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13-20/06/09 - Les Quis

When we arrived at the car park in Dover and immediately started to have a giggle with the other lads, it was obvious this was gonna be a good week. The Ferry set sail at 2am and Breakfast was consumed. At around 4am we were on French ground and heading off on the 5 hour Journey to the lakes. The draw for swims was made and I pulled number 8 out of the hat, not too bad at all. When we got to the complex we were greeted with the customary cup of tea and then given an hour to have a stroll around the lakes. I decided I'd like to fish the Elf or the Old lakes and circled on my map the swims I'd like to try. When it was my turn a few of the better pegs had gone but I settled upon The Point swim on the Old lake. I barrowed my gear round to the swim and immediately saw this would be a Margin Swim with the right hand bank just screaming for a couple of hookbaits. Here are a few shots of the swim, my home for the week.

The Point Swim	The Point Swim

The first afternoon was a bit of a blur as with all the travelling, usually not much comes out and the lads get some much needed rest until dinner time at half 5pm. I had 1 rod out in open water and the other two over along the tree lined margin. At around 3pm I had a quick take from the open water rod and after a spirited tussle this gorgeous 19lb 15oz Mirror was landed.

The Point Swim	19lb 15oz

Next take resulted in a lost fish, it was to prove difficult fishing so close to the snags and getting them out again. Just before dinner I had another take, this time on the margin rod but this one kited out into open water and to the waiting net. This one weighed 19lb 14oz, was I going to break the 20lb barrier?? Next chance came just before tea time but this fish was lost in the snags. After a nice meal of Pie and Chips followed by a couple of cold beers it was back to the swims and back to work. It was a beautiful evening and I had to wait till 11pm for the next bite. This fish was a real scrapper and I got really excited when I drew a nice Common over the cord. This fish weighed 28lb 2oz; it was photographed and released.

19lb 4oz	28lb 2oz

Half an hour later came the real special fish of the week, unfortunatley this one didn't scrap too much but did all of its action under the rod tip in the deep margins. On the scales she went 36lb 8oz, new PB and one Big Fat Carp!!!!!

36lb 8oz	36lb 8oz

Sunday morning finished an otherwise quiet night, the only other distractions being the hoards of Mozzies trying to get a piece of me!!!! Just before breakfast I had yet another take from the Margin rod, this take resulting in this pristine 19lb 7oz fish. Breakfast was great and just what the doctor ordered, all the fry up one could eat washed down with Juice and Coffee. When I got back to the swim I quickly got the rods back out only to get another take and another lost fish from the margin rod. Can't help thinking that some of these lost fish could have been better lumps!!! This act was repeated at 4pm when another was lost. Dinner Sunday evening was Roast Chicken and Chips and, again, a few Ice Cold Beers!!! 8pm and the rods are back out, about 15 minutes later the margin rod was off again, this one got snagged on some loose line which was left hanging from the bush but with continuous pressure the old snagged line broke and I was starting to win the battle. This one dived into the weed bed on my immediate right but, again, with steady pressure she arrived to the awaiting net. On the matt she was very angry and thrashed around a lot. She was weighed at 34lb 14oz and quickly the shots were taken. Check out the size of that rudder!!!!!

19lb 7oz	34lb 14oz

Next take came at 9pm but resulted in a hook pull. 10.50pm another take came to the margin rod and a nice chubby 22lb 4oz Mirror was safely in the net. Rods were back out and I sat and thought of the situation, its only 2 days in and already I've had 12 takes landing 7 of them, that's good going and I hope it lasts. That was where it started to go very quiet. News was that the other lakes had kicked in and our lake had dried up a bit. The next take came on Monday afternoon but the hook pulled once again. The rest of the time was spent watching the water, playing with rigs and I also did a bit of stalking. Meal times were great with fantastic food, banter and also plenty of ice cold beers from the fridge. I even got time to find a nice branch and set about my "Huckleberry Finn" impression!!!!

22lb 4oz	Roach On A Stick

On Wednesday morning just before breakfast I received a take on the open water rod, I stuck with this one feeding over it little and often and it had payed off. This fish felt really special as it had been a little while since the last take. Another good battle occurred in the deep margins and this beautiful mirror of 26lb 4oz was brought to the matt. Early the following morning (2.30am) I was woken by a one toner on the open water rod once again. This fight felt very weird and I thought it could be a real biggun by its runs. On close inspection when it got close enough I could see I was attached to my first ever catfish. Weird creature and ever so slimy. On the scales it went 10lb 8oz and was very well behaved for the pictures!!!!

26lb 4oz	10lb

Getting near the end of the trip now so one last push was needed to try to get a few more fish on the bank. I could start to be a bit more liberal with the bait so a few extra pouches were fired out. Friday night is barbecue night, the last night before home. It was fantastic food and a good few Cold Beers were sunk. Walking back to the swim I though that with only a handful of hours to go there was slim chance of anymore action. I got the rods back into position and sat back to watch the Bats. At midnight I received a take on the Margin rod and soon after a nice 21lb Mirror was being photographed. 4am on Saturday morning and another take comes to the same rod, this time a little smaller at 19lb 4oz which was to be my last fish of the session.

21lb	19lb 4oz

All in all, although I didn't get amongst the real whackers the place is famous for, it was a fantastic week which started off at an incredible rate but tailed off. I'm pleased with the effort I put in later in the week when the going got a bit hard. Saturday 6am saw us packing all the gear away and there was just time to take a few shots of the beautiful morning....... Also a quick one of was of my neighbors swim; couldn't help myself!!

Misty Morning	Neighbours Swim

Definitely gonna be going back next year that's for sure....... Hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it! Stu.

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