5th June to 8th June
 Belgian carpers Rudi Bru and Pete Bleyaert got in amongst some superb carp and cats in a short three nighter in the company of their wives this week on the Tortue Lake.
As they arrived on the lakes they opted for peg 15 at the top end of the Tortue as there must have been 100 carp sunning themselves on the surface. The first 24 hours in the warm weather proved unproductive with just one small cat to show for their efforts. A change in the weather with a thunder storm and some rain soon put the fish back in the feeding mood and in the next few hours they banked several cracking fish.
Pete managed a lovely mirror of 45lb 2oz (20.5kg) as well as a 38lb 5oz (17.6kg) Common. Rudi not to be out done also landed some nice carp with a Mirror of 36lb 5oz and Commons of 24lb 5oz and 22lb 4oz.
The successful bait was the Proline Red Devils and a homemade garlic flavoured boilie. The flurry of action ended with the return of the hot sunny weather, and reluctantly they headed back to Belgium.
31st May to 5th June
 Two fish over 20kg (44lb) were landed this week in a carp bonanza that left everyone happy. With the cats in a very voracious mood of late the carp had been hard to tempt, but not this week. The weather was roasting hot but it didn’t put the carp off going on the munch. Andy Phillips opened the account with a cracking 47lb 8oz mirror from peg 14, while peg 10 followed suit 24 hours later with a 44lb mirror.
The catch of the week though went to Adam Lowridge on peg 11 who banked 18 carp including 8 thirties as well as cats to 37lb. In all 15 fish over 30lb were banked with catfish to 45lb.
Successful tactics were hempseed and boilies for the carp with Maineline Cell and SBS baits doing the business, where as pellets and boilies sorted out the catfish.
Most carp came at dusk to midnight or early morning, as the days proved hot and still only producing the odd welcome daytime catch. Surprisingly most of the cats were caught during the day.
For more photos : June Catches
Croix Blanche Catch Round Up
24 April – 1 May
A good number of fish banked this week but it was the average size that was pleasing to see. The catfish were extremely active, and as comments seen on forums about other site they were giving good sport with some real monsters landed.
The best carp of the week was a superb 48lb common, a magnificent fish. Other large specimens included commons of 46lb 2oz; 38lb; 30lb 8oz. As for the mirrors the largest went 46lb followed by 3 fish of 39lb+; 30lb; 25lb; 22lb; 22lb.
The largest of the catfish went 81lb with others of 77lb; 77lb; 57lb 2oz.
Successful technique was pellets, hemp and the Croix Blanche Special boilies fished snowman style.
27th March to 3rd April:
During a week with the weather all over the place and a lot of heavy rain, Adrian Pitt and his mate managed to get amongst some nice fish on peg 13on the Tortue lake. The fished with particle, pellet and Monster Pursuit boilies to land 18 carp the best going 39lb 12oz. The tally included 7 fish over thirty pounds, including my Linear at 37lb. They also managed an 80lb catfish. The icing on the cake though was a superb 39lb common. Four of the fish he landed were known forties a little down in weight after the cold winter. Unlucky then, for Adrian who has yet to break the 40lb barrier.
On the last couple of nights they also tried a rod on the peg 5 of the Croix Lake and managed two 30’s to 37lb and a lost fish.
3rd to 10th April :
A week where winter returned again at the start and frost and heavy rain saw the fishing slow right down. Less fish came out around the lakes to more anglers but I guess that’s fishing. James Dawson on Peg 3 had the best tally with 6 carp to upper 20’s and a 40lb catfish. His mate on peg 4, who was very keen to land a cat managed a couple of fish to 36lb.
Dutch anglers… on peg 11 braved rising water and tough conditions to bag a few nice carp to 31lb 9oz. They then switch to zig rig tactics and landed a brace of fabulous catfish of 40lb and 90lb.
A difficult week but the fish are starting to move. With the sun out now and Spring in full swing, catches can only improve.
Photos and more details to follow.
Cheers
Gareth
Bait on Site
I've finally got a bait supplier sorted for 2010 that can supply me with a "Croix Blanche Special" boile. I've gone to the Dutch company Proline to supply me and have now in stock a robin red, garlic bait based on their very effective 'Red Devil' boile that has been so successful on the lakes in 2009.
The bait is in 2.5kg bags, which are a more managable size than the 5kg bags I have don in the past and are similarly more affordable foe the anglers.
