About Meadow Lake

A Week at the Flower

My association with Rob and his lakes go back for many a year even before mayflower was on the map, so to speak. I had fished all three, Meadow and Milestone a week each and the jewel Mirror Pool for three one week sessions over the course of a year or so. The pool was kind to me as I fished three different ways to suit the swim and time of year and totalled 31 carp. This included 10 over 40 pounds and a couple of 50’s with one being the world record carp caught of the surface but all this is for another day. I had been fishing in Spain and running carp and catfish trips on the Ebro for about 5 years but my heart was in French carp. I had had enough, same old Spanish commons, in all that time i only managed 2 mirrors. Don’t get me wrong I loved it at the time and I had over 100 30 pound commons from not much fishing time. The guiding was great but I wanted my own time. So I had a last week out there one November, I knew it was the right time to quit especially as my last ever carp from the Ebro was a 47.02 my second biggest from there ever. I fished a few different venues over the next couple of years but I knew I’d end up back on one of Rob’s waters. It was early July 2010 when the phone call was made. Rob answered on the after 8pm line, nothing had changed and we sort of picked up where we left off. The fish had got bigger on all the lakes but it was mayflower that Rob guided me towards. Since we last spoke, the fish in here had come on in leaps and bounds. I was surprised at the size, with loads of big thirties and quite a few over the magical 40 pounds with the big common close to 50. We were looking at October 9th to 16th for our trip. Rob and myself discussed this at great length and we were agreed that it would mean a few less fish but they were all hoping to be at top weight, those 37,38’s may just be 40 come mid October.

The weeks went by and tactics got planned. Four of us were booked in with Rob, young Joe only 17 but he had been with me to Spain and he had done loads of fishing, my son Jake, no stranger to big carp. First English 20 at seven years old, on his own rods, first English 30 at 10, first 40 at 11, I will not go on but 210lb catfish at just under 15 years old world record course fish for a junior angler. Last but not least my mate big Chris. Now Chris is mad about fishing but he had never been, so when the chance came up to fish in, France he jumped at it. When I say he had never been I mean Roach, Bream, Perch never caught one never cast a rod, “more guiding again me thinks”.

Ferry booked £52 return, result. All the tackle got sorted, tactics sorted, everything sorted. Friday 8th October was soon upon us, cars packed and a leisurely 215 mile drive down to Dover for the 12.45am ferry. It is a long drive to the pool from Calais, over 450 mile, so try and get a sleep on the ferry. If you get tired and you will, about every 10kms there are aire du’s, rest areas which are great for breaks. Robs maps are first class and easy to follow, so take note. We arrived at around 2.30 in the afternoon, with a note from tony the bailiff, get yourself sorted out and ill be down later. Chris and myself set up in swim 2 with Jake and Joe straight opposite. Tony arrived and gave us the rundown; I must say what a great bloke, with loads of info and suchlike. The camp was set and rods ready, we had something to eat then we put the rods out. I have got to admit i was knackered so we just PVA bagged them out for the night. Around 2am i heard a buzzer go and it was Joe on the far bank. First fish 41.12 leather get in. Nothing else happened the rest of the night for any of us. First light i got the boat ready, rods reeled in and rebaited and ready for some proper fishing. I went out in the boat and found that the middle was the place to be. Boilies and corn were our choice of bait. Rods put back out with the lines all marked up. I used trees as markers on the far bank so i knew where to put them in the night for a recast. Early afternoon and Jake had a screamer on his left hand rob which put up a fantastic fight. The result went just over 38 pounds, a good start for Jake. The carp were feeding as I had a 20 and I had to talk Chris all the way through what I was doing. 20 minutes later and he had his own chance of catching 1. I talked the big one through it and he played it really well. It amazed him the strength that it had, 27.14 what a great first fish. Jakes recast rod went off again but this time the result was a real beauty and probably the looker of the week, 41.12 mirror “come on “. Nothing else happened for a couple of hours, then all hell broke loose. I had a fast run on the left which was a bit of a plodder, this is a good en I told Chris. 5 minutes later a 40.14 lay in the net. Then Chris had a run, again he listened well and he had a right result 40.06. What do we do now he asked me, I said “nothing” because I had another take. This one felt a really good one, it felt heavier than the first, this turned out to be a real peach at 47.07. Three fish three 40’s how good was this. Jake came round and helped out with photos. A train of thought never have brace shots after its hard enough looking after one carp, let alone two. It didn’t stop there, an hour into dark and i had my third forty of the day with a 49 exactly. That first Sunday produced six over forty for us and my decision to fish Mayflower was spot on.

