Chapel Lake,France (part one)

"There we sit on Cowslip banks,hear the birds sing"

In the heart of France, in the region of Limousin lies an ancient lake,locally known as Etang de Saint-Martial,but to U.K anglers it is Chapel Lake.

At a size of around 18 acres it lies in an almost impossibly beautiful valley,with a small feeder river at one end and a weir at the other.
We had been invited to fish by the kindness of lake guru "Westy" and owner Tony who met us at the delightful village of Saint Sornin-Leulac.


As we arrived at the lake the first imposing feature in sight was The Chapel,this was to be our lodge for the duration of our stay and was fully kitted with an open fire,fridge freezer for food,bait freezer,oven,microwave,table,chairs,utensils,cutlery,toaster,kettle,excellent shower,WC and sink and UK sockets for charging phones etc.The area is so safe and secluded that the door stayed open all week.
We were guided around the lake,shown all swims (most have their own boat) and wished good luck,before being left to our own devices.


The tranquil atmosphere soon took over as we set up camp beneath Lichen covered Oaks intermingled with Willow,Birch and Spruce trying our best not to trample the many Cowslips and Violets that grew below.

Spotted Woodpecker hammered out their territorial rites as Swallows ducked and weaved at the insect life.

Great and Long Tailed Tits fluttered aside Wrens in the bankside shrubbery,a Mallard Drake sat atop her eggs.

Amongst all this, one thing bothered me ,the North Easterly wind was blowing,softly at first,sometimes not at all,but seemingly creeping upon us.

We went out in the boats using landing net poles to get a feel of the lake bed and depths.The far margins were firm with depths of around 3feet,the more you ventured into the lake middle,the siltier it became with depths of around 5-6feet.Therefore,the margins seemed an obvious place to put a bait..........