About Mirror Pool

I am just writing to let you know how we thoroughly enjoyed our week at Mirror Pool. We have been fishing for carp for over 30 years now and in France for 10 years and during this time we have been disappointed by peoples descriptions of their lakes and fish on a number of occasions and so drove down to Mirror Pool with some trepidation! To start with the journey was not as bad as some had said it would be – we drove through the centre of Paris in the early morning and with sat-nav it was very straightforward – you could do the trip to the lake in six hours from the Chunnel if you didn’t stop for breakfast and again for fresh croissants as we did!

Our first view of the lake was as good as the website pictures and it was certainly far more like an English lake than a French lake – crystal clear water, loads of features and fish cruising in the open water in full view! Wayne, the bailiff, gave us a good tour of the lake and we saw even more fish and some real big ones as well. Wayne is a mine of information and anyone visiting the lake would be well advised to listen to what he has to say although he give so much info it’s difficult to remember it all – he really, really does want you to catch!

We were all quickly set up and despite the lake only being 4 acres we really didn’t interfere with each other and all very much had our areas and features to fish. The fish continued to show all over the lake through the evening and night and we all had odd bleeps though no proper takes ( the fish are very cute and it wasn’t really till the end of the week that we managed to convert some of this obvious fish activity into fish on the bank). Next morning George had two takes at once – for some reason he failed to hook one of them – and landed a superb looking mid 20 mirror in immaculate condition and very dark – most unlike most French fish Later that day I noticed some fish going in and out of the shallows and set up to stalk them as they followed their route out – again the fish obviously picked up some of the freebies but it wasn’t for 3 hours that I managed to get a take resulting in another immaculate mirror which despite looking the same sort of size as George’s fish actually proved to be a mid thirty and again very dark and scale perfect. Through the week we tried lots of different tactics and spent a lot of time watching the fish’s behaviour – some things worked and some didn’t – although occasionally we would catch a fish doing something we didn’t ever think would work like baiting very heavily on a small clear spot in the middle of the lake! We ended up the week with 12 takes and 10 fish – and the more we thought about some of Wayne’s advice the more logical the fishing became – and on the Saturday we really didn’t want to leave. All the fish we caught were in very good condition and some were outstanding. (there is a picture of a mirror with lots of big apple-slice scales on the wall of the hut and I said on the day we arrived that I’d be happy if that was the only fish I caught all week – well it wasn’t my only fish but I did catch it and it was very obvious which fish it was whilst I was playing it in the clear water and on the bank it was better even than the photos!). We didn’t catch any of the monsters that are in the lake – yes they definitely are in there - you can see them if you’re careful!

A truly great weeks fishing! Thanks very much to you and to Wayne – we will definitely be re-booking!

Arrived at mirror pool to find that only two of us were on the lake, i decided to fish the pylon swim whilst ian went in the boat house. mirror is a tricky water and the fish prefer to feed on small baits, so i went with a plan to feed crush boilie and lots of maggots, as it was early season. they are also very line shy, so i opted to fish the washing line rig to the left hand margin. the plan was to pole cup out 3 gallons of maggots and a kilo of crushed decoy by evolution baits, out to a spot with a baiting pole.

I then cast a spod out from the left hand margin out in to the lake, went back round to my swim and cast a lead with a hook over the spod line to catch it, after doing this i reeled the spod in to my swim and cut the spot and the rig off and tied the two together, back over on the left hand margin i reeled the attached lines in and tied a rig on to my main line, this consisted of a 4oz flat lead to stop it moving down the shelf with a trimmed down decoy bottom bait with 10 maggots tied to the hair rig as a boilie stop, this was lowered on to the baited spot with the use of the pole making sure that the bait was up the shelf as i wanted no line between the loose feed and my hook bait. the line was then tied off on a weak link on a bank stick by the use of an old back lead clip 2lb line about a foot long to insure it snaps on the take. in the early hours of the morning the weak link snapped and the bobbin dropped to the floor, the delkim sounded and the rod tip was moving gently up and down indicating taht a fish had slipped up and was trying to get away with it.

