A week session at Windmill Lakes - September 11th to 18th 2004 by Mike Goode

Sailing from Portsmouth on the 11:15pm ferry we arrived in Caen at 7:20am. We had a good nights sleep in a Cabin ( there were 4 of us in a two berth!... or so we thought… but the other two beds were hidden in the ceiling and needed to be lowered down… D'oh! )

Dave had phoned before we sailed and he gave me directions to the lake – they were absolutely perfect and we never got lost once. On route we stopped for coffee in Mayenne where we obtained our Euro's from the post office "La Poste”. We also made a supermarket shop before heading off to the lake. From Caen to the lake is about 120 miles and it takes nearly 3hours so we arrived at Windmill Lakes at 1pm.

Sue and Dave gave us a warm welcome and after a good chat and some coffee Dave showed us around. At the house are the shower and toilet and they are the best we’ve used in France, not some tatty outside loo and scruffy shower. There is plenty of hot water and both were very clean. We also used the fridge and freezer at the house as Dave placed some of our frozen bait in the freezer and our food in the fridge.

We then went for a walk to the lakes; from the house they are about a 4-minute stroll.

As you approach the lakes you see a large barn where you can store supplies and kit. We used this as ‘base camp’, parking the van here and using the barn to store the beer, empty rod bags, rucksacks and cooking gear.There is also a spotless caravan behind the barn that is fully equipped with a cooker and little fridge. No need to ‘cook up’ using bait buckets as tables or work tops – luxury!

After unloading the van and placing our mountain of gear in the trailer Dave drove the tractor and trailer around the lake and we unloaded our gear at our swims. The main carp lake is about 4 acres with an island and an arm that juts out. If you wanted to spread out you could do so with no danger of impeding another anglers. It’s possible to fish 4 anglers along the one bank but you then do run the risk of this.

The banks themselves are good, firm, flat and covered in grass… lovely fishing conditions. The water level was down (but it was September) so the margins were shallow but they became deeper about two to three foot from the bank.

Day one - Saturday 11th , afternoon T the Bivvys went up, the toys came out and rods were ready. We were ready to play! I was the only one fishing before tea and had two, 14lb and the smallest fish of the week an 8lb mirror, before winding in to get the BBQ going. It was only after the burgers and sausage were consumed did Steve, Simon and Jason begin to fish. By midnight Simon had two, 18lb and a 29lb 8oz, I'd had a scraper 20lb (21.04) and some mid to high teens and a 27lb 4oz on Mainline Grange. Jason had 6 carp ranging from 10lb to 18lb Day two - Sunday 12th The weather was very hot, a blue sky but thankfully a breeze. At first light I lost one and had 2, both mid teens. We all wound in at 10am and after the usual morning routine of shower etc we settled down to a full English breakfast that Sue had prepared. Fully nourished we went back to the lake… let the fishing begin! We were catching throughout the day, some mid to high teens and fish up to mid twenty, At 3pm I hooked into one of the Windmill lakes larger residents, a 32lb 4oz mirror (Mainline Grange 14mm)

Throughout the rest of the afternoon the fishing was steady and there were catches coming from various parts of the lake. At 5:30pm we wound in and retreated to the caravan for a spaghetti bolognaise and a few drinks. Strange really, it was light when I got back to my swim to make a stringer up, but when I came out of my Bivvy to cast the stringer out and it was dark - just as though the lights had been turned off. It does get very dark in this region of France, as there are no nearby towns to pollute the night sky. During the evening the fishing seemed to slow up, fish were still getting caught but not as many as earlier. That night Jason had three up to 22lb and I had one at 17lb at 3am!

