Etang La Ridelee Exclusive carp fishing in Mayenne, Northern France

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Guests Comments

2011

Saturday 5th November 2011
Hi John,
We have had a blinding week at the lake and caught lots of good fish.
Weather has been very mild and we have been very lucky as its November and we did book it last minute.
We have only fished in front of the cabin as its been very lively so there was no point in moving.
Baited heavily to the island & hard spots and managed to draw the fish in using mainly 20mm plumb flavoured boilies.
Didn't fish every night but still managed to land 33 Fish between the two of us as follows;
30lb+ = 2   (biggest 33lb 1oz)
20lb-29lb = 7
15lb-20lb = 12
10lb-15lb = 8
Under 10lb = 2
Catfish = 2 (biggest 19lb - caught on halibut pellet)
Everything in the cabin was fine.
Cheers
Lee & Darren (Maidstone Kent)

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Sunday 30th October 2011
Hi John,
Sorry you couldn't get me over in France last week but my phone wasn't working.
Had an enjoyable week at the lake with sunny t-shirt type weather most days.
Fished in front of the cabin, at the outfall end and also in the pines with all swims producing fish.
We landed 12 Carp including 3 over 20lbs with the biggest being 28lbs.
We also had a few bream and an 11lb Pike which followed my boilie in whilst winding in!
Also lost 2 in the pine swim which I believe were Catfish.
Baits used were Cell and Maple 8 with Pineapple pop-ups.
Cabin was "luxury" compared to what we normally get on most lakes.
Had a nice trip back yesterday via the scenic route through all the nice little French villages.
Hope to come back in the future.
Paul C (Swindon)

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Friday 21st October 2011
Hi John,
Had an easy overnight journey on Saturday from Le Havre which was 190 miles and nearly all motorway.
Weather has been fine with a few cold nights and frost on the ground this morning.
Very impressed with the lake and Cabin with everything at hand that we need.
I have caught my Personal Best this week with a Mirror Carp at 26lb 14oz and also had a nice common at 22lb followed by a 20lb mirror and a 14lb 8oz mirror.
Lost another 6 fish including a possible Catfish which bent my rod double last night.
Also had around 10 bream which were caught on 16mm Cell boiles!
This was my 1st fishing trip to France but would like to give it another go in the future at a different time, maybe spring time.
Thanks a lot.
Paul T (Sheffield) 

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Friday 14th October 2011
Hi John,
Had a good week fishing here at the lake and improved on our catch from last year.
Started off in front of the cabin fishing to the island and the far bank and managed to catch fish during the daytime as well as the night using 18mm boilies.
Went a bit quiet after a couple of days and so moved up to the other end of the lake and fished swims 5 and 6 by the outfall.
By Wednesday evening we had landed 21 Carp up to 28.5lbs.
We have now moved back in front of the Cabin again for the last night as we need to be away early in the morning.
Current total for the week up to 7pm today is 31 Carp with 7 over 20lbs including fish at 28.5lb, a 27lb , a 26.5lb, 25lb and the rest 22-23lb.
Also had 2 fish at 19lb and 2 fish at 18lb.
Landed a nice little ghost common this morning at 8lb.
Also had a few bream on the float & the odd perch.
Hoping for a 30 pounder tonight!
I will send a full report and photos when I get back.
Thanks a lot,
Daryn & Paul (Cardiff)

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Saturday 8th October 2011
Hi John,
Apologies for the late report for our week at the lake (October 1st-8th), please find enclosed our catch report for the three of us.
All the fish caught were taken on 24mm baits fished to open water marks where we found harder areas amongst the silt.
We arrived on the Saturday and spent most of Sunday looking for areas which we felt would produce fish without the need to fish to the snags which seems to be the usual approach, (reading previous reports it seemed to be the norm for everyone to turn up and automatically fish to the various marginal snags).
I opted for the platform swim which I think you refer to as the “Pines” fishing to hard spots at 40 and 50yds, taking 16 fish with 9 of those being over 20lb to a top weight of 26lb 14oz.
Derek and his Son Kenny fished open water marks from the grass bank in front of the cabin taking 26 fish between them with 11 of those over 20lb to a top weight of 28lb.
We also lost over a dozen fish between us throughout the week. As well as the carp we also caught bream and cats together with the odd Tench (on 24mm baits!)
The weather was unusually warm for October and the first half of the week temperatures averaged 28 degrees during the days which slowed the catch rate, the most productive times were during the hours of darkness.
Regular baiting after each fish seemed to be the most effective approach, we went through 40 kilos of boilie in total all rolled by our good friend Tyrone at Lea Valley Baits.
I have enclosed a couple of photos of one or two of the better fish which I had.
The lodge and facilities were great and we had a very enjoyable time and will be looking at booking again in the future. Many thanks for all your help.
Kind Regards.
Dan R (Hammerswood – East Sussex)

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Friday 30th September 2011
Hi John.
Sorry for the delay in writing this report.
Arrived on Saturday morning greeted with temperatures up in the mid 20’s, having already checked the long range weather forecast we knew we were in for a hot week!!
Put out some marker floats on Sat evening after rowing the boat out to find any features and pre baited with csl and hemp pellet along with a few cell freebies but didn’t put a rod out until Sunday morning after a good meal on Sat night, spoilt rotten with the Sat TV....
Sunday came and went with no line activity apart from a couple of liners, temp hit 31/33 degrees,  few fish crashing on the surface.
Monday evening saw the fishing pick up with a lovely mirror @ 28lb from the outlet platform tight up in the snags, caught on the gravel with 18mm mainline cell snowman pre baited with CSL pellet @ 17.20. Keeping the baits quite large saw no roach or bream attacks.
Lost two late into the night straight into the snags from the platform swim.
Same night from the cabin swim saw a 12lb common and an 8lb cat both caught on mainline cell in slit free patches @ 1.00/2.00 am pre baited with hemp pellet and a small amount of cell freebies. Had a small roach jump from the water straight into the boat!!
Wednesday evening saw a 15lb and 5lb common on the bank from the cabin swim and some stalking in the shallows from the platform swim where 2 were lost to the snags, still early 30’s even late into the evening....phew..
Had and lost a couple more to the end of the week but to be honest the weather killed it, it’s not often we run for the shade but with temperatures well up in the mid 30’s in October the fridge was working over time keeping the beers chilled....
Fantastic place you have there John, not only with the lake but all the facilities that go with it, really enjoyed our week and a return visit is on the cards only this time maybe in August when the weather cools off a bit!!!!
Many thanks for the rapid breakages deposit return.
Photos to follow.
Regards
Tony (South Hornchurch, Essex)

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Saturday 24th September
Last week was a maintenance week with no guests and only one of the owners and I, his son, at the lake.
Lake & grounds maintenance was carried out in the main but a small amount of fishing was done.

