Holiday Feedback Form

Hiya! Bridget,

Have pleasure in enclosing the feedback form for my latest visit to the Goncourt Complex.

Venue: Great Lake, Goncourt Complex
Name: Bill Holcombe
Dates: 18th to 25th October, 2003
No. of Persons Fishing: One

Brief Details of Catches:

4 carp, all Mirrors,
Tues 06:30 - 14.2 kgs. (31.2 lbs)
Tues 20:30 - 12.0 kgs. (26.4 lbs)
Wed 23:30 - 12.2 kgs. (26.8 lbs)
Thurs 14:30 - 12.8 kgs. (28.2 lbs)

Best Tactics:
Single fruit flavour bottom bait in deepest water.
Can't remember there were so many Coots on the water the last time I was at the complex, but not really a problem, they didn't seem really interested in fruit flavoured boilies, but were onto Pelzer Matrix boilies in no time at all.

Were the facilities what you expected:  Yes

Were you happy with them: Not brilliant, but more than adequate for my needs for the week.

Would I recommend the venue to a friend:
Most definitely!  The owner of the lakes really went out of his way to help me and to ensure I had full use of the facilities.

Would I recommend Angling Lines Holidays to a friend:
Most definitely, as before the service was excellent, many, many thanks.

General comments:
It had been some time since I had been fishing in 'cold' weather, and was therefore unfortunately not properly prepared, and after a whole day of heavy rain, very cold and very windy weather packed up on the Thursday afternoon and came home - even though the fish were still feeding. But I will be back at the lake again next year, and prepared to make the most of the fantastic fishing.  Would like to say a special 'Thank-You' for all the trouble you went to, to make the booking for me, and also a special 'Thank-You' to Jean-Claude - he went out of his way to keep an eye on me to make sure I was O.K. and to help me in any way he could.  All your efforts are very much appreciated and I can promise you will be hearing from me for another booking next year.

Best Regards,

Bill Holcombe
BHjjaktar@aol.com

Holiday Feedback Form

September 2003, Peter Batram

After fishing the Great Lake in May we decided to return as a party of six on September 13th to 20th. This time we took two boats and a small dinghy. On arriving we knew straight away it had been a hot summer - the water level was down by 4½ feet.  One end of the lake, which for obvious reasons we called the snags, was only a few inches deep.  We split up into two groups of two anglers, the other two deciding to fish separately.

Thomas Webb was on the majority of the fish all week - he was boating out two rods and casting two.  Over the seven days he took carp at range and within thirty metres of the bank. The weights were 26.2, 29.8, 18, 20, 30¼, and 23.  He also lost three fish.  Tom's partner Adrian's took one fish at 30 ½ lbs. Richard Stokes took two mirrors weighing 25lb and 26lb.

Barney Hart and I fished together as a team. We were in the middle of the lake and the only fish in front of us were a handful of fish at long range, 200 to 250 metres, so we had to fish all our rods at range. Barney had two fish of 26 and 27lbs.  I managed two fish of 24½lbs and 27lbs. Both these fish took over thirty minutes to land; the 27lb fish weeded me up three times. I also lost three other fish - reason - getting weeded up each occasion.  I also caught the only sturgeon in the lake at 40lbs.

This is a challenging venue which is what we all wanted. The facilities on site were very good showers, toilets, freezers, and it was kept clean. I will be more than happy to return in the near future.

Peter Batram

Peter Batram - 40lbs

Thomas Webb, 30 ¼ lbs

Richard Stokes, 26lbs

Holiday Feedback Form

May 2003, Peter Batram

On 10th May 2003 Richard Kaye and I visited the Great Lake. The lake is approximately fifty acres with two large islands with varying depths from four to ten feet. We were told the stocking of the lake was between three to four hundred carp ranging from single figured fish to forty pounds in weight, one sturgeon normally about 50 pounds, with many of the fish in excess of twenty pounds.

