Ron |
Here are a few shots from last week
Mike with his first 30 + 
Sun set over the lake 
Trish, Mike and Bob at the barby
The mighty Lac Du Der 
The Church swim 
Trish reading up how the lake was created and the church moved from the flooded 3 vilages 
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| trevfish61 |
Thats a lovely 30+ Mike,well done to you and your Dad, Bob. | ||
| Big Ron |
Mike had a bigger fish which was a 34 common, but I dont have a picture of it, him and his dad had 5 fish over 30 and nealy 30 carp in all if I rember corectly add to that the ones they lost and it would have been nearer 40 fish
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| Hodster |
sounds like a good result for the chaps
nice pictures Ron, Lac du der looks like an ocean.... im going to have to have a crack at that one day
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| Big Ron |
its only 10 mins from the lake
this will help if you fancy a go 
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| Paul Mansfield |
I'm a bit thick... which fish came from the syndicate lake and which from the massive lump of water that I wouldn't even begin to consider fishig??.. very brave to take on a water like that.. | ||
| Big Ron |
Hi Paul .....all the fish came from the syndicate lake
I just took Trish over to show her, where I used to fish on Lac Du Der for carp like these
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| Hodster |
some lumps there Ron I fancy a few days over there later this year with the syndicate so close it would be an ideal base.... and if the Ocean crushes me at least I can retreat to a sensible size lake and some peace
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| Big Ron |
Its not any easy lake to fish by yourself allthough I have done it in the past
it involves putting your bait out at distance ...if you look at the map, aim for the deaper water, as thats where the fish will be heading as the water drops or they will be grounded as you can see from the bottom pic ...you will be fishing on the lake bed itslelf, as the water drops away in the summer months to supplie Paris ...so be prepared for the Mud But as they say Fortune favours the Brave and this lake will not let you down ...tackled corectly
Here is an old article ....hope it helps Chanty Update by Big Ron Woodward 
Sunset over Du Der. This article is about a lake I used to love to fish in years gone by, but with the many recent events of fish movement on there, will it ever be the same again? For the many English anglers like myself, who held it in such high esteem, this lake was once one of my favourite lakes to fish in France and it had been kind enough to reward me with several very big fish. Why has there suddenly been a massive change to the rules and restrictions that govern the way you must now fish this lake at present, if you can get on there at all now, once they see you are English? Well, many of the new rules and restrictions that have been brought out over the last couple of years, now make it much harder to tackle all the aspects of fishing on this vast water. In my opinion the only reasons for the much harder restrictions for carp angling has been brought about by carp anglers themselves, not all carp anglers, but the more unscrupulous ones, know to me as The Goblins as I can mention no names. Unfortunately there is a small band of carp anglers who seem only interested in lining their own pockets with money from our sport, and they have now completely spoiled it for the rest of us. When it comes to fishing on Lac Du Der I believe it is only a question of time, before other well-known lakes follow suit, if these unscrupulous carp anglers carry on their practice of moving large carp out of the French waters for financial gain. Map of Chantecoq. 