I only fished three afternoons and one night throughout the week, all together around 2 days worth of fishing.
In this time I landed 7 carp weighing between 28lb 8oz to 15lb with 3 of the carp being over 20lb and the others were upper doubles, with 5 carp being caught in the one full night I did.
If this form would have continued over a whole week like a usual guest would fish this would equate to about 25 fish caught by one angler over 7 days.
However I do know the lake well and the fish were feeding well during this time as the summer temperatures started to cool down, with lots of bubbling and clouding of the water to be seen around the lake. The fish were fed well and responded well to the large amounts of bait put in.

Tactics used was firstly locating the fish which had been showing on arrival in the bay out in front of the outfall swim, number 6. My first two rods were cast around 80 yards towards the snags along the driveway bank where the fish are known to shelter and were baited with a good amount of 18mm Cell boilies using a throwing stick. The third rod was cast close to a H block marker dropped about 50 yards out into the open water to the right of the swim, which was baited with whole and crushed maize, pellets and more Cell boilies.
Fish fell fairly evenly with all the rods catching. Rigs were kept simple with a weighted leader, lead clip system and a 7-8 inch coated braided knotless knot attached to a size 8 barbless wide gape hook, a relatively long hair attaching an 18mm cell or a snowman bait. A chod rig was used to start with on one rod however this was changed after receiving no attention.
Overall the fishing was good, the fish had a bit of a rest and a lot of good work was done to keep La Ridelee looking good.
Lewis W (Rainham Essex)

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Friday 16th September 2011
Hello John,
Very Impressed with the fishing and everything at the Lake.
Weather has been fine and its 22 deg C right now at 17:45 in the evening.
Fishing has been good with 18 Carp so far and 1 Catfish.
7 of the Carp have been over 20lb with most of the others in the teens.
The Catfish was 24lb and was caught on a strawberry boilie outside the cabin!
Most of the Carp caught on Pineapple flavoured boiles. Only had 1 fish get in the snags by the island but went out in the boat and landed it.
Biggest fish this week was a 25lb mirror and hoping for a 30lb fish tonight.
We would like to book first 2 weeks in October 2012 and will forward the deposit as soon as we get back.
Thanks a lot.
Kevin G and Wife (Chester)

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Saturday 10th September 2011
Hi John,
Had a good week here at La Ridelee and caught 21 Carp between the 2 of us up to 25lb.
7 of the Carp have been over 20lbs and many have been just under the 20lb mark and very nice looking fish they are too.
Lost a good fish at the net yesterday and we have probably lost around half as many as we have landed. Also had a Tench yesterday on the float on a piece of Corn after spotting the bubbles close in.
My son has also had Bream, Roach and the odd Perch on the float during the quiet times.
We have spent about half the time at the deeper end of the lake and the other half outside the cabin. Had 3 fish last night, including 2 Carp (biggest 21lbs) and a 10lb Catfish.
Bait used this week was mainly 20mm Nash squid & scopex flavour boilies.
We would like to come back next September or October if possible and would be pleased if you could forward available dates over the weekend?
Speak to you when I get back - Photos to follow.
Graham M & Son (Chelmsford)

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Saturday 3rd September 2011
Dear John
We traveled through the night from Dieppe and it was a very easy journey and we stocked up at the supermarket in the morning on the way.
We arrived at La Ridelee to find a stunning lake and the best cabin I have seen for a fishing lake even though we did not use it very often, only for cooking.
Fishing wise I was left of the island and my brother Daniel was to the right. I was using a bed of bait hemp, maize, pellet to fish over and Daniel just used boilies (and “borrowed” some of mine).  Once it got dark the bobbins started twitching and we had around 6 fish on the first night including 3 twenties, wow what a start. The fishing at night was very good, averaging 4 fish each and the odd fish during the day.
As the week got hotter the fishing slowed and we were only catching the odd fish at night or during the day. Overall we had 34 fish inc 3x30’s, 7x20’s only 2 fish below 10lb.  This also included 3 cats with a one over 20lb and a 2lb crucian. My brother had never caught a 30lb carp before and managed to catch 3 of them and the 20lb cat!
We saw Red Squirrels, Kingfishers etc. There is even a cat which was a real mouser having seen a couple through the week in its mouth. There are also fewer blackberries around the lake! We had a great relaxing week and the fish were a bonus.

  Tips

Kind Regards
David P (St Neots, Cambridgeshire)

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Thursday 25th August 2011
Hello John,
Weather this week has been mixed with some days warm sunshine and other days heavy rain and thunder.
We have caught 15 Carp so far with 1 night to go and 3 of these have been over 20lbs with the 2 biggest both at 22lbs.
I lost another 6 Carp and also hooked the big Catfish right in front of the Cabin in open water. It bent the rod double and broke my reel so we had to go out in the boat, but we couldn’t shift it.
Also landed a 3.5lb bream.
Most fish caught in the daytime in the Cabin Swims using 20mm boilies.
Unfortunately, we need to leave 1 day early (Friday morning) due to strike action at Eurotunnel on Saturday so we want to get back before we get stranded in France.
It’s a lovely place and I plan to come back next year with the wife & kids.
I will confirm the dates with you when I get back.
Cheers
Steve S (Bradford)

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Friday 19th August 2011
Hello John,
Fishing this week has been exceptionally good despite the very hot weather.
We have had a total of 29 fish including 3 catfish, 1 Zander and a Tench.
Weights were as follows;
Carp over 30lb = 4 (biggest caught by Harry at 34lb 2oz)
Carp over 20lb = 6
Carp over 15lb = 8
Carp over 10lb = 6
Catfish = 3 (biggest 15lb)
Tench = 1 (5lb)
Zander = 1 (6lb)
Mostly fished in front of the cabin fishing to the far bank and the island during the daytime.
Fished the deeper end during the night and baited both areas with boilies at the same time thereby resting both areas every day and giving the fish more confidence.
Used mainly Mainline Cell frozen boilies at 18mm.
Most fish caught between 6pm and 10am.
Cabin comfortable as usual.
The new BBQ is a winner.
Look forward to coming back next year.
Peter & Harry P. (Tonbridge, Kent)

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Friday 12th August 2011
Only fished the lake for 4 nights and 4 days this week due to work commitments but had a nice relaxing break and caught some great fish.
Fished the two swims at the deep end of the lake by the outfall and had 23 runs between the 2 of us and landed 17 Carp with 5 over 20lbs and 1 over 30lbs.
All the fish landed were in great condition and fought hard for the snags at every opportunity.
Fish caught as follows;
30lbs 8ozs Mirror (Platform swim)
23lbs 12ozs Mirror (Grassy swim)
23lbs 2ozs Mirror (Platform swim)
23lbs 0ozs Common (Grassy swim)
21lbs 10ozs Mirror (Platform swim)
21lbs 0ozs Mirror (Grassy swim)
19lbs 8ozs Common (Grassy swim)
18lbs 12ozs Common (Platform swim)
17lbs 6ozs Mirror (Platform swim)
16lbs 8ozs Common (Platform swim)
16lbs 8ozs Mirror (Platform swim)
14lbs 4ozs Common (Platform swim)
12lbs 10ozs Mirror (Grassy swim)
12lbs 8ozs Common (Grassy swim)
11lbs 2ozs Mirror (Platform swim)
10lbs 6ozs Common (Grassy swim)
9lbs 8ozs Common (Platform swim)

