Looking backwards...

2007 was an unusual year in a lot of ways. As my first year involved in the hands-on running of the company I learned a lot about what it takes to run a successful Carp fishery. For me the key elements are both the unique and beautiful nature of our lakes, and the close relationship we have with our customers.

On the fishing front the results were overall very good

Bleu

Bleu fished outstandingly during the opening months of the season with some huge hauls of fish taken, during the middle part of the season the Carp fishing seemed to be affected by the horrible wet weather, but in spite of that large Catfish (including a new lake record) and significant numbers of Carp continued to be caught. The final few weeks of the season produced 4 captures of 2 different 30lb+ Carp, which made a few peoples' holidays, that's for sure!


Vert

Vert had a sensational year, with many Catfish over the 40lb barrier (including 3 in a single week), and several whopping Carp. The highlight of which has to be the superb 30lb+ Common taken by, old golden balls, my Dad. In addition, a huge number of twenties were banked, many over the 25lb barrier - which just goes to show that the often overlooked Vert is well worth a week of your time!


Rouge

We are always honest about the captures on our lake, and as many of you who read our blog will have noted, Rouge did not perform as well as in previous years during 2007. Viewed outside of this lake's illustrious past, any season that produces the number of 30lb+ Carp and 50lb+ Catfish that Rouge did would be regarded as a great one. However, knowing the fish that swim within the lake, it remains a mystery to me why we did not see any of the 40lb+ Carp on the bank and how some other well known monsters evaded capture. We can point to the weather as a possible factor, this summer was the wettest on record for over half a century, but in reality i guess it must be accepted that pressured fish become hard to catch, and sometimes go for long periods without gracing an anglers net. Rest assured, we are keeping a close eye on the situation in Rouge, and any insight we gain over the winter months will be passed straight on to you! As ever, the Catfish in Rouge have provided a welcome distraction from the serious Carp fishing for some, and in late October our lake record was smashed again by a huge 110lb specimen. Funnily enough it was caught in nearly the same week as it was banked in 2006 (the week is gone for 2008...any bidders for the middle of October 2009?!).

Obviously it takes a lot to maintain the lakes over the summer, but this time of year is where the real hard work is done and this year is no exception. Last year the main project was the restoration of the stock pond, which was a resounding success and has already proved to be a superb asset to the fishery. This year we are looking at several smaller projects such as improving swims and access around Rouge, developing the 'Secret pond' behind Vert and much much more.

Tight Lines
Will James