The Sanctuary Fishery

News & Updates

This page contains information about all the catch reports, changes & improvements to The Sanctuary Fishery, and other important updates.

When the wind blows from the West, The fish bite the best!!!!

The doors are now closed & it was a bizarre end to the season with highs and lows, with one week fishing great, then the next week very quiet, but the fish still showing all over the lake. Lake record was broken right at the end of the season but that i will save for later!!!!!! The weather is unbelievably mild at the moment feeling more like Spring again and warm southly winds have been blowing for three weeks now. Its the warmest November we have experienced since we opened the business and nothing like the local farmers have witnessed for 30 years and this has prompted me to hold back with the drain down of the lakes until things start to cool off. Anyway back to where we left off on the last update and the two lads (Adam & Andy) who had booked the last week of September had a bit of a struggle with the fish seeming to sense the pressure and staying out of range for the rest of the week. The lads fished pegs 2 & 3 trying to cover as much of the lake but the fish pushed into peg 4 only 20 yards out from the bank and were happy to feed on naturals there.The lads did everything right, it was just not happening on their week. The lads ended the week on 6 fish with the best 41lb along with 3 over 30lb+ (2x 38lb) 1x 28lb and a grassy. Ace bait and baitcraft (Halo) was the bait for the week. First week of October was a regular bunch led by "Bolton Rob" along with a new member making the 4th angler up for the group.The fish were active showing lots in the evening down towards peg 5 and I had the feeling they were feeding hard on the small crayfish or a few left over bloodworm beds? The week total was 9 fish with the best going 47lb 8oz to Rob, along with another fish of 40lb 8oz and 5 x30lb+ (3x 36lb+) and 3 young scaley stockys of 22lb, 20lb and a mid double, all absolute stunners. It was a shame because 4 fish were lost in the last 24 hrs of the week which if landed could have changed the total, was this the start of things changing again now the weather was warming up again ?? One of the lads this week left some bait with me which was glugged in a fish oil, the problem was it smelt rancid, which makes me think this could have also affected the catch rates considerably.It seems crazy to come all this way with planning, preparation and money to then scrimp on bait!!!!! Lesson Learnt. The next week was a cracker with the temp rising further to 18oc and by the Sunday the lads had landed 7 fish including 3 over 40lb+ in the first 24hrs.Kevins group are regulars who do seem to be in tune with the lake and once again pb's were broken and 25 fish landed. The two "Stoke brothers" always know how to catch a few but this time Dave in peg 1 left it late in the week bagging the best of the week at 48lb 4oz on the last night. He used one of my pop-ups that I had given him, and I had been telling Dave to bin that crap bait he had been using all week!!!!!!!! 7 fish over 40lb landed (48.4,47.13,47,42.8,41.4,40.6,40.2) including a 41lb common and 12 fish over 30lb+ ( 7x 36lb+ 38.10 & 39) the other 6 fish where a mix of scaley stockys and grassys. Nash scopex squid, hemp & pellet working this week. The second to last week saw another huge change in the weather and the fish started to become all secretive again. Mike, another regular booked the lake along with his wife Helen and he was quick out of the blocks with a 48lb 6oz on the first night so it was looking good but then the weather changed rapidly and the fish seemed to dissaper for most of the week. The fish had moved once again back out to peg 4 very close in and i was watching them in the morning clouding the bottom up with dark shapes gliding under the surface and odd tail patterns rippling out across the still lake surface. Mike managed another fish of 37lb 14oz by casting from peg 3 down towards peg 4 out in the middle but that was it for the week, which ws a real shame after the results the week before. The final week of the season saw a chap called Lewis from "Up North" arrive who had last fished the lake the first year we opened and was an angler who had the knack of sorting the better fish out from most of the lakes he has fished. He was booked in with another lad who had to cancel at the last mintue so Lewis was looking forward to tackling the lake to himself & now the weather had changed again but this time massive S/E winds came hacking down the lake making it look like the White Horses in the Guinness advert bashing down into Peg 1. The weather was such a stark change from the week before when we had mornings touching a frost.It was now 20oc in the day time and the fish had woken up to this massive change. Now I'm more of a believer in water craft over bait but this time this lad had the edge!!!! He was using the "Sticky Baits" range along with the liquid bloodworm over one rod with a pva bag containing Krill pellet soaked in the bloodworm along with a 10mm balance dumbell bait. First fish was not the biggest at 27lb+ but I have not seen this fish on the bank for 2 years and was the best looking fish of the season for me, scaley, golden and beautiful. With the wind picking up pace to 40mph+ the fish were crashing out and he kept the baited patches going until the next fish of 57lb picked up the hookbait setting a new pb for him. Not happy with that he then lands the big leather at a new lake record of 59lb 12oz and getting us all jumping up and down. This lad was on fire and I think he had eaten his porridge for breakfast!!! The week ended on 5 fish but Quality not quantity is our moto and along with the first 3 fish he bagged a 41lb common and an old 45lb warrior of a mirror. Quality angling and an inspiration to anyone thinking of tackling our lake later in the year. Even though it can be touch & go at this time of the year it just goes to show that if the carp gods are looking down on you and you think about your fishing something very special can happen!!!!! Now the doors are closed it's work time for me again, and getting ready to start work on the 15 acre lake after my two year gap of raising 3 kids with my "Saint of a wife". Once the lakes are drained I will be sorting the stockpond fish, getting the new website ready for 2012 and spring will be round again before we know it. Hopefully we will see much more settled weather in 2012 and many more happy punters. Once again a huge thank you to all our regular guys who have stuck with us from the start, without your support and understanding of the progression of a fishery & the time it takes to "Get there" we would not be here today. We have always maintained the ethos over the last 5 years of running that there is far more to your weeks fishing than just catching massive fish and if you're the kind of "old school" angler who still appreicates a beautiful lake with minimal anglers, quality fish over "pale fat lumps of meat" and more intrested in the challenge of catching a fish you have had to work for,instead of talking like a match angler in numbers of fish you want per day and poundage by the end of the week, well we could be the venue you have been looking for. QUALITY NOT QUANTITY is where we are heading. Merry Christmas to you all and good luck for 2012. Team Sanctuary

Who changed the Rules?!