This type of angler (if you can call them that?) not only move large Chanty carp to other French waters, which are being run for English anglers to travel to and fish in France, but are also bringing them in to this country, risking disease and death to our own established carp over here. I regularly pick up the fishing papers and magazines and open the pages and see French carp being caught in this country. When you have fished at lake Du Der as many times as I have, you can not mistake that particular strain of carp. There was a water in the midlands area were I live, that was asked by one of the carp magazines for the photos of the two 50lb fish it had produced before they both died recently. They never got in to print, as they have already been featured in a carp fishing magazine, when they were caught on the banks of Lac Du Der before The Goblins moved them to this country. Well I better get of my soap box now and carry on with this article on Lac Du Der...the only comment I would like to make on large foreign fish being brought into this country through the back door, is…….. if you want to catch large foreign carp, then go abroad like I do. Lac Du Der Chantecoq is situated in central France in the Champagne-Ardenne region, a few miles south west of a town called St. Dizier and approximately 120 miles east of Paris. The lake itself is reputed to be the largest man-made lake in Europe , which, when full , contains around 12,000 acres of water. It was created by levelling three villages, then breaching the dam wall of the old reservoir Champaubert and then flooding the three levelled villages. The breach point is shown on most maps of the lake, and several years ago you could actually fish off the remains of the old dam, on the one side at least. My first ever time on the lake, was spent fishing off the old dam, were you could have rods in the old lake called reservoir Champaubert and from the same swim also fish into the newer flooded section of the lake. I was lucky enough to not only have a load of thirties on that my fist trip to the lake, but also my first-ever French forty pound plus carp. If you drive around the lake, and look at the swims when you first arrive, you will notice several roads leading off towards the lake, that actually lead straight into the water. These are the old roads that were used by the inhabitants of the flooded villages to gain access to their properties. When the lake is down, some of the remains from the former buildings can be seen at various points along the lakes edge. One of the most famous remains and also one of the most well known swims on the lake is the Church Point. The church building itself was actually moved brick by brick and rebuilt on its present site just before the flooding of the villages took place 
The famous Church Point. The lake first came to my attention as a carp fishery when Alan Taylor and Joe Taylor started fishing the lake, and they were having some truly remarkable results from it. In those days with no one wanted to publicly name it, so it was known as the big C. My preferred route to the lake is, ferry from Dover to Calais, after leaving the port at Calais, join the A26 autoroute heading in the direction Paris/ Reims. Stop on the A26 ignoring any directions for Paris whilst on it, head directly for Reims. When you reach Reims you will find that the A26 joins the A4 and you must head for, Chalons-S-Marne or Chalons-en-Champagne, this is in fact the same town, but varies depending on the age of your map. A few kilometres before the town the autoroute splits and you must then head in the direction of Metz, just after the split, you must leave at the next exit and take the N44 toVitry-le Francois. After Vitry-le Francois, take the N4 which will take you to St Dizier If you are familiar with the area, you can use the back roads to the lake and there are plenty of signs for Lac Du Der almost everywhere. But if it is your first time at the lake and you wish to play it safe, then keep on the N4 to St Dizier and then take the D384 which will also take you to the water. Once you have arrived at the lake, spend time looking around it and talk to the anglers to fond out what has been coming from which areas. Forget any pre-conceived notions or ideas about fishing the lake English-style, as the lake is a massive sheet of water of approximately 12,000 acres in size when it is at its fullest. The fishing conditions on the lake change constantly according to the water level and weather. When the lake is at its fullest in the spring, swims are very few and you may have to fish in areas that you will have to boat to, as there is no access to the swim. When the lake is down in September, October and November, the fishing situation is totally different and you will find yourself wallowing in the Chantecoq mud. If you wish to see the muddy conditions, then hire out the video, ‘French Carping 2 Ton-up at Lac Der’ featuring Kevin Maddocks and Alan Taylor. This will give you a good insight of what to expect, if you plan to fish the water when it is down. It is a most enjoyable video and shows more than sixty thirties landed during the session. You will also see the amount of different snags you will have to encounter when fishing the lake, from tree stumps protruding from the lakebed up to five feet in height to masonry and rubble from the old buildings of the levelled