So the weather over the last month has gradually improved and this issue of the news letter was started after a week of sunshine with the temperature pushing 26 degrees at one point. The improved weather means that work around the lake can start, not just the improvements but also the maintenance of the 6 acres surrounding the empty lake.

Work in March & April

Around the Lake
2011 got off to a slow start due to the late snow fall in February but as the weather has improved maintenance of
the lake has begun. Due to a prolonged winter and quite a few wet and rainy weeks after the snowfall in February the grass around the lake was starting to get a bit long. As soon as the chance arose, the sit on mower was started and cutting the grass began, this was no easy task. The grass was long and damp low down, so this meant that a longer cut had to be done first and then 1 week later a short cut was done. Now the grass is cut and the sun is shining the next thing to attack will be the reeds, bushes and overgrown trees. The brush cutter & chainsaw will be out to tame those wild bushes and trees.

The Gite
The Gite is not in need of much repair and over the winter most of the rooms had a coat of paint to brighten them up, however there was one room that was in a complete state of disrepair. The room was used for storage by the previous owners and when it was emptied out, it was clear that it needed a complete makeover.

This was not in the best of conditions but it needed to be improved so it could be used as a small bedroom. Over the past week, work has moved rather rapidly. First thing was to remove the curtains from the ceiling and fix a broken tile up on the roof. This was done and the roof no longer leaks. The next job was to insulate and board out the ceiling, and then the wooden framework had to go up to support the boards on the walls. Once the framework was up the boards started going up and the room started to look totally different to when it was started. After this a lick of paint and some filling and sanding and a second coat of paint, the room was all but finished. How different it looks. There will be one job left to do after this and that is to have the windows replaced so they can be opened for ventilation in the summer.

Bait update

Nutrabaits Fresh/Frozen boilies are the choice of Etang de Planchon.

Bill Cottam, Founder and Managing Director of Nutrabaits, has agreed to modify a well known Nutrabaits fresh/frozen boilie flavour exclusively for Etang de Planchon.  The boilie flavour is Trigga tweaked with Salmon Elite, Green Lipped Mussel Extract and Trigga liquid.

Etang de Planchon has fish care as a priority and also has a goal to provide hassle free options to the anglers who will visit.  For this reason Etang de Planchon has been in contact with various suppliers before coming to a decision on the lakes boilie supplier.

Etang de Planchon has been working towards a competitive price and Bill at Nutrabaits also understands the importance of this.  Etang de Planchon will be selling bait onsite at a very reasonable price making every anglers visit hassle free in regards to deciding whether to bring their own baits or buy them onsite.

Below is Bill’s testimony to the boilies that he will be supplying and a suggestion from Bill on the best way to get results from them.

“I suspect I have probably spent more time than most fishing in France and putting baits together that will be successful on French venues and with that in mind I had no hesitation in recommending the awesome Trigga freezer baits to the owner of Etang de Planchon.
The hand rolled baits that we are providing exclusively for use on the lake are produced from Trigga base mix with a healthy dose of Green Lipped Mussel Extract, Trigga liquid and the optimum inclusion rate of Salmon Elite; take my word for it, carp bait really doesn’t get any better than this!

My suggestion to get the best from this type of bait would be to introduce it on a little and often basis throughout the week and try both straight from the bag bottom baits and snowmen presentations for the hook baits. Your hosts can supply both Pink Pepper or Pineapple and N-Butyric alternative hook bait pop ups to add pulling power to your snowmen.
Here’s hoping Trigga brings you success beyond your wildest dreams and that you have an enjoyable trip to Etang de Planchon.
See you around.”

Bill Cottam
Nutrabaits Ltd?

Why have Etang de Planchon chosen to sell Fresh/Frozen boilies on-site?

Etang de Planchon takes Fish care very seriously and the bait to be used is not about convenience for the angler, but of preference by the fish. 
Fresh bait is just that; a nice well rounded product with everything at the optimum levels, straight off the rolling table.

Shelf-life bait has preservatives added. As an example, a child drinking a bottle of a fizzy drink each day containing trace amounts of additives is one thing, carp presented with 40 kilos of the stuff every week as a sole food source might be a different proposition.

What happens out of the water is one thing, however, what happens when baits of either type go into the water is just as important.

* Shelf life baits- The inclusion of a preservative will prevent the growth of micro organisms both in an out of the water, thus the bait will not break down as quick.  Bait loaded with preservatives is a different prospect, and may well lay uneaten and ignored indefinitely and will be discovered during the lake maintenance process (draining/ cleaning).

* Fresh/frozen baits - A fresh bait will begin to breakdown almost immediately, softening the longer it remains within the water, and within 48 hours should be soft enough so that any self-respecting minnow would be able to have a good go at it, and if not eaten by other fish, it should pop up to the surface within a few days to be eagerly gobbled up by resident wildfowl. 

* Fresh/Frozen bait also benefits the angler in many ways, the main reason being as follows:
It’s quite amusing just how many anglers think that when they turn up to fish a swim there will be no bait currently out there and each session they can bait up afresh. Often the opposite is the case. 
If shelf life boilies have been used by the previous angler, the swim may already be full of bait and the Carp will take time to get through it.
If fresh boilies are used, it will all be gone by the time the next angler gets there.

Etang de Planchon have chosen to use quality bait that will appeal to the fish on both a short and long term basis and one, which if not eaten, will break down quickly

Website info

As you all may be aware by now, the website is live. For those who have not visited the website, you can check it out at www.carp-fishinginfrance.com

Submit a Fishery Report: UK Fisherman would be delighted to hear from you if you would like to comment on any of our fishery reports. To do so, use the comment box below.

Alternatively if you would like to submit a fishery report of your own, please visit the CONTACT page.