Day 3 - Monday 13th Monday morning and into the afternoon Jason again was the only one catching, the lake had slowed down. But as it was torrential rain (good old French rain) we didn’t mind. There were some carp caught after tea, ranging from 11lb to high teens. During the night there were 4 carp caught. Ranging from mid teens to 24lb 4oz Day 4 - Tuesday 14th. Simon and Jason throughout the night had some carp but compared to the first two days the fishing had definitely slowed up. The fish caught were in the high teen’s and 20’s bracket and they fight like mules. Which can be a trauma given you are tired, fishing in the pitch black and not sure if you have a teen, 20lb+ or a 30lb+ carp. During the morning we decided to take the 10-mile drive to the supermarket at Sable-sur-Sarth to obtain more provisions and Steve decided to stay at the lake and fish on. On our return Steve was just netting a 15lb mirror so at least the carp had began to get the munchies again.

Into the afternoon and early evening carp we were caught from all around the lake. I had mine mostly on "the Grange" 14mm and Mainline squid.The wind was very strong and the lake was choppy which did make accurate casting difficult, however I had three, between 14 and 18lb from a short cast to open water in front of me.

Day 5 - Wednesday 15th I lost a fish in the night but at first light I had a screaming run that culminated in another 20lb+ mirror.I then wound in and went to use the shower - hot water and a good wash – lovely!Steve had two 20's during the previous evening and night. As did Simon and Jason, both having carp up to 24lb.The fishing became quite hard during the afternoon as the temperatures began to climb but even so Jason, Simon and Steve still caught fish to high teens and 20lb+

Day 6 - Thursday 16th Jason had one 19lb+ through the night, but at first light Simon had two high teens before we wound in and went again to the supermarket.Whilst we were away Steve had a 14lb mirror but that was it until the evening. Having said this, the carp were present, but as it was very hot you could see them basking all around the lake. It was only as the temperature began to fall did the fish begin to disappear from the surface.In the evening I had a small mirror of 14lb on sweetcorn from my left margin and I lost a fish from the island rod. Steve, Simon & Jason managed to land some carp throughout the night, mainly high teens & two 20’s

Day 7 - Friday 17th Another very hot day was looming but before the mist had lifted from the lake we all had fish, Jason picking up a 24lb 4oz mirror, Simon having one of the small commons 13lb, I had an 18lb mirror and Steve had 3 carp up to 18lb.4oz. The fishing then slowed up but then again the carp could be seen basking on the surface. The fish were not feeding but there were some ‘lumps’ cruising round. It was only as we were actually packing our gear away in the evening (we had an early start the following morning) and the temperatures began to fall did the action begin again, Jason, Steve and I picking up fish up to the high teens.

 

 

Conclusion
Windmill lakes is not a difficult lake, but you do need to think about your fishing, as bait placement, pre-baiting and accuracy of casting were important factors that resulted in fish on the bank. There are numerous options - an island, bays, under the overhanging trees, mid water, channels, close and far margins.

The fish are powerful when hooked and it can be a challenge to get them to the bank. You also don't know if the next take is a high teen, a mid to a high twenty or a 30lb+. If you fancy a French trip with good fishing, comfortable banks to socialize on and have good, clean facilities then Windmill is a safe bet. Apart from the fishing the wild life is spectacular, we saw kites, wild dear, kingfishers and owls just to name a few.

Dave and Sue were the perfect hosts. Nothing is a problem and they are very helpful, but also give you the space and freedom to enjoy the lakes, which are very private & in beautiful surroundings, enhancing the fishing appeal. For the first time anglers to France and people looking for an exclusive venue then I feel Windmill lakes are a very good choice. Our total catch was as follows; Steve: 11 doubles, 2 twenties (22.08 & 24.08) Jason: 34 doubles, 3 twenties (21.10, 22.06 & 24.08) Simon: 20 doubles, 7 twenties (29.08, 21.10, 22.10, 24.00, 22.00,10.00, 20.08 & 24.08) Mike 15 doubles. 4 twenties (24.08, 20.02, 20.00 & 25.04) 1 thirty (32.04) Thanks Jason, Steve, Simon and Mike.