Chapel Lake,France (The last night)

The last night was upon us,we'd caught many fish of a certain size,lost a leviathan (we are all convinced it was a very large Carp,not a Catfish)..I'll be honest,the wind had blown into my bivvy door all week and I was glad to be heading home the next day.
However,there were obviously massive fish in front of me.I decided to fish completely different and place a bait in the middle of the lake in about 6 feet of water and 15feet of smelly black silty goo.
I was tempted to tie the much-lauded Chod Rig but as I've never caught a fish on it,I opted for the trusty 360 rig which I have much more confidence in.
The bait was a bouyant boilie whittled away so that it balanced perfectly,this was placed mid lake with groundbait laced with flavours and oils to mask the smell of the lake and a few boilies.
Sitting back to enjoy the evening,I drank fine wine and watched Water Voles swimming in the margins as darkness fell.
At around 2:30 am I was awakened by the screech of the mid-lake rods alarm,a belting run,no need to be locked up,no snags, just the half submerged lily beds that I'd noticed in the area whilst out previously on the boat.
I struck,standing in the crisp night air alone,my bivvy and mat taking a frosty lustre,my breath visible like smoke.The rod did take on a satisfying curve,but the tip and line were in the branches of an overhanging tree.Curses ensued,the fight continued and the line pinged through twigs and lilies,the fish stayed hooked and plodded as I slowly gained line.
Some time later,as I shivered with cold and adrenalin the fish was beaten and below me,the line still through the trees preventing me from landing the fish,I called to one of the lads to assist and after some effort it was in the net.
On lifting the net he exclaimed "this ones a bit bigger bud"....the fish was retained safely until the daylight hours, and here it is,I was delighted with this capture and felt that I truly earned it.

In conclusion ,Chapel Lake is by no means easy but the rewards are there for those that want to make the effort.The lake is beautiful and owner Tony is very accommodating.More details can be found here.

Chapel Lake,France (part three)

By daylight the biting wind had blown up again despite the sun shining.At one point waves were lapping against our bank and although the scene looked nice,it felt more and more oppressive.A Kite soared above and a Hare ran for cover in a nearby field.We all sat together beside the vehicles in relative cover.

The resident herd of Limousin Cattle came down for a morning drink and the kids went off to explore dungeons and search for treasure.It was at this time that something happened,something I will remember for a long time.

I should point out that one of my friends lads is left handed and he'd set up a rod,with the reel in such a manner.The lad,as I have said,was off exploring,and my friend having a shower.

The rest of us had taken charge of the rods.

Suddenly his lads alarm sprung into life.The nearest of us immediately grabbed the rod and went to strike,whereupon he muttered something along the lines of"Oh goodness me,it appears that the reel has no handle"..of course what he really said is not for repeat here!!

Instead of winding,he walked backwards with the rod,not really knowing what to do next.Another of the party started to operate the reel,so we now had two on the rod.They both exclaimed that it was a very big fish.What a bizarre sight.The fish did exactly what it wanted,chugging up and down the lake.The fellas were under no illusion that they were in control.I peered on in marvel.

Now I can tell you that all of us have caught large Carp but this was a bit different and after about 15 mins. when the hooked pulled,we all felt gutted knowing we'd lost something special.

I caught another smallish Mirror in the night,but we decided that due to the inhospitablity of the weather,the next would be our last...It was time for a drastic plan.......

Chapel Lake,France (part two)

I set my swim in sight of "The Chateau", apparently the residence of one lone,elderly lady who owns most of the valley.OK, lone isn't 100% true,she has a few Donkeys,Shetland Ponies and Chickens for company.

Beneath this spectacular building lies a cave, seemingly natural, we were told it was once used as a dungeon (possibly for the benefit of the kids) although I suspect it has seen more action as a wine cellar.

On the fishing front,a minor disaster occured as one of my bite alarms gave up the ghost, despite major on-bank surgery we failed to revive it and I was down to two rods on the first day.
The remaining two rods incorporating a snowman/blowback rig set-up were placed over on the far margin and very soon a fine looking Common Carp graced the net.I was off the mark but that North Easterly wind blew hard.

For a few days it blew and the other lads had other fish of the same calibre as mine.

As the wind subsided on the third night I pondered the large beasts that swam in the depths outside my bivvy.I slept,cold, interrupted sleep,an Owl called out,his mate answered, a Fox sent out a blood curdling screech.the stars shone bright in the unpolluted sky...time rolled on in semi dream.An eternity later the sun rose over the trees,I wondered what the day would bring....

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..........