The La Bletiere Experience

 

Terry and Steve have just returned from an Autumn trip to Bletiere, a  beautiful little carp fishing venue in the heart of the French countryside with lakeside accommodation…

Bletiere carp fishing with accommodation

‘The wonder of the world,

The beauty and the power,

The shapes of things,

Their colours, lights and shades,

These I saw,

Look ye also while life lasts.’

 The above poem was written by Denys Watkins-Pitchford, aka B.B. one of the grandfathers of carp-fishing. He was a true naturalist and lover of the countryside and I believe, had he visited La Bletiere, he would have found this idyllic little venue very much to his taste.

I first visited La Bleteire in July of last year (see article here) and, along with my long-time fishing partner, Steve, had an excellent week’s fishing with many fish caught up to 48lb. We were amazed at the multitude of wildlife present and this helped us to enjoy the place even more.

Since then and after a well-documented virus caused the loss of some carp, the new owners John and Karen have worked extremely hard throughout 2016 to bring this enchanting little venue back to its former glory. Producing and maintaining it as both a stable and productive fishery in some of the most attractive countryside you will find in France.

Bletiere carp fishing with accommodation

La Bletiere in its Autumn coat…

We were lucky enough to visit here again in October of this year and spent a lot of time talking to John about his plans for the future of La Bletiere.

He has already spend much time and money on both re-stocking the lake and improving the facilities and is very pro-active in ensuring the fishery doesn’t suffer any of the problems it previously encountered. He regularly checks the oxygen levels on a daily basis and also the temperature of the water and, although the lake is spring-fed by several springs, John has also installed an aerator to ensure a good movement of oxygen for when the temperature rises, as it has done for long periods this summer. The fact that no fish have been lost during these months of extraordinarily dry and hot weather is a testament to his industry.

While we were at the lake, respected fish-farmer Sebastien brought 19 more fish to be added to the lake’s already impressive stock. These included fish to just over 37lb. Both mirrors and some lovely commons and also a very attractive linear which could soon become an iconic fish for the venue. John and Karen are also planning a further small stocking of around 15 more fish later this year and this will include fish to well into 40lb. This means that come next season, John expects there to be a good head of 40’s and several 50’s in the lake. The remaining silver fish are also going to be contained by the introduction of some black bass to ensure the competition for food doesn’t become the problem as it did before.

Bletiere french carp lake stocking

Bletiere french carp lake stocking


John with a couple of fish from the recent stocking

He has also begun to stock tackle for those that don’t want to bring too much with them and this consists of rods, Shimano reels, bivvies, nets etc. all from the most respected makes. There is also a massive bait stock which includes two of the most productive baits of the last few years, Sticky Baits The Krill and Vortex which I personally have found to be extremely good on a variety of waters.

The attached gite has also been subject to a few improvements which has made the whole venue very attractive to those anglers who wish to bring their wife/partner with them. The inclusion of a welcome pack of wine/bread/cheese/coffee etc was, I thought, an extremely nice touch and along with the complimentary shampoos/shower gels in the bathroom, this made the whole package very pleasing. The owners have obviously spent time thinking about how to attract couples, or even groups of 4 or more, to La Bletiere and I would suggest that these little touches, along with the fishing, are going to make the bookings soar for this venue in the next couple of years. The fact that it an easy 2 ¼ hr. drive from Caen is another plus in the venue’s favour.

French carp fishing holidays
Welcome pack…very nice!

French carp fishing holidays 

A nice touch…

We also sampled the food package, although only the breakfast rolls, but John’s description of them being ‘the best breakfast rolls in France’ would, I imagine, not be far from the truth! He uses, for both these and the evening meals, vegetables freshly picked from his own vegetable patch and he was also kind enough to bring us home-made soups again made from his own vegetables, at lunchtime which were extremely tasty.

I suggest that if you are considering going to a small, intimate and extremely well-cared for venue that would suit both anglers and their partners, then enjoying the ‘La Bletiere Experience’ should be very high on your list. We will certainly be returning as soon as possible to enjoy some wonderful hospitality, superb surroundings and hopefully, great fishing!

Bletiere French carp fishing holidays


Bletiere French carp fishing holidays 

A couple of fish from our recent trip…

Bletiere carp fishing holidays in France 

Champagne moment…I’m sure there will be many of these in the future!

For more information on Bletiere follow the link – Carp Fishing in France with Accommodation

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