Tactics employed in the main were simple bottom bait rigs using a barbless wide gape hook and a single 18mm bottom bait or snowman presentation. These were cast towards snags or an open water spot, heavily baited with boilies using the catapult and throwing stick. Hooklinks were kept long around 8-10 inches and leads were fished using a lead clip or running lead set up to counteract the silt. The 30lb fish was caught from an open water spot towards the deep end of the lake in the early hours of the morning.
Fish seemed to be feeding at distinct times at around 4am - 9am, 5pm - 6pm, and 9pm -11pm.
Andy & Lewis (Stanford Le Hope – Essex)

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Saturday 6th August 2011
Hi John
Just back from La Ridelee after a good week away.
We did have a laugh and managed to catch 11 carp with two at 32lb (both mirrors) and yes they were both different fish.
The smallest Carp caught was 18lb.
The best swims being by the outfall as we didn’t catch a fish from the Pine Trees which was a bit of a mystery having had my PB there last year.
We lost a few fish and had a few missed runs in all swims.
Tactics that worked were either double 20mm boilies on a short hook length tight to the shank of the hook or a single 20mm boilie on a short hook length and a standard length hair. Hook sizes either 8 or 10.
Baits were supplied by our mate Lee Vel of Velocity Baits who does a great range of baits.
Fish were caught either just before dawn or between 8.00am and 9.00am.
Didn’t have a large number of bream even on 10/12mm boilies but the ones we did have were about 3lb which in my match fishing days would have been most welcome!!
Fish were very active at night to about 8.00am mostly in the deep water by the outfall and a few around the island with a few down by the Pine Trees.
Can you let me have available dates in Sept/Oct next year?
Cheers
Dave and Bob (Ilford, Essex)

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Friday 29th July 2011
Hi john,
Biggest Carp landed this week was 16lbs using 20mm boilies on 9" hook lengths. Also had some bream.
Only fished for a few nights as it was chilly & needed the heaters on in the cabin after dark.
My mates son had some nice Crucians on the pole.
Very impressed with the Lake.
Paul R (Birmingham)

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Friday 22nd July 2011
Hi John,
We have had 7 Carp over 30lbs so far with the 2 biggest being 35lbs. 5 of these were mirrors & 2 commons at 32lb & 35lb.
Also, lost count of the number of smaller fish, which we didn’t weigh.
Most fish caught in the night using home made boilies between 18-22mm.
Had 2 fish today in the daytime after yet another massive thunderstorm.
Flavours used are mainly Tutti Frutti or Pineapple.
Biggest fish are coming from the Grassy swim up by the outfall in deeper water.
Weather has been horrendous with thunder & lightening & torrential rain at times.
Thanks for ringing,
Terry S

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Saturday 9th July 2011
Hi John,
Had a great week at your lake, very impressed not only with the lake but the level of service and attention to detail that helped make the week great fun for the three of us. We had a lot of good fish, and were surprised considering the snags in the condition of the fish, very clean mouthed, little signs of capture. 
We caught 45 Carp, with the biggest being 29lbs 12oz. (New PB for John)
We have also had 10 Carp over the 20lbs mark, plus 7 between 15 and 20, the rest were smaller fish, mostly commons.
In addition, we have landed 3 Catfish at 14lbs, 14lbs & 10lbs.
Bait was Cell and the new Grange, 18mm and double hookbaits worked well and kept the small bream at bay.
We fished 9 inch rigs with reasonably light leads at 2oz with swivels on clips or running set ups. 
We also used mostly braided hooklinks with simple knotless knot rigs, nothing fancy.
John fished the road swim to the drive, Jon fished the front of the cabin across to the snags on the opposite bank and I fished the pines and had a couple of nights on the back of the island. All produced fish, the pines was probably best for quantity but didn't produce the larger fish which went to John.
Weather was good to start with but mid week turned cold and rained and this did affect the carp though the catfish were definitely still active.
Fishing was better during the evening, night and early morning as the fish seem to get into the snags in the margins during the day and sometimes it went very quiet.
I hooked your big catfish and gripping the spool couldn't stop it hitting the snags. Also saw it try and take a duck 10 feet off the front of the snags centre between the two islands and it’s a good size.
I fished the Ebro last year and had a wide range of weights, and by the width of the mouth I'd estimate it at over 60lb, approximately 10 to 12 inch across by the size of the duck, I saw the head out of water complete with whiskers! The cats were very active at night, especially in this area.
Thanks for the very quick return of the deposit, the Monday after we came back!
Hope to make a return!
Bill B (Woodbridge, Suffolk)

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Saturday 2nd July 2011
Hi John,
Weather was all over the show with first 2 days sweltering hot & oppressive with heat over 33 deg c.
Then had a change with torrential rain for 1 day and a massive temperature drop causing us to need to wear our jumpers of a night.
Despite this had a nice week at the lake but only caught 4 Carp with the biggest being 27lbs 4oz.
Caught loads of bream and lost what I think were 2 good Tench by the island with the bridge. (Had to go in after the gear on one of them!)
The place is really lovely and I would like to re-book for next year once I have sorted my dates out. (3rd visit).
Speak to you later.
Peter B (Thetford Norfolk)

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Friday 24th June 2011
Had a great week at La Ridelee resulting in 25 Carp up to 34lb 5oz with 6 of these over the 20lb mark.
Also caught 1 Catfish at 14lb.
Spent the first 2 days fishing in front of the cabin to the island and far bank with 20mm plumb flavoured boilies but only caught a Catfish at 14lb and 8 bream.
Had a further 4 runs but didn't manage to land any other fish. Couldn’t see any Carp activity in this area but could see plenty of Carp lurking in the margins and breaking the surface at the deeper end of the lake up by the gate.
Decided to move on the Monday up to the grassy swim by the side of the outfall which turned out to be a good move. Had an immediate result with a lovely Mirror Carp at 34lb 5oz on the first cast. This was followed by a lovely common at 29lb 7oz.
Had another nice mirror on the Tuesday at 31lb 9oz.
Total result for the week was 2 Carp over 30lb, 4 Carp over 20lb, 19 Carp between 9lb and 19lb plus the Catfish.
PS - Spotted a King fisher on the last day.
Cheers
Lewis & Tom (Essex)

