Starting to look like a proper fishery!
When I 1st arrived in France and had to smash my way around Lac du Coron, peering through snags as dark shapes vanished leaving nothing but plumes of silt, disturbing the red squirrels for the 1st time in probably 20 years and freezing on the spot as the kingfishers, deer or Boar stood totally relaxed on the back bank or hopped over the stream I knew I really had my work cut out over the coming 9 months in order to get Lac du Coron exactly the way I wanted. Not just getting the right fish but by clearing the swims, improving water conditions and creating paths without taking all the character out of what in reality is a pretty rare lake for France.
For those that have followed our progress since August 2015 you will have seen the regular updates as we have worked hard to get things spot on for our 1st guests in April.
I have to admit though that in November/December I was getting a bit nervous, the end didnt seem in
sight and with the clock ticking I was concerned. Now though as I sit here writing this post on a wet but mild mid January morning things have come together, the corner has really been turned and I am now on the homeward stretch, the big work, the digging, fixing the water levels, felling some old rotten trees, stocking our stunning carp, building the landing platforms etc has all been done and now it's time to start prettying the place up. Removing the last of the underwater snags and then getting the chipper going for the base of the swims, pruning back some of the bushes to make the swims clear, bushwhacking the brambles so you can actually get round the back bank and generally preparing the tracks etc for the arrival of the clubhouse in March.
One thing I have noticed when listening to all your feedback is that you are excited and supportive of what we are creating here, so it is great to know you get it, for those that don't though I thought I would try and put it in a nutshell.
I guess these few sentences sum us up. Big fish are not the be all and end all, we will not sacrifice the looks and health of our fish simply to fill the lake with 60lbs + fish. Of course we have worked hard to ensure there are a huge amount of upper 30's, loads and loads of big 40's and even the odd 50, but each one has been picked because it is stunning and adds to the stock of the lake in the right way.
When it comes to the lake the last thing I wanted to do was sanitize it, chop everything down and make the place lifeless. Lac du Coron as we call it has been left to father time for over 20 years and has never been fished, the way I see it, it is our responsibility to fish well and fit in with the lake and its surroundings, not smash the place up so that every cast is easy and comfortable and you can fit a 14 man bivvy in every swim.
This place is stunning and it will stay that way, that's why I hope our guests respect the place and fish safely and well so that we dont have to take all the trees and overhangs out.
What we have tried to do though is add certain elements like the landing pontoons in order to deal with potential problems like a big fish tearing off down the margin and you not being able to get an angle to play it back. The little jetties allow you to get to the front of the tree line making playing and netting fish lots easier.
In a few weeks time bailiff Matt will be the 1st person to fish Lac du Coron since I last had a go in October when I had the 32lbs original so I hope we will get some great pics to bring you. I will also do a little video blog soon.
Thank you for following us and thank you for all the bookings and support, I can't wait until April!
