Update

Rouge

All in all Rouge has lived up to its reputation as being the hardest of the three Papillon lakes. Three different parties have spent time fishing all areas with some notable success but also spending time on Vert just to get themselves used to catching a lot of fish. A very notable success was a man on his first ever Carp holiday managed his third Carp on sunday at 41 1/2 lbs what an achievement, personal best from zero to 44 1/2lbs in two days fishing! The group also managed a 44 1/2 lb Carp and a largish Cat of 68 lbs. Although they didn't have as many fish as the previous year the quality was certainly there.

Last week also proved hard but some good quality fish were caught with the best Carp coming in at 38lbs and Cat of 63lbs in a catch of thirty fish. Now that the weather has become much cooler and more changeable with the onset of autumn the bigger catfish are beginning to feed well and proving as tough as ever and really not playing the game as they insist on taking the Carp baits and then smashing people up. I hear stories almost on a daily basis of the monsters of the deep - Oh well someone will be the lucky one again and catch a record well over the ton soon.

Vert

Although not fished consistently over the last weeks this lake has given some fantastic catches of both Carp and Catfish with this year's Cat record now going to 35lbs. A lot of carp over twenty pounds have been landed as well as the totally mental big doubles. Over ten fish for one angler in a day is fairly typical and nobody leaves Vert disappointed and they always have aching arms from the constant action.

Bleu

Three different parties have had the usual fantastic weeks fishing and all are returning for a new attack next year. Big Carp and Cats are coming out on a regular basis with the most notable success being the second thirty pound Common ever from the Papillon lakes. Last week saw a new group to the lakes catching 7 thirty pound plus Carp which I believe is also a record for the lake. Newbies to Catfish they did manage them to 40lbs but have vowed to next time land some of the really big ones that got away.

Now with the onset of Winter - as I think Autumn lasted for one week as now we are getting frosts at night - the fish are beginning to stock up on the food so the remaining weeks of the season could produce some excellent fishing.

Which brings me to the advert:

Anyone wanting to fish the lakes for either of the last weeks in October please ring me on 0033553628801 for a special deal!

Tight lines!

John James

Special update

Regular visitors to the site will notice that in recent weeks the website updates have changed from their usual format. The main reason behind this is that I have now relocated to Japan, on a JET (www.jet-org.org) placement. Having had a few weeks to settle in here, and finally get myself an internet connection, Iam pleased to tell you that the site updates will return to their regular format, and development will continue on the site! I would like to thank you all for you patience over the last few weeks, and congratulate 'the boss' (John!) on his efforts to keep the site running, with no previous experience!

Below are some of the pictures kindly sent to us by Malcom Stimson of his record breaking 100lb Catfish, and a stunning 40lb+ Rouge Carp. Those of you who have browsed the site thoroughly will notice that Malcom is something of a regular on these pages - and as one of our longest standing customers, we would like to thank him for his support over the years and congratulate him on another great achievement!

I hope to be posting some more pictures sent in by our visitors in the next few weeks. If you have any from this year's holiday, please send them in.

Tight lines!

Will James

Update

Another two weeks have gone flying by with still no rain worth speaking about but wonderful weather for the anglers.

Rouge

Week ending 27/08 - New Lake Record Catfish!

What can you say about the record breaking Cat? This one clocked in at just the 100lb mark and was landed on 12lb line and hooked on Halibut pellet fishing for the Carp.

Our longest standing customer Malcolm Stimson achieved this magnificent capture, and said he was lucky that the fish was hooked right in the corner of the mouth and didn’t make too many serious runs for the snags which we all know. In spite of his playing it down this is a seriously professional achievement. Well done.

The big question is: Is it the really the biggest this lake has to offer? 

Not only did Malcom catch the big Cat but he managed a 46lb Carp and another 10 thirties in a total of 51 fish and over 1200lbs in weight.

Perhaps I should start hiring the lakes out on a pound per pound basis!