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Saturday 18th June 2011
Hi John
Just to confirm the final weeks totals of what was a superb weeks fishing, the whole complex was better than any of us expected, with the carp the hardest fighting we have experienced. On 5 occasions our hooks were straightened, these were either ESP raptors or Korda hooks, unbelievable!
I started fishing an open water spot about 40 yards from the bank in the outfall swim, after loosing fish for the first couple of nights, casting to the marks on your map along the track, due to them kiting into the road bank snags, this spot produced 2 of the twenty's, an 18.12 mirror and 2 other doubles with only one fish lost to a hook pull.
Bating was not over heavy with 3kgs of spodded corn, pellet and sloppy ground bait and a kilo of fish meals for 3 nights.
We had a total of 68 runs for 5 days and nights fishing we didn't fish properly until the Monday morning as Mark turned up late Sunday evening due to a prior engagement.
A couple of things that might be useful, Le Jardin restaurant in Meslay Du Maine was very good, with the owner speaking a little English, it was good fun ordering the food.
At Laval there is a Lidl supermarket, 24 stubbies for 4.60 Euros, back to pre 2005 prices, on the way back to Calais we went the scenic route avoiding the tolls, took just under 6 hours with a couple of stops, this saved us over 60 Euros in tolls, for the 2 cars. This sounds like we are tight, far from it just keeping an eye on the pennies.
We caught a total of 32 carp and one catfish with the following weights + 7 twenty's,
23.00 mirror
22.00 common
21.12 mirror
21.04 mirror
20.12 common
20.02 mirror
20.02 mirror
19.10 mirror
18.12 mirror
18.06 mirror
18.04 mirror
18.00 mirror
16.10 mirror
16.00 common
Also had 18 other Carp in the low doubles..
1 catfish 11.10
About 30 bream
Once again John, thanks for an excellent week, we definately want to book for next year, same week if possible, but need to find out what holidays Mark and Andy can get.
Will be looking at what comes out over the next few weeks, someone's going to have it right off, must be due a hit of bigger fish soon.

Steve G (Gravesend – Kent)

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Saturday 11th June 2011
Hi John,
What a wonderful week we had and what a magical place you have found.
Look forward to the coming years and watching and catching the carp as they develop. What also impressed us was the condition of the Carp.
Had a very, very good week with weather being changeable with periods of heavy rain followed by hot sunny periods.
I must say we are very happy. The fishing has been very good and we have landed 39 Carp.
18 of the Carp were over 20lbs with the biggest being 29lb although lost a bigger one at the net.
Also had 3 Catfish with the biggest being 14lbs however hooked your monster Catfish and got a look at it. I would say it is 4 times bigger than the lake record of 17lbs (this would make it over 60lbs).
Some fish caught in the day but most fish caught late evening during the night or early morning.
Bait used was 20mm Tutti Frutti, Pineapple and Cell.
Caught fish in all swims but the pine tree swim marginally better.
When you have the dates for next year send them to me so we can book up. We probably want to go before they spawn.
Anyway speak soon.
Andy B (Trowbridge)

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Friday 3rd June 2011
Hi John, we have had a lovely week here at La Ridelee & I have caught my PB Carp at 27lbs.
Weather has been roasting hot with strong sunshine every day.
We have only landed 3 Carp with the biggest being 27lbs but we have only fished 1 night as we like our comfort.
Lost 2 further Carp.
Didn't bother to try the other side of the lake and only fished in front of the Cabin and spent a short time in the pine tree swim as we have been perfectly happy catching the bream here.
Also hooked what we believe to be a large catfish which bit right through a braded hook length.
Thanks a lot.
Louise B & Partner (West Midlands)

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Saturday 28th May 2011
Hi there John,
Thanks very much for a great week, you have a little gem there mate. We had a fantastic time in an amazing location. The lake and the surrounding area are stunning and the week was capped off by Sonny seeing a kingfisher.
Caught 20 Carp (mixture of mirrors & commons), including 8 over 20lb with the biggest at 30lb 8oz.
The thing that blew us away was the fact that Connor had a 19lb 1oz Zander on 2 mainline cell boilies.
Lost a Catfish, but didn't see it as I couldn't stop it.
Baits we have used are mainly Scopex, Fish meal and Cell boilies.
Fishing mainly from in front of the Cabin with biggest fish caught out in open water to the right of the island.
Also fished by the outfall (deeper end) with 5 fish landed from there.
Most fish caught late evening or during the night.
Weather very hot in the daytime and have seen Carp & Tench spawning.
Fish crashing about in the shallow end.
The lake was great, the facilities were great and the whole week was great.
Bearing in mind we didn’t bother to fish much during the day as it was too hot and the Carp were not playing ball. The kids had tons of roach and perch on maggots in front of the cabin.
Also went to Chateau Gontier one day & the nice little market at Meslay du Maine Friday. (Crepes were good)
Found the local people very nice & helpful.
Many thanks
Ian, Sheila, Connor and Sonny (Basildon)

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Friday 20th May 2011
Hi John,
Had a very nice week here at La Ridelee with warm sunshine every day.
Very impressed with the lake & surroundings and everything we needed in the Cabin.
Have only caught 3 carp with 1 at 20lbs and a further 2 at 23lbs. This said, we only fished during the day and only fished to 2am one night.
We are quite new to Carp angling (1st trip to France) and have seen plenty of fish moving around and so it’s very likely us & not the Lake.
That said, still had a brilliant time and may come back at sometime in the future.
Chris D (Horsham)

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Saturday 14th May 2011
Current score for the week is 26 Carp up to 35lb 8oz and 1 Catfish at 9lb.
Weather has been brilliant sunshine all week with most fish caught after dark.
Thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.
Breakdown of fish caught as follows;
Carp at 35lb 8oz  x1 (Caught by Lilly pads in front of Cabin)
Carp 20lb-30lb x 5
Carp 15lb-20lb x 6
Carp 10lb-15lb x 10
Carp below 10lb x 4
Catfish x 1 at 9lb
Total = 27 Fish for the week
Many Thanks
Graham P (Luton)

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Saturday 7th May (reported 10th May)
Dear John, Just a quick note to firstly thank you for immediate return of our deposit (came home Saturday cheque arrived Tuesday).
Also we enjoyed our stay at your lake, even if the weather was against us. The facilities were amongst the best we have found in France.
It was great to watch the news while we ate our dinner, and even with the unsettled weather we managed to catch 25 Carp up to 29lb, 4 Cats up to 8lb, 1 Tench, and numerous Bream.
We have fished much more expensive lakes and caught less, so all in all we had a good time.
Many thanks again.
Photos to follow.
Richard L (Worthing - West Sussex)

Wednesday 4th May (mid week tally)
Hello John,
Thanks for your phone call to check all is ok. Everything is fine in the cabin and we have no problems.
So far we have had 15 Carp up to 26lb. (2 fish at 26lb). About half of the carp caught have been over 20lbs.
We have also had 1 Tench at 6lbs and 3 catfish around the 5lb mark and what I think may be your “MONSTER” (unlanded) catfish which I hooked just off the rear of the island which bent my rod double. I just couldn't hold it and there was only going to be one winner. It went into the snags and I lost it.
Weather has been wet up to this time but the sun’s just come out.....Speak to you on Friday for update.
Thanks for ringing,
Richard L (Worthing - West Sussex)

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Friday 29th April (Phoned from ferry)
Hi John,
Only fished for 5 and Half days this week as we needed to go home early due to car trouble & my mate being unwell.
Despite this have caught the following Carp.
28lb x 2
25lb x 2
24lb x 2
23lb
22lb
18lb
16.5lb Catfish
Also lost another 9 fish in the snags
The best fish were caught in the Pine tree swim.
Will phone you when I get back to give you more details.
Frank (Lytham St Annes - 2nd visit)