After a short fight i knew i had a good fish in the net, but it was only as i tried to lift it that i knew it was the big girl. the scales flew round and settled on 70.06 0z. a new pb by 6lb and the biggest fish in the lake. i knew that being different on a hard water would get some rewards but my target fish in less than 10 hours fishing was a proper result.!!! 3 more fish followed 48lb 46 lb 35lb all mirrors. just shows that if you fish the same as all the rest your results will be the same be different and reap the rewards.

May 2014 saw us off to Mirror Pool near Limoges for another weeks fishing and thoroughly looking forward to trying to outwit some of the huge carp it's home to. Mirror Pool is not your typical French carp water - it's far more like a UK water than any other commercial water I've ever fished in France. The swims are natural, the water is very clear - you can actually see the fish up to 10 feet below the surface! - and some of the fish are absolute stunners in immaculate condition and a lovely dark colour. We'd fished Mirror Pool in 2011 and had caught a few of its residents including some really scaly ones but hadn't caught any of the monsters. We'd seen them on our previous trip but whilst they were happy to give themselves away on many occasions they were less inclined to get caught! So some unfinished business as the saying goes.

We arrived about 1.00pm on the Saturday having met up with some friends in Bourges the previous day and Wayne was just completing his weekly tidy up. He welcomed us and filled us in on how the fishing had been over the last few weeks giving his usual tips and prompts on how to fish the lake - He is a mine of information and it's always well worth listening to what he has to say. He spends a lot of time just walking around the lake as well as watching how people go about fishing it so he should be able to point you in the right direction! We had a quick walk round and saw enough to tell us the fish were, as usual, spread about so we agreed to Clive going in the Boathouse swim, George in the corner Dam swim and I'd go into the Suicide. I'd fished the Suicide for a couple of nights on our previous trip and knew a couple of close in spots I'd caught from before which always helps.

I fished with combination of maggots, corn and fishmeal boilies, spombing out maggots and corn on to the two close in spots and then loose feeding boilies over the top of both spots. My third rod was fished roving on a couple of different clean spots with very little in the way of freebies, just a few boilies arounds the hook bait. I also baited another clean hard spot in the middle of the lake with boilies but didn't intend to fish it until later in the week. I only had enough maggots to fish them until Tuesday but kept the boilies going in on all the spots despite fishing maggots and corn on the hooks.

I eventually got the baits out by about 6.00 pm and settled down for a quick snack before phoning home to let my Wife know we'd made it. Well I was chatting away when I had two bleeps on the maggot rod - amazing when I'd only finished spombing about two hours before. I dropped the phone with a quick apology and dived down the steps to the rods. The middle indicator light was still on and as I stood watching the line tightened and another single bleep sounded so I picked the rod up and tightened into what was obviously a carp. The fish had kited about eight feet on a tight line and absolutely roared off as I tried to regain some line. After a good fight during which I could clearly watch the fish spinning and twisting in the clear water I slipped the net under a big fat mirror. The fish was quickly weighted at 49.15 - it was one where you just knew it wasn't fifty but the scales bounced either side. The fish had a spawning scratch on one flank but was otherwise perfect with only my hook mark in its mouth. I spombed out another 3 pints of maggots and about half a kilo of boilies and set everything for the night but it wasn't until about 7.30 the next morning when the close in rod on corn went off and after another 10 or so minutes another big mirror rolled into the net. the take came from about 10 yards out but the fish almost made the far bank at times on its runs and later I asked Wayne what made the fish fight like they did and He's convinced that once they get spawning out of the way they all go like the clappers because of the clear water and the fact that some of them only actually get caught once or twice a season.

After returning that fish I wound in went and had a shower and some breakfast intent on resting the swim for the majority of the day and retuned only to bait up two or three times with maggots,corn and boilies. This remained my tactic for the rest of the week and it seemed to work - the only day I sat it out with my lines out all morning I blanked for the whole 24 hours! The fish continued to show in front of Clive and George all through the day but neither of them had any takes. With the benefit of hindsight they probably should have wound in and baited up and l;eft the fish in peace but thats ever so difficult when you've got some monsters rolling over the top of your baits! I was recast and all sorted with more maggots and boilies over the spots by about 6.30 pm and only had to wait about 45 minutes before the maggot baited rod was off again and after yet another ridiculously hard fight another mid forty rolled into the net. I wasn't seeing any fish roll over my spots at all but they were still showing regularly over Clives spots in the boathouse swim which seemed odd as he wasn't experiencing any action at all. I quickly photographed and returned the fish before spombing out another 2 or 3 pints of maggots and half a kilo of boilies over that spot. The recast was easy even in the half light as the spot was only about 20 yards straight out but I was really surprised when after only about 30 minutes the same rod bleeped and tightened up again and I found myself diving down the steps again and pulling in to another heavy feeling fish. The fight was again a long affair with the fish staying deep and me not seeing anything for about ten minutes but eventually it rolled in the edge and I managed to scoop it up. What a cracking fish it proved to be as well - really dark and without a mark on it, a few scales and a perfect mouth and at 41 pounds I didn't even have to struggle for a picture! Wayne looked at the photos later in the week and reckoned it hadn't been out this year or all last year to the best of his knowledge.

