Customer Reviews - 2022
Ben and Phil 5th – 12th March 2022
7th trip to Les Croix, last angler of 2022 and first of 2023 ! This time no dog or family but with my good friend Phil. The fishing this week has been fantastic. 15kg of boilies have been used to catch 21 fish, 3 x doubles, 1 x 20, 8 x 30’s, 8 x 40’s, 1 x 60. As always great to see Jon, Lisa and Bailey. Fantastic curry cooked by Jon on last night to finish off a brilliant week. Looking forward to coming back in July with family and dog, Phil will be back in August.
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James and Nigel 2nd – 9th April 2022
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First time at Les Croix – a challenging experience ! Snow on the ground the morning of the day of our arrival, followed by -4C the next morning, coldest April day in France for 75 years ! As the week progressed we had rain and wind to contend with as well. Just one fish in the first half of the week, another 8 followed in the second half with Nigel getting a new PB mirror and James netting 6 on the last day including new PB mirror and common ! Despite the weather Jon has been a splendid host, very knowledgable and interesting to talk to. Accommodation spot on. Hope to be back.
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Shaun and Paul 9th – 16th April 2022
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5th week at the venue for Shaun and first time here for Paul. I liked the idea of an early season week with the chance to catch at pre spawning weights but the cold weather had a negative influence on the fishing. On the first day Paul landed “Blackeye” at 50lbs so a wonderful start to the week for him. A slow week on the rods followed with very little activity or signs of feeding, 6 fish caught between us I managed a 42-12 on the last morning .
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Ray and Andy 23rd to 30th April 2022
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Great for both of us to be back for our 10th visit, after missing trips in 2021 and 2022 (covid). Arrived on Saturday to be greeted by Jon, Lisa, Bailey and a chorus of very loud frogs ! The gite immaculate as always with comprehensive welcome pack. Despite a deluge of rain on Sunday, four fish landed including the well known “Emma” at 62-11 ! Midweek was challenging, cold mornings and bright days not giving us the best conditions but still managed another four fish, a time to be able to appreciate the calm environment. The week ended well with four more on Friday to 48-08. Four forties and the big girl a most enjoyable week as always, superb food, Jon is very encouraging and informative as ever, Andy and I cannot recommend Les Croix enough and have already booked for 2023 and 2024.
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Jim and Helen 7th – 21st May 2022
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This is our 11th visit to Les Croix, and our 19th/20th weeks here, even after all this time the venue never disappoints ! The lake and surrounding area are at their spring best at this time. The vibrant water lilies remind you of a Monet painting, the yellow flag Iris lights up the bank in the sunshine ! The lake echo’s the sound of the cuckoos, golden orioles, and of course the frog chorus. This trip we watched a male golden oriole flying along the waters edge swooping from bush to bush and dipping down to take a drink form the lake – a truly special moment amongst others including spotting a black woodpecker for the first time along with hawfinches.
The fishing has once again been superb.The lake is never predictable and so presents the usual challenges associated with variable weather conditions. 34 carp caught in two weeks, 2 x 20’s everything else 30+ with a good number of 40’s and the biggest fish at 59-08. All fish fine looking specimens in pristine condition as always at this fishery. Last but not least, thank you Jon for being such good company and guiding us to great local restaurants where we enjoyed fantastic food in great settings, thanks to Bailey the hound too ! See you in October.
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Elliot and Cara 28th May – 4th June 2022
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A very warm welcome from Jon and Bailey, and some very warm weather which saw some of the fish start to spawn, but we did manage to catch 4 carp, all 30lbs+. The accommodation was perfect and Jon was very helpful especially to Cara who is fairly new to the game. We have booked to return in October next year – can’t wait for that ! Thanks for a great week.
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Ben, Caroline, Beau and the dogs 16th – 23rd July 2022
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8th trip to Les Croix, 4th family holiday here. Once again, a fantastic trip with some brilliant fishing. A very warm week getting up to 38C, but the fish were still feeding mornings and evenings with the mornings just having the edge. 15kg of boilies and 5kg of pellets enabled me to catch 25 carp. A few of the new young stockies and the rest the usual mix of quality fish going up to 57-00. Son Beau caught lots of roach rudd and a couple of small carp on the pole.