The key to French fishing is accuracy bait little and often when they are having it and fish for one at a time. Do not pile the bait in, you can always add more but you can’t take it out. Monday and Tuesday were steady with me catching a forty pounder on each day. In the night the big crashed out big time on Tuesday so Joe and Jake moved to the double swim and boathouse respectively. Wednesday produced a few fish but it turned out our quietest day. Apart from Jake who had three over 37lb in the night. I am purposely not telling about all the incidentals rigs, bait, quantities etc because you can all sort this out for yourselves, more fun this way. The one thing i will say is that i am very specific about leads. I was testing a new shape 4oz that I have made and the results are very, very good. Back to the plot. Thursday started well Joe had a 38, Jake and Chris also had big thirties. It was the night that proved to be best, as Chris had a 43 and I managed a couple more 40 pounders. The last day came and went as it was soon the last night. Joe finished with a 44 pounder, just how he started the session with a forty pound carp. Jake had nothing and was unlucky to catch one over forty for the week but he did have a load of thirties, he was more than pleased. Chris had a couple in the night but no biggies and he finished with two 40 pound carp a 39 with a few other 20’s and 30’s what a fantastic week for your first ever fishing adventure. He’s mad to go back! Last night was kind to myself as I had 5 fish, with another two over 40, which included a 40 inch long mirror this is going to be an absolute beast, with the other being a 44.12, I had this one on the Monday at just over 45. So that was it for us, I had caught 9 forty pounders which for October was fantastic for anywhere. A few little things, the shops are around a 15 minute drive, supermarket, bread, tobacconist, post office etc. Leave no litter as I’m sure you will not. Listen to the bailiff as he spends all year talking to anglers. Just enjoy the place as this is a really, really nice place, long drive but well worth it. Have a good trip.

Thanks Mark Law

Mayflower part 2

After the fantastic trip in October, I just knew that I had to have a return. I arrive back in the early hours of Sunday morning and come Monday evening the lake was book again for May 21st. As time has gone by, the fish in hear have gradually learned about the pressures of English men on the bank. The days of catching 30, 40, or 50 or more carp in a week are getting to be a rare occasion. In a nut shell, they are wising up. In my opinion the fish have passed on now from easy to moderate. Whereas before you would catch lots of 20s and a few 30s with a chance of a 40. Now it more likely to be more 30s than 20s and a very good chance of one or even more 40s the 20s are getting less because the 30s are getting more, with many big 30s as well, with more and more fish going over 40 pound every year. It’s for this reason I made my plans to go back 21st of May. Don’t get me wrong this is a risk. The fish would either be at top weight or they could be spawning. Top weight and no spawning happy days. If they spawn when I am there no top weights and a not so good week fishing it’s a risk I was prepared to take.