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Friday 22nd April
Visited La Ridelee for 5 days only and landed 18 Carp between 12lb and 32lb and also 1 catfish at 10lb.
All the fish caught directly in front of the cabin on a range of baits from 1 grain of maize to 20mm plumb flavour boilies. 16mm boilies worked equally as well. Also used method feeder successfully mostly fishing to the island.
Most of the fish caught between 6pm and 8am although only did 2 full nights.
Every day was sunny with temperatures around 25C.
Weights as follows;
32lb x 1
28lb x 1
24lb x 1
23lb x 1
22lb x 4
20lb x 1
19lb x 1
16lb x 1
15lb x 2
14lb x 1
13lb x 2
12lb x 2
10lb x 1 (Catfish)
Jack & Lewis (Essex)

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Friday 15th April
Hello John,
Had a slow start with only 5 fish up to Wednesday but noticed on arrival that the fish may have been spawning.
This was confirmed with the first Mirror Carp at 25lb 10oz (Caught Sunday) that there was spawn in the landing net.
Total fish up to this time (Friday evening) are;
25lb 10oz
25lb 8oz
23lb 1oz
21lb 14oz
21lb 11oz
21lb 8oz
19lb 4oz
14lb 0 oz
13lb 10oz
11lb 12oz
11lb 7oz
Catfish 6lb 7oz
Catfish 6lb 0oz
Zander 7lb 9oz
Most fish caught in front of the cabin fishing to the middle island. (within 8ft)
regards
Colin I. (Dagenham)

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Saturday 9th April 2011
Hi John,
Didn't realise you tried calling, you must have been calling Bens phone, as I had no missed calls, and Ben forgot his phone charger.
We spent all our time outside fishing apart from showering. Fishing was good, we caught 32 fish, 29 of those were carp, the largest was 29lb and the smallest 15lb. We also had two small cats, a bream and what looked like a bass.
We used fishmeal, strawberry, and also pineapple boilies and they all caught equally I would say.
Most fish were caught during the night as it was really hot during the day temperatures got up to 27degrees with hot sunshine. We would have liked another week.
Ben & Dave (Great Missenden)

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Friday 1st April 2011 (9pm)
Hello again John,
Just a quick phone call to give you an update on the fishing today.
The wind has dropped and the sun has come out & brought the fish on today resulting in a excellent days fishing.
We have caught the following carp today all during the daylight hours;
34lb
24lb
22lb
20lb
19lb
17lb
14lb
We are packing up now as the light is going but we are all agreed that we are coming back next year.
I will phone you when I get back. (Photos to follow)
regards
Steve P. (devon)

Thursday 31st March 2011
Hello John,
Everything's fine here & having a great time at the lake.
Lots of fish showing & I was wondering when they spawn as this is the type of activity we are seeing. (Must be too early for this?)
We have caught 12 Carp so far with 2 over 25lbs & another 4 over 20lbs.
I have lost a number of other Carp and 2 of these were bigger than the 25lb fish landed.
We have tried all the swims except for the Pine tree swim at the shallow end of the lake and caught fish in all of them.
Best baits appear to be 10mm & 16mm "Pineapple" and "Cell".
Most of the action so far has been during the night.
We would like to book a week in April 2012 if possible and will phone you about this when I get back.
Regards
Steve - Devon

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2010

Thursday 21st October (by phone)
Hi John,
Fishing has been really good this week even though the weather has been chilly to say the least!
I have landed my PB at 36lb 6oz and Harry has also landed a lovely mirror at 35lb 2oz. In addition to these we have had another 2 fish over 30lb plus 6 over 20lb including a couple of nice commons.
In total we have had 4 fish over 30lbs plus 6 Fish over 20lLbs plus another 8 fish 12lbs-19lbs plus a couple around the 8lb mark which we didn’t weigh. Also had 4 catfish, biggest being 16lbs. (24 total including catfish).
Everything in the cabin is fine although we haven't spent much time in there.
Peter & Harry P. (Tonbridge)

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Saturday 16th October (e-mail)
Hi John,
Thank you for the call mid-week to check our progress. We did manage a few more fish after that (once the weather cooled) from the snags at the deeper end of the lake. In total we caught 11 carp between us and lost at least the same amount.
We ended the week having caught 2 mirrors weighing 26lb 8oz, we also had a 22lb 4oz, 17lb 8oz, 16lb 8oz, 16lb, 15lb 12oz, and 8lb, and commons weighing 19lb 12oz, 12lb and 8lb. We also landed a 9lb cat and a small bream. Most of the fish came at night and fell to single or double 15mm hookbaits fished tight to the far bank.
We had a great week fishing the lake, the facilities were excellent and the lake is as stunning as we'd imagined. We'll definitely be looking to come back next year.
On that note, what is the availability like for next year? We would love to come back for a fortnight in September or October if possible?
Cheers
Daryn and Paul. (Swansea)
PS. We have some great fish photos, I’ll send you a selection once we've had a chance to sort through them if you'd like?

Thursday 14th October (phone)
Hello John,
Weather has been boiling hot in the daytime & we have fished in front of the cabin for 3 days where it was slow.
We have now moved to the deeper end of the lake & fishing the snags to the left & the right of the outfall and found the fish.
Fish caught so far;
26.5lb Mirror
17lb Mirror
16lb Mirror
16lb Mirror
8lb Mirror
8lb Mirror
9lb Catfish
We have lost around another 8 fish.
Plenty of fish moving and some of the fish jumping clear of the water are monstrous.
2 Days to go and hoping to improve on this count before we come home.
I will give you a full report by email when I get home.
Daryn and Paul (Swansea)

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Thursday 7th October 2010
Hi John,
Thanks for an enjoyable 5 days holiday.
Your lake is superb. Full of features and well maintained.
Unfortunately the weather was poor with almost continuous rain until the last day.
I achieved my objective and landed a superb Zander of about 10lb.
We found the carp fishing hard, landing 3 to 18lb plus a Crucian and a 12lb Catfish.
Also caught plenty of bream. 
We found the cabin comfortable and the lake ideally situated for a relaxing break.
Best Regards,
David B.