Week ending 03/09

A much hotter week with temperature back into the upper eighties and nineties saw the fish go a bit quieter this week. Mike and party did manage three 30lb+ Carp and several good Cats, with the largest at 76lbs. Most of the fish seemed to be round the back of the island where it was almost too hot to fish. I was told of huge backs cruising in the water in that area but they weren’t too interested in the presented baits.

Vert

Week ending 27/08

As a catching lake this has got to be as good as it gets. Peter and party fishing days only managed to catch one 30lb+ Cat, 9 twenties and 6 20lb+ Carp in a total of 161 fish. The furious action seemed to be non stop and it has been suggested that the fish be treated with Valium as they are rather boisterous and to quote a famous angler “ Don’t they hang on!”

Week ending 03/09

This week saw some new anglers fishing Vert – the fishing proved yet again that even in scorching weather Vert continues to perform to the highest standard. Although the bigger fish did prove to be rather elusive all anglers had personal best Cats and one twenty pound Carp was also a personal best.

Bleu

This saw regulars returning for there annual fortnights pilgrimage and what a fortnight it was. Between the five anglers they managed an astonishing 4500lbs of fish. In anybodys book, this has to be something very special. Several thirty pound Carp were caught, and on the Catfish front, 78lbs, 74lbs and at least four other fifty pounders were caught. What an achievement over the holiday!

Tight lines!

John James

Update

The last two weeks have been extremely eventful with excellent fishing on all lakes and really perfect weather.

Rouge

Week Commencing 06/08/05 - New Lake Record Carp!

Although the fishing was slow for the first part of the week the five anglers managed to turn the big Carp on. Several thirties were caught but the real stars were 41lb, 46lb and a new lake record of 49lbs. I have been promised photos so I will put them on the site as soon as I get them. This group also hooked another huge Carp which they lost at the net and they estimated this fish to be even bigger than the 49lber. Several medium Cats were caught to the low forties but the bigger ones insisted on getting hooked on the Carp gear and evading the stronger Cat gear - resulting in several big ones lost.

Week Commencing 13/08/05

Two regulars returning for there second trip this year had a fabulous weeks fishing with over 1550 lbs of fish. This consisted of 16 Cats the largest being 76lbs and 51 Carp. The magnificent Carp catch was made up of 22 twenties, 11 thirties and 2 different 46lb + stunners. The 'Top Rod' has to be Vince, a young angler who caught his first ever Carp - 34lb 8oz. How many people can boast that they missed out singles, doubles and
twenties! Well done Vince.

Vert

Although not fished solidly for either week, this lake continues to keep the fishermen permanently occupied with run after run. One local and his friend from the UK managed 22 fish in a one night session with several Carp and Cats over 20lbs. There are definitely some monster Catfish in the lake as proper 30lb gear was broken by something very big.

This lake is full for the next three weeks, and I hope we will have something extra exciting to report about the lakes content which still remains a mystery!

Bleu

We have had a family of five down for two weeks on Bleu and they had a fabulous time catching well over 100 fish weighing in at over 2000lbs. Having fished a lake in the UK this year without a fish they were overjoyed with the quantity and weight of the fish.

"We are not really interested in Cats", was the quote given to me at the start of there holiday. Once a 49lber had been landed after several bustups, all the family were desperate to catch a big Cat. It'st funny how people's feelings about Catfish change once they have experienced the awesome power of these fish. All five in the party had personal best Carp and Cats with I think the last fish caught being a fine 64lb Cat.

Tight lines!

John James

12/08/05

Update

Some weeks it is an absolute pleasure to write about the lakes, and this is such a week: perfect weather, great fishermen and above all excellent fishing.

Rouge

Three anglers on there fifth visit had a brilliant week with the largest Carp caught being 46lbs. What a fish – I was on the Bleu lake at the time and ran all the way with my camera to the back swim on rouge to take the attached photo. Eating a sausage sandwich while running is not the done thing - I needed oxygen when I got there!

But that’s not all they caught – in total 63 Carp and Cats with 8 thirties and many twenties. The biggest Cat was just over 40lbs with a few bigger ones being lost.

Thanks for leaving the lake so tidy and I look forward to seeing you again next year.