It was a steady journey down there again which we did in a good time as we arrived at around 1:30 pm. Our new bailiff Brian was there waiting for us. Introductions made and Bri told us all the gen on the past few weeks. At first he came across as if he run a tight ship but it soon became apparent that Brian absolutely loves the place. He loves it that much along with his wife Sue they have brought a house in the village. Tackle and tactics were to be as before with one exception, we dint use back leads because of the shallow water, however we did keep the rod tips low to the water. There was seven of us this time my old mate john and his son Nathan a none fisher, along with mark his son in law. These three set up in the boat house/ hut swim. Myself and Sharron [the misses] were set up in swim 1 and 2 along with my mate Chris and his spouse Vicky a non fisher. We were left to set up and he would return to see us all a little later on. Everything got set up and the girls made us all a lovely meal, it was then time to get the rods out. I went out on the boat again and looked at the echo to find my spots, same as last time. The rods all got marked up then Bri returned so I took the opportunity to show him what we were using etc, it’s better to do this ,he knows then in his own mind that you are using correct rigs etc and not endangering the fish in anyway. You would not believe what some people still use even with today’s methods.

So it was rods out using my brand new waverunner2 baitboat.The girls absolutely loved the place, which was a bonus , I mean how could you not love it, it’s a fantastic place. Anyway time for bed, as we had chatted enough about what lay ahead for us in the coming days excited was the word. Just as we were getting in bivvies my left hand rod burst into life and after a very slow ponderous fight a very, very fat mirror lay in the net, it was like I had never been away,45 on the button. This was followed by a 36:04, come on. Chris had a 20and John a 20 and a 30from up the boathouse. Over the next few days mark had a run of 8 fish all over thirty pounds with a 45:14 thrown in for good measure. Johnny boy had 7 over 30 with a couple of 20s also over the next few days. The next 11 fish for us lot in swim 1and 2 were all 20s; this was while the other end of the lake was producing 30 pounders. The run was broken with myself having a 43:06 and Chris a 30pound common. Shaz wasn’t fishing that much as she and Vicky went out into the villages most days. The Monday was a very slow day but it went very hot and muggy, luckily the weather changed again on Tuesday with much better weather for carp fishing. I was beginning to get a little concerned about them spawning but i didn’t have to worry when it cooled off a bit.

The fish started to feed better and the bait boat came into its own as after every fish the rod was put back into exactly the same spots. Tuesday gave me another 8 fish with another two over 40 pounds 43:06 and a 45:02 Now here is a little thing. After all the years that I have been carp fishing there is only one carp up to 50 pounds that I have never caught and that is a 46 pounder. I have had every weight from 1,2,3,4 etc up to 49 a few fifties as well but to complete the set I need a 46.Another thing is that the greatest motorcycle rider of all time Valentino Rossi uses the number {yes you have guessed it 46}.The number just keeps cropping up in my life but not in my own carp fishing. My son Jake, his first forty was a 46:12 nine years ago and boy does he keep reminding me. Anyway that was 2 forty fives already this week, getting closer.