The price for 2010 will be 25€ for a 2.5kg bag, which is cheaper than most of the similar quality baits you can buy in tackle shops.
Spring Clean:
Well it’s Spring again and the fish are moving. Its time now the weather is better to get all those jobs done that improve the fishery and could not be done during the colder weather.
- Strimming: The first major task was to cut back the vegetation that has grown profusely around each peg. Armed with a chainsaw, and a petrol strimmer, I’ve been attacking the wild plants of the Croix Blanche. What amazes me though is that virtually every shrub I want to eliminate is armed with absolutely vicious spikes and spines!
Well most pegs have been opened out and cleaned. This has made the lake generally look tidier and well kept. Add to this a large number of trees that came down in end of winter storms and I’ve had my work cut out removing huge quantities of wood.
- Num3ers: For years people have been asking me which peg is which. Nathalie has never got the lay out in her head and many anglers are the same, quoting the wrong peg for catches or the wrong peg on the wrong lake etc. So I have made up lake peg numbers that have been screwed to the trees on each swim. I made them out of slices of Birch that had the number stenciled on and a coat of varnish applied.
- Mobile Home: The awning of the mobile home has a wooden structure, but was painted with a red coloured preserver that really didn’t look nice. So Nathalie volunteered to take on the task of painting is tall in dark oak wood stain. She has just about finished and it looks really nice.
- Shower block: The floor of the shower block has been bothering me for a year or so as it has scuffed up badly with the succession of boots from anglers and my desperate attempts to scrub it clean. I actually bought the floor paint last year, but either weather or anglers on the venue prevented me from getting it done. I really needed at least a week free to apply three coats and to make the shower areas look cleaner and fresher. Well it’s been done and while its not the Ritz it certainly looks clean and tidy and as good as any campsite shower block I’ve used in the last few years.
Cheers
Gareth
Croix Blanche continues to produce big carp
22 November 2009
As the weather in France continues to remain mild the carp on the Croix Blanche lakes have remained active and have fallen regularly to anglers baits. Belgian carpers Paul and Pascal Rooseparck, on their third visit to the Croix Blanche venue, once again got in amongst the bigger venue residents. .
The run of excellent catches started in early November with Eric Dalenoord and a trio of forties and has continued well into the month with the latest haul of big carp.
Indeed Paul Rooseparck in just two night’s fishing managed six big carp the two largest topping the 40lb mark.
Fishing on the productive peg 13 on the Tortue lake Paul banked mirrors of :
46lb 2oz; 41lb 8oz; 30lb 8oz; 29lb 7oz and a common of 30lb 8oz.
The successful tactic was bait boating boilies and particles to the central plateau and deeper water in front of this swim. This latest hit of fish comes on top of the week in July when Paul landed over 20 fish to just under 40lb.
New Carp for Croix Blanche Stock Pond
6th November 2009
November 6th saw me stock a new batch of young three year old carp into my stock pond at Croix Blanche Lakes. As part of my continued stocking policy since I have owned the venue it has been the practice to introduce young fish at this time of the year and leave them to over winter in quarantine before transferring them in the late spring / early summer once they have got spawning out of the way. This is precaution aimed to avoid any problems that stocking the directly has caused me in the past.
The carp were ordered from and delivered by Simon Horton and I must say they were superb looking fish, mostly deep high back mirrors of a chestnut brown colour and in the prime of health. Some were very round and described as 'pizzas' by Simon.
47 fish in total all from 15 to 24lb which added to the remaining fish in the pond that go to over 50lb, gives me a reserve of around 60 carp.
Judging by the growth rate that they have already shown, ie. 5lb to 8lb per year, I am confident with the regular feeding over the winter and until they are moved over to the main lakes they will all be 20lb to 25 lb plus.
Below is a selection of photos and a link to a video clip showing the stocking.
|
The unseasonally mild spell we've been having saw the Vis Vakanties boss Eric Dalenoord and his friend Peter get amongst some cracking fish in the Croix Blanche Complex Tortue Lake.
Eric's first night saw him bank 7 fish including a 44lb mirror, but things went up a gear on the second night when Peter landed a 44lb common and Eric 
followed it up with a 40lb 8oz linear. This is a famous old fish and is in fact the first carp I ever caught from the Tortue back in 1999. This time though she was 5 pounds heavier than when she graced my net.
