Magical on Meadow Lake

he plan was to find a French fishery which would suit our criteria. The lake had to tick a few boxes, as this was a maiden voyage for my girlfriend (I would be in trouble if the facilities didn’t include a shower, fridge and of course, a mirror) and also her brother, Dan. It was his first French trip, so the plan was to find a prolific lake that held a good head of 30’s, 40’s with the chance of a 50. The website assured me that the fishery was in the easy category with 190 fish to go at, it looked perfect!

Location, lake and facilities

Meadow Lakes is a drive and survive, located in the Limousin region, which is a steady six-hour drive from Calais (expect to pay £30 on tolls on a return journey). It’s 10-acres and is situated in stunning countryside, extremely quiet and peaceful. No major roads or railway lines for miles, which can be irritating. There are 19 swims to accommodate a maximum of six anglers per week, with a good helping of double and single pegs. There are some standard rules to abide by at the fishery, but thankfully no ridiculous restrictions. The rules are available on their website.

The lake is pretty uniform in depth, silty with a few features. Most of the water is fringed with reeds, overhanging trees and bushes. Wading is an option if you’re careful, so baiting up and hand-placing rigs is an edge. Bait boats are allowed as long as you don’t interfere with other anglers – basically common sense applies here. The car track runs around approximately three-quarters of the lake, so dropping off tackle then returning the car to the lodge is fine.

The lodge is situated behind the lake, which is a short stroll from any swim. It has bait freezers, a kitchenette with preparation surfaces, a sink with running hot and cold water, fridge and cooker, plus a small table if you wished to eat in there. A shower cubicle and toilet, which is adequate for your holiday.

The trip

It was the first week in July, and the weather in Limousin this time of year is rather warm, so on arrival we were not surprised to find it was roasting! I wasn’t overly concerned with the conditions, as the owner had pre-empted that the lake fishes well all year round, even in the high 30’s!

After a lap of the lake, we decided to plot up in Peg 16: a good central position controlling the majority of the lake. This week was going to be comfortable; the amount of kit we took was quite different to a standard CARPology team jolly. I have to say, a Trakker Utility Tent and Kampa equipment (gas oven, kitchen sink, tables) made life on the bank that week a seriously pleasurable one, and fishing out of a huge Avid HQ Euro Bivvy was luxury. We prepared some meals which were frozen down prior to leaving so we could chill out for the first few days; milk and bottles of juice are great to freeze to help keep everything frozen and fresh, plus very welcome in the heat of day.

I decided not to fish the first night, with the plan being to bait up, have a good night’s sleep and, fingers crossed, at first light get amongst a few. I introduced around 10kg of 18mmers over a large area – the plan was for all three of us to fish to the baited spot in the centre of the lake. The concrete post was bang-on the middle of the zone, a handy marker indeed.

On arrival the fish were very active in this area so it was a great starting point. Initially, I started with simple Snowman rigs tipped off with white pop-ups, the baits were trimmed and critically-balanced as I just wanted them to rest on the silty bottom, the white pop-up was chosen as the water clarity wasn’t great.

Dan was first off the mark, and in fact he had two in quick succession, the first being a new personal best of 30lb 4oz and the second a low-twenty, this was looking like a great start. Both of these fish were caught off the reeds to his right, casting singles to showing fish.

By mid-morning on the Sunday we were all fishing, and Sarah was soon into her first carp and this pulled the scales round to 28lb 8oz; the moment was captured and a celebratory drink ensued. We all managed a good handful of fish during the first day; first blood for me was a heavily framed 36lb mirror, which was extremely welcome as the banter had already started. I’m not competitive!

Over the next 48hrs, the fish were showing more and more over the spots, they were certainly getting on the bait, and we were catching steadily, some more than others…! What was interesting, even though the angling pressure was limited, the fish were very transient. For the first 24hrs, fish were in front of Dan, then as the days moved on, they would rotate around the lake, each day would see them move into a new area and start to feed. This was nice to see, as if there were six anglers fishing, everyone would get some action.

On day two, Dan hooked into a good fish and a slow, prolonged battle commenced. On drawing the fish over the net, I knew he had got himself something special. The needle settled on 46lb exactly! We got some lovely shots in the water and we had a happy carp angler.

The week was turning into a real red letter session, and by midweek we had caught 20 odd fish. Sarah managed a big upper 30lber, which I was sure it was going to go 40lb, but it settled on 37lb 8oz, not bad for her second carp ever. Her face was a picture and it was one of those precious moments I will remember.

We were keeping the area topped up with bait and the fish kept on coming. The average size of the fish is impressive, in fact the smallest fish came to my rods at 21lb, and by the end of the week we had caught 39 fish between us…

Rob: 36lb, 28lb, 35lb, 31lb 5oz, 29lb 5oz, 21lb, 28lb, 30lb 4oz, 27lb 12oz, 29lb, 42lb (grassy), 36lb 4oz, 38lb 4oz, 38lb 6oz, 35lb 12oz, 40lb 4oz, 28lb, 25lb, 32lb 5oz, 26lb 12oz and 39lb 4oz.
Dan: 30lb 4oz, 23lb, 46lb, 41lb 5oz, 24lb, 35lb, 25lb 8oz, 29lb, 28lb 4oz, 30lb 4oz, 32lb and 30lb 8oz.
Sarah: 28lb 8oz, 37lb 8oz, 30lb 4oz, 22lb, 23lb 4oz and 28lb.

Booking

Meadow Lake is a beautiful lake with good quality carp and the fishing is nothing short of exceptional. We found some catch reports in the lodge which completely blew us away (see picture). These incredible sessions are not uncommon, and most weeks produce huge amounts of fish. If you want an action-packed week, with good-sized carp, this is the place for you – we will definitely be going back!

A full week at Meadow Lake costs £295 per angler and this entitles you to your week’s fishing and the use of the on-site amenities. Check out the website at: mirrorpool.co.uk or alternatively contact Robert Green at mirrorpoolfish@btinternet.com or 01628 533093 or mobile 07525 166697.

We were certainly comfortable!