Back with another update, sorry for the delay but Mid-summer has been tough going. After the flying start this season once again the fish changed the "Rules" & June and July were very hard going. The strange weather this year has taken it's toll on the Carp's behaviour and we have not been alone. I have spoke with numerous fishery owners from all areas of France from Brittany, Champagne and Central France, down to Limoges and they all went through the same senario, with fish showing but just not feeding, to the point of me questioning everything!!! I guess running the fishery and being so passionate about our role, we would love every group to leave with a smile on their faces, be it from a new PB, catching a stunning Carp, or just enjoying the beauty of the lake with close friends and memories to share. But we really felt for some of the guys this year, who had never been to us before and the fishing just beat them up!!, and got to us too!! I will give you the run down of events for June and July and then get onto the fishing picking up again in August and September with the Big leather, Nemo and The commom all ready to break 60lb+ by the end of the year/early 2012 (unreal!!!). We finished the last update ending on Mark & Rob landing fish to 57lb, ending the week on June 4th. June 5th was a regular group of 3 who worked hard for their fish with Jon leading the way but he explained to me one morning that the spot he was picking fish up from had to be so precise otherwise 6 inch either way and they would not pick the bait up, and this was the start of things to come! They ended the week with 10 fish, best was 45lb and 3 over the 40lb+, 5 x 30lb + (1 x 39lb) and 2 Grassies. Good angling but tough going. June 11th was our regular hero Mike Lane, who normally fishes the lake solo, but this time he brought fellow angler Dave with him, and after every visit for Mike being truly memorable fishing,it was about to change. Dave was all reved up like a superbike and could not wait to get the rods out but the fish just wanted to crash all week and not pick baits up. The weather was still in the upper 20's everyday, but over the next few weeks the water temp rose to 29 degrees and the fish shut up shop. It was like tropical sea temps!!! and even though the oxygen levels have remained high all year the fish were just hiding under the trees and bushes in the shade and not wanting to feed. Dave had a 33lb Mirror on the Sunday down in peg 5 but after that he only managed a Mid 20lb+ Grassy.The Crazy thing about the hard fishing was that Carp were crashing out all over Daves swim, which was tying his head in knots, watching them leap out but refusing to touch any bait/rig he put out! very frustrating!! Mike managed 8 fish with a lovely Mirror of 48lb 15oz, but majority were Grassies to 30lb. Bait was CC Moore Fishmeal, pellet and a scattering of Hemp. The next week was the low point of the year/history of the fishery, and it really was a head scratcher. This time of the year can be slow but nothing like this year,& normally fish come out each week, and a lump does show up most weeks through mid-summer. This was a mixed group of 4, 3 of which were first timers, Terry had been to The Sanctuary twice before and knew what the lake was capable of. They kicked off on the Sat 18th June and Terry lost a fish down in peg 5 that evening, so it was looking good. The next day he had a 37lb Mirror but that was the only fish of the week. A couple of fish were lost but with all the effort of the other guys, the fish were not playing ball. The fish continued to crash out and show themselves and when Terry moved from peg 5 to 3 I took John down to the dam wall in peg 5 that evening to show him the fish in the margins, swirling and flanking right up against the bank. The crayfish population had exploded again over the last few weeks with the carp not feeding and very high water temperatures, allowing them to have free reign, which in turn gave the anglers a headache. I had the feeling that some of the Carp were feeding on the small crays, by the aggressive tail patterns John and I could see close in to the bank. John was a cracking bloke and I really wanted him to put a good fish in the net but it was not going to happen even with all the hard work. 25th June was another regular group of 3 who had to endure the hottest week of the year, with record temps of 37.5 degrees in the shade. The lads soldiered on through the week with only 3 fish landed and many lost due to hook pulls and one of Daves Korda hooks snapping while playing a fish (gutted!!),34lb Mirror, 29lb Mirror and a 26lb Grassy. It was a repeat of the last 2 weeks with the fish just not feeding, allowing a couple of 7lb Tench to find the bait and Crayfish attacking the hookbaits within hours.The lake is due for it's drain down this winter, so I will be removing the bulk of the crays, with the Herons, Eigrets and Ducks helping me along the way. Now the water has cooled down again they have become less active, with the lads over the last month not needing mesh and only the odd mark on the hookbaits, but nothing like it has been, Thank God!!! The next 2 weeks had been a planned break for the family, with the Twin boys and our first son adding to my grey hair by the minute, and my wife was in need of some recovery time more than myself. We had a good friend of the family staying here, Steve being an angler himself did find time to wet a line most days, even if it was a couple of hours in the evenings or mornings. He totalled 6 fish over the 2 weeks and all of them were on the float rod right in the margins close to the pegs. Because it had been quiet, the fish had spread out and float fished corn was the killer method!!! Best fish was a 41lb, which was a new PB for Stevie Boy!!! the remainder being 30lb+ Week of July 16th was a new group of 3 lads and with the weather starting to change and a chance of some rain, which would have been the first to fall for over 4 months, the fishing was looking a little better. The lakes were 15inches down from their maximum level and in desperate need of a top up. The big pressure drop and the heavy rain on Sunday started to switch the fish on, with 3 fish on the bank, things were starting to look up, with young Dan smashing his PB with Nemo at 51lb 4oz. I was so glad to see her in fine condition after her 58lb spawn weight 2 months earlier, because fish of this size holding spawn for too long, especially with the very high temps is not a good scenario. The weather did remain cooler with more rain for the week, and the lads landed 15 fish and lost 5. This was a great result after the last few hard weeks. 10 fish over 30lb+, (7x 35lb+), 1 x 40lb and 3 x 20lb. Bait was Rosehip isotonic and pellet. July 23rd arrived with a group who had fished here in 2010, and were looking forward to another great week, similar to last season. The weather had returned to normal conditions for the time of year, and the fish were on the move and continuing to feed. The lads picked most of the fish up from the far bank like last year and they kept their baiting patches tight and accurate, resulting in 27 fish landed and a good 6 lost to hookpulls. Best fish was the leather at 54lb 4oz and also looking in fine condition like Nemo. The lads had 11 fish over 30lb+ but apart from the Leather they were picking up the smaller fish and had no fish over 40lb+, which I think was due to too much paticle mix they were using. The reminder of the fish were upper 20lb+ fish (3 x 29lb) and 10 grassies (20 - 30lb). July 30th arrived a new group made up of "3 old boys" with years of experience under their belt and were gentleman to boot, but if they don't mind me saying were stubborn as mules!!!! Peter in peg 3 had just had a major operation so was very restricted and the other two guys stayed in pegs 1+2 to help him if need be and this effected their catch rate massively with the fish staying out in front of pegs 4+5 all week and more than happy to feed on naturals. In the end Peter made the move down to peg 4 on the Friday and managed 4 fish with the best going 42lb. The week ended on 5 fish and 1 lost but the total could have been much more. August 6th A repeat group from last season were ready to pit their wits this week and the group of 4 "hit it" just right with the weather being perfect with 25oc through the day & dropping much cooler at night down to 13oc. the water did cool down from the mid summer temps and the week lived up to our August reputation!!! 3 of the group had fish over 50lb+ with the "Grave Digger" coming out at 57lb 7oz and only just down on her spawned weight of 58lb 14oz earlier in the year, she is now set to smash the 60lb+ barrier very soon. The other 50lb fish where 53lb & 51lb with 7 over 40lb+ backing it up. (45,43,42,42,41,41,40.4) 13 fish over 30lb+ (7 over 35lb+ 2x 39lb+) Total was 31 fish with 7 grassies between 25lb-35lb making the total & one of the scaley 20lb+ stockies.A great week and well done lads. August 13th The liverpool regulars arrived with Mark,keith,& Neil all ready for another cracking week.Keith had 5 fish on the bank on the first night with 3 of them over 40lb+ so it was set for another good week.It was a funny week because it was the first time i have ever seen a good hit on a full, bright clear moon and Keith and myself where only taking about it on the first night and then he went on to have a cracking week and blowing my theory out of the water with the group landing 25 fish, with no less than 10 fish over 40lb+!!!!WOW (best 48lb followed by 46,44,43.8,43,42,42,42,40,40) and the remaining 8 fish over 30lb+ With one of 39lb. Bigfish mix and cranberry along with pellet doing the business. Quality angling. August 20th A regular lad decided this season he would book the lake to himself along with his young lady keeping him company (you're not still scared of the dark are you Paul) and he was looking for a week of pure peace and quiet after a busy year with work. I think Paul will agree the week was more about chilling than fishing and he was happy to be down on the bank with some nice weather and good company and he did put a few on the bank when he managed to get the rods out!!!!Paul has fished all over the world and when he hooked his first Grassie on a float rod and centrepin reel he claims it was one of his top 5 fish for explosive power and fight.Catching them old school style they were "Flat rodding him" then stripping line off the pin like a tarpon!!!! The week total was 5 fish to mid 30lb+ and 3 lost to hookpulls but numbers are not everything and it was a pleasure to see you again mate and catch-up. August 27t A new group of lads booked this week, made up of 3 anglers and the lake was very kind to them for their first trip at the Sanctuary Fishery. All 3 broke their pbs and the week total was 37 fish and a few loses as well. Best fish was a 56lb mirror along with another mirror of 50lb and 8 over 40lb+(46.12,46.8,45,44,42,41,40.8,40) Along with 20 fish over 30lb+( 2x 39lb,2x 38, 4x 37,1x 36) and 6 fish of 20lb+ mostly made up of grassies. Live system,B5, The Pellet and the new grange doing the business. Sept 3rd Regular lad Mr Tony Thompson arrived with friend Steve this week and as always Tony does have the knack of catching the Big girls and this year he repeated that trend!!!!Watching him it is all about effort = reward and along with being a dam fine angler resulted in him bagging the Big common for the 3rd time in as many visits at a massive weight of 58lb 4oz. Not just content with landing her he puts the big leather in the net only hours afterwards at 56lb 14oz followed by a 46lb mirror, Quality.Steve also broke his pb twice which is another fantastic result with fish of 40lb bag on, followed by a 40lb 4oz mirror. The week ended on 12 fish with the two big 50lb+, 4 over 40lb+ and 5 over 30lb+ (37,37,35.8,35.8,34.10) and a 29lb to finish off!!! Sept 11th Regular, Ray box and his Mob arrived this week and after the massive hit last April it was a tall order to measure up too?? Well once again the fish were "having it big time" and 33 fish were landed this week. The major proportion of them falling to the one angler who landed 22 fish in peg 3, but the fish where grouped up and not willing to move all week which resulted in his massive hit.The 30lb+ fish where the bulk of the shoal and the 40lb+ fish had moved else where but a fish of 56lb was landed, smashing Steves pb along with the group landing 3 over 40lb+ and 17 over 30lb+(2x39lb) the remaining 12 fish being mostly grassies between 20lb-32lb. Sept 17th was a week I had been waiting for with the 3 guys from last year turning out to be one of the nicest guys we have seen here at the fishery and the fourth lad making the group up being the notorious "cockney Roger" Like anybody who is good at their craft they make it look easy and if you have fished up north before, you will know doubt have heard of this fella because he is a fine angler.The week fished very well and pbs broken all round. Roger landed 17 fish and lost 3 with 6 of his fish over 40lb+ to 45lb+ and is weekly average was 39lb!!!!!!! Wow. Karl (AKA Tingtong maca-ding dong )down in peg 3 broke his pb with a fish of 45lb and worked hard all week taking fish every day along with one of the original rarely caught scaley fish of 35lb gracing his net,stunning.Paul down in peg 1 had fish of a life time with him breaking the 50lb barrier with a stunning mirror followed by a common that hardly ever touch's the bank at 47lb 12oz and it was just a solid bar of deep golden bronze, something to be seen.All I can say was "Thumbs up" big guy you deserved them fish. Mark in peg 2 was not expecting too much being his first time here, but he was out of the blocks like "Linford" with a mirror of 41lb+ on the first night followed by another of 40lb 12oz later in the week.All in all a cracking week with some happy memories and the highlight of the year for me.The week ended with 39 fish landed, best 50lb+. 11 over 40lb IN A WEEK!!!!!! followed by 18 over 30lb+ (10 x 35lb & 3x 38lb) the other 9 fish being upper 20lb+ fish. CC.Moore Engage,meteor,cell & the bigger fish falling to the new grange. A lot of pellet was used this week with a fine scattering of hemp used. This now takes us upto date, with regulars Adam + Andy booking the lake and hoping for a good week.They have landed a 41lb+ mirror and 2x 38lb+ so far but we have a very high band of pressure over us for the week along with some unusually high temps which I hope doesn't slow things down too much. I will let you know. As you can see from the catch report the fishing was hard going for the 4 weeks in June/July but if you analyse the results overall it has been another fansastic year with most weeks producing multiple 40lb+ fish & 50lb+ fish not uncommon.Average sizes are in the upper 30lb bracket which is "as good as" it gets for an average weight.All fisheries regardless of stocking levels over the course of a season have a quiet patch,and this is a stark reminder that fish are wild creatures with their own set of rules and plans which we will never, truely fatham out, & this is what "beats us up" and drags us back again in ernest.The fish have become bigger and wiser over the last 5 years, resulting in them not hanging themselves like the first year we opened, and you will have to think about your angling. As can be seen fantastic fishing is to be had 80% of our season and some mindblowing fish are to be caught in 2012. We have a few weeks left for the season of 2012 so get in touch asap if your thinking of a trip next season. I will post the end of year report once the season is over and the drain dwon complete. The new website will still be coming online for next season which will keep you updated on a monthly basis along with additional info on the 15 acre lake progress,etc and some info on the future stock being grown on in the stockponds for anybody who is interested in fishery management. Hopefully the new website will be fresh & original and nothing like you have seen before, but hey we never wanted to be just another fishery in France!!!!!! Keep Lucky & Safe and we hope to see you in 2012. Happy Days The Sanctuary Team.