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Saturday 2nd October
Hi john, as I said I would drop you a line when I got back.
Thursday night was very quiet, but it started to rain Friday morning and boy did it rain.
It never stopped all the way through to Saturday but it brought the fish on as we had 2 more Carp at 25lb, (both big belly marrow’s) 1 Carp at 22lb, a Catfish at 10lb and a 30lb mirror liner and it really was a good looking fish.
I would like to thank you again for the privilege of fishing your lake and spending the week in the lovely surroundings and I will certainly be recommending you to all my customers.
Tally for the week.
30lb+  x 2
25lb   x 5
22lb   x 4
8-12lb x 3
Catfish x 2
John Gavin (Proprietor of "Trent Tackle", Chelmsford, Essex)

Thursday 30th September (By phone)
Hello John,
Very impressed with the lake and the Cabin. Both "Superb".
I have been sitting here today in shorts and tee shirt all day as it’s been warm but last night the rain hammered down.
Biggest Carp so far is 32lb 8oz.
Have also had 3 fish over 25lb and further 3 fish around the 22lb 8oz mark.
Have had a further 3 carp under 12lb - No mid teens.
Also had a small cat at 6lbs and a couple of bream.
All the fish were caught during the night, fishing the far bank from in front of the Cabin.
We have been fishing double boilies at 16mm & 18mm using both cherry flavour & probiotic.
Still have 2 nights to go. I will give you a full report when I get back.
regards
John Gavin (Proprietor of "Trent Tackle" Chelmsford, Essex)

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Thursday 23rd September
Hello John,
We had an easy drive through from Roscoff (Brittany) to the lake, which took around 4 hours and found the lake without any problems.
The weather has been grand with just a couple of hours rain last night.
Most fish have been caught during the night with 7 Carp over 20lbs, 2 Carp around 10lbs, 2 small catfish and 4 bream so far.
Regards
Brian E. (Wexford, Ireland)

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Thursday 16th September
Have caught the following fish from the swims adjacent to the outfall in the deepest part of the lake.
8lb Common
16lb Common
14lb Mirror
22lb Mirror
19lb Mirror
6lb Zander
29lb Mirror
23lb Mirror
7lb Catfish
15lb Mirror
12lb Mirror
2lb Crucian
All fish caught on 20mm boilie from Nash - Squid flavour.
Most fish caught early morning or at dusk.
Lenny W. (Essex)

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Friday 10th September
Weather has been very changeable with warm sunshine followed by long periods of very heavy rain, thunder and lightening like I have never seen.
Despite this, I have topped my all time personal best on Thursday with a 38lb 12oz mirror caught in front of the cabin in open water!!
This was followed up by a 28lb 8oz and 28lb 2oz both being mirrors. Also lost a 4th fish on thursday as well.
Today caught a 22lb Mirror.
Only me and Julie here this week as you know so we have the place to ourselves.
Thanks a lot, great place and thinking about coming back next year. Let you know nearer the time.
Paul L. (Midlands)

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Monday 6th September 2010 (email)
Hi John,
Just a quick line to say thank you for a great week. The lads really enjoyed the lake. There is definitely something in there a lot bigger than the 16lb cat we caught (and the 22lb Carp).
I suspect there is a very large cat in there. As you stand outside the cabin and look over to the swim to the left of the outflow you have a small jetty which you can sit on. There is a monster living under there as my brother hooked into it and it gave him no chance.
Thanks again.
Bill Goodwin

Thursday 2nd September 2010
Hi John,
I am very impressed with the lake and the convenience of the swims right outside the Cabin.
We have had a really great holiday, and the best fish so far are a 22lb mirror, 16lb common, 22lb common, 16lb catfish, 13lb mirror.
The catfish really put up a terrific fight.
All the fish were caught on 22mm Halibut pellets.
The weather has been hot during the day but chilly during the night.
It really is a nice spot and when I get home I will recommend it to my fishing friends.
I’m planning to come back next year (if I can get permission from the wife!).
I will talk to you when I get back.
Regards
Bill Goodwin (Devon)

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Friday 27th August 2010
Hi John,
Had another very good weeks holiday here at La Ridelee. (3rd Visit)
Weather has been mixed with lots of heavy showers but still had a nice relaxing time.
Fishing has culminated with 3 common carp over 20lbs with a new personal best for me at 30lbs.
This largest fish was taken on 20mm "tutti frutti" boilie but the other 2 were taken on cheese!
Found the Pine Tree swim to be the best.
My daughter has been very happy catching small stuff on the float, perch, roach and bream with the odd tench, and my wife has been checking out the wildlife including monkjack deer, kingfishers, lizards, dormouse, rabbits, hares, red squirrels and toads.
Made a trip to the Fishing shop in Laval (Laval Peche) and people were very nice & helpful and the owner speaks English.
Also had a trip to the local Supermarket, people were nice an one girl also spoke English.
In summary, very good week and will be back next year with my father.
See you soon,
The Taylor Family (Custom House - London)

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Saturday 21st August
Hi John,
Had an enjoyable week at Etang La Ridelee with the following fish landed between my father in law and myself;
52 Carp landed with the biggest being 27lbs.
12 Carp were over 20lbs.
20 Carp were between 10-20lbs.
6 Catfish with 2 of these at 15lbs.
2 Crucians with the biggest being 4lbs.
60 Fish in Total were landed. (Not including 6 bream)
In addition to the fish above, about another 17 fish were lost.
Bait used was single 20mm Premier Amino Crab boilies.
All the fish were caught in front of the Cabin.

We didn’t fish all the time as we had 1 day when we made a visit to Mont St-Michel and another day when we went to Laval.
Kind regards
Paul Clayton

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Friday 13th August
Hello John,
We have had a very good week here again (Last visit August 2009) and caught the following fish;
32lb Mirror
Carp over 20lbs x13
17lb Mirror
15lb Mirror
15lb Catfish x2
8lb Mirror
7lb Mirror
3lb Common
3.5lb Tench
(No Bream)
Most fish caught in front of the cabin casting to the far bank. (Past the island)
Best bait I have found to be Pineapple flavour made by Richmouth.
Rigs have been very simple & sometimes I have fished double boilies at 18mm.
As soon as I get back, I will phone you about booking for 2011.
Thanks a lot
Steve & Jess (Surrey)

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Saturday 7th August (By e mail)
Hi John,
You said fingers crossed for our last night and it must have worked as I had 23lb and 27lb mirrors between 1 and 4am to the same rod placed just off the left of the main island casting from the old bench. All my fish were taken on double 20mm raja spice boilies and Elaine's on double 16mm The Source boilies, all with small pva bags of pellets.
Fantastic week and thoroughly enjoyed recharging our batteries in such wonderful, peaceful and tranquil surroundings. It was like our own little piece of heaven for a week.
Thanks again.
Pat and Elaine  (Lancs)

Thursday 5th August (by phone)
Hi John,
We have had a very nice time and what a lucky person you are to own such a lovely lake. We went to another French venue last year close by, but La Ridelee has so much more character.
With regards to the fishing, it has been hard this week with 6 Carp caught and the biggest being 19lb.
My partner Elaine was very happy as she caught the biggest fish with this now being her Personal Best.
There are plenty of fish moving & crashing of a night time so much so that they are keeping us awake in the bivvey.
We have lost a further 8 fish in the snags as they are straight in there if they have a chance.
The water level is down due to lack of rain & the hot weather and I think this has not helped the fishing. That said, it's been a good holiday and I am planning to come back in 2012. (Getting married in 2011).
Thanks a lot.
Pat & Elaine (Lancs)

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Thursday 29th July
Have found the best swims this week to be as follows (Didn’t arrive until Sunday);
A) Swim adjacent to the out flow of the lake and casting across towards the gates & the driveway. Lots of fish rising close in to the tree margin on the far bank.
B) Swim on the far bank behind the Main Island and casting close to island. Again lots of fish moving in this area.
In front of the Cabin has been quiet.
Have landed the following fish.
31lb mirror
26lb mirror
22lb common
15lb common
12lb mirror
9lb common
10lb Catfish
3lb Tench
2.5lb Crucian
2lb Bream x 4.
Have been using 18mm fish meal based boilies.
Lewis (Essex)