Not to be outdone Shaz had a 41:07 and Chris a 40:08 and a 39:14 to Johnny in the boathouse. Wednesday night was a very long affair. Around 10 pm the first run came. This is roughly what happened ,run, play the fish, get it in, weigh her, photos, return the fish, get the rod re done, bait boat out rod back into spot ,then we would sit down have a cuppa, think about bed beeeeep,off into another one. Fantastic. Three 30 pounders to 38:12 and three 20s and then an hour into light and another lump is in the net. The girls get up and admire the big mirror. Said to Chris that this one is another 46 pound opportunity it looked 45 to 47 pounds, fingers crossed with this one. Everyone 46 and ounces but when the scales settled it went 45:14.You can’t feel anything other than jubilation at catching such a beauty. I just had to laugh it off, so close yet so far. Back to reality, I had had 7 fish and Chris chipped in with a couple, so 9 fish last night and no sleep. The day was fairly quiet and it was soon night time again. We had caught a little sleep but we were both still tired. The first half the night went fast all 20s 3 each for me and Shaz and 1 for Chris. Then it all started to change as I managed another 5 with 3 30s and another 2 forty pounders one was a scrapper at 40:02 which was at first light and the other was a fatty, which I had caught first night at 45 this time she went 44:02.This was another incredible nights fishing with 12 fish in total. The fish had moved into peg one and they were showing really well. I moved a couple of rods into the swim to maximize the situation. The last five fish were all over 30 so fingers crossed the better ones were feeding. The fish were half way out and really showing themselves again. Then one after another I had three 30s. The fish moved out a little so we repositioned the rods to suit, this suited Shaz as she had 3 on the trot, again all 30s with a 35 and a 37. My turn again from a repositioned rod, this felt a heavy one, after much kiting and a bit of a tassel the best looking fish I had caught for the week was on the matt. Again this was a lump it looked 49-51 but I knew it was again in the 45-47 pound bracket. Up she went. Needles bouncing 46, 47 no way, 47:02, I must admit I couldn’t believe it was a few ounces over 46. I just had to laugh. Take a look at her, this is going to be a beast in a few years, there were no marks anywhere, peach of a carp. The sleep was a bit of a joke or lack of it was, anyway last night was here. Chris repositioned his one rod to a spot that Brian told him and would you believe it he had a 44:06 Pb from it. Mark in the boathouse had his second 40 the big common spawned out at 43:08. In the middle of the night I had a fast take on my left hand rod, when I lifted into it, she powered off but I felt it grating on something, every time I gained around 20 meters it locked up. Damn it a snag , I had to go out in the boat to free it. Do not do this unless you have a lifejacket and are a very experienced angler and boatman, when I got out there the fish was tethered to some line which i managed to free. I then played out the rest of the fight near to the bank. Three times she came to the net as she kept on waddling off, this was heart wrenching stuff, fourth time lucky and another fatty was mine. This one was a big Mayflower carp and at 49:04 she must have been one of the lakes biggest inhabitants. A totally different fish to the 49 I had in October. I had equalled my lake record of 9 forty pounders in a week, what a great last night. This was our 14th over 30 on the trot but this all stopped as I then had a few 20 pounders.

Come morning it was time to pack up as we had a long drive to the ferry at Calais. I had done all the totals and 45 carp is what I had caught ,I left the rods on the floor while we were packing up just in case, you know how it is.20 minutes later and I heard the sound of a big bait runner start to click off and a spirited 27 pounder was in the net. How about that it meant that it was 46 fish for the week.Unbelievable.46 just had to crop up to get me again. Another fantastic trip was had by all, what a great place Mayflower is. Now Brian is the bailiff, the lake gets loads of maintenance, he does all the trimming, grass cutting etc before you get there, and the hut is immaculate. His knowledge of the surrounding area is great. You must go to the Netto for your supplies as the girls said that it is very well priced, has a good variety and is better than UK Netto.It is also a lovely drive there and pretty easy to get to in stunning countryside.

The thing with this lake is that if it’s your first time to France you will catch some nice fish. If you’re experienced with French sorties then your knowledge will help you catch more than your fair share. It has something for everyone. For me I have been to France over 50 times and I absolutely love the place. Rob and Brian thank you for such a fantastic venue Mark Law

We booked up a trip to Mayflower Lake, five friends and I, having had such an enjoyable session on Mirror Pool the previous year and appreciating the way that the Mirror Pool fisheries water are run and the quality of the fishing provided – Well – we weren’t disappointed!

We drove through the night, and straight through the centre of Paris, as before, with no problems at all and in super quick time arriving in time for a meal in one of the local villages together with a couple of beers and on to the lake for 1.00pm. We were welcomed by Brian, the bailiff, and his wife and immediately offered a cup of tea before a tour of the lake together with plenty of tips and guidance on how to fish the lake and gain the most out of stay. The lake nestles in the bottom of a valley surrounded completely by farmland and is certainly very peaceful – at night it really is dark and quiet! The weather had been very wet the previous week and the forecast was for more rain to follow for most of our stay and the brief, dry interlude just about gave us all time to set up before the heavens opened again! We drew for choice of swims and I opted to double up with Clive in peg 7 with everyone choosing to fish from the same bank to, hopefully, give the fish a break and some peace away from our disturbance. A quick plumb around revealed a few clean hard spots along the course of the old stream bed that had been dammed to create the lake and with the weather closing in I got a couple of rods out.