FINDING NEMO

My intial plan was to put pen to paper after the fish had spawned but with the fish getting bigger each season and with a shortage of young virilent male fish to kick things off early in the season it's not taken place as yet. The fishery is now moving into a new era & with the average size of fish being Mid/upper 30lb, some weeks every other fish is nearly a 40lb+ & three different fish ready to break the 60lb+ barrier by the end of the season you can appreciate the quality of the stock. We have never claimed to be a run's water & at times you do have to work hard for your fish, with them slowly year on year becoming a little more "switched on" which is a natural progression for any fishery, and a little time thinking about your tatics will pay off. This season has again seen new lake records broken, with some mind blowing weeks so far, & there is a very real chance of catching a 50lb+ fish. The grassies are now breaking through the 30lb+ barrier, and by the end of the year the larger ones will be pushing 40lb+!!! They have been in the lake 4 years this July, and were stocked at 1lb which gives you an idea of their growth rates.The lake seems at a perfect equilibrium at the present, and the grassies are doing their job very well, keeping the weed confined to a few small patches across the whole lake, so hopefully we can maintain this balance. For all who are pondering the "Title" I will explain this particular fish and give you a little history about her. She was stocked in 2006 at 26lb, and is steadly growing each year with no signs of slowing down, reaching her new top weight this year at 58lb 2oz. She is a big square backed Mirror with a row of scales along her back and tiny pectorals, along with her tail and dorsal fins being small & rounded edges just like the famous "Heather the Leather & "The Dustbin" from Yatley carpark lake. Her mouth you could fit a tennis ball in which I think partly explains why she goes missing for long periods of time. Last time she was caught was in May 2010 and then in was a full 12 months before she saw the bank again, but she then came out 3 weeks on the bounce. She follows the same pattern each year, going missing only to get caught 2 or 3 times on the trot, which I do know of other fish and lakes back home where this takes place, of which I would love to know the answer to why this takes place???? I don't doubt she will go missing again for a while only next time she should be over 60lb+ when she is landed!!!!! April 2nd This was the start of this season and like every other year April Kicked off in style. Now one of the chaps in our first group was a guy called Graham (or Richard Gere) from up north, who I fished with on and off through the season of 2004 back in the Uk. This time it was good to see him catching a few and it only seemed fair to take a few pictures for him after he was sick of being my personal photographer, way back when I knew how to hold a rod!!!!!! Good to see you again fella. They all set new pb's and a new 50lb+ mirror at 51lb 4oz was the best of the week, followed by 8 others over 40lb+ (49.8,48,47.2,45.12,45.12,)along with 24 over 30lb+ (4x39lb,2x38lb,2x37lb,3x36,4x35lb) and the week total was 38 fish.The remainder was made up of a few grassy's and 2 of the young scaley fish. Quality fishing by anyones standards and the winning bait was our GLM pellet along with a GLM boilie rolled by "Rob Gillespie" from up north. April 9th A group of regulars booked this week and ended with one of the largest hit's so far this year.They did not land any of the really big girls but with the average weights so high they left the fishery a bit shocked with the stamp of fish caught this season.The week ended on 57 fish, best was a mirror of 47lb 12oz and 13 over 40lb+ (47,3x46,2x45lb) 29 fish over 30lb+ (19 x 35-38lb+) 6 grassies between 20-30lb and the remainder 9x 20lb+ fish all 28-29lb. What a special week and the winning bait was a Nutra baits fishmeal and "The GLM Pellet" April 16th Some of the big girls were starting to wake up from their winter sleep and another regular group of two lots of two anglers had the fishing of their lives. Now two old boys of the group brought their grandson along for the experience. Now this young man was a "dab hand" with a fishing rod and had learnt the ropes match fishing with his Grandad and had worked his way up the ladder along the way.It was a joy to see the smile on his face when he broke the lake record Grassie at 31lb 4oz, well done that young man. Now down at the other end of the lake Mark & Dan were feeling guilty because their "main man" Dean could not make it this year so they set about fishing the lake hard because the bigger fish had always eluded them over the past few years. This year their boat came in when Mark slipped the net under "The grave Digger" common at a new top weight of 55lb 14oz followed by Dan joining him with a mirror of 50lb 7oz and then within 24 hrs bagging a 51lb 2oz mirror as well!!!!!There was another surprise when Arther landed a new 50lb+ mirror of 51lb 12oz to make it 4 fish over 50lb+ this week.It was a massive hit this week with 76 fish landed which is just unreal fishing with 17 fish over 40lb+ (49.5,47.8,46.14,44.12, 44.9,44.6) 35 fish over 30lb+ including 5x 39lb+. Barry & Arther landed 16 grassies amongst the total all 20-30lb+ fish, all coming to The cell Boilies and the other lads did not catch one on their fishmeal bait.T1 Baitcraft boilies, The Cell & Our GLM Pellet was the bait for the week. Great angling lads. April 23rd The last week of april saw another group of anglers who have fished The Sanctuary Fishery before, pit there wit's against the lakes inhabitants and this week the lake record went again with the mighty leather at 58lb 4oz. I was lucky to have the chance to photograph and help Mike weigh her and to witness this beautiful creature was a real pleasure, and what a fish!!! And I dont doubt for 2 seconds she will be another fish over 60lb+ by the end of the year.One to keep your eye on. The week total was 28 fish landed with "The Leather" topping the bill.8 fish over 40lb+ (48,46,44.12) 13 x30lb+ (39.8,8x35lb+) The winning bait was icelandic red fishmeal & The Cell along With The GLM Pellet. April 30th First week of May was a new group comprising of father and 2 son's.They were hoping for a fish over 40lb, this dream would soon be completely surpassed, when all three of them landed fish over 40lb+, followed by the brothers, Geraint & Lewis landing mirrors of 56lb 8oz & 53lb 6oz towards the back end of the week. Quality!! I got the feeling Geraint was the super keen angler of the group and a dam good one at that. He kept his cool and was confident that the fish would come,he sat on he's baited patches even when dad and brother were catching from the off. His plan came together later in the week with his new pb of 53lb+ along with some other cracking fish to boot. 27 fish where landed with the 2x 50lb+ topping the bill, followed by 9 over 40lb+ (49.4,48,47,47,45,44) & 11 x 30lb+ (3x38lb+ 3x 35lb+)Quality fishing for a cracking butch of guy's, and certainly the nicest "Welsh Lads" I have ever met!!!!!!! Well done guy's. Winning Bait was Premeir Quad,matrix, along with "The GLM Pellet. May 7th Another group comprising of two brothers along with two friends arrived this week and they were looking forward to the wildlife as much as the fishing I think.Paul down in peg 5 had the pleasure of watching a goshawk on the egde of the forest stooping into a free fall dive one evening, which for me along with Paul is one of the joys being out on the bank and certainly days you remember. Apart from his goshawk sighting he went on to break the lake record with the "Grave digger" common gracing the bank again at 58lb 14oz and was starting to show signs of holding spawn more so than the first time she came out this year. It was a week for the big fish because all 4 of the lads landed a 50lb+ fish which once again is just unreal fishing, and the week ended with 5 fish over 50lb+ (58.14 common,57lb 2oz,55lb,53lb,50lb 8oz common) This was the first time Nemo came out at 57lb 2oz for 12 months.42 fish landed this week with 7 over 40lb+ (2 x 46lb) 15 over 30lb+ (1 x 39lb + 9 x 35lb+) 1x 31lb+ grassie and 3 nice tench of 6lb+,6lb+,7lb 8oz.One of the high lights for me was one of the long original scaley fish beeing caught which is the first time in 5 years!!! At only 26lb 8oz it was not the biggest fish but either way a real peach. Winning bait was matrix boilies & Our GLM Pellet. May 14th Just when you think it's all brothers booking the lake along come the Mad Brothers from stoke-on-trent!!! These two groups of two brothers are a fantastic group but still mad as a box of frogs, but always good fun when they turn up. This was the final week Nemo made her mistake so far and came out twice which is hard to believe after only last week being her first time in 12 months, crazy. She topped out at an all time high of 58lb 2oz making it our 3rd different 58lb+ fish this year. They bagged 6 fish over 40lb+ and 11 x 30lb+ ( 9x 35lb+) with a total of 23 fish.Again the high light for me was another of the original scaley fish which had not been out for a couple of seasons at 35lb 12oz and it's a lovely "big apple sliced beast" and one I would love in my landing net!!! Up to this point the weather has been red hot from the start of April and it's been more like Africa than France, with not one day of rain for 4 months. The fish are now holding spawn like last year and the big girls just want to shed it, this in turn has started to slow the fishing down a little which is to be expected with some of the catch's of previous weeks. May 21st And another group of regulars arrives, who had to start working for the fish, which were in two minds whether to just sunbathe, spawn or feed. The week ended on 15 fish with the best going 47lb which was a new pb for "Capper", Lee managed the "Black & White" at 35lb 15oz which is a little down for this fish and he seems to have stayed 36lb of late from his high of 39lb 14oz last year. The weight is irrelevent as you all know with this fish. 2 fish over 40lb+,7 over 30lb+ 5 grassy's & a 29lb mirror. Billy had the best part of the fish and once again he seems to have stuffed the lads at the back end of the week. Dont let him pick your bait up next time Lee I think he is giving it a Diesel glug!!!!!! B5 boilie,cell & GLM Pellet scoring. May 28th 2 new guy's arrived this week booking the lake and looking forward to a new venue. These guy's had been around a bit and had fished most of the well known venues in France, so expectations were high!!! They worked hard for their fish and were a real pleasure to have here, but the fishing was not easy this week and ended on 11 fish. The best was a cracking fish of 57lb to Mark along with 3 over 40lb+, 5x 30lb+ (39,38,37) a 27lb mirror and a grassie. Good angling guys, because I know you worked for the fish and not bad for two Southerners!!!!! See you next year. This brings us bang up to date so we will update mid year when hopefully the spawning is over. We're putting the Artwork together slowly for the new website for next year, which will give you more info and a few more updates per year, which we cannot wait to get up and running. Work starts agin this winter on the 15 acre lake and now no more kids are planned it's time to get this lake ready for opening to take the fishery to the next level!!!

Keep Lucky & Happy

The Sanctuary Team

The Grave Digger Common breaks 50lb+!!!!!!!

Sorry for the late update but my Wife gave birth to "Twin Boys, Lucas & Reuben" recently & as you can imagine we don't know what day of the week it is at the moment.With 3 boys coming along in under 2 years that's put an end to my fishing days for a while & I feel like a "spent Mayfly" these days!!!!!!!!!! The weather was very changeable towards the back end of the season & even though we had another lake record common on the bank it made the fishing very difficult & the lake almost "shut up shop" at the end.To have such a fantastic season it was a real shame to end the year in such fashion & I really felt for the last few groups who worked their socks off but the fish would not play ball.I also felt the pressure had started to take it's toll on the fish because so many fish had been landed throughout the year.This has got the old grey matter thinking over the last month and we are contemplating reducing the number of anglers in 2012 from 4 down to 3 maximum. This has not been set in stone and we have been contacting all our regulars to get the general concensus that this is the way forward for the fishery. Over half our bookings per year are 3 anglers or less who book the lake exclusively, so for most it will be no different but we will see how 2011 unfolds.Anyone looking to book for 2012 please feel free to contact us in relation to this change. There will be a brand new website coming on line for the spring of 2012 season,also a few improvments on the kitchen & shower block for 2011 will help make your stay even more enjoyable!!!! The Final tally is as follows for the 2010 season. Lake Record Mirror= 54lb Lake Record Common= 52lb 8oz 14 fish over 50lb caught (averages out at a 50lb+ fish on the bank every other week of the season) 155 fish over 40lb+ caught (averages out at 5x 40lb+ fish on the bank each week of the season) 451 fish over 30lb+ caught (averages out at 15X 30lb+ fish on the bank each week with half over 35lb+) One other point worth mentioning is the new pellet we have been stocking this season,it has made a signifcant increase to the catch rates for anglers using it.This is not a hard sell, far from it.At 2.60 euro per kilo it's cheaper than most pellet in the Uk with a quality unmatched.It's a pure fishmeal based pellet with glm extract added and krill extract in the smaller 6mm size.This has become a staple part of the carps diet but the other main advantage is the pellet breaks down over a 24hr period, unlike fishing over a bed of boilies and if the carp don't eat them they could be sat on the lake bed for the remainder of your week until they slowly break down and the crayfish & silver fish eat them.The pellet is always attracting small fish & crustaceans into the feeding area which in turn is sending more food signals & attacting Mr Carp!!! A "little and often" baiting approach seems to be the predominant winning method most years, and building the swim over the course of the week seems to create more competition. The last update ended on week 26 & the final tally for the lads was 18 fish with the best a mirror of 48lb 3oz. Followed by 4 other 40lb+ fish and 10 over 30lb+ (3x35lb+,4x38lb+)Winning bait was a mainline base mix with glm,multimino extract & plum flavour combined with "The Pellet" The weather had been nice up until this point but it started to change with heavy rain on & off and dropping temperatures from the 20oc most days we were used to. Week 27 saw a new group arrive of 3 anglers and the fish where starting to pick up bait from little tight spots along the far bank. All the guys broke their pbs and Steve in peg 2 landed a leather of 53lb 13oz followed by a mirror of 53lb later in the week. They landed 19 fish in total with 4 over 40lb+, 11x 30lb+ (2x39lb+) & the two small fish where 29lb+!!!!!!!!Well done Guys. Nutrabaits fishmeal boilie & "The Pellet" doing the business. Week 28 was a regular group & this year they had to work much harder than previous seasons for their fish. When they arrived a big southerly wind had picked up but that only lasted for 24 hrs and then the heavy rain and cold weather moved in and the fish seemed to only pick baits up down in peg 5 for some reason unknown. They finished the week on 16 fish with the best going 45lb 12oz and 4 others over 40lb+, 10x 30lb+ (5 over 35lb+, 1x 39lb) Richworth KG1 & Mainline fusion being the winning bait. Week 29 saw a change in the weather again and the fish did'nt know if they were coming or going with the huge temperture fluctuations and a warm front moved in again with the Sunday seeing temps as high as 23.2oc in the shade.Dragonflies could be seen mating aglong the lake margins which is very unusual for this time of the year.The fish continued to only pick baits up in very tight spots and pegs 2 & 5 were the winning pegs. On wednesday evening the lads came up to the house just before dark to verify a weight and take some pictures. Now it was a surprise to see the old boy in Peg 1 bent down with the weight sling in the margin and even more of a shock when we unfolded the weight sling to reveal a stunning common of 52lb 8oz.This fish really left the whole group and myself included speachless and I guess fish like that are what entice anglers to France year in year out. With a few quick snaps she was quickly returned to melt away into the cold clear margins. This fish is growing at a steady 6lb per year and is showing no signs of stopping, so who knows what her top weight could push to!!!!!!! The week ended on 14 fish with 2 over 40lb+ and both fish very rarely see the bank, followed by 9x 30lb+ (6over 35lb+) but as they say quality not quantity is what The Sanctuary Fishery is all about. Winning bait was MB Baits pinks & browns, a fine particle mix and "The Pellet." Week 30 was an absoulte killer of a week with the weather changing from the 20oc+ the week before, down to 1.8oc on wednesday morning with a cold northly wind.The water temp dropped from 14oc down to 4oc towards the end of the week and as you can imagine the lads could not buy a fish.They completely shut up shop & only 1 30lb+ common was landed all week.This was by far the toughest week we have seen here over the last 4 years of running the fishery.The weather had paid a cruel turn of events for this group and angling abitity played no part in the outcome. Week 31 was our final week of the season and even though things improved every so slightly but the lake had closed down for winter. Sam in peg 1 dropped 3 fish over the week which could have made all the difference, but he did manage one of the small fully scaled mirrors at 18lb 8oz. This was the first time this fish had been caught and being 4lb up this season she looked stunning. Dan down in peg 5 managed a brace of 40's at 43lb and 41lb 8oz which ended the week on 3 fish. A big southerly warm wind did pick up on Thursday night, but with the water temp still being 4 degrees it was all a little bit too late, which was a damn shame for the lads. All in all it's been a fantastic season and I don't think we could have wished for more from 7 acres of water! Next season will hopefully see a few more lake records broken along with the scaley young fish being over the 20lb barrier. The grassies should be moving into the mid 30lb bracket along with 10 other fish being 50lb+, with one of the big commons and the leather neading for a mind blowing 60lb+!! in the next 12 months WOW!!!. Thanks to all the regulars who have shown their suppport and we will keep working hard to maintain this sanctuary heaven!!!

Happy Days

The Sanctuary Team

Lake Record Common, Aligators in Peg 5 !!!! & "Greengrass strikes Again.

