The French Alps have never been so appealing!
Fancy fishing for amazing carp in equally stunning surroundings?
I was delighted as we left for a paylake that I was very curious about because of my love for the Alps. It would be a combination of carp fishing surrounded by beautiful mountains. How cool is it if two of your passions will come together in one carp fishing holiday!
The reason we usually opt for a pay lake is because it is safe, but also because you are assured of the spot that you would like to fish. In addition, it often offers extra service from the water owner and in many cases also extra comfort. The fish stock is largely known and the water is expertly managed and well maintained. At Lac des Cordeliers, for example, it is possible to book a gite for four people in the beautiful country house. The Carp Specialist has been the permanent address for us for almost ten years and guarantees fantastic payment waters in which expectations and reality are in line with or in some cases even exceeded. On the website you will find reviews per carp water of the carp anglers who have preceded you with useful tips and tricks.
During the last part of the trip to Lac des Cordeliers you will absolutely experience that you have arrived in the French Alps. Beautiful as the different mountains loom left and right of the road; some even with beautifully snow-capped mountain peaks. This makes the drive of almost 1000 km. for us to this magical mountain water more than worth it, this is really enjoyment. On arrival we are personally brought to our place by the owner, Mr. De Marliave. We have selected spot 1, which is located close to the beautiful country house. A beautiful spacious spot that offers an amazing view of the impressive fishing water, which is surrounded by equally impressive mountains. In one word breathtaking this impressive nature!
We can't wait to build our camp so that we can finally take the immense water of 96 hectares by boat. can explore. This more than generous water has only five pegs. This means that you have a lot of fishing water at your disposal on every site. That space and freedom is something that really appeals to us about this beautiful pay lake.
Once on the water we saw with our eyes beautiful places where the carp has to eat. Unfortunately, our fishfinder had failed during the first day. We chose to position our markers only on the first day and feed the harder spots found by feeling with lead. In this way, the fish will gain confidence in our food. In terms of feed, we made an attractive mix of (crushed) Monster Tigernut Red Amo boilies in different diameters, Frenzied Mixed Particles and the Zig Cloud) from Dynamite Baits, with which we have set up a large feed strip of about 150 meters.
Tired but satisfied, we sat down at the bivvy to let everything around us take effect before we crawled into the sleeping bag, so we could start "real" carp fishing the next day full of energy.
The following morning the rods were placed by us and because the wind was blowing strong it was not an easy job. Our stable Black Boat 270 made us feel more than safe and secure. We got into the boat with our rods and two buckets of feed to a distance about 200 meters. A boat with a keel is recommended. We opted for variety in both, our rigs and our hookbait to see how we could seduce the carp. It became the combi-rig with a Red Amo snowman presentation, the 360-rig with a Fluro Pineapple & Banana pop-up and again the 360-rig with a yellow Hit N Run pop-up.
Due to the stormy weather it was unfortunately not possible to observe any activity of the carp from the shore, so we had to do it what we could observe on the water from the boat. Especially such a first time we take plenty of time for this. It is better to check whether you are really in the right spot than to be satisfied quickly. We've noticed that this can really make the difference between whether or not fish on the mat.
After finishing the three rods, it was time to enjoying the view. The mountain peaks of the Tailler massif were initially hidden in the clouds and now they were fully visible due to the breaking sun, it makes them even more impressive and beautiful. "What a wonderful hobby we have" we said to each other. For us, nothing beats the outdoors in any season of the year, preferably on a lake.
Our drone was not yet able to fly due to the persistent wind, so unfortunately we couldn't yet imagine the water from above. It had to wait til the wind died down. No fishfinder and no drone images, so just observe everything like old-fashion with the eyes. We spoiled the inner that day by firing up the BBQ and enjoying all the goodies that we had bought at the nearby Intermarché before arrival. Because of the beautiful boathouse on the spot we were perfectly out of the wind and luckily we still had the great view over Lac des Cordeliers and the imposing mountains.
