Back en Traque

So it is April and Goncourt is producing some amazing results this year to anglers brave enough to fish in France this time of year. Just take a look at some of the catch reports from Pascale over the last month. I know some of the anglers fishing there this early in the season and they are loving it.

Ok, back to La Traque. I have fished La Traque several times over the last 6 years on the Goncourt complex and I have seen all the changes this lake has gone through. When I first fished the lake 6 years ago it was a good 20’s water with the odd 30 pounder to catch but now it has turned into a real big fish water.
I can remember the first time I went there the biggest fish I caught was just under 25lb and I struggled to catch fish over 20lb while the 2 people I went with both caught 30’s to 37lb.

The lake is around 12 acres in size with all the swims having lots of water to fish. Each swim has hotspots to fish to as well as gravel bars and plateaux’s to search out. It is booked on an exclusive basis, so a group of friends can easily have a social fishing week with some great facilities. There was a new wooden lodge built in 2008 with electricity installed. This is great if the weather is bad or if you want to take your partners with you. There is a wooden bench outside for eating and a BBQ next to it. Everything you need except for the beers in the fridge!!










La Traque swim

The lake itself has changed dramatically with all of the snags being removed from the water so that anglers have a better chance of landing the stunning fish in this lake. I can remember 3 of us the first year fishing La Traque hooking over 120 fish but only landing just over half of them. This has now changed with a good 90% of the fish being landed due to the careful management of the lake.

The stock of the lake is around 300 fish and I know it says the average weight is 22lb on Simons website but believe me I have always had a higher average than this in the last few years. The lake record I think is 56lb 8oz but I think it will be broken this year with a fish over 60lb. I have seen fish in the lake before spawning over this weight.

The carp in the lake are stunning with so many different strains of fish. You can catch long leather one minute and then a big plated mirror the next with a fat dumpy 30 plus in the middle!! This lake offers everything for lots of different types of anglers. If you want to catch lots it’s possible, but you also have some huge fish in this lake that will blow your personal best out of the water. I beat my P.B by 6lb one day and then by 11lb the next!


36lb and a 44lb

The fish move around the lake from day to day and you can catch in one area for a few days and then your friend will start catching a day later. I will explain more about this later.

Tactics on the water are quite simple too. I have fished in every part of the lake but have found the margins to be most favourable. The far margin is by far the best with careful bait placement. I always use a boat but some anglers prefer not to do this, it is all personal choice. I have watched the fish patrol the margins while using the boat and it is incredible what you see. So when you go onto the lake look first before fishing to find the clear areas, so you will be more confident where you fish.

I can remember this last year taking Pascale out in the boat to look at the fish patrolling the far margins. She was amazed at what we saw. We saw most of the big fish swimming near to the tree line. We watched the fish move over bait and then start to feed. This has got to be the most exciting way to watch fish, close up and personal. Try it while you are there, you will not be disappointed.

I have always fished with small amounts of tight baiting however I bait regularly. I always use pellets and peach and pepper boilies on this lake. I mark the areas with markers that are able to be seen in at night. I use the fluro strip from Hi-Viz jackets, this can be seen easily at with a torch when baiting up at night. I always use a bait boat at night for safety reasons and would never recommend going to use a boat at night alone. Please remember to remove all your markers before you leave. It only takes a few minutes and stops the lakes looking untidy for the following week’s anglers. Leave it as you find it I say. I know Pascale makes sure the lakes are cleaned every week when you leave but every little helps!!













TIME TO TIDY UP BRETT !!!!!

I normally use “snakes” when baiting up on La Traque. Snakes? I hear you say. Well they are just long PVA mesh bags filled with pellets and boilies. I feed the rig through the tube to cover the rig totally and then place the bait tube on the baited area via the boat. This ensures the bait is totally covered with pellet and boilies so the fish feed with confidence on the area. Remember these fish are fished for most weeks of the season and have seen most presentations so rig camouflage is a key factor to remember.











Snakes

Last year on La Traque my friend and I were lucky enough to catch three 50lb plus fish to 55lb using this method and we tried to bait areas regularly through the day. You will find sometimes the fish have cleaned you out and left your rig sitting there on the lake bed all alone. Brett my fishing partner had this happen to him using method mix. He had baited with method mix one night and went to check the area the next morning. He had his rig sitting in a nice tight circle of method mix with all the other bait gone!! Just because they are French carp don’t think they are stupid.






51lb, 54lb and my P.B at 55lb

As I mentioned earlier the carp move around the lake a lot during a weeks fishing. We had a great example of this towards the end of our weeks fishing in May. We had been told by Pascale that the fish would move to the opposite end of the lake but ignored her advice. The number of runs were dropping off but we didn’t move our rods so she fished in this area and had 2 runs in no time at all. Lesson learnt by me for sure.

Celebrating Goncourt style

Just to finish off, I would like to sum up by saying that La Traque caters for all types of anglers that go to France. I have been with French carp fishing virgins who have caught P.B’s constantly all week and I have also broken my P.B several times on this lake with some real lumps.
Get you and your mates on La Traque for a great weeks fishing with the chance of some carp that will blow you away.

Keeping the fish wet with the help of Pascale

Good Fishing,

Phil