We are now heading onto Autumn and its time for another update as we approach the final "feed up" before winter set's it.It has been our best season so far, not just for numbers of fish but also for the average sizes increasing again.The weather this season has really disrupted the spawning and put a lot of pressure on the big females, and around mid season the fish had given up on the idea of spawning because of the constant temp change. This left some of the big fish not wanting to feed and being full of spawn, and then being too warm for them to get on with it, so they just laid up until it started to settle down again.They had the odd attempt in July & August but the whole lake spawning on mass early in the year like we normally see just never came to fruition. Week 11 was where we finished off on the last update so I will take it from there.The group ended on 29 fish with the best going 50lb on the nose, followed by 6 over 40lb+, 17x30lb+ (1x39lb & 5 over 35lb+) the last 5 fish where upper 20lb+. Week 12 arrived with a new group of Firemen and they had one of the best hits of the year for massive average weights. How they managed it I don't know because these guys were all finger and thumbs and didn't look capable of putting a cigarette out never mind a fire!!!! Ha Ha The best fish was a mirror of 51lb for Rob from peg 1 followed by a 48lb 8oz mirror.They landed 13 fish over 40lb+(including a 47lb, 45lb common) 4 fish over 30lb+ and the smallest 29lb+. The guy's were using Our new GLM pellet and bloodworm boilies. well Done lads. Week 13 saw a mixed group arrive with two brothers from macclesfield & 2 lads recommended from steamer baits who came last year & ripped the lake apart. The two groups fished different tactics and the macc lads fished small bags of pellet and a few boilies while the Steamer lads plan was to use 25kg of just boilies (sweet meat) with pellet and bait up little and often over the course of the week.The macc lads picked fish up early on in the week but soon the fish moved down the lake because there was nothing to hold them.Thats when the steamer lads started to catch in pegs 2 & 3,and topped it with a stunning common of 45lb and the macc lads landing a mirror of 45lb 8oz.The week ended on 22 fish with 5 over 40lb+,11x 30lb+ (6 over 35lb+). Week 14 arrived with a group who had a cracking time in 2009 but this year had to work very hard to put fish on the bank.This was the peak of the high water temps and the fish were finding it hard going still holding spawn.Now Dave, aka GREENGRASS tried a different approach to the rest of the group and was baiting heavy with the Cell Boilie & GLM pellet 3/4 of the way out.The carp were not feeding hard which gave the grass carp chance to move in on the bait and the Cell was sending them nut's!!!! And Dave being a real character just gave the other guys more stick the more he caught!!!!!!! He landed 15 grassies over 20lb+ with a brace of 25lb being the largest and setting a new lake record. (but not for long) The group did finish with 11 carp not counting the grassies and the best going 42lb 15oz and the other 9 being 30lb+ and the smallest 28lb+. The lads fished with pellet, cell boilie, Hartford mix boilie. Week 15 was a new group who had booked for Pete's 50th birthday & also a first trip to France.Because the fish had been struggling going back into the lake due to the water temp and spawning situation I said to the lads to take pictures in the lake margin with any big fish to minimize any stress.When I came down with breakfast on Monday morning Pete was playing a big fish which we netted and weighed at 49lb 8oz.It was time to get in the lake but i had forgot to tell him that I had dug infront of the pegs over the winter with a sloping margin shelf close in!!!!! Next thing Pete is sliding down the shelf trying to get his footing as the fish is trying to power out of the sling, he goes for a quick lift for the camera but as i try to take the picture the batterys in the camera die and the fish decides "forget this" and she goes ballistic and powers out of his grip back into the lake!!!!!! Now the look on our faces said it all,and we where as gutted as each other with no picture. But I can confirm Pete you did catch it mate!!!!!! After the event his Son in peg 5 put the black & white fish on the bank for the first time this season at a low weight of 36lb 10oz after spawning.He was in lovely condition with his head jet black again and all his fins had returned to a black colour again. I hope he will be heading for a new top weight at the end of the year after he touched 39lb 14oz this spring.Simply stunning. Largest fish of the week was the "No Picture Fish" followed by 4 over 40lb+ and a total of 22 fish and everyone smashing there pb's.Large beds of the glm pellet, trigger boilie,& NRG boilie doing the business. Week 16 was another regular group looking forward to a week of sunshine, peace and quiet and a good catch up. The fishing was not easy but a great week was had by all and the highlight for Tom was one of the young scaleys from down in peg 5 at 25lb+. These fish are the smallest in the lake but they make up for it in quality and she was a 3/4 fully scaled in stunning golden/ bronze colour with a tail like a mermaid.These fish over the next two season's will be some of the best looking fish i have seen since my oxford fishing days!!!!! Happy days. They finished with a total of 14 fish, best a mirror of 47lb 10oz and 4 over 40lb+, 8 over 30lb+ (5x 35lb+). Glm pellet and richworth multiplex boilie doing the business. Week 17 saw a new group arrive with us being their first week of 3 in a row at different venues across France.It was a tough week but it ended on a high with Donna breaking her new pb with a fish of 51lb 7oz and a real cracking looking big framed mirror.Chris her partner paid the fishery a big compliment when he said he cannot remember hearing so many big fish crashing through the night on any other venue of the last 12 years fishing in France, the only problem was he could not get them picking bait up!!!!!! That's fishing I guess. The week ended on a tough number of 9 fish, best the 51lb+ followed by 2 over 40lb+ and 5 x 30lb+ (3 over 38lb+) Bait was mainline scopex & pineapple & n-gage. Week 18 was the peak when the fish could be heard and seen crashing out and ripping the bottom up but not going down on the baits.It was a work hard week and the two guys, Karl & Paul turned out to be one of the nicest guys we have had here and it was a very memorable week for myself other than just seeing fish on the bank.Tim our Dutch agent also called in for a quick catch up for two days with his Dad and even though he did not catch he had a great time enjoying the peace and quiet down at the lake. Karl in peg 3 landed the biggest of the week at 39lb on the last night but also had a lovely common of 34lb 12oz. Paul had a pb stalked from peg 5 at 36lb 8oz which was a real special moment!!!!!!They finished with 5 fish in total which did not reflect the effort put in but sometimes there is more to fishing than just putting fish on the bank. Happy days and well done lads. Week 19 was another group from "Sunny macclesfield" and the fish had started to return to the bait and Andy down in peg 1 who was the underdog had a cracking week with a nice brace of good 40lb+ fish and all the group breaking there pb's.The best was a mirror of 44lb 2oz and 4 in total over 40lb+, 11 fish over 30lb+ (8x35lb+) and 3 x 29lb+.The winning bait was "MB Baits" pink's & Brown's which seem to do the business everywhere they're used. Week 20 was a great week and was starting to fish like previous Augusts over the last two years. Chris down in peg 1 was a Barbel angler back home but he soon put his water craft skills to good use banking the Big Leather at 52lb. Pete in peg 4 fished similar tactics both only putting there rods out early morning and baiting heavy for the fish to get on the bait over the night and build their confidence up. Pete also had a brace of mid 40lb+ fish back to back halfway through the week. Down in peg 5 the other Pete was working his way through a pack of "Golden virginia" one morning when he told me about his attack in the night!! He had caught a fish in the early hours around 3.00am and when rebaiting his rod he heard a fish trying to power through the iris in the margins to the left of the peg, he thought nothing more of it and proceeds to cast out to his spot. Pete then bends down to put the rod on the buzzer when his head torch shone across the water in the front of the peg, suddenly there is an explosion of water as something comes launching itself like an exorcet missile out of the lake smashing through his rods as Pete is rolling around on his back like a tortoise as a mid 20lb+ Grassy proceeds to bash itself all over the peg boucing off the ground like an electric eel and covering the peg in scales.Pete manages to flip it back in the lake and all he kept saying was " I thought it was an Aligator jumping out of the lake" It is a moment he will never forget!!!!!!He did manage a new Lake Record Grassy of 28lb later in the week to make up for it!!!!! The week ended on 44 fish with the best being the Big Leather followed by 2 x 45lb fish and 20 x 30lb+ (2x39lb+, 12 over 35lb+) & 3x 29lb+.Beds of GLM Pellet and nash choc & nash PPS 50/50 mix boilies doing the Business. Week 21 Yet again was another big-hit week & the "Black & White" made his August mistake again. The lads fished very tight to the far bank & baited up with a baitspoon to keep it all tight and precise. First night produced the largest fish of the week with a mirror of 51lb 4oz coming out of peg 3, followed by the B&W fish at 36lb 2oz from the same peg.The week ended with 41 fish on the bank with 3 over 40lb+, 21 x 30lb+ (3x 39lb+) & 5x 29lb+. The weather does start to cool down over August and the nights start to drop down with misty mornings most days which I think is one of the reasons the fish start to feed heavy and big hits seem to happen each year around this time of year. Week 22 saw another group of regulars arrive for the back end of the Month with new pb's broken & another Beast of 50lb 8oz being landed.This week did not produce large numbers of fish after the last two week results but there was some good average size fish landed. 3 fish over 40lb+ were landed and 8 over 30lb+ (5x35lb+) and they ended the week on the last night with a stunning common of 44lb just to top things off. Well Done lads. The cell bait and essential B5 with the GLM pellet doing the business. Week 23 was the end of August moving into September and it ended the month on a high!!!!!The fish were really starting to crash out a lot into the night and could be seen bubbling down the centre of the lake in the morning and sending huge sheets of bubbles up with heads popping out here and there.The two lads who booked the lake had a plan to fish the centre of the lake over bait each night and then chase the fish through the day with bags wherever they saw fish showing. Now Tony had a tough time last year with no fish in his swim for most of the week while watching his mates catching good fish making it harder still, so he had a score to settle this time. The baited spot started to build over the course of the week producing his first 40lb+ of the week on monday night,this was followed by a common which had not been caught since late April breaking the 50lb barrier by 2oz and breaking the common lake record.This fish is an absolute peach being scale,fin & mouth perfect. He then followed it with another brace of 40lb+ fish over the next 24hrs and the week ended with 16 fish with 10 x30lb+ (2x 39lb+, 2x38lb+).Well done & great angling. GLM pellet,new Grange Boilie,Darenth valley baits Sunk & Aniseed was the winning mix!!! Week 24 arrived a mixed group with the Notorious "Cockney Roger" starting things off quickly as usual landing a fish that had not been out for 4 months at 45lb+ and landing another couple of big 30lb+ fish on Saturday night. Simon in peg 3 fished hard and put lots of effort into his rigs and baiting techniques which paid off with a brace of 40lb+ fish on the Monday followed by lots more good fish for the week. Pete down in peg 4 was having a hard time with his hook holds and kept dropping fish one after the other which took some head scraching to work out. Half way through the week Roger moved down to peg 5 while Pete moved into peg 1,leaving Simon to put a bait over Petes heavy baited spot towards peg 4. Now some would say he was poaching but myself would say it was just good angling and 14.00 the next day hooks into the new lake record common of 50lb 4oz and caused mayhem!!!!!! I think it was the same fish as the one the week before but either way a stunning looking fish, well done mate. This was our 5th 50lb+ fish on the trot in as many weeks. Wow!!!!!! The week ended on 34 fish banked but over 15 fish lost to hook pulls which was a shame.To top the week Pete landed a pb of 42lb in peg 1 while Roger said he was after the B&W fish only to land it that night which was the 3rd time out this season at 36lb 8oz, Unreal, I just don't know how that guy does it???? With 7 fish over 40lb+ (2x 45lb+) 21 x30lb+ (1x 39lb+, 5x38lb+ 7x 35lb+) It was a special week. Winning bait was the GLM Pellet, n-gage, nash scopex, KG1 & cell. Week 25. Regulars Glen & Justin arrived with mate Dan to pit their wit's for another week and this time Justin the younger Brother gave the other guy's a good licking for a change. While the other two guys were chasing the fish around the lake, Justin kept his cool fishing peg 3 over a baited patch and soon working out the patterns of the fish.He landed the two largest fish of the week with a brace of 40lb+ fish, best was a mirror of 40lb 8oz and ending the week with 14 fish on the bank.9 fish over 30lb+ (4x 35lb+). The lads could not believe how much the fish where bubbling and crashing and were convinced they were hard on the naturals down in pegs 1 & 2.Every night soon as the light started to fade, a fish per minute could be counted boshing out sending ripples up & down the lake in the moonlight.Bait for the week was c.c.Moores xxx, premier matrix plus, GLM pellet and Quest B5 liver. Week 26 brings us bang up to date and the lads had the toughest week of last season with high water temps and the fish just not playing ball. They had a different start this year and it was great to hear they had landed a couple of 30lb+ fish on the first night, quickly followed by Mark in peg 2 landing a brace of 40lb+ fish & Keith landing a brace of 40lb + fish of 46lb & 48lb+. They have also landed 4 fish of 38lb+ and the week is not over yet!!!!! All in all what a cracking season with only one week this year so far not producing 40lb+ fish but a 39lb+ instead!!!!! We have seen 11 fish over 50lb+ on the bank, 137 fish over 40lb+ landed, 410 fish over 30lb+ and at least half over 35lb+.Lake record common and mirrors both broken, and it works out on average 5 fish over 40lb+ each week this year.For a 7 acre lake i think it takes some beating and the hard work on the lake bed is starting to pay off at last.There are a few more fish ready to move into the 50lb+ bracket for 2011 which is very exciting so we will have to see how the year ends with another quick update to come at the end of the season. It's bye for now because my wife is ready to give birth to twin boys over the next few days and I can see a lovely picture for the website like the old school shot of Pete Springate and his Yeoveny Brace in my head!!!!!!!! Happy days The sanctuary Team.