Hours of fun in the pool – very welcome in the hot weather. The gite clean as always and a pleasure to stay in. Thanks Jon and Bailey and see you again soon.
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Ben, Shannon, Kieron, Heidi, Isla-Grace, Charlie 30th July – 6th August
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Second time here for Ben and Shannon, first time for the rest. Had a great holiday, weather was amazing, kids loved the pool. 9 fish caught up to 57-07, grass carp at 41-11. Hard fishing in the hot weather but loved every minute. May thanks Jon and Bailey.
Dixon Family (Jeff, Angie, Grace, Jack) 6th – 18th August
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When we first arrived at Les Croix, it was instantly obvious that the scenery was stunning, the place had a calm and tranquil atmosphere to it that we deeply enjoyed.The surrounding area was quiet and ideal for a perfect fishing experience as well as a chill out holiday for family. The cottage was beautiful and clean, the rooms are spacious and equipped with fans which were helpful to stay cool in the warm temperatures. The pool was perfect for relaxing around and cooling off in the hot weather. The wifi was amazing the entire trip and the TV which was set at english time and was regular british TV was absolutely spot on compared to staying somewhere with french TV channels. The area surrounding is quiet and never busy, making it easier and less stressful to drive. The close town of Saint Junien had many supermarkets and an adequate amount of shops for a shopping trip. We also had the pleasure of trying Jon’s cooking one night and his curry was to die for and we wish we could have eaten more of his food. As we brought our dog Roxy, Jon’s dog Bailey was very friendly and got on with her well. We spent a lot of time around Bailey who was just the most friendly dog. The two dogs got on well and would run around for hours. On nights we’d sit outside and watching the sun set past the trees which was just beautiful to watch. The fish certainly gave us a show and gave Jeff and Jack their own PB’s which made them both very happy during their holiday. The rules on Les Croix allowed Jeff to have enough time to fish and enjoy his time off work, the protocol Jon has is spot on and really shows his love for the lake and the fish. It was a new experience completely compared to any holiday we’ve been on and it was so worth it.
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Phil, Colette and George 27th August – 3rd Sept 2022
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We have had a great time here as a family, Colette has been sunbathing by the pool and we have all been swimming and cooling down in it ! Most of the week it has been 25-33C so the fishing has been a little tricky. Mornings have been best with afternoons and evenings on the quiet side. That said, 13 fish caught during the week, including the big girl twice at 59lbs+ with some nice 40’s as well. Trips out to Oradour War Memorial and Lac de St.Pardoux were excellent. Bird life at the lake is fantastic and abundant, species-rich. Many thanks to Jon and Bailey for keeping us entertained.
Paul and Clare 3rd – 10th September
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A very relaxing week in wonderful surroundings, 14 fish caught, none lost, best fish 44-00, all the fish are in pristine condition, this fishery is a testament to all Jon’s hard work, having fished in France for more than 30 years, I can say that Jon has something very special here.
John and Pete 10th – 17th September
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A spectacular and varied week which will give us memories to cherish. We had baking hot humid days of 36C and two epic thunderstorms, followed by autumnal weather to finish the week. Fishing was slow during the first part of the week but far more productive in the latter half with Tuesday and Thursday producing multiple catches. We fished at 14 wraps in both swims which seemed to be intercepting the carp on their travels. Jon was his usual helpful self with much conversation about fish behaviour, baiting frequency etc etc. A totally fabulous week and an experience that could not be had in the UK. Thanks Jon for making all this possible. We ended up with 34 fish but a lot more memories.
Jim and Helen 8th – 25th October
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Writing this at the end of our Autumn break, our 21st and 22nd weeks here - always sad to leave but we will be back once more in spring 2023. An interesting trip, with the fishing being the most challenging of my 11 visits so far, the first week was quite hard with unpredictable weather largely to blame “ just” 8 fish caught, but week two was much better with another 24 fish netted, with several forties going up to 48-00. I have had so many fantastic trips to Les Croix that eventually a more difficult one was bound to occur ! Nonetheless still enjoyed the trip and the excursions out to the local restaurants were superb. Thanks Jon and Bailey for your great company, see you in May – a bientot !