villages. You must also take into account the weather conditions that exist around this area. It can be a real Jekyll and Hyde situation in this respect. I can remember only as if it was yesterday, my very first trip to lake. For the first three days myself and the lad I was fishing with called Carlton experienced temperatures that reached 110 degrees F, then overnight we experienced violent storms with mistral winds reaching over 100 m.p.h. Many of the anglers fishing the lake had their set-ups and bivvies flattened and boats destroyed on the rocks of the old dam! When fishing the lake you will find it is a very prolific carp fishery, containing carp to over 60lbs. The official lake record is 27.3kg (60lb 2oz) held by French angler Nicolas Ladriere, but I am aware of larger fish coming out and not reported by anglers. Carp over 30lbs are present in extremely large numbers and I would say that in my opinion Chanty used to have, the largest population of forties in any French lake - but who knows these days? It used to be widely accepted that it has the biggest population of large carp of any known French water. Without doubt, if you are looking for your first 40lb carp, then Chantecoq is one lake you should consider. Let me give you an example of how it can fish. On my last trip to the lake, this was four consecutive runs to the rod's during a weeks fishing - 41lbs 8ozs, 53lbs 8ozs, 42lbs and 48lbs. There are not many waters in France were you could achieve four consecutive big fish like that. As well as the large head of carp, the lake offers a wide variety of other species including bream, roach, tench, perch, pike, rudd and the French anglers favourite - zander. The zander in Chanty grow to quite a large size, I have personally witnessed then up to eleven kilos just to give you some idea. Most early mornings you will see the French lads out on the water in their boats fishing for them. Please, please remember that Chantecoq is their lake and we are a guest, fishing in their country. If they do happen to boat over the area you are fishing to get to the zander grounds, don’t be a moron and start shouting a load of swears words at them. This happened in the past and involved one of the aforementioned fish movers. The incident happened on the Church Point and resulted in the fishing in front of the Church being stopped. The zander anglers can only fish during the day and most of the action on the lake is at night, so doesn't really matter if they are anywere near in the day. Last time I fished there, there were parking areas within easy reach of most of the legal night area's on Chanty very close to the lake, this will give you only a short walk with your tackle to any of the swims. There is also several campsites on its perimeter, with most of them have on-site toilets, showers and facilities for the purchases of a hot drinks, hot food should you require any. Please remember that the camp sites are only open in the summer months though. Here are the rules and restrictions that I am aware of : Day only season tickets will cost you 400 FF( around £40.00 ) and must be purchased by any angler wanting to fish on the lake, even if they have already obtained the separate night fishing ticket. As far as I am aware, this particular ticket can still be purchased from local tackle shops around the lake such as the one I always have used in the past, it is a small tackle shop in Eclaron called Peche 2000, which is run by a Madam Badot. To fish for carp at night an angler must posses an APPMA (Association de Peche pour la Protection du Milleu Aaquatique ) at 400 FF( around £40.00) and also a night fishing authorisation which will cost you a further 1200 FF(around £120.00). To obtain a night fishing authorisation ( which must be obtained in advance ) you need to contact the UFAPPMA by either phoning them on 0033 326 72 63 43 or writing to them at UFAPPMA at Maison des Pechers (Station nautique 51290 Giffaumont-Champaubert ) France. Whichever way you contact them, they will require a deposit of 600 FF When you obtain your night fishing authorisation from UFAPPMA, you will also receive a full set of rules to follow, these will dictate all the rules and regulations you must comply with to legally night fish on the lake. There are lots of changes to previous rules that govern the lake, so I will not go into them in detail, I will just briefly mention a couple. There can only be 60 anglers each night on the whole lake. These anglers must night fish from 30 designated swims, and also each night fishing site cannot be occupied for more than eight days in total. It is prohibited to cast or boat your lines over 100 metres, it is prohibited to navigate on the water at night and the use of an echo sounder is banned. It is compulsory to wear a life jacket when you are in a boat on the lake. As you can see from this brief summary, fishing on Chanty is now a much harder proposition and let me advise you, do not attempt to fish out side the rules and restrictions, as the fines are heavy and the Guarde du Peche and Gendamerie are armed! You will be given a map of the lake when you purchase your licences, this will show you all the swims you can fish day or night. Last year there were eight legal night fishing areas in May, but these were reduced later on in the year due to bird migration. I believe that with the new rules and regulations, there is also