Spawnalicious!!!!

It's that time of year again & a new season has "kicked off" with a bang with the fish climbing up the rods each week since we have opened!!!!! The weather has been mild and wet this season, and the lake is slowly settling down after the lake shape-up this winter.It has left the water a lovely turquoise colour at the start of the year and overall the water seems much clearer than previous years.The weed has started to grow mostly between the pegs but overall hardly anything like previous years.I have come to the conclusion that weed will always be present in this lake but it now seems under control. The grass carp that were stocked 3 season's ago at 1lb to help control the weed are now around the 18-20lb mark and should push to 40lb+ over the next 3 years.For anybody who wants to catch one or avoid them bright yellow baits close to weed or very tight to the far bank seem to pick them up more than any other method.Please still take into account that there are beds of weed present if you are booked in for this year because fishing to the front or side of them causes no problems and if a fish does kite into the weed slow steady pressure does seem to move them out, but if you fish over the weed to the back of it the fish just tuck you underneath and a hook pull is inenvitable.These fish do have soft mouths so the best advice is a good strong size 6 hook minimum and don't try and crank them through it because it just causes mouth damage, sensible fishing is all that is needed.Every fish you lose could well be not only the fish of your week but a fish of a life time!!! The crayfish are also nothing like the numbers in past years and the odd hookbait has come back claw marked but not removed.This will slowly change over the next few years until the next drain down but just stick a tube of hookbait mesh in your bag as back up. The fishing has been far easier this season and lots more fish landed and I think this is due to a lot of the nautral food being removed from the lake after the work, this has put the fish more onto anglers bait and reasonable heavy baiting but little and often has been banking more fish than any other method each week.I will try and record each week what bait the anglers have been using to give you guys an idea of which boilie, etc is doing the "Business". We have changed are supplier of pellet this season and we now have it imported because of the unriveled quality. It is a very high protein carp pellet made from easly digestible fishmeal and high natural attractent levels, also betaine and krill extract are added and it really is the best quality on the market. So far there has been 249 fish over 30lb+ landed and half of them 35lb+, 81 fish over 40lb+ and 4x 50lb+ fish banked!!!!!This gives you an idea of the fish weights so far and at present just before they have spawned 1 in 4 fish is 40lb+.I have updated the gallery and removed most of the old pictures and brought it upto date so you can see the quality of the fish in the lake. The first week of the season was one of our regular groups in the shape of Mr Box and his mob, they had a cracking start and pb's broken all round. They landed 68 fish with the best going 46lb 4oz Mirror, 3 over 40lb in total and 30x 30lb+ & half over mid 30lb and 2x 39lb+ as well. 15 of the other fish where also 29lb+.All in all it was a great weeks fishing had by all. WEEK 2 arrived another regular group led by "Bolton Bob" and once again in fine fashion Rob adopted his little and often baiting approach and landed two of his target fish over the week so he was really pleased.A new member of the group Dave who fished peg 2 had not been to France for a long time since his pioneering days on Le Gravier just before Mr moffot took the place over.He told me the full history of the venue that we all now know including early pic's of the scar fish and a few other's which was a great piece of history.He went on to take the fish of the week at 48lb 12oz along with the group landing 6x40lb+ and 25x 30lb+, same again half where mid 30lb+.It was another special week and the winning bait was "Richworth" KG1 and High Protein pellet. WEEK 3 was a mixed group of all regulars comprising of Lee's group of 3 people and "Cockney Roger" making the 4th person up.Since we last saw Roger he had given up smoking after 40 years since he last left here and along with Rob from the week before who proposed to his partner on a starry night here a few years ago. I'm starting to think there is something in the water here or maybe it's just the fresh air is getting to these city folk!!!!! Rogers highlight this year was a new pB common of 45lb 12oz and two of the other guys had fish of 48lb 4oz & 46lb each. Lee who fished in peg 5 again did not catch the big fish like the previous year but managed somehow to catch 7 of the new scaley stock fish and was over the moon to be one of the first to grace these stunning fish in his net regardless of size. The whole group ended on 53 fish with 9x 40lb+ and 34 over 30lb+.(16 over 35lb+ & 5x39lb+) Winning bait was "Nash Scopex Squid Liver and c.c Moore Odyssey along with "The High Protein Pellet". WEEK 4 was a new arrival who had been waiting over 12 month's to fish here.The first fish on the bank was a stunning scale perfect common of 42lb+ and a new pb for Christian.They had another staggering week with 62 fish landed, best was a mirror of 45lb 2oz and all the group had 40lb+."Dangerous" Brian in peg 3 had no fish 3 days into the week but i pursuaded him to keep on his baited spot's and sure enough the fish moved over his spot's and he smashed his pb time and time again and also landed a brace of 45lb Mirrors!!! The week ended with 6 over 40lb+ and 30x 30lb+ including 4x 39lb+.Winning Bait was i think "Essential B5", high protein pellet and a robin red groundbait mix. WEEK 5 saw regulars again with martin leading the gang.Last year they broke the lake record and landed 2 fish over 50lb+ that week.They arrived with an open mind this year,they fished heavy baiting tatics and landed no fewer than 61 fish.Best was a mirror of 46lb 15oz and they all landed 40lb+ fish.10 fish over the 40lb+ mark along with 33x 30lb+ and a unreal number of 17 over 35lb+ and 2x 39lb+.I don,t think a weeks fishing get's any better than that.Just to top it off Mr dave higgenbottom (the name says it all) on peg 2 decides to fall arse over tit straight through his rod pod set-up knocking the whole lot in and plunging head first into the lake.After finding his broken optonic heads and broken pod he then proceeds to climb out only to find his receiver was in his pocket so back in he goes for a feel around on the lake bed only to have a crayfish grab hold of his finger while he is thrashing around like a drowning rat!!!!! I would have paid good money to get that on the camera. Bait for the week was "Premier" Matrix Boilie and High Protein Pellet. WEEK 6 saw a new group of 3 arrive and with the fish starting to look a bit tubby with spawn I thought it was going to start anytime soon??? But the weather changed to heavy rain and knocked the water temp right down and put the K-Bosh on that idea.The lads fished the one end of the lake (1,2,3) and could not believe the average size of the fish coming out.They all had 40lb+ fish and the week ended with 30 fish, 9x 40lb+ and a best of 44lb 8oz. 16x 30lb+ with 7 over 35lb+.Just fantasic fishing.Because Paul in Peg 3 had so much water to his right with no one fishing 4,5 he seemed to pick more fish up as they moved through his swim. The winning bait was a Fishmeal Boilie,high Protein pellet and stick mixes with a fine scattering of hemp. WEEK 7 was another new group from stoke-on-trent who had been fishing France for 10 years+.They only booked on with us at the last minute because "Maison" had been sold so there deposit had been handed back at the last minute and we had a cancellation but this turn of events turned out a sweet ending!!!!!Now these guy's were as "mad as Hatters" comprising of 2 pairs of brothers.The consant ripping of each other lasted all week but kevin soon put the cat amongst the pigeons with a pb of 48lb 15oz on the first night.The fish were grouped up down in peg 5 and he soon broke his common pb of 47lb 10oz.This fish is so long and in proportion and the speed it is going i dread to think what weight it could push.I don,t doubt for 2 seconds as I type this update that she is already touching the 50lb+ mark. They ended the week with 38 fish, 8x 40lb+ along with 22x30lb+ ( 14over 37lb+ and3x 39lb+) unreal. Winning bait was active 8 and another fishmeal I cannot remember, along with high protein pellet. Week 8 was still very mixed weather and this unsettled pattern had still stopped the fish from spawning which was now going to be the lastest spawning we had witnessed at The sanctuary Fishery.The next group of 3 anglers were seasoned anglers who had been coming over here for more than 10 years.They were unsure how the week would unfold but there were still lot's of fish down in peg 5 and Andy kicked things off!!!!Because nobody was in peg 4 this gave Andy in 5 and clive in 3 plenty of space for the fish to move around without feeling pressured.Andy ended a long quest to break his uk pb of 49lb with a mirror of 52lb 2oz and this was the first 50lb+ fish for this year, also it was a different fish from the two last year and was in perfect condition in everyway beinging a natural food eater and not showing a single hook mark in the mouth.This makes me think that the 53lb fish last year could well be an upper 50lb fish before it spawns out this year so we shall see???It was great to see anglers who were as "keen as mustard" sat by their rods day and night, watching,looking and piecing the puzzle together and the week ended with not as many fish as the last weeks but 23 on the bank with 7x 40lb+ including a 43lb 10oz common, 11x 30lb+ with 4 x39lb+ and the last 4 x 20lb+ all just under 30lb.Once again slow steady pressure if the fish had gone into the weed beds seemed to work without tearing hooks out. Winning bait was I think a cc.moore fishmeal & High Protein pellet along with a fine scattering of hemp. WEEK 9 was a group of 4 anglers who sread out over the lake and it was the week the lake record wad broken with a fish of 54lb from down in peg 5 again!!!! This was same again, not the fish from last year.Steve was using just boilie and baiting little & often to keep the fish down in peg 5 and it semed to produce some of the bigger fish.But mark in peg 4 was using bright pop-up snowman's over redband seed mix and meatbased boilie and still catching well and landing fish over 40lb+. Ryan in peg 2 just stuck with boilie and beds of "The High Protein Pellet" and only landed 6 fish but 4 where over 40lb+. Big mark in peg 1 did not have many fish down his end but when he put a mirror on the Bank of 49lb, nothing more said!!!! And I guess we are more of a quality not quantity fishery. The week ended with 21 fish and 8 over 40lb+, 2x 39lb+ and the new lake recorded. WEEK 10 saw Mike one of our regulars arrive who books the lake to himself, just for the sheer escapisim from the busy waters back home and pressures of work. This catch is something to be remembered, & I think this number of fish to one angler has to be admirded and when the lake fully settles down after the clean out and natural food returns to normal will be very hard to surpass.A mix of minimal pressure and "stealth mode", little and often baiting approach and fish at their top weights before spawning were all contributing factors but not forgetting dam fine angling skills.Mike was constantly fine tuning his rigs to get perfect hook holds and minimise hookpulls, which resulted in 43 fish on the bank.The largest going 50lb 13oz along with a 49lb 10oz and a 49lb 1oz back to back in less than 30 minutes from each other on the same rod!!!!WOW. He finished with 9 fish over 40lb+ and 23 over 30lb+ the remainding 10x 20lb fish 7 where 29lb+.All in all a staggering weeks fishing with 1 in 4 being a 40lb+ fish.Size 5 wide gaps combined with 10" hooklinks and longish fine hairs did the trick with slow steady pressure putting nearly all his pick-up's on the bank.Winning bait was "c.c.moore" N-Cage & Odyssey boilie along with the deadly High Protein Pellet. Week 11 takes us bang up to date with a new group of 3 arriving.The weather changed again to heavy rain and the weekend saw a few fish start to get frisky but it has all gone quiet again until the water warms up again. Once again they are seasoned French anglers and I had the pleasure this morning of weighing a new fish of 50lb smack on. We weighed her on two sets of scales and then weighed the sling afterwards so Kev can truley say he is in the big boys club!!!!!This fish was another very long framed perfect condition carp that i'm sure can keep going.We could be looking close to 10 fish of this size for the start of next year which is unreal for a water of this size.They have landed 6 fish over 40lb+ so far and we shall see what the week end's on??? Thats all for now folks and hopefully by the next update the fish will have spawned and and back on the feed for the remainder of the season. This really has been our best season so far!!! Happy Days From The Sanctuary Mob.

The Future is bright, The Future is Scaley!!