The night was quiet but I did receive one single bleep[ on the middle rod and on winding in the next morning found the telltale tubing on the hook had been blown back - I'd been done and not for the last time!

Again I wound in for the day and simply relaxed with the other lads after going i to Bessines to buy some cracking fresh croissants for breakfast.

I'd almost run out of maggots by now so the last few went out with a few boilies and a bit of corn and I was back fishing by about four in the afternoon.

Again I was surprised when the maggot rod went off again within about 30 minutes but this fight was unlike anything before and fish just powered off up towards the shallows completely unstoppable! After about six or seven short runs further up to the shallows my continued pressure with the rod tip under the water eventually told and the fish turned and gradually came back towards me along the far bank. Once it was level with me I stuck the pressure on but the fish just kept going on up the lake with the clutch just ticking! At about 50 yards away I stuck the tip back under the water and tried to stop it - to no avail - it just kept going!

Eventually and after about 30 minutes the tip pinged back - it was off. It felt like a hook pull and I was gutted to say the least until I swung the lead back to hand only to find the hook link cut about an inch above the hook! Could it have been the one and only catfish in the lake? The rest of that evening was very quiet with only a few fish again showing in front of Clive so I was in the bag by about 11 pm and fast asleep when the right hand rod signalled an odd twitchy take about 12. 30. I was on it quite quickly and it seemed like deja vu with something that felt huge charging down towards the shallows. I won't bore you with the fight but suffice to say it took 50 minutes to get the thing into the landing net and it was the one and only ruddy catfish - with my other hook just a bit further inside its huge mouth! Now I hate catfish but George quite likes them so he was quickly summoned. He got hold of Waynes retaining sack as we'd been asked to keep the catfish if we caught it and he'd soon unhooked it and slipped it into they sack which was firmly tied to a tree!

Next morning we summoned Wayne from his slumbers and he was over the moon that we'd caught it - apparently had been hooked and lost lots of times and had taken to simply waiting on the spots that anglers were baiting and eating all the bait intended for the carp! We quickly weighed it - at 57 pounds - and Wayne took it off to one of the stock ponds for a little holiday.

Not long after Wayne had disappeared with the catfish one of the recast rods roared off - a proper take rather than the cautious affairs earlier in the week and soon another cracking dark low forty was grinning along with me for the camera and it was time for the rods to come in again. I'd long run out of maggots and now all the spots were baited just with fishmeal boilies and corn but the supply of them was diminishing rather too quickly and the tins of Jolly Green Giant were taking a battering too!

I didn't get the rods back out until 5.00 pm on the Tuesday and again was surprised when the left rod, near in, went off again and another long lean thirty - more like an English fish than a French one - ended up in the net. I'd only just recast and baited up again and was still standing by the rods when the left one bleeped twice and the line tightened - no chance for a run as I picked the rod up straight away and the fish took line immediately. A couple of lunges, though, and the hook pulled. I was gutted but the hook was perfect - just one of those things I guess. Not to worry because just an hour later the same rod went again and the all too familiar fight started, along with the rain! This one took me all over the place and by the time a big looking common rolled over the net cord I was soaked. Well pleased, though, at 44 lbs it was my biggest French common and I didn't even mind winding all the rods in to go and put some dry clothes on.