some new night fishing swims, attached is the new map with the layout of the new areas. Well finally once you have got over there with all the correct permits and licences, the next step is how to tackle the venue and as I always say to anyone who asks for my advice on fishing abroad, when I fish in France I always step up the specification of my tackle. So my advice to you would be to do the same. Use strong line and hooks, and big capacity reels that will hold enough good quality 15lb line to achieve the distances you may require. On Du Der the contours and depths of the lake tend to drop away quite steadily from the waters edge, so you may need to go out at distance to find feeding fish. You can also fish closer in should you find the correct sort of features to hold feeding fish, this has worked for me in the past when the lake was kind enough to give me a 53lb 8oz which came from only 50 yards out. Ron with a magnificent Chanty 48lb carp. You will also need a good quality (hard or netted) hookbait to compensate for the very large crayfish that inhabit the lake. I would also take some heavily weighted indicators, in case you have to fish at distance, as you will find that with a large amount of line out at extreme range, it pays to increase the weight of your indicators. A good quality boat and life-jacket are a must, because of the safety aspect; these are probably two of the most important items of equipment to get correct, your boat must be strong and very buoyant. Cheap plastic blow-ups are most definitely to be avoided. My life jacket is one that will inflate itself when it comes into contact with water, I know these are a bit more expensive, but what price do you put on your life? It is now compulsory to wear a life jacket, when in a boat on the water at Chanty, and the Guard de Pêche will stop you using your boat if you are not wearing one. I also always take an electric outboard with me as I consider this to be an extremely vital piece of equipment and I never fish without one on the big lakes. It allows me complete control over the boat against drift when I am baiting up or dropping my end rigs in. Another item I have always taken with me, is a good quality echo sounder as I find them invaluable, but not for the reason that many anglers think. Yes, it does show fish but the main purpose of this aid is to locate features, drop-offs, gullies, etc. Having said this, please be aware that the use of an echo sounder is not allowed on Chanty under the new rules. Whether you use one is a decision that is totally down to you and if you are caught using one, you will have to suffer the consequences, which could be a fine or confiscation of your tackle. I have also found in the past that a combination of illuminated markers, base camp illumination and walkie talkies have greatly helped me tackle this lake. You will find that this particular lake has always been a very popular venue for carp anglers from all over Europe since its discovery. This venue would give you every chance of achieving multiple catches if your approach is correct. The lake is suitable for the more experienced angler and not for the less experienced . The lake when I have fished it in the past, was always very busy at certain times of the year. For that reason it was always safer to have a couple of back up waters to hand in case the lake was full. However, with this new booking in advance system, you should be guaranteed your peg to fish from if you are night fishing. Only time will tell how the fishing on the lake will turn out now all these new rules and regulations have been brought into force. But hopefully with a bit of the information contained in this article, there is no reason why you should not be successful. Lac du Der has always been kind to me and is a water that I have always enjoyed fishing. I'm hoping to return there shortly, to assess for myself what the new rules have done to the fishing on this magnificent water. Good Luck and I hope you catch that fish of your dreams! Like I did
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| Big Al |
that beast of a water is where i'm headed next year!
3 of us going, 2 newbies to the lake with a guy who fishes it each year so we're going with some knowledge. whether he has the same knowledge as the Chanty Oracle is another question though! i'm planning on my current set up with the addition of a boat, outboard, sonar and generator for the trip. Oh and a huge disposable tarpauline that can i peg out to cover the mud! |
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| Hodster |
going to print that article off and read it on the ferry tonight
not long now, gear packed, bait ready, postcode in the sat nav... roll on tonight
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| trevfish61 |
All the best Paul. | ||
| Big Ron |
Be carefull with the Sonar Al ....as they used to be quite hot on them
Dont forget your life jacket to ( it can be white horses on there when the wind gets up ) are you booking Night swims ?? as for your big sheet of tarpauline ....make sure you find a good solid area to put it on .....or it will just sink in the Chanty mud if you look at the pic
you will see im quite a distance from the edge of the lake and the rods, this is because we allways liked to find a hard area to set up on ....it defernatly helps
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