Due to the heavy rain from the weeks prior to our session, we couldn't drive the camper to the peg due to the weight of the vehicle. The peg could handle this, but the path to it was very wet, so that our heavy bus camper would get stuck in no time. So we parked it about 80 meters behind the swim, next to a small water drain under the trees with beautiful flowering shrubs all around. Actually, every spot on this carp domain is a paradise in itself. The bivvy could be placed perfectly on the swim close to the water's edge, allowing us to stand next to each rod in just a few steps.
Behind the large wooden gate, which together with the robust stone wall forms the fence of the domain, you will find not far to the left a small campsite where there is also a cafeteria. If you don't like cooking by yourself, you can also go there for a meal. On the domain itself there are facilities such as a charging point for the batteries, telephone, etc. and the possibility to take a fresh shower.
At night it remained quiet until early morning and the line of our right rod was there when the fire brigade took off. Wow! What a fierce bite! Bianca picked up the rod and you could tell from the fish's drill that it was certainly not often caught. Beautiful as the fish took its space and to feel the blows on the rod tip, this fish had to have a powerful tail. A beautiful mirror was landed by us and we were over the moon with our first Alpine carp! In the clear water the carp are often so beautifully dark in color and this also had some beautiful scales, making it really a character fish. A dream became true: fishing between the mountains and then landing a beautiful mirror, what a party!
After taking pictures and filming this more than welcome catch, we carefully put the carp back in the enormous water. Nice that a first catch also gives some more information, the bait was the yellow Hit N Run pop-up from Dynamite Baits, so the other rods were fitted with the same 360 rig with the yellow pop-up.
Fortunately the wind had subsided and the drone was able to take off. That gave even more information; on the right side of the water, varying from 200 meters to 150 meters from the side, there was really a considerable bank on which it was visible that the carp had to stay there regularly. Because of this we made the choice to move two rods that way, despite our feed strip being more to the left. We had a very good feeling about it.
Also our third day ended with a BBQ again at the boathouse. How rich we felt by being so one with nature. The weather was still clear so of course we grabbed the camera when it got completely dark for a few night shots, because the sight of the stars among the vastness of the mountains is so beautiful. It almost felt sad to go to sleep because of the emerging fatigue, when you are in such a cool place you actually want to enjoy every minute.
The next morning was almost identical to the previous morning. The rightmost rod again made for a very big whistler. The fish again went like a rocket. In the meantime it became clear to us that you can catch really virgin fish at Lac des Cordeliers. When we put the fish in the unhooking mat, that feeling was absolutely confirmed. This carp had a flawless beak and again that beautiful dark color with a two-tone like lighter edge on the front. What a cool payment water this is and what a beautiful file it has!
A characteristic of this water is also absolutely that you feel at every spot as if you were only fishing the water. The other swims are definitely not in the eye, so if you appreciate privacy just like us, then you definitely have that here. This ensures that you need a boat on this water during your fishing. Swim 1, 2, 3 & 5 are accessible by car, but swim 4 requires a boat. The managers of Lac des Cordeliers are happy to help you.
Lac des Cordeliers is a typical mountain lake at an altitude of 930 meters. This means that the lake freezes completely during the winter and fills with meltwater after the winter. In the winter months of December, January and February, the water is therefore not fishable. The months outside, of course. The melt water makes it more crystal clear and the water has different depths up to 11 meters. The water has a lot of natural food. A tip is therefore to take this into account in your bait choice and presentation. It is estimated that this lake has existed for 10,000 years and that it previously consisted of two lakes. The large plateau is the remnant of that.
Unfortunately, due to circumstances at home, we were forced to break up, pack up and return home on day 4, so we were unfortunately unable to stay on this beautiful water for a whole week or more. One thing is certain for us, we will definitely return to Lac des Cordeliers, because both the water and the surroundings taste like much more for us.
Finally, I can imagine that you wonder what exactly such a fishing holiday on this pay lake will costs. This is a very pleasant surprise, because you are welcome for a whole week at Lac des Cordeliers for only € 200.00 per fisherman!
If you are interested and want more information about this enchanting pay lake in the French Alps, I would like to refer you to https://www.
Tight lines! Lizette Beunders