Vert

This was a new one for me with three young Belgian anglers fairly new to carp angling again had an absolute ball. I know well over 100 fish were caught during the week with many Cats and Carp into the high twenties. Unfortunately the bigger cats in particular kept getting away. This really shows how perfect the weather was as they slept out every night (apart from the BBQ night!) without a bivvy. They have promised to come back again and fish either Rouge or Bleu. I look forward to seeing you again to increase your personal bests which were all improved last week.

Bleu

I intimated in last weeks update that this lake should do well and so it proved. Over 2000lb of fish between two anglers is not bad. This was a mixture of Cats and Carp with the biggest Carp over 30lbs and two Cats over 60lbs as well and another dozen over 30lbs. What a work out they had and still they will be back for more.

Tight lines!

John James

Update

Rouge

In order to maintain the integrity of these write ups, it's important for us to report the good weeks as well as the bad - such as the one unfortunately experienced two weeks ago. Four regulars came down and fished for the week with very little success. The Carp were not feeding for some reason and between them fishing in swims 1,2 and 4 they only caught four or five Cats, none of which were monsters. As I didn't get chance to see them before they left on Saturday morning I don't know if the rest of Friday produced, but as they are coming back again next year this clearly hasn't deterred them from the lake.

We can always look to the normal excuses: full moon, change in pressure, too hot, etc etc but even I don't know the true reason. I can only apologise to the anglers concerned for this, but I guess 'that's just fishing', and if it were easy we wouldn't love it half as much!

I am delighted to say that last week Rouge was "Back to normal".

New visitors to Papillon all had personal bests with John raising his from 20lb 4oz to 39lb. Well over thirty fish were caught with 5 thirties and most other Carp over 20lbs. Cats also came out up to high twenties but the big ones still keep having the last laugh. I can't wait to get a chance to fish for these monsters but I have to wait until at least late October to get on the fully booked lake!!

Most of the fish came out from swims 5 and 6 last week although towards the end of the week swims 1 and 2 started to get back to normal. I know a good time was had by all except for them having to miss two nights due to some pretty hairy thunder storms. I am looking forward to seeing them again next year when they have promised they will take two lakes so that they can bring friends down as well.

Vert

This lake never lets up with the quality and quantity of fish still giving all fishermen a physical workout. Many mirrors, commons and cats have been landed to the high twenties. Sometimes it is very difficult to keep two rods in the water. Yet again I am told stories of the unstoppable fish - probably cats - which head straight for the snags. Someone in the next few weeks is really going to land one of these big ones and smash the lake record I am sure.

Bleu

What can I say that hasn't been said before, the lake continues to produce fish after fish from all areas. Although the lake was only fished for a few days over the last two weeks it did produce one thirty pound Carp and many twenties up to 29lbs. I know Nick (a local) managed 7 twenties in one night and also a 27lb Cat but lost a really big cat and finished up with a scorched hand from the sheer power of that first run. I know I will have some good stories to report from Bleu next week as two regulars on their third visit to Papillon this year are already bagging up!

Tight lines!

John James

Update...at last!

Over the last two weeks the weather has again been fantastic and this has been closely matched by the fishing. Even in temperatures of 30 degrees plus the fish have been coming out regularly.

Rouge

Lee and party returned for a second visit this year determined to improve on the first weeks efforts What a start they had as the first fish landed was a 46lb 8oz Mirror which slightly raised Alan's personal best from 26lb to 46! This was followed by seven thirties and many twenties - both commons and mirrors. 

Now to the Catfish, again the big ones are proving to be the beasts that they are. One forty, one thirty and several twenties were landed but the big ones got away. To quote Alan "One big cat lost (gutted)". Several other incredible first runs were experienced leaving the anglers in shock. Boy I do love to hear all these wonderful stories on the monsters of the deep!

