The season started well last week with 11 big carp up to 50lb. This week it has improved again with 13 big carp and a new lake record of 54lb 08oz, a fantastic result.
Rod and his son Nick have been here for their third visit and each time their results get better and better as they increase their knowledge of the lake and how it fishes.
The weather conditions have been extremely changeable recently and the forecast for their week was to be more of the same. We have had afternoon temperatures in the 20s with everyone sunbathing but alternatively we have had some early morning temperatures which have seen the water in the cradles freeze solid. The cool winds have continued to blow and the showers have persisted.
Quite sensibly the guys elected to fish the deeper water, Rod went for swim 5 and Nick ended up in swim 6. Despite fishing with the same baits and very similar tactics the action this week was going to favour Nick on swim 6.
Rod was being very generous when he offered to let a couple of the local lads fish the other end of the lake, Ian and Dave were quick to take up the opportunity and arrived for a short day session on Wednesday. Their contribution to this week’s catch was a 32lb Mirror out of swim 2.
Nick did spend a lot of his time in the Gite, probably catching up on his sleep, but supposedly revising for his up coming A Level exams. To the frustration of Rod it did appear that every time Nick went down to the Lake he caught a fish. And what a catch!
The Top Rod award, the Big Fish award, and a new lake record for a total of 9 lovely big carp with the biggest being a lovely Mirror at 54lb 08oz which Nick has named “Leviathan”.
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Rod unfortunately had to endure the frustration of the fish remaining in front of Nick all week and despite doing everything right he could not persuade the fish to move across to his swim. He did find a few nice fish though with his best going over 41lb.
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As you know my fish are all micro-chipped and as a consequence I can trace their progress, well Helen does really, she is good at that sort of stuff. Leviathan is a particularly good example and she is well worth a mention.
Leviathan was stocked in December 2012 as a stunning fish but only a mid-double at the time, she made her first and only showing in 2013 in the May when she had already progressed to 19lb 08oz.
She graced us with her presence 6 times in 2014 when her best weight went to 27lb 15oz but once again she disappeared of the radar and she did not show again until March 2015 when she weighed in at an astonishing 41lb 12oz, a fantastic gain of nearly 14lb.
That was her only showing in 2015 and I almost forgot that she was there but here she is to amaze me once again with a weight gain of nearly 13lb weighing in at 54lb 08oz. I don’t know if one of you lucky anglers will see her again this season but if she continues on her current form she will keep a low profile now until next Spring when she has the potential to go well over 60lb !!!!! A true monster of the deep.
Putting Leviathan to one side the guys had some other lovely fish and their final tally was:
No babies, No doubles, 1 @ 24lb, 1 @ 25lb, 1 @ 31lb, 3 @ 32lb, 1 @ 34lb, 1 @ 35lb, 2 @ 41lb, 1 @ 48lb, 1 @ 49lb and the new lake record @ 54lb 08oz
It is also worthy of note that Rod and Nick always round their fish down to the nearest pound but on this occasion Nick insisted that Leviathan be rounded down to the nearest half pound, hence the 8 ounces, but Rod assures me that she was almost a 55.
The guys can’t get in to visit us next year but we hope to see them again in 2018 when leviathan must be 60 plus.
Le Moulin de Graffeuil 