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Thursday 22nd July
Hello John,
Have had 20 Carp until this time with 4 over 20Lbs with the biggest being 27lbs 1oz.
Have also had 1 Catfish around 6lbs, No Zander.
Regards
Garry (Benfleet Essex)

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Thursday 8th July
Hi John,
Have landed 30 Carp up until Thursday afternoon with the biggest being 27lbs.
Weather has been very hot (today over 30 deg C) and therefore all the fish have been caught during the night.
Have seen some Carp breaking the surface in the far corner (Deeper water).
Lost what believe to be a bigger one in front of the Cabin in the Right Hand swim by the drive.
Have also caught some catfish with the biggest being 10.5 lbs.
My boy has been fishing with the pole by the bridge in front of the lilly pads and caught a number of crucians and other small stuff.
It’s a lovely venue.
regards
Barry (Milton Keynes)

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Hello John,
Had a very enjoyable week at La Ridelee this week. (19th - 26th June)
Only fished 4 nights as I didn’t know night fishing was allowed.
Had 10 Carp with 3 over the 20lb mark, with the biggest being 27.5lbs.
Lost a couple of bigger ones.
Unfortunately the fish were spawning (again) and I saw a number of "big slabs" crashing out so I know they are in there.
I'm planning to come back next year, once I have sorted my dates out.
Thanks a lot.
John Abnet (Cranham Essex)

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Hello John,
Arrived on saturday in glorious sunshine.
What a lovely place.
Had a terrific electrical storm on Saturday night and the lake fished brilliantly on Sunday, all day.
Went very quiet on Wednesday with little action.
Couldn't be bothered to move swims and have fished up until now in front of the cabin.
Current tally until now (Friday morning) 17 Carp up to 26lb and a few small cats.
regards
Mrs Farrow (south London)

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Hi John
Thank you for the prompt return of the deposit I have enclosed some photos for you the biggest fish came out at 34lb to my brother in the end.
In total we had about 30 fish two Zander the rest Carp no Cats.
We also lost about another 20 fish to the over hanging snags around the lake and some in the lake this is the only problem we found fishing the lake.
As you know we did not fish over night as we felt we might loose more fish to the snags not fair to the fish or us.
We found the fishing good early AM 06.00 to 10.00 and late PM 20.30 to 22.00 we had a couple out between these times. 
Baits used 15 mm fresh boiles on a one inch hair Raja Spice worked well for me, Luncheon meat and 22 mm Halibut pellets also caught some fish I also tried ground baiting the area’s I was fish by going out in the row boat but would recommend using pva string or a bag with what you are using on the hook as this worked just as well. 
La Ridelee is a very enjoyable lake to fish it was great to watch the Ducks, Moorhens, Swifts, Jays and the Bats (at night). 
Also our route to La Ridelee was from Caen to Pre-En-Pail nr Alencon where we stopped at the local Super U when on to La Ridelee this route is about 115 miles has no tolls and takes about two and a half hours. 
Nice Lake Good Fishing will hopefully return and will recommend. 
All the best 
Adrian Wells

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Dear John,
As discussed, weather was very, very hot Mon/Tues 24/25 May, and fish spawning in the morning like mad over the weed beds to the right.
Had a Zander Monday on dead bait & 3 or 4 lost.
Wednesday had torrential rain for around 12 hours. 2 catfish during this time.
Thursday 3 carp came out (biggest 16lbs) and there were 4 more missed runs.
Lost what I believe to be a large cat Friday & catching Rudd in front of the cabin on red maggots.
As discussed with you we are not carp fishermen and our experience is from match fishing / general pleasure fishing so we do not understand some of the things to be tried to tempt the bigger fish. This said you should be proud of such a lovely place to offer fishermen. The lake is idyllic and the cabin was immaculate and perfect for what we needed. We are evaluating our options and seriously thinking about giving it another go next year.
Can you advise of availability for May next year?
Tim Knight (Lancs)

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20th May 2010
Weather very hot & Carp spawning. Lots of fish crashing out all over the place.
Caught 3 twenty pounders up to now, biggest being 23lb.
Caught some Zander on Dead bait & also some Bass!
Having a good time despite the spawning but the weather's great.
Anthony (Gloucestershire)

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John,
Sorry you couldn’t get me last week but I don’t answer the phone when I'm away.
Biggest fish was 29lb & smallest was 17lb. (Not bad for the smallest)
Had a great time…….."Highly Recommended".
I will tell my mates.
Regards
David L. (15.5.10)

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Hi John
Had a great five days at La Ridelee (1st week in May- two people).
We had 20 fish as follows:
30LB + x 2 (33.5lb & 34.5lb)
20LB + x 3 to 27lb
Doubles x 8 to 19.5lb
Cats x 4 to 9lb
smaller carp x 3
We fished the main swims in front of the cabin mainly open water to the left and right of the island.
Most fish came in the night to the areas mentioned, moderately baited with boilies.
We lightly baited other areas to the end far tree lines fishing from the ends of the lake, the platform and the Pines casting over to the tree line, we fished these areas in the afternoon up until 6.00pm, three of these fish came from the afternoon areas.
All was good with the cabin. Cooked full meals every night, the TV and shower were both excellent.
The weather during our stay was NE winds which were ok during the day if the sun was out but cold at night.
As you know, this was my 4th visit.
Thanks, and see you again next year,
Andy & Barry (Stanford le Hope)(Re-booked 2011)

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Hi John
Thanks for the return of deposit.
Had a great time, all good quality fish, we are well pleased.
My best was 33.3lb, my son Joe (aged 14) was 25lb and Dave, my mate 33.6lb. Joe and Dave both had Catfish to 7.5lb and Dave had a Zander to 8.3lb.
The smallest fish of the week, which I had was 15.2lb (not bad fish to have as the smallest).
Dave did the best with 3 x 27lb plus a 31lb.
Joe was well pleased with a 18.2lb as well (all fish weighed on calibrated scales).
The skimmer bream were not to be found (strange) but we had some quality Rudd & Roach.
Anyway, all the best and thanks again.
Regards
Bob (Ilford, Essex)(Re-booked 2011)

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Hello John,
Had a great time 17th-24th April.
Didn’t fish all the time as we had a look around the area and tried out the local kebab shop in the town 2 miles away and the pizza shop which were both pretty good. Also went to the local market. It was a very nice restful holiday and we caught some very good fish.
1st Fish caught was a nice mirror at 34lb 2oz.
After that it just got better with the following;
36lb 2oz
37lb 2oz
32lb 10oz
29lb 8oz
28lb 4oz
24lb 12oz
25lb
19lb
12lb 2oz
16lb 7oz
15lb 8oz
8lb Wells Catfish
Bigger Catfish not weighed (I will send photo)
Lost a bigger Catfish at the net
Lost 7 other Carp.
Caught a number of skimmer bream on method feeder.
Can you book me in for next year for the same week? (Re-booked 2011)
Frank & Mick (Lancs)

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Hi John
Firstly, congratulations on owning such a terrific venue.
Had a great weeks fishing (April 10th-17th), between us we had a total of 20 fish.
We were all delighted that the three of us came away from the venue managing to land a 30lb + fish.
 