We travelled down in a Ford Escort van with a small unsinkable boat on the roof. This was a must on a lake of this size, the reasons being able to go out and locate fish, being able to use the boat to bait up and row baits out if we could not cast to the areas where we thought the fish would be patrolling and also if a fish became snagged because there was a lot of weed present. With care and thought it was still easy to fish.

After spending approximately five hours on the lake I had found a small group of carp - around thirty fish in one area. This was beyond casting range fishing - approx. 200metres. We decided we would have to fish together in order for dropping baits. Richard fished this area and I fished two rods at casting range and two rods boated out where I knew carp were patrolling. In other words I did not put all my eggs in one basket. We were using three pound test rods which were Century High bore rods and Diawa Emblem reels spooled with 18lb, Diawa Sensa which is cheap enough to replace often. We then used 12inches of ESP sinking tubing with 3½ ounce semi fixed distance leads, 25lb sink link hook links, 10 inches long, size one Drennan Continental boilie hooks with a 22 mm boilie bottom baits - baiting up with approximately eighty to one hundred 18 mm boilies plus half a dozen 22 mm baits.

The temperatures were up in the nineties so we knew the fishing would be hard. Over the seven days we had these temperatures and sleet and hail showers.  Taking this into consideration our results, in my opinion, were quite good.

The smallest fish we caught was eighteen pounds in weight. The other fish which were caught weighed 18lb, 21lb, 22lb, 23lb, 24 ½lb, 25lb, 26 ½lb x 2, 27 ½lb, 32 ¼lb, 33lb, 35 ¾lb, 36 ¾lb and one fish lost. All these fish were mirrors except the 33 lb which was a fully scaled.

Peter Batram

Holiday Feedback Form

John Stringer

Date of arrival: 26/04/03

Number of anglers: 6

Facilities: excellent

Catch report: All mirrorrs, av. weight 25/26lbs.  Total fish 41 -  biggest 42. 8oz

Tactics & baits:  Boillies - bottom or popped

General comments: We were a group of six anglers. We had a good week with 41 fish, average weight between 25-26 lbs. The venue was good and facilities very good. Weather s/w wind strong with rain nearly every day. The fishing was hard work though. A quick note on our week follows;

When we arrived we were confronted with a 50-acre plus lake with two islands, not castable, and a few bushy snags at one end.  We chose our swims in the pouring rain Alan and Eric went for the snags, Colin and Greg went the main lakeside of the snags and John and Mick went for the point swim.

Within three hours Greg had three fish just a flick out on pop ups all 20's. By the morning Colin/Greg had 7 fish and John one fish 29.8oz.

Up to Wednesday Snags blank, Colin/Greg a couple more fish as with John/Mick all at night.  The weather was very windy so rowing was not practical for most of us.  The wind dropped Wednesday PM and it became apparent where the fish were during the day. They were in and around the gravel workings. Before the fish could move away Alan/Eric had 4 fish in two hours during the day. During that night the point swim had 7 runs 5 fish biggest 31. 8oz. Next day the fish had move right in front of the gravel workings ( 200 yds ). No one caught during the day again.

Rowing baits to the islands or long distance marker or gravel workings produced fish at night or up to 7 am. The fish it appears move away from people to a safe unfished area during the day. They move out at night around the islands and pick up baits without fear. Most takes are one toners. All types of boilies work.

Final total 41 fish
> > Alan 5 to 28lb
> > Eric 10 to 32lb
> > Colin 5 to 30 8oz
> > Greg 7 to 42 8oz
> > Mick 4 to 27lb
> > John 10 to 31 8oz

Holiday Feedback Form

Name of customer: nbsp; Mr Mir

Venue:  Great Lake

Date of holiday: 3rd to 10th May 2003

No. of persons fishing: 2

Brief details of your catches: 20 mirrors between the 2 of us, including 4 thirties, 15 twenties and 3 high doubles.  Most of the fish came in the last few days of the holiday.  A move to shallow water saw us catch the carp in pre-spawning mode resulting in some great fighting carp, biggest 36 1/2lb.

