A Four Day Session at Grosley - October 2002

Mike Goode
mike@sector2.freeserve.co.uk

We arrived Saturday lunchtime after an easy two-hour drive from Le Havre. It was the middle of October and we had 4 days fishing in front of us.  After a walk around both lakes, we decided to fish the large lake. The wind was pushing into our faces from the North West when we arrived but during our 4 days it changed from very strong westerly's to almost gale force easterly's.  We all opted to fish on the south bank - Mike on peg 10, Steve on 11, Jason and Simon on pegs 13 and 14. 

The lake is easily accessible and you can leave your car behind your peg - or if not behind it, very close to it.  The banks were excellent, firm and solid, and the rain had drained away nicely leaving them firm and not muddy (bring a mallet and quality tent pegs though as they are very hard and the gravel is difficult to penetrate in places).

We had no nocturnal visitors apart from the carp. There were coypu on the lake, but as far as rats and their like, we saw none. We could occasionally hear the goat that lived on the island though - he did give the bait boat some strange looks as it glided by!

We had margins to fish off on pegs 10, 13 and 14 - they went from 1 foot to a drop off of 3 feet and then to 6 feet ...this was a uniform pattern along the bank we fished. At night, these margins were very productive.  The depth of water within casting distance in front of us ranged between 6 feet and 8 feet. There are however some bars that drop off into deeper water, about 15 feet and then shallow up to 6 to 8 feet. There were some small patches of weed at various distances and at times it proved difficult to land fish that were "weeded" - but not insurmountable and no fish were lost due to the weed.

25lb 6oz Mirror for Steve

Jason and Simon were bait boating to the island, about 150 yards in front of them, or casting to fish at 85 yards (or further when there was a tail wind).  Their preferred bait was Mainline Winter 8 - they both caught steadily throughout the day and night.

Mike had most of his fish in the bay to the right of peg 10. Bait was Mainline Grange over sweet corn and CSL pellets.  Steve on peg 11 caught all his fish within 30 yards of the bank using Mainline Grange over CSL and trout pellets, fishing in 6 to 8 feet of water.

The toilets and showers were close by ... yes, they were basic but they had hot water and they were clean, tidy and worked. (the water did taste a bit odd in coffee so I suggest bringing some bottled water).  There are dustbins with lids on in each swim so it was not difficult to keep the swims tidy and clean.  There are also solid "picnic type" bench and tables all round the lake -  these made excellent brewing and communal cooking stations, there was no need to put Coleman's or cooking gear on the floor. We took a BBQ, which was used every evening.

There is a supermarket within 2 -3 miles so supplies were easily replenished.  The owner, Pierre, was very hospitable even though he spoke only a "smidgen" of English. He called round just twice for a chat, leaving us to our own devices and privacy.  The few trains that did go by with commuters on going to work were a nice reminder of the rat race we had left behind.  The lake is in a very nice setting, surrounded by forest and more forests. It is very secure, private and fenced off on all sides, so security is not a concern.

For the middle of October the weather was good and we all caught carp over 20 lb.  In total for the four days we had over 63 carp, ranging from 10lb up to 25 ½ lb.  We also had 2 sturgeon to 13 ½ lb - funny bloody fish they are, when hooked they almost tail walk to the net, but fighting all the way. In conclusion, as a doubles & twenties water for someone who wants "bobbin action" in a nice, safe environment then yes, come to Grosley. Mike Goode mike@sector2.freeserve.co.uk