Rods back out by about 11.00pm but not a bleep until 6.30am when the close rod was off again. Same ridiculous fight and another lovely black and scaly mirror went into the net. During the fight the middle rod had bleeped once or twice and now it bleeped again and looking down I saw the line tightening - without really thinking I just picked the rod up and was in again. Needless to say the fight was again a good one but after 10 or 15 minutes I was ready to try and get one large carp into a landing already occupied by another! Eventually the two are safely in the one net and I've bitten through both lines! I quickly wound the third rod in and summoned Clive for some help with the two fish. The only thing to do was for me to get into the water and to try to get one of the fish in the net into a weigh sling and this actually proved much easier than I'd imagined. We got the larger one first and what a stunning fish - a half linear one side and a scattering of big scales the other and weighing in at 43.8 - one of the best fish I've ever caught. The second fish was a 36 common and normally enough to make anyone happy but as part of a brace it was just superb!

After such a superb morning it had to be off to the patisserie for a big bag of croissants and a day just longing around with a couple of beers but I made the effort to keep the bait going in on three occasions throughout the day and was rewarded with another lovely long scaly mirror that evening. Nothing much happened through the night but I heard a couple of fish crash down to my left and suffered two single bleeps on two different rods at between 1.00 and 2.00 am. Had I been done again?

Sure enough I wound both the offending rods in at 6.30 am and found the little piece of tubing I use on the hook shank blown back over the eye! I reckon I'd been cleared out on both rods and the fish had picked both hook baits up and managed not to get hooked - back to the drawing board I guess! Today I decided to fish on until lunch time for the first time but nothing further happen apart from the fish still showing in front of Clive and sure enough I was just about to cal it a day when he strolled into my swim with a big cheesy grin - He"d had a stunning mirror and would I help with a photo or two. I wound in and grabbed my camera and followed him back to the boathouse. What a stunner it was too - a long black mirror that looked like it could have come from Redmire!! Only George to land one now and the trip would be complete - George had lost one yesterday afternoon after a really long fight.

After letting Clive's fish go I sat in his swim for a while drinking coffee before baiting up again and whilst I was back in my swim I heard George's alarm bleep a couple of times and watched as he picked the rod and began to play the fish. I just hoped it wouldn't drop off but all was well and about 10 minutes later he slipped the net under the fish and hoisted it out on to his mat. Clive had made it round to the Dam by then and I set off to go and have a look as well but by the time I made it they'd returned what turned out to be a mid twenty but again an absolute stunner - almost a linear and again as black as your hat! Wayne said later that neither Clives or Georges fish had been reported before.

After fishing all morning for nothing I was expecting a take again that evening but all was very quiet and I wonder if fishing all morning with my lines in the water had perhaps stopped the fish visiting my spots at the usual evening feeding times?

The night too was quiet - at least I wasn't done again! - but at 6.00 the left hand rod was away and an obviously heavy fish made every effort to get down to the shallows. The fight was a long drawn out affair with the fish spending ages right under the rod tip on a number of occasions before powering off in to middle of the lake again but eventually I managed to net it and realised that it was a very good fish indeed. Clive again came to help with the photos and soon I was struggling to pose with a beautiful 53 lbs mirror - how much better could the week get! >> I was running low on bait now so I wound them all in and went for a break spending the day chatting with George and Clive. The last kilo of bait went out at 5.00pm for the last night but I didn't have to wait long before the middle rod was away and I lifted into what I thought was a tench - the fish didn't feel heavy nor did it fight much - and we'd watched some monster tench in the margins earlier in the week and knew that the lake held them up to over 12lbs! That would do very nicely to finish the week but alas it wasn't to be. The fish did put up a bit of a tussle but pushed up some huge swirls and in the dusk I wasn't sure what it was until it rolled over - a bloody great grass carp!

It was soon in the net and Clive was in the swim giggling - "I know they don't fight in the water " he told me" just wait till you try and weigh and photograph it!" Well he was right - it weighed 34 lbs but all we could do was manage one photo - it would not keep still at all! Nothing else happened that night or into the following morning and soon we were packing all the junk into the car for the return journey. What a fantastic week - nearly 20 takes between us - and loads of stunning fish. Mirror Pool is my favourite French water by a long way and there are still loads of stunning fish in there that I've not been fortunate enough to catch yet so we'll be back again in 2016. Wayne makes you very welcome, the lake is very peaceful and natural just like your own syndicate for a week and the fish behave properly not like too many over hungry French waters. I'd recommend the water to anyone - at times it may seem a little difficult but you may very well end up having the week of your life as we did!