The first take came within an hour and fell to a stringer of 15mm fishmeal boilies fished up to the shallows to my right on the old stream bed and proved to be a 29lb fish – a great start! I scattered a few more baits about – not baiting too accurately to start with hopefully to make the fish search for the baits – and got that rod back out together with other two. Clive wasn’t even fishing yet – he likes his house to be neatly set up first! – when the left hand rod was away from a clean spot only 20yards out in front of us and this proved to be an immaculate very orangey coloured 42lb fish with a lot of small scales near the tail and it fought very hard in the now torrential rain.

That wasn’t all for Saturday, either, another 42lb fish falling to the right hand rod just as the rain got to its hardest. A real cracking long, lean mirror this one although the pouring rain didn’t allow my photos to do the fish justice – a couple of quick snaps with me wondering who was the wetter – me or the fish! I did put the rods back out for an hour but the rain, wind and thunder made me think better of it and all three came in before midnight!

I slept through till 8.00am but Clive’s buzzer soon had me thinking of recasting as he netted a 28 common followed by a mid thirty mirror. Clive and I now sorted a close spot in between our main areas and baited it with some maggots, chopped boilies and sweetcorn and put one rod each on it, keeping it topped with bait throughout the week and it was this area, only about 20 yards out that produced the majority of the fish.

The rain continued to fall through Sunday, Monday and Tuesday with very little break and the fish did likewise with the two of us catching consistently most of the time whilst the others in the group also receiving regular action, particularly Anthony in swim 4, who had a beautiful 48lb mirror from close in to the left of the swim on Monday morning. Only Lee in peg 5 initially struggled with the fish seeming to bypass his baits during the early part of the week but his time would certainly come.

Brian popped down to see us on Tuesday and promised a break in the weather for Wednesday and just after his visit we were hit by the storm of the week with the sky getting darker and darker and eventually a mini hurricane hitting us – we had hail, sleet, a howling gale for about an hour and Clive and I, with the wind straight in our faces, spent the time hanging on to our brollies for dear life but once the wind stopped the fish just went mad and in the following 2 hour period Clive and I had about ten fish with a couple of 40s each and some really, beautiful scaly 30s topped off with a 49lb common to Clives close in rod.

Wednesday did turn out to be a better day weather wise and Lee who was still struggling in peg 5 came up and fished in peg 7 where he was quickly off the mark with a mid 20 mirror. Clive and I continued to top up the near in area and the fish continued to oblige with more 30lb mirrors and an immaculate mid 30 common – at one stage we actually had 5 fish either on or in the landing nets at one time – unbelievable!

The fishing in pegs 7 and 4 continued on Thursday and Lee in peg 5 now started to catch, casting about 60 yards out and slightly to his left – a 20, then another 20, a 30 another 30 – there was no stopping him now – and they were all good looking fish.

Friday continued in the same vein – with Clive taking another 40 plus common, a 46lb mirror for me and a couple more really nice scaly mid 30s. Lee also continued to chip in and finally got his wish – a cracking 41lb mirror – his cheesy grin said it all!

The rain held off just long enough for us to pack up on Saturday morning although everything we possessed was soaking wet! and we sat around having one final cup of tea and reflecting on an absolutely brilliant weeks fishing – as a group we had landed more than 70 carp with 9 over 40lbs and the majority of the rest over 30 – just unbelievable - with some beautiful scaly mirrors and cracking commons amongst them – what more could you want.

If you do go to Mayflower be prepared for some pretty hectic fishing and do listen to what Brian tells you – his tip about resting the swim for a few hours at a time really paid off.

And finally, Brian recommended that we try the local restaurant – Chez Michel in the village and all of 3 minutes from the lake. Do try it yourselves, 3 courses, a bottle of wine and superb food – all for 12 Euros - if we go again we’d eat there every day!

Hope this is some use! I’ll talk to you about the Lot in the near future but in the meantime could you tell us the nearest village and what we may catch.