Happy New Year to all our Regular customers and new bookings, and we hope you had a 'Good one' over the festive period. The year has come to an end and has given us chance to reflect and catch our breath for the new season ahead. This is a monster of a 'write up' with loads to inform you all about with some great catch reports and some unsavoury news which is frustrating for any fishery owner. The lake has been drained for 7 weeks now and the work has been 7 days a week over that time. The dam along the far bank has been repaired, all the swims now have an extra 2-3 feet infront of them, the whole of the far bank has been desilted and taken back to its original 6/7 ft depth. The whole of the peg 1 end has been cleared out which will prevent the excess weed growth. There have been some sump pits dug into the lake bed in peg 1's lefthand margin to hold fish in future drain downs, making life much easier for me! The weed will be restricted to the middle of the lake in beds between the pegs and the lake should improve ten fold because of this major reconstruction work taking place. Most of the bird life is 'fat as butter!' after eating a few thousand crayfish off the lake bed. Another 1/2 ton of tench have been removed again which is staggering along with a few hundred kilo of silver fish. All in all I'm only 1 week behind schedule and it has been a very successful draindown. There are definitely 2 more fish that will be over the 50lb mark for the new season and maybe 4 fish that will break that mark which is great for the future. I will be removing a dozen fish that have not gained weight over the last 2 seasons and I will be maintaining a stock level around 155-175 fish, to continue the year on year growth rates. If the stock levels are not monitored the whole biomass of the lake will come to a halt, because a piece of water can only sustain an amount of fish at a certain weight. Some of the new stock have been harvested already and I have selected 20 small fish between 14-21lb to be added, which I can only describe as 'stunning'. I will keep an eye on these fish for the next 2 years and soon they will be touching 25lb+ and making many anglers happy!! These fish will be the future for 'The Sanctuary Fishery' I have put some pictures on the gallery for you all to have a look. After the drain down I found no fewer than 3 leadcore leaders and one was attached to the posts at the bottom of the inlet pipe in peg 5, with a longshanked hook and plastic corn still on the hair. If a fish had been tethered it would have been impossible to free itself. I have always been relaxed with the rules, making a conscious decision not to be standing over the anglers and let them enjoy their fishing, but as always the minority spoil for it for the majority, and we cannot afford to let any of the stock suffer because of anglers who are willing to break the rules to catch fish. The rules are only there to protect the fish, I will therefore stop the use of plastic baits which will not affect anglers fishing, because a 10mm pop-up can replace the plastic corn and I will be keeping a much closer eye on rigs day and night from this season on. Any competent and conscientious angler will understand this decision and it's the only way to maintain these fish and the fishery at the present level or we stand the chance of becoming 'just another commercial venue'. We will also be taking a security deposit of 100 Euros (per group) on arrival, which will be handed back at the end of the week. This is to prevent abuse of the nets, equipment and shower/kitchen facilities. We will also be extending our range of pellets, with a very high protein fish based pellet (47% protein) which is the highest quality, in sizes 3 - 10mm. These will all be at a price cheaper than anywhere in the UK, with a quality unmatched. The most sought after 'Black & White' Fish is in the November issue of Carpworld, in the Editors wite-up of the international section. We sent the pictures to Martin Ford to see what his opinion was of the fish and he said it was 'stunning', and he put a few nice words about it in the mag, lets hope she keeps growing and we will be crossbreeding her with a stunning fully scaled fish I have put aside in one of the stock ponds, you will have to wait for the 'outcome', hopefully it will be something special and unique. This takes us to the catch report and we finished the last update at the start of September, so we will kick off from there! Billy's group, which are regulars started off the week with a surprise Zander on a boilie, but went on to land 21 fish with 3 over 40lb+, 1 x 39lb+ and 10 over 30lb+ (5 over 37lb+). I was really pleased for Billy who landed his first 40lb at 42lb 10oz and a lovely leather at that. Also they had Nemo at 45lb+ which was the cherry on top of the cake. 12th September week saw a new group of 3 anglers arrive and enjoy some great fishing and perfect weather with misty mornings, light westerly winds and some warm sunny days. They landed 32 fish, with 4 over 40lb+ (best 46lb 8oz and a common of 43lb 14oz). Also 21 fish over 30lb+ (13 x 35lb+) which was a superb result and a great average size. 19th September was another new group and they were straight out of the blocks from day 1 with 6 fish on the bank by Sunday morning, with a lovely mirror of 48lb 2oz and 43lb 9oz leather amongst the catch. The 48lb 2oz was the best fish of the week and they ended with a cracking hit of 49 fish (5 over 40lb+ and a common of 40lb), 20 over 30lb+ (16 x 35lb+) which indicates the average size of the stock is just unreal!!! I think the fish had started to feed heavy for the back end of the year. 26th September was a new week for first timers Adam & Andy, who both set a target of a 30lb fish each. Well, the fish played ball and both lads were left Spellbound by the fishery, with 24 fish in the bag by the end of the week. Andy had a best of 39lb 4oz while Adam landed 2 over 40lb (best 44lb)and 14 over 30lb+ between them. 3rd October saw 2 regulars Rob & Mike along with 2 friends from Holland, Erkan and Fred. Fred dropped into peg 2, which is the least fished peg on the lake, he displayed some top angling skills and soon got into the rhythm with some of the better fish and he had the catch of his life, his first fish was a 42lb mirror followed by the 'Black & White' fish at 37lb. Next was a common of 43lb, then a long male mirror of 41lb, a solid mirror of 43lb 12oz and a leather of 45lb 12oz, just simply staggering. Erkan managed a PB of 38lb 4oz in peg 1 and Mike in peg 5 landed a PB of 43lb 8oz. Rob in peg 4 always gets amongst the fish, and was hot on the heels of Fred, Rob's first 40lb came on the tuesday of 43lb 8oz, with another 43lb 12oz on Friday and later that day a mirror of 40lb 4oz. They finished the week with a catch of 49 fish with over 9 over 40lb+. This was one of the best weeks of the year with 27 fish over 30lb+ but what stood out most of all was 20 of the 30lb+ fish were 35lb+ and 7 were over 38lb+, all in all a fantastic weeks fishing. The weather started to cool off very quickly by the 10th October, with some heavy frosts in the week. 2 anglers arrived with one being a new customer and Roger making it his second trip of the year. Roger bagged a cracking brace over the weekend of 44lb mirror and 42lb common. The fish had turned right off feeding with the quick change in the weather and they finished on 10 fish, with 3 over 40lb and 4 over 30lb+ (2 x 35lb+). 17th Oct arrived with regular Mike and his partner Helen. I owe Mike an apology because I was winding him up saying that his week was the only week not to land a 40lb+, and he landed a 39lb 14oz (so close!!). But I had got my figures wrong! There had been another 2 weeks this season that had not done 40lb+, but out of 31 weeks, 28 of them did 40lb+, which for a full season average takes some beating. We can now say that if you're looking to land your first 40lb+ fish, with every other fish a mid 30lb, then get yourself booked in!! Once again some very impressive angling by Mike, he worked day and night to put fish on the bank. Even though the big fish eluded him this time he managed 15 fish with 8 over 30lb+ (5 x 35lb+). This brings us to the last week of the season with a new group arriving and putting me on my best behaviour, because they were all coppers! I think the guys had a challenging weeks fishing, and testing weather conditions, but they ended on 11 fish, best a 42lb mirror, along with 4 over 30lb+. It was funny to see the fish move down the lake once again and start crashing out in peg 2 when everyone had left. I'm now convinced in less then 24 hours they are fully aware when no-one is on the lake, which gets me thinking about my own angling sessions!! I think we can now enjoy a drink this Xmas and New Year after all the hard work and a pat on the back for another outstanding fishing season. To consistantly see 40lb+ fish on the bank week in, week out is testament to the equilibrium of the lake and the effort put into the management of the fishery. Anyway it's bye for now and to all who have booked for 2010 we look forward to seeing you, and if you are thinking of your first visit to France don't hesitate in picking up the phone if you have any questions about 'The Sanctuary Fishery'

Happy Days

The Sanctuary Team

Red Hot and Hauling!!!!

This summer has been very dry with hardly any rain falling in Spring and the Summer, making it feel more like Africa than Europe! The fish have been feeding well even though the water temp has touched 30 degrees at times. August has been one of the best months again, like 2008, which is hard to believe and the "Black & White" fish has graced the bank 3 times in August, so for what ever reason it seems to feed well at this time of the year and makes a mistake!! A couple of guys booked the lake for week 8 and with some of the Carp spawned out and not very active they were both ecstatic with a 40lb+ fish each. They landed only 14 Carp with 9 over 30lb (2 x 38lb+), 44lb 7oz and 44lb 5oz mirrors. Weeks 9 and 10 had been booked for 2 weeks by one of our regulars, they were unlucky with the fish spawning at the end of the first week, which is around 1 month late for us at The Sanctuary. The fishing was up and down with the fish feeding sporadically from one part of the lake to another. They finished with 31 fish for the 2 weeks with 13 over 30lb+ (6 over 35lb) with the best fish being a brace of 40lb+ (44lb 4oz & 43lb 10oz mirrors). Week 11 was a mixed group booking with a couple being first timers to France.After the spawning the fish lots of time in the weed beds laying up and only feeding now and then. Over a dozen fish were lost this week which I think was due to the way the fish feed. The lake produced 23 fish with the best being another 2 over 40lb+ (42lb & 40lb 4oz), 7 over 30lb+ (4 over 35lb+) and the rest 20lb+. The fish were now at the lowest weights for the season. Week 12 saw one of our regular groups arrive and the old boys just love the atmosphere of the fishery, with the "social side" being more important than the fishing. They didn't fish through the night which was the reason for the week total, but if they enjoyed their late night BBQ's and relaxed it was still a memorable holiday for the guys. One of the group has fished all over the world for different species and just being by the waters edge is still the most important factor. They landed a couple of 30lb+ fish (best 37lb) and a brace of 20lb+ fish. Week 13 was another mixed broup booking and the lads in Peg 1 & 2 were making the most of the fish crashing and bubbling, so they were straight out of the blocks with 22 fish over the weekend. The fish fed well and the week total was 40 fish, best 44lb 8oz and 19 over 30lb+ with 5 over 35lb+. Week 14 was the start of the crayfish activity and the blistering heat, I think the crayfish were so active because of the water temp. This was the first time to France for this group and it became a testing week with the baits being chewed off in a short time. They lost more fish than landed and only had six fish with 3 over 30lb+ which was a very slow week for the fishery. The guys still enjoyed their week and have booked again for 2010 with a score to settle. Week 15 set off with a bang with some of the better fish gracing the bank. A beast of a mirror came out on the last night at 48lb 4oz and the week ended on 41 fish. 24 over 30lb+ and 2 x 39lb+ fish and a 38lb 4oz common. Nearly half of the 30lb+ fish were over mid 30lb. The fish were still spawned "right out" so to see some of the fish at these weights gives us confidence with the season ending with some "lumps!!" Week 16 was another group of regulars and with half of the week being 30 degrees in the shade the lads were sporting a holiday tan by the end of the week. They landed 14 fish with a best of 42lb and 9 over 30lb+. Week 17 was a new group and the first night produced a mirror of 47lb. The middle of the lake continued to produce the goods and this has been the story of the year Peg 4 just keeps producing the fish!!! The week ended with 22 fish but 15 fish were lost due to hook pulls. 14 of the fish were 30lb+ fish (7 over 35lb+) and 2 x 29lb+. Week 18 got blitzed by the poynton lads "Again" and they produced the hit of the season but it didn't last too long with another week clinching a bigger haul!! Week 19 produced 20 fish with a lovely mirror of 47lb 10oz being the biggest of the week, with 9 over 30lb+ (5 over 35lb+ and a common of 37lb 14oz). This was the first week in August to see the "Black & White" fish on the bank at 35lb 12oz spawned out. Hopefully she will touch 40lb this back end and with there being no other fish in the world like her, lets hope she will be on the front cover of "Carpworld" one day. Week 20 was a mixed week with peg 4 fishing very well and other parts of the lake quiet. The 2 lads had 16 fish with 3 over 40lb+, best fish 42lb 8oz and 9 over 30lb+ (half mid 30lb). Week 21 was Father and Son with another guy joining the group, the weekend they arrived was the hottest of the year with the temp reaching 32.8 degrees in the shade. The lads had the fishing of their lives, landing 30 fish but lost 15. They smashed their PB's and the best fish was a mirror of 40lb 8oz and 13 over 30lb+ (4 over 36lb+ and a common of 37lb 4oz). I stocked some grass carp in July 2007 at 1lb in weight to control the weed, some weeks 1 or 2 get caught but they had not been seen for a few months, the lads had 3 with one weighing 19lb 6oz, so with those growth rates the first 40lb+ grassy will only be a couple of years away!!! Week 22 turned out to be the best of the year and will be hard to beat, the new group have their own bait company and soon got the fish in a feeding frenzy, landing 67 fish. Best was a Mirror of 43lb 5oz and 5 fish over 40lb+. 32 fish over 30lb+ (15 over 35lb+ and 2x39lb+ commons) The fish have started gaining weight again after the late spawning and lots of 36-37lb are coming out. They had some real beauties and some of the rarely caught fish saw the bank this week. The crayfish are becoming scarce and the weed is only thick along the far bank,some of the carp have been coughing the crayfish back up in the landing nets, so the carp are definitely eating them. The lads over the last month have only netted the baits at night and have only had baits chewed on certain rods, lets hope the carp keep the numbers down until the drain down. Week 23 was another cracking hit, with 54 fish landed, best was 47lb and 5 over 40lb+ again 2 weeks running. 25 fish over 30lb+ (13 over 35lb+) with the "Black & White" coming out twice!!. This fish is a bit crafty most of the year but does like August. She topped 37lb and is looking stunning. I think she might disappear now for the rest of the season after this week!!. After a "Red Hot August" we are now in September with a group of regulars, the first fish out on a boilie was a Zander of 9lb 6oz, now that's a first!! Tight lines and hopefully other groups can experience once in a lifetimes fishing like the Sunny August punters. There will be one more update at the end of the season and a write up and pictures sometime over the winter of the new stock fish coming on site we have been breeding!! .