What did you find were the best tactics/baits:  Most fish came to tigers closely followed by maize, a couple of fish were caught on snowman.  Long range with eco sounder and outboard handy - if struggling move!  Location is important.

Were the facilities what you expected?  Better

Were you happy with them?  Yes

Would you recommend the venue to a friend?  Yes

Would you recommend our services to a friend?  Yes

General comments:  Great week's fishing, scorching weather, lovely location and beautiful looking fish.

Holiday Feedback Form

26th April to 3rd May 03

Bob : 18 fish up to 26lb
Woody : 1 mirror 23lb
Terry : Sturgeon 48lb, 3 mirrors up to 26lb

John Springer : 10 fish : 31,8lb, 29,8lb, 27lb, 26,8lb, 24lb, 3 fish 25lb, 28lb, 18lb
Mick Laker : 4 fish : 27lb, 19lb, 24,8lb
Agan Boyd : 5 fish up to 28lb
Eric Sherbourne : 10 fish with one 31lb and one 32lb
Colin Reed : 5 fish with 30,8lb
Greg : 9 fish with 42,8lb
Total fish : 43 fish

Sfefan and Harm Gooyert
7 fish caught from 10kg up to 15,5kg
Comment : We have had a wonderful time here. If it is possible for us we are coming back.

Holiday Feedback Form

Dudink Family from Holland

The great lake is like the name says really great!  We cannot thank you enough for the wonderful days !! We had a great time at the Great Lake.

Holiday Feedback Form

Name of customer: nbsp; Mr Mackrell

Venue:  Great Lake

Date of holiday: 6th to 13th July 2002

No. of persons fishing: 1

Brief details of your catches: Nothing, not a thing!  Only consolation being that all waters were fishing poor, as they often do at that time of year, although my 'missus' put it down to the fact that I must be a rubbish angler!

What did you find were the best tactics/baits:  All tactics and baits tried and failed, only fish to be seen all week were by gravel workings which were out of bounds to anglers.

Were the facilities what you expected?  As expected, been before.

Were you happy with them?   Yep, could do with further freezer facilities, ie. a bait shed next to toilet block between Great Lake and La Traque would be helpful.

Would you recommend the venue to a friend?  Yes indeed.

Would you recommend our services to a friend?  Yes, good service, thanks Bridget.

General comments:  Usual help and friendship from Jean Claude and Fred.  Lucky to have lake to ourselves that week and exclusive use of boat which the 'other half' enjoyed rowing my baits out with!  Sorry no pictures of big fish captures.  Consider myself a relatively competent carp angler both home and abroad for over 25 years and would like to have another crack at the Great Lake earlier or later in the season when the fish are more active.  My non-angling partner enjoyed the venue, which these days is the priority as opposed to the rod-bending action!

Holiday Feedback Form

Name of customer: nbsp;  A Smith

Venue:   Great Lake

Date of holiday:  22nd to 29th June 2002

No. of persons fishing:  6

Brief details of your catches:  Lake weedy but fishable. 25 fish in total between 17lb and 37.5lb, 6x twenties.

What did you find were the best tactics/baits:  

Were the facilities what you expected?  Yes.

Were you happy with them?   Yes, Jean Claude, the on site bailiff, was smashing, very helpful.

Would you recommend the venue to a friend?   Yes.

Would you recommend our services to a friend?   Yes, certainly would.

General comments:  Would definitely go back again.  Really nice holiday.  Simon very helpful.

Holiday Feedback Form

Name of customer: nbsp; Mr Bird

Venue:  Great Lake

Date of holiday: 21st to 29th February 2002

No. of persons fishing: 2

Brief details of your catches: None - wind, rain and gales for the week, day and night.

What did you find were the best tactics/baits:  N/A

Were the facilities what you expected?  Yes

Were you happy with them?   Yes, the owner gave us a cottage to use as we pleased, he was more than helpful.

Would you recommend the venue to a friend?  Yes, definitely

Would you recommend our services to a friend?  Yes, definitely

General comments:  We will book again.