Lake Juvanze - George West

Lake Juvanze

George West

Another year had flown by and it and it was time for the annual trip across the channel in search of some French lumps... We set off on the Friday morning and decided to stay in a hotel Friday night so we were ready for the Saturday morning fishing spotting. Unfortunately this didn't quite go to plan as we found a bar right next to the hotel and a few Stella's later we stumbled back to our room regretting what we did in the morning.

We arrived at the lake not quite as clear minded as expected but after a quick look round and a chat with the bailiff we soon found a fair bit of fish activity.. The lake itself was called Juvanze Lake and was only around 2 acres in size so the fish spotting wasn't too tricky.

Sunrise!

 There were 5 of us in total and as luck would have it I came out first in the draw….. Ideal! I picked a very carpy looking swim with obvious carp holding features and I excitedly went about getting 3 rods out with little disturbance, as it was clear there were fish in the area. Two were cast tight to the far margin, as it looked like an obvious patrol route for any carp and the other was placed in open water where I'd seen some activity. 

The first night was un-eventful for all of us and although the fish were still active it was clear the fishing wasn't going to be as easy as we first thought. The weather had been all over the place recently so maybe this would have an effect upon the fishing. That was our excuse if we blanked anyway!

 The following day we sat around the dinner table getting stuck into some of the lovely grub they prepare there, when I had a couple of beeps on my receiver. As I went down to my swim which was only a few meters from the table, I shone the head torch down at my bobbin and saw that it was jammed to the top of my rod with an ever increasing bend on my right hand rod. I struck into it and felt solid resistance straight away. Initially the fish wallowed into my margins without too much of a fight and it was then that I saw a great big common appear from the depths. It was a proper lump and I knew I just had to get it into the net but as is always the way it decided to beat me up from then onwards, fighting hard along the marginal shelf. The other lads were by my side at this point and kept reminding me just how big it was which didn't do the nerves any good! Finally the energy started to fade from it and bit by bit I slowly teased her up towards the net until Matty managed to bundle the huge frame over the net cord.

We were all buzzing at what was clearly one of the bigger fish in the lake. To get the first one in the net is always a relief but a potential 50lb common was even better. The usual handshakes followed and then the weighing was done and when the needle settled on 50lb 10oz I was more than made up. The bailiff then informed me that it was the biggest common in the lake, not bad for my first fish!

 

50lb 10oz Common

Back She Goes!

That same night I somehow managed to lasso a mid 50 mirror, which must be some sort of record. Obviously I slipped it straight back but I'm sure some of the lads would have claimed it! I then received another bite which resulted in a 35lb 5oz mirror, that was this time hooked in the mouth! With over 85lb of fish in one night, I could now relax a little and enjoy the next few days.

35lb 5oz Mirror

The next couple of nights were fairly uneventful but on the fourth day my middle rod cast next to an overhanging tree finally did a bite. The hook bait had been out there for 48 hours which may suggest the fish didn’t feel too confident about feeding on baits straightaway and that a more washed out bait would be more likely to get a bite.  The fight was incredible and time after time line zipped of a burning clutch before a 39lb 2oz mirror finally succumbed and was embedded in the mesh of my landing net.

39lb 2oz Mirror

As the session progressed a few of the other lads started to catch the odd fish but the fishing was still far from easy.. One particular fish in front of me kept ‘boshing’ out repeatedly, so we decided to nickname it ‘boshing billy’! On the final morning it did it once more and this time I sent a single white pop up on a multi rig to the zone and within minutes the rod tip buckled round and she was in the net, which made a decent end to another memorable French session. At 38lb 8oz it was another good fish as well.

The fishing was hard going at times but the social side of things more than made up for it, which is what in my eyes going to France is all about.

38lb 8oz Mirror

George West - Noble's Fishing