Happy Days & Good Angling

The Sanctuary Fishery Clan

Important Info for 2009 Bookings

Hi all, This is a quick info update for all anglers who are booked in for 2009.The weed is still present this season and you will have to fish with this in mind,it's thicker right over on the far bank with broken beds in between each peg which seem to be the main features where fish are coming from. New good quality 15lb line and strong microbarbed hooks in sizes 4,5 & 6 will be needed to prevent hook slips. Also we have had a large numbers of crayfish appear half way through this season since the water temp has climbed higher and this is a new experience for us here at The Sanctuary.You will need to bring some kind of mesh for your hookbaits or some solar cages to prevent baits being chewed off & airdrying your baits will help.I wanted to inform you all so you can be prepared which will prevent the weed & crayfish causing a real problem. Regular casting combined with quite heavy baiting has been really helping over the last few weeks otherwise i have noticed your baited patch is cleared by the crays and you are just fishing a single hookbait with the fish just staying in the weed with nothing drawing them out. This winter it's drain down time again so the weed and crayfish can be adressed but for now it's just a case of some common sense. This extra protein will help boost weight for the back end of the season and hopefully a few more lake records being broken,there is still lots of big fish gracing the banks each week with lots around the 35-37lb mark coming out.They have just started to gain the weight that has been lost from the late sporadic spawing this season so lets see what the remainder of the year holds. A full up date will come over the next month but it's bye for now!!!!!!!! STOP PRESS: The Poynton Lads have done it again!!!!! Not happy with last years best hit of the year they came back in August again and put 58 fish on the bank with 4x 40lb+ fish 24 over 30lb......They say its good angling but I think lady luck played a part.

Update May 2009 "How Big????"

It's about time I put pen to paper, I just don't know where the winter has gone!!! it has been a long winter, which I can gauge by the amount of wood I have sweated over, cutting and drying, which my wife has thrown on the fire!! But Summer is well on its way and the Iris are up, the trees are in leaf and the fish are feeding well and getting bigger. We will be recording the updates slightly differently this season, instead of writing about each angers catches, we will record what the lake has produced for that week. Most of our bookings are either 2,3 or 4 anglers, this change will stop me waffling and boring you with too many facts & figures. We are now into our 7th week, with lake records being broken & 40lb fish gracing the bank each week. The first week started off with cool water temperatures and some hard frosts but the fish were waking up after their winter rest and feeding well. The first fish of 2009 was a 40lb 8oz Mirror which was a great start. The week total ended at 30 fish (best was 45lb 2oz with 10 other 30lb+ fish and 3 over 38lb+). The old age story of the one that got away happened in the first week, with a huge Mirror being lost at the net when it turned on its flank and the hook came out, 30 mins later the same angler had a 45lb on the bank and said the fish that he lost was bigger in length & width!!! The second week saw a few surprises on the bank, with the first 50lb+ fish of the season. A Mirror of 50lb 8oz was landed along with the same angler having the session of his life with 21 fish under his belt, along with a Leather of 45lb and a Common 43lb 12oz. In total 49 fish were landed with one fish more than our best week in 2008. 5 fish over 40lb+ were landed along with 19 x 30lb+ fish and half over mid 30lb, and 4 over 38lb+ the rest were 20lb+ (6 of which were over 29lb+). The stunning Black & White fish was also landed at a top weight of 38lb 4oz. As if it could not get any better the third week set another record for The Sanctuary, the guys landed 45 fish with 10 over the 40lb+ mark, which really is an unbelievable number of truly big fish. The largest fish was a Mirror of 49lb which is another fish that has come through ranks over the last couple years. Another two 46lb+ fish landed and a 45lb fish, along with a Common of 41lb 12oz, 20 fish over 30lb+ caught with half of them over mid 30lb+, this really shows the stamp of fish coming through. The next group could not believe the previous weeks catch, but the fish still fed very well and the fourth week saw another record broken, with a Mirror of 53lb weighed on 3 different sets of scales!! Not content with this, a couple of days later another member of the group put a lovely mirror 51lb 12oz on the bank, which made the week very special. They finished with 46 fish, 2 over 40lb+ and 21 fish over 30lb+, with 11 being mid 30lb+. It seems that 50% of the 30lb+ fish are now mid 30lb+, also 3 of the fish were 38lb+. Week 5 started with the same very changeable weather and we had some torrential rain pounding the anglers early on in the week, the weather did break towards the end of the week and considering the huge drop of 11 degrees in water temp, another record was set. The lake record Common went with a stunning fish of 46lb 4oz along with 4 other fish over 40lb+ (Mirrors of 44lb 8oz, 44lb 6oz, 40lb 8oz & 40lb 5oz). The week total was 27 fish with 8 over 30lb+ and 5 over mid 30lb+. Most of the twenty pound fish are upper 20's that are being landed each week. We moved into week 6 expecting the fish to start spawning but with the changeable weather and the water temp up and down like a yo-yo it never happened. The lads had a great week but I could not help but think that the fish were wanting to shed the spawn. They had 4 fish over 40lb+ with the best being a Mirror of 44lb 12oz, New pb's were broken again like most weeks so far, and the highlight for me was our 4th different 40lb Common landed. This fish came out last August at 36lb and did not grace the bank again in 2008. It came out at 43lb 8oz and looked absolutely perfect in every way. I was only talking about the same fish the night before to the angler that caught her, and I could not believe it the next morning when he showed me the photos!!!! The first thing that came out of my mouth was "How Big!!!!" The lads commented that it was the best looking Carp they had ever seen on the bank. This fish has the frame and the growth rate to keep piling on the weight which is mind boggling for a 7 acre lake. The week total was 35 fish with 20 over 30lb+ caught and 9 over 35lb+. This now brings us up to date with week 7 & water temp at 21 degrees the fish are ready to spawn anytime, this next couple of weeks could slow right down which is to be expected, and this season is a late spawning for The Sanctuary. The lads have started with a couple of upper 30lb+, but it was slow going until mid week, but the guys finished on 26 fish, with 2 x 40lb+, best fish was a long Common of 43lb 6oz, 18 fish over 30lb+ and 8 being upper 30lbs. This season has started so well, and we hope the fish continue to feed and grow for the remainder of the year. The heavily scaled fish have done their disappearing act again, and I'm convinced they are natural food eaters, just like the "How Big" 40lb Common that came out, so I am looking forward to seeing one on the bank this season. We now seeing a good stamp of angler booking at The Sanctuary Fishery and it's great to see that there are customers out there really wanting what we offer, and it makes us more determined to pursure our vision of a top quality venue with great customer service with a fantastic relaxed ambience. you do need to work for your fish here at The Sanctuary, and it can be challenging sometimes, but that's exactly what we wanted to achieve with a natural balanced big fish water and the catch results to back this. The Toilet & Shower block extension is now complete, with a Kitchen area with Cooker, Sink, Larder Fridge and Chest Freezer with Power points for phones etc. 2010 will see a slight increase in our prices to try and cover the fluctuating exchange rates of the past 2 years, we have kept our promise and left our prices the same for our first 3 seasons, but to be honest is has crippled the business over the last 12 months. We have improved the facilities and reduced the number of anglers, to enhance the fishing experience hear at The Sanctuary. This increase means that a lake booking will now be £1100 (£275 per angler), this still includes full use of the facilities down at the lake and Full English baguette delivered to your swim each morning. We hope that you understand the increase, which we have kept as small as possible, to make our business viable and maintain this little piece of paradise. We will keep you updated around midsummer with hopefully a great catch report.