Last week Gary and party came down for the week and the fishing was a little bit more sporadic. I suppose it is only fair that lead party on this booking managed to increase his personal best from 16 to 40 lb! This is Garys quote in an email to me

"I was over the moon with the lake, and the fishing, for me a personal best in the UK of 16lb, to obtain a 14lb cat, two mid twenty carp, three mid thirties, and a forty, well surpassed my expectations. I am missing the lake already! A good update for your site, from a 14lb pb, to a 40lb pb.........amazing!!!"

Again another wonderful Catfish related story comes from the lake with fishermen going out in the boat and being towed around helplessly by a massive specimen - What more can I say!

Vert

Over the last two weeks the lake has been fished very successfully on five days with masses of Carp and Cats to the mid twenties being caught. The new record which left the fisherman totally knackered is 32 fish in 7 hours. You have to admire the stamina as all these fish fight like tigers!

Bleu

This lake continues to provide phenomenal sport for both Cats and Carp. The Walker party managed plenty of both and genuinely lost count of the number of fish caught. Several thirty pound carp were landed but really the star has to be Joe, who managed to land two 75lb catfish in1 1/2 hours. Well done Joe and its a good job you are a big strong boy!

At the weekend I was present when what I believe to be 'The monster cat' was hooked. This was on 30lb Cat tackle and yet it still proceeded to find the snags due to its sheer power. So being brave (yeah right!) I went out in the boat at midnight to try and free it. I managed to get to the swivel but when the Cat's tail flapped about six feet away I quickly let go and the fish bolted breaking the line like it was 2lb. 

Now even I believe all the fishermen's tales about the monster Cat!

As no one was fishing Bleu last week I managed two and a half days and loved every minute with over twenty Carp and Catfish landed but again I had my Cat tackle snapped.

What more can be said other than Exclusive Angling Holidays goes from strength to strength!. 

Tight lines!

John James

Weekly update

Yet again the Dordogne produces another magical week of both weather and fishing. Anglers enjoyed temperatures well into the 30's except for two heavy downpours during the whole week.

Rouge

What a week!! Seventy fish were caught with some very notable ones included. A 46lb Mirror Carp caught floater fishing was probably the real star performer . I was lucky enough to be present when this was caught although I didn't have my camera handy I have been promised photos which we will post ASAP. 

It's not often this happens, but a first for me was to see a Grass Carp of 17lb caught on a floater. As there to my knowledge is only one 'Grassy' in all the Papillon complex this was a real privilege to see, again photos will follow. Yet again the Catfish proved to be beasts with a number of really big fish being lost but also a big one was landed of 65lb plus and another bigger one was lost at the net as it wouldn't fit in and escaped just before it could be gloved in. At least five thirty plus carp were caught and many many twenties.

Bleu

Phenomenal action was seen on Bleu yet again with both Cats and Carp being caught all over the lake all day and night. I know the anglers spent a couple of nights in the caravan trying to catch up on some sleep - these twenty year olds do not have the stamina of the older generation! A couple of thirty plus Carp and two Cats fractionally under 50lbs were the best fish caught.

Twenties seem to be two a penny this season, but one thing that has been repeated to me week after week is the tremendous fights these torpedo Carp put up. Several fin perfect twenty pound plus commons were caught with the biggest I believe being 26lbs 8ozs.

Thanks to all the anglers for leaving the lakes in perfect condition and for looking after the caught fish so well.

Tight lines!

Will & John James

Weekly update

This is a full review of  the last two weeks that have provided some fantastic weather with temperatures up to 100 nearly every day. The fishing has been very good overall with great fish caught, and lots of them! However there have been some periods of inactivity, though whether this is the fish or the fishermen feeling the heat is not for me to say!

Rouge 

Long-time Exclusive Angling Holidays customer Ron and party fished the last two weeks on Rouge with some cracking Carp caught, including specimens of  35lbs 7oz and 36lbs 5oz and three big Catfish of 67lbs, 76lbs and 92lbs. A good number of smaller Carp and Catfish were caught, but typically, the party were specifically after the Catfish, and they weren't really playing ball.

Although the Cats appeared to be feeding with lots of runs on livebaits, the heat may have been the cause of many dropped runs. Most of the takes were very gentle and not the real 'Hits'