David and Jay had a very successful week on Deux Iles this April, which included no less than five 40lb+ fish. Here is their report…Â Â
Arriving at Deux Iles on a fresh Saturday morning, we were greeted by the friendly and knowledgeable lake owner, Bruno. It was a pleasant drive from Calais of just over 2.5 hours with limited traffic. As far as first impressions of Deux Iles go, it couldn’t of been much better. The lake is truly stunning, with so many options and ‘carpy’ spots to target from each island. Looking across the water with the morning mist still rising, a rather large lake resident showed itself tight to the far margin and landed with an almighty ‘crash’. Needless to say, excitement levels were high!
Deux Iles, a 7-acre lake for up to 4 anglers
After a good walk around the lake with Bruno, we both agreed upon which island we wanted to fish. Luckily, the other anglers fishing were returning customers and preferred the other island, so no draw had to take place! Top result and everyone was happy.
The majority of day 1 was spent watching the water with our polaroid glasses on and walking up and down the far margin/tree line to the left of the swim. This gave us a great idea of where the fish spent a lot of time and awe were already formulating a plan.
It wasn’t until around 5pm that the rods were finally in place. We didn’t have to wait long! After only 10 minutes of having the final rod out, the alarm went into meltdown and a healthy bend in the rod confirmed fish number 1 was on. A mirror of 32lb+ was in the net shortly after and as with all the fish we caught, it was a stunning specimen. The rod was clipped up and sent out tight to the left hand tree line again with minimal disturbance.
42lb 8oz
At around 7.30pm, we were sat watching the water from the comfort of the breakfast bar. The sun was slowly setting and we were treated to a vast number of fish showing near our spots. It was prime for a bite and as expected, the Delkim receiver let out a few steady beeps which had our full attention. A closer inspection confirmed fish number 2 was indeed on and it wasn’t long before it become apparent that something rather sizeable was on the other end. After an epic battle, a 42lb 8oz common was finally beaten and we were both buzzing! Day 1 was a complete success.
34lb 9oz
Steady action resumed over the course of the next few days with both of us catching well. A great tactic for us was casting a bare lead over to the far bank, at around 100 yards away, it’s a comfortable chuck. Whilst one of us held the rod with a semi slack line from the swim, another would walk around with a simple rig and a handful of bait. Once attached, the rig was carefully dropped 3-4 feet from the bank onto clear areas of the lake bed, which were easily visible through the wonderfully clear water. A handful of pellet and crumbed boilie was plenty to draw the fish down.
44lb 3oz
There is a picturesque narrow bay which runs all the way around the cabin we fished from. The carp simply love to pass through there and as the weather got warmer throughout the week, the activity levels began to rise noticeably. The 2 small islands are a definite carp magnets and ignoring this area would of been a big mistake. We captured 2x 40lb+ fish from this small section of the lake, both no further than a 15 yard cast.
All together we landed 20 fished and lost a few. You can’t win them all!
5x 40s fish to 44lb 3oz
7x 30s and the rest over 20lb
42lb 9oz
Bruno was always nearby if we needed anything. The local supermarket ‘Super U’ which he suggested was fantastic. Always listen to Bruno as he only wants the best for his visitors and he clearly knows his lake extremely well.
We cannot wait to return. Many thanks and see you soon.
For more information on Deux Iles, follow the link –  French Carp Fishing Holidays
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