Happy Days & Good Angling

The Sanctuary Fishery Clan

Update November 2008 My Wife Breaks her PB

To all who graced our banks in the 2008 season we wish you a warm welcome & all the best for Christmas & New Year. This is the final update for this season and we have got bundles of news to tell you about the later part of the year plus what's new and how the fish are coming on!!! But first of all, as a lot of you know, Jayne and I have been waiting for our new arrival and a first for us in the shape of a new PB for my wife!!! Our Gorgeous Baby Boy, Gabriel Rhys arrived on the 4th November. He was banked off the double peg at a whopping 8lb 3oz. I told Jayne that a water birth would be an easier method as long as she didn't wade out too far into the deep water!!! Joking aside he is a little cracker!, in good health and handsome like his Dad, both Mum and Baby are doing well. I already have his rods on order and he will be casting over 100 yards before he is out of nappies! The fish are now resting after the busy summer and will not see a hook or line for the next 5 months. This rest is vital for the health of the fish and with mild wet weather that has moved in, they are bubbling all over the lake. Due to us not draining down this winter I can't weigh each fish to record the average weight, but I totalled the full years catch (number of fish divided by weight) which was a job in itself and the average weight is 33lb 9oz. For an average this is superb and with the number of 40lb+ showing towards the back end of the year I think that 2009 will be a big turning point for us with big fish coming out on a weekly basis. There is a small group of fish that have been named the "Jackson 5" that have for the second season running, gained double figure growth rates, which is outstanding. The "Big Leather" is now fast approaching the 50lb mark, along with "Nemo", a mid 40lb, a half linnear Mid 40lb and "The Keg" will be the first 50lb Common. The stock which I have been raising in other ponds will be transfered onto site next year, so I will take some photos of the young stock that are coming through and post them on the site to "blow your socks off". One area we have talked about in length is the price for a weeks fishing. Value for money means everything to me being a tight arsed northerner and a working class family man. With the credit crunch hitting everyone hard at the moment we think it's only fair that we all have to ride the storm and not pass the exchange rate loss or inflation costs onto the customer. We will not be increasing our prices for 2009 and our price has remained the same since we opened our fishery, despite the improvements of the facilities. The maximum number of anglers has now after much debate been reduced from 5 to 4, the price still remains the same for a lake booking (£1000) and £250 per angler, the 5th angler was free for the past 2 seasons. Long term this will benefit both the fish and the customer, also the whole ambience of the fishery will also benefit. We think that for what we offer here at The Sanctuary Fishery for £35 per 24 hours fishing, it takes some beating. I can't think of any waters in the UK for this price, that offer a Full English baguette, max of 4 anglers on 7 acres of water, hot shower and toilet facilities 24/7, free shopping service, unsurpassed surroundings and average fish weight 30lb+ with fish to 51lb, I think that's value for money. The only other way some fisheries can justify £350+ per week is to throw in an evening meal into the equation (need I say any more!!!). We are in the process of building a kitchen area down at the lake, that will be ready for the 2009 season opening. There will be a Sink, Cooker, Table & Chairs, Fridge Freezer & Electricity points. This will allow you to sit down with your mates and have a beer with your meal if the weather isn't playing ball!!! You will be able to freeze all your bait down at the lake, also it's somewhere you can dry your clothes if the weather is bad. There will be all the cooking utensils, plates and cutlery, so no need to bring your own. We are bringing a new rule into place for 2009 which will control the amount of bait going into the lake. There will be a max limit of 20kg pellet/Boilie per angler for the week plus 5kg of particles. We are are not saying NO to particles, but it is amazing how many anglers bring buckets of hemp/maize/fine seed mix to France and not use it by the end of the week. Any bait that is left over please do not throw into the margins, just inform me and I will get rid of it. There has been many cases where rotten particles have come floating to the surface uneaten, and the fish are avoiding large beds of particles. 2008 has been a repeat of 2007 with the best hits coming to boilies and pellet introduced on a little and often basis. This method has also has also produced the bigger fish as well. A strange phenomenon that has been occuring on a weekly basis is anglers getting takes then picking up the rod up only to get a hook pull after a few thumps on the rod tip. I have been racking my brain and can only think it's the natural learning curve of the fish picking up the hookbait and learning how to eject the hook. Fishing hooklinks around 12 inches long and hook sizes in 4-6 have helped to eliminate the problem. These fish have such a big frame and mouth so it's all relative when a size 4 looks like a match hook inside a mouth you can put your fist in!!! Last but not least an update from "The Poynton lads" who came in August to the last group that came over in in the end of October. August produced some of the best hits of the season, when you would least expect it!! and the back end of the season was very disappointing with an unbelievable amount of fish crashing and bubbling all over the lake but avoiding the hookbaits. Some of the lads could not comprehend the amount of fish launching themselves out of the water in the early hours but no takes forthcoming. I don't think we were alone, with this strange behaviour happening on many lakes throughout France. I think sometimes the moon has a bigger effect on the fish's behaviour more than we realise, but I guess this keeps us all guessing and confirms we never "win the game"!!! To watch the fish coming clean out of the water down in the shallows on a full moon shining like a torch light over a glass covered surface made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up!!! The Poynton Lads did have the best hit of the year with a total of 56 fish, with the best being an awesome mirror of 49lb 8oz. Between the 4 of them they landed 5 x 40lb+ fish and 22 x 30lb+ fish with half of them being mid 30lb+. 10 of the remaining 20lb+ fish were also 28lb+ Well Done Lads!!! August 9th saw Mike and his partner arrive, they booked the lake exclusively and were looking forward to a week alone and enjoying a peaceful break. Mikes approach was one of stealth and he fished peg 4 in the middle of the lake, building the swim over the course of the week. It was a great bit of angling and I'm sure the fish didn't even know he was there. Mike totalled 29 fish, the best being a PB of 42lb 8oz. 20 of the fish he banked were 30lb+ with 10 of them over 35lb+. The other 8 x 20lb+ fish totalled the catch with 6 being upper 20's. This is a great example of what the lake can produce if tackled right!!! By the end of the week Helen was begging for a good nights sleep and hoping for no more fish, but Mike just kept them coming and they both looked like they had spent a weeks holiday partying!!! A lovely couple we look forward to seeing next season. The 3rd week of August arrived with a new group of southern lads who brought the most rotten particles with them I have ever seen!!! and by the end of the week took what they didn't use back home for another session!!! I could not help but laugh when even the dog didn't attempt to eat the bait!! They totalled only 12 fish, best was a mirror of 41lb 10oz and a 39lb 15oz leather along with 7 other 30lb+ fish. The last week of August arrived with the "Bovril Brothers" with 2 of their mates. This was their first trip to France and they were like kids in a sweet shop!!! The first fish out was the best of the week at 41lb 8oz. They finished with 16 fish, 5 x 30lb+ and one of the highlights was the "Bovril Brothers" banking a mid 30lb+ fish each at the same time, which made a great photo. Well Done Lads for achieving your goals of catching a 30lb+ fish. The first week of September saw a new group arrive to battle their wits against the carp. Father and Son (Tony & Adam) worked as a team while the other two of the group spread over the lake. The weather was very mixed that week with very heavy rain and cold winds, making it a mixed week. This was the first week when the fish started to show a lot through the night, with lots of bubbling through the day. They totalled 18 fish, with the best being 40lb on the nose. They also landed 7 x 30lb+ fish, but the smaller fish were on the feed with a lot of the good upper 30lb fish not making an appearance. The second week of September arrived with good friends Wayne & his son Andy, with Rob and a new angler to the group Mike. Rob seems to land the 40lb+ fish each season, but this time Wayne and young Andy had a score to settle. They landed 21 fish, with Wayne and Andy both breaking their PB's with fish of 43lb 4oz each. Wayne landed another fish of 41lb 3oz and Rob "only" managed a best of 39lb!!. 14 other fish were 30lb+ with 8 being 35lb+ and 3 x 29lb+. A good week for some of the better fish and well done to young Andy for working hard and smashing his PB with his first 40lb+ fish. The third week of September saw the "Main Man" from Trakker products arrived with his fishing mate Alastair. They booked the lake to themselves and wanted a week of peace and quiet after having such a busy year with the business. They were both in awe of the lake and said it truly lived up to its name. Alan has taken some first class professional photos of the lake which we will download onto the website when we get our hands on them. They totalled 12 fish, the best being a perfectly proportioned fish of 49lb 12oz. The fish was weighed on two sets of scales, but was just short of the mind blowing 50lb mark! Alan also had another fish of 41lb and they also landed 5 fish of 30lb+ and 2 x 29lb+. Keep you eye on the Trakker website for a little update on their session at The Sanctuary Fishery. The fish by this stage were well into their feeding mode for the winter, crashing out all through the night and getting well on the natural food. The fourth week of September arrived with a new group with Melvin and his wife dropping in the double swim and father and son (Keith & Kevin) dropping in pegs 1 & 3, and Darren tried his luck down in peg 5. This was a very split week with the fish now starting to group up and feed in tight areas. The lads were winding Keith up because he draws the short straw each year and blanks most of the time, but luck was about to change, he had the best fish of the week and a new PB just 2 days into the session at 42lb 6oz. They also landed another fish of 40lb 10oz and totalled 14 fish between them, 7 x 30lb+ fish and the rest 20lb+ made the rest of the catch up. This was a frustrating week to see the fish showing and bubbling so much, but never getting on the bait hard. Keiths son Kevin worked very hard in peg 1 for 5 fish, even though they were holding up in the middle of the lake., but he did display some of the best angling I have seen this season, a first class angler. The last week of September, first week of October was another frustrating week with more fish lost than landed. Billy Richards group are lads from up North, so we had a good chat about waters we had both fished in the past. They only landed 10 fish, but the best was a cracker of 46lb 6oz, along with 7 x 30lb+, most mid 30lb+ making the bulk of the catch. The first week of October was a hard one, Neils group had to work so hard to try and put fish on the bank, but they were not playing ball. I put in so much effort myself to try and help young Johnny put a fish on the bank, but they would not pick up the bait. It wasn't as if you didn't see the fish, they were crashing all over the place, despite that they only managed 8 fish, half of which were 30lb+. this was not down to their angling abilities, young Johnny has the makings of a very good carp angler, the fish were just more interested in the naturals. We closed the doors for the mid two weeks of October expecting the new arrival to appear, but he didn't play ball either, so we had the last group arrive in the final week of October. The weather could not have been worse, with freezing winds, hail, snow and heavy frosts. The group managed a fish of 44lb 4oz when they first arrived, followed by another fish of 35lb mid week, but by then the weather was so bad that they threw the towel in and made their way home. It was a shame to finish the season on such a note after being a great year all round, but hey if I could control the fish or the weather I would be a richer man!!! Now the season has come to an end it gives me time to reflect on the year and focus on what lies ahead for 2009. I have just taken the dog for a walk around the lakes and the winter fog is rolling down the valley and covering the lakes for their winter sleep. The Cranes are on migration passing over in huge V formation from Scandinavia to rest in Portugal for winter and their fluid goose like call echos over the house. The Wild Boar are also on the move, with tracks along the stream, where they go in search of food through the cold frosty nights, and a Tawny Owl glided so close over my head he could have knocked my tweed cap off!!! This reminds me of the joy being out fishing.

Take care and we will see you all next season

Happy Days

The Sanctuary Fishery Clan

Update October 2007

Our first season is coming to a close and it's given us chance to inform you of the progress this year. We have started to update the gallery page with new pictures and remove old mug shots of myself. We will use this update page to inform you of any changes here at The Sanctuary, great catches, lake records or any other interesting news. This season has been busier than expected with most customers catching new pb's and having a superb holiday. We do not make claims to have the largest fish in France or ridiculous amounts of fish being caught every week but if you are prepared to work hard and think about your fishing you could well have a session of a lifetime, but one thing we can guarantee is The Sanctuary will live up to it's name and the fish are there to be caught. We are still sticking to our pledge to provide an honest service with no false advertising, customer service that is hard to find these days and to maintain a true passion for the sport. This season has seen some memorable catches with numerous anglers catching a dozen 30lb+ fish over the week. The lake record common came out in late April at 44lb 6oz which was the first time this fish had ever been caught and has not been banked since. Also the lake record Mirror has avoided capture after being banked at 50lb 7oz in April, there are still fish that have yet to be caught this season which is really exciting for 2008. The unique 'Black and White' fish has just been banked at 32lb 10oz which you can see from the first photo in the Gallery, she looks stunning! This fish is one of many that keep growing and we have recorded weight gains of 11lb+ for some fish in a season which is staggering. So where is The Sanctuary Fishery heading? and what are our future plans? The opening of the 15 acre lake has been put back to around 2010, we expect there to be over 200+ fish in the 30lb+ bracket with some beautiful heavily scaled lumps to boot!! This lake is being drained for the time in the last 10 years this winter, which we hope will reveal some stunning originals like the fish on the homepage. We will be keeping the anglers to a minimum with a maximum of 6 anglers. We have a breeding program in place using some of the original true fully scaled and heavily scaled mirrors which we hope will cement our future with some unique stunning carp. If you are looking to escape the maddening crowds, fish a lake in unspoilt tranquil surrounding with minimum angling pressure and don't want another hole in the ground venue, with loud and rowdy anglers we maybe what you are looking for. Please feel free to ask any questions via the contact us page and we will be happy to help.

Happy days ahead

The Sanctuary Fishery Team

Adam & Jayne

Update February 2008

A warm welcome to you all & a Happy New Year. I have managed to pry myself out of my waders and get chance to put pen to paper, I have spent so much time in the water this winter I think I have grown gills. The 15 Acre lake has now been drained and filling up as I type this. I think the scale of the job was completely underestimated by myself and we have learnt so much from this drain down, because the lake has not been drained for 10 years there was a heavy clay sediment build-up near the culvit end which prevented us from removing all the water. All the fish held-up out in an area near the centre of the lake near the 'old tree line' in about 2ft of water. Now 2ft of water sounds like nothing but you would be amazed how big fish can hide in the smallest puddles of water, and they just dig down in the lake bed and can be missed so easily!!! The sheer number of fish that were out there is hard to comprehend unless you can see it with your own eyes, I could not even walk out into the 2ft of water without falling over & when your neoprene waders get full of water, I was wallowing around like an elephant seal in distress!!!! Over 7000lb in weight of carp alone were placed in holding tanks and pools while we removed half tonne of tench, but there was still dozens & dozens of carp left but the task was too great. The weather had been kind up until this point but it changed very quickly and it was time to make the decision to call it a day. With temperatures dropping to -5 it was time to start refilling the lake & return the carp back to their home asap. The fish stocks added in early 2006 had on average gained 10lb+ and had all reached the 21lb-23lb bracket, these fish are all young (5 seasons old), so they will be over the 30lb bracket in the next couple of seasons. Over 50+ original fish were caught with the biggest unknown being 44lb 12oz, these fish are all heavily scaled specimens, with some lovely "fullys" to boot!!. Two dozens old warriors were removed that had seen better days, and a handful of the originals were placed in the 7 Acre lake, the rest of the stock was returned to the 15 Acre lake. Also some Zander up to 10lb+, Black Bass up to 4lb 8oz, Perch up to 3lb 2oz were all returned along with a handful of Tench over 7lb+. The wheels are now in motion with a clearer picture of what the 15 Acre lake now holds, and we can start to look at forming a plan to shape this lake for opening in the future. This is a long term plan and will not be rushed just to make a quick buck!. We are going to turn this lake into the jewel in our crown for the Sanctuary Fishery. So it's bye for now, with new pictures and newsletters to follow soon.

Happy days ahead

The Sanctuary Fishery Team

Adam & Jayne

p>Adam & Jayne




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