3 x 30lb + Carp, to 32.5lb.
5 x 20lb + Carp, to 28lb
11 x 10lb + Carp to 19.5lb
1 x  10lb Catfish
1 x 3lb Tench
 
Such a lovely peaceful venue, great value for money.
The challenge is coming away and not rebooking!! (Re-booked for 2011)
Cheers,
The Impey's (Essex)

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Arrived at La Ridelee 4th April to fish for 5 days.
Temperatures were good in the daytime, but the nights were a bit cold.
Only did one night fishing session so most of the fish were caught during the day.
Glad to say I broke my record on 2 occasions with the following Carp.
17lb
16lb
23lb
17lb
18lb
27lb 8oz
21lb
19lb 8oz
32lb
11lb
20lb
Had a great time and needless to say we are coming back very soon.
p.s. It's a lovely lake!
Regards
Lewis & Tom (Essex)

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2009

Dear John,
Firstly, thank you very much for the prompt return of our deposit.
We thoroughly enjoyed our week at La Ridelee in Sept 09.  What a lovely location and set in beautiful surroundings with everything to hand. Absolutely great!
All the catches were as follows:-

Mirror Carp 31lb 2oz
Mirror Carp 28lb 13oz
Mirror Carp 23lb 5oz
Mirror Carp 22lb 12oz
Mirror Carp 22lb 11oz
Mirror Carp 22lb 7oz
Mirror Carp 18lb 7oz
Mirror Carp 18lb 3oz
Common Carp 6lb
Catfish 6lb
Lost two carp and one catfish at the net (approx 6lb)
We are looking to book again next year and look forward to hearing from you as to whether available at that time – then we can start planning!
Many thanks and kind regards.
Tammy & Andy. (Woodbridge, Suffolk.)

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Got to the lake around 3pm and have to say I am well impressed with it.
First carp out around midnight, a stunning 26lb mirror which fought like stink. My son lost 2 between midnight and 2am wifey had a stunning looking common at 13lb and I lost a further 3 through the night.
Sunday had nothing through the day daughter had loads on the pole, mainly skimmer bream. Sunday night however was a different story. Unfortunately if I had landed every take I had the tally through the night would have been around 10 fish but I only landed 1 fish and that was a 10lb cat.
Apart from the rain on Saturday every other day was great, plenty of sun and nice and warm.

1-8-09 - 26lb 8oz  Mirror, 13lb  Common, Son lost 2 fish.
2-8-09 - 10lb Catfish, I had around 10 other takes, Son lost 3 fish.
3-8-09 - 22lb 12oz Common, 16lb Mirror, 19lb Mirror, 3 Cats biggest was 15lb, 22lb 8oz Common.
4-8-09 - 22lb 8oz  Mirror.
5-8-09 - 22lb 12oz  Common, 16lb  Mirror.
6-8-09 - 24lb 4oz  Mirror, 27lb 4oz  Mirror.
7-8-09 - 29lb 12oz  Mirror, 29lb 4oz  Mirror.
8-8-09 - 28lb 8oz  Mirror, 23lb  Mirror.

As you can see not a bad tally for the week.
Graham. (Sittingbourne)

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Just a few prime candidates for your collection.

1 Don Wilcox --------- 30 lb Carp
2 Tony Armstrong -- 12 lb Zander
3 Don Wilcox --------- 26 lb Carp
4 Don Wilcox --------- 29 lb Carp

Thanks for your prompt repayment of the deposit money.
We all had a wonderful time, La-Ridelee is a beautiful place to spend time and we congratulate you on your achievements so far. We would love to spend another session with you at a time when it's not so hot. We will no doubt be in touch at a later date.
Thanks once again.
Tony. (Herefordshire)

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Just a short note to let you know what a great time we had on 16th – 23rd May 09.
Between the 3 of us we had 41 fish, which we weighed & loads under 10lb.
As promised, I have enclosed photos of the better fish. (up to 36lb).
Thanks for a Great week & I will be in touch next year.
The Bennett Party. (Kent)

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John,
Unfortunately during our week the fishing was slow due to the exceptionally hot, still weather. We did end up with several fish though, which culminated in a 28lb 7oz – my new PB.
In any event, it was a fabulous break and the venue was perfect. Our non-carping friend had a great time with the roach, perch and bream and even he had a 23lb (beating his PB by about 22lb!).
With or without fish, we all agreed we could happily sit in the delightful surroundings all day long just as a relaxing break in itself.
Many thanks
Mike. (Coventry)

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Dear John,
Please find enclosed photos of some of the fish we caught last week.
Caught loads of fish up to 31lbs.
We saw loads of wildlife including the Deer, Badgers, lizards, Kingfishers & other birds which we don’t know the names of.
We will definitely be booking again next year.
Kind regards
L Smith. (Essex)

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Just a quick note to let you know what a great week we had last week.
The fishing was slow due to the heat which was in the upper thirties, but we still had Carp to 25lb (It was sunbathing weather – not fishing weather)
I must say what a beautiful place “La Ridelee” is and that we have all had a very good time.
The people in the local village were all friendly and we went to Laval on market day which was very nice.
My daughter caught lots of roach, bream and small Carp on the float by the bridge.
We will be coming back again next year.
Mrs Taylor. (London)

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John,
During the week we had around 15 fish under 20lb, these ranged from 5lb to 11lb, didn't have any mid to high doubles.
We also had around seven low 20 pounders, a 25lb, two 28 pounders, and one 30lb. No catfish, but one 7lb zander! Oh, and some small bream!
Steve. (Dagenham)

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We had 16 Carp between the 2 of us, 7 of which were 20s, plus 1 at 30lbs.
It’s a lovely spot.
Mr Thompson. (Swindon)

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We had a really great time at La Ridelee, thank you so much, it’s a beautiful and peaceful spot.
Russell caught 10 carp of which 5 were over 20lbs, 27lb being the biggest, plus a Zander of 12lb.
Once again, thanks a lot and tell your wife the cabin gets 2 stars from me (and not the 1 star you told me).
Mrs B. (Watford)

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What an excellent venue, with exclusive use of the lake and comfortable accommodation: cabin and facilities all perfectly adequate. There are a great variety of fish species targetable, great wildlife and a town near by, what more could a man want.
There were several large carp hooked, and also a few lost. One of the larger fish from the far margin managed to throw the hook, which was unfortunate.
Another large fish hooked was most certainly a big catfish that felt at least fifteen pounds; it stuck to the bottom like a lead weight and threw the hook after about ten minutes of play, a real shame.
At the end of the week we had caught about 20 fish, most of them Carp. Unfortunately my scales broke, so can't give you the weights.
The fish are only a part of what gives this lake its personality. There were Kingfishers darting around, Sand martins swooping, and even buzzards wheeling in the sky above.
Hugh. (Essex)

© Etang La Ridelee ™ 2012