The lake, the site and the fishing

 

The site was purchased in late 2006, during the following 15 months, after much hard work and the allocation of considerable fiancial resources, the lake was stocked, swims created, trees and shrubs planted, the accommodation finished, and the gates were opened to our first clients in April 2008.

 

In 2011 major works on improving the angling swims as well as a compulsory water diversion scheme to comply with regulations were undertaken. Since 2008, the lake has matured so that it is no longer recognisable as the same original environment, the fish have grown to enormous proportions, and the accommodation has been continuously improved.

 

We are around most of the time to give advice when required and you can leave the lake for day trips etc., without any risk for your tackle or belongings. The site at Les Croix is fully fenced to 2 metres with excellent access to all areas. All gates are locked ensuring total security for our guests. The banks are flat and grassy and there is vehicle access to swims to drop off and pack away tackle.

 

There is a small out of bounds area next to the dam, where beds of lilies are present. The bed of the lake is fairly flat, with a deeper margin on the near bank, and a more gently sloping far bank. The marginal slopes are hard clay with pea gravel mixed in. The central area of the lake bottom is composed of fairly firm shallow silt that contains large bloodworm beds and many other natural food sources. Fish are caught from all areas of the lake with all the best spots easily castable, many of the carp at caught between 30 and 65 yards range. Regular baiting and resting the water produces the best catches, less is more !

 

From being an easy runs water in the first few years, the carp stock, as the fish have grown, has been managed. The lake now holds around 140 carp but even with this number of fish in four acres of water, the fishing can be moderately difficult at times. Having said that, blanks are extremely rare, and the size and quality of the fish means that even if just a few fish are feeding, there is a very good chance of seeing something very special in the bottom of your landing net !

 

In order to have pristine conditioned fish that are catchable in daylight, since 2011 as part of our management strategy there has been a restriction on the hours of fishing from 06:00 to 22:00. This takes the pressure off the carp, and has ensured that they continue to feed well in daylight as they are not being pressured around the clock. One of many reasons why the fish at Les Croix are in such good condition. (Contrary to popular opinion carp are diurnal feeding fish - they prefer to feed in daylight and it is only continual angling pressure which changes this, repeated capture and stress forcing the carp to feed at night).

 

The restriction on fishing hours may not suit everybody, as some prefer to fish 24 hours a day, No problem. Our less intensive fishery management strategy works well for us and our clients - those that prefer to catch pristine conditioned fish in daylight, and are happy to spend the late evening and night time relaxing in the comfort of the lakeside accommodation.

 

We also restrict the number of bookings each season, this has many benefits for both the carp and our clients. Most of our weeks are booked by couples, with the anglers preferring to spend the nights with their partners in the accommodation.

 

Having had members of the British Carp Study Group fish here, proves that the venue is attractive to even those in the most experienced carp fishing circles.

 

Since 2010 we have exclusively used Coppens pellets and in 2012 we began to use Elite Baits as the sole provider of boilies that were used here.  The post Brexit regulations covering the ban on transport of bait from the UK to Europe has meant that from 2022 we will be using a new supplier of quality boilies that are rolled here by a British supplier in the local area. We have also switched to the use

of Aller Aqua pellets from 2022.

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