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River fishing in France

Great report and some nice photos Steve! 🎣🎣👍👍

Sorry to hear about you having Covid. We had the same in reverse last year - we had avoided it here all through the lockdowns, and went over to France June/July. We'd been back a few days and both of us tested Positive. Nobody we'd been in contact with in France had any symptoms, so pretty sure we picked it up on the Ferry.
 
Great report and some nice photos Steve! 🎣🎣👍👍

Sorry to hear about you having Covid. We had the same in reverse last year - we had avoided it here all through the lockdowns, and went over to France June/July. We'd been back a few days and both of us tested Positive. Nobody we'd been in contact with in France had any symptoms, so pretty sure we picked it up on the Ferry.
Yes we think it was the ferry as well! We went on the ferry from Holyhead to Dublin, stayed a couple of nights and then home on the Dublin-Cherbourg ferry.

Neither ferry was crowded but so many people using stairways from the car deck that there is always that chance of picking up infection. 🤔
 
Yes we think it was the ferry as well! We went on the ferry from Holyhead to Dublin, stayed a couple of nights and then home on the Dublin-Cherbourg ferry.

Neither ferry was crowded but so many people using stairways from the car deck that there is always that chance of picking up infection. 🤔
We always use Brittany ferries Plymouth to Roscoff, and coming back last year, they had re-introduced compulsory masks at the time, unless eating or drinking.
Lots of folk bought a Pint when they got on board, and sat with it in front of them for up to 3hrs so that they had an excuse not to put a mask on. 🙄🙄
 
One of these days I will go river fishing over there, a Friend keeps inviting us over but life just keeps getting in the way.
I had nearly "run out of life" by the time my chance came! Don't give up hope! ;)

My health and enjoyment of life has improved since our move to France. Life can have some unexpected twists, you never know what might change to give you a chance!

Some photos from recent outings along the Lot.......


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Must be all the sunshine, I am getting wrinkly! Nothing to do with being 71! :unsure:
 
I had nearly "run out of life" by the time my chance came! Don't give up hope! ;)

My health and enjoyment of life has improved since our move to France. Life can have some unexpected twists, you never know what might change to give you a chance!

Some photos from recent outings along the Lot.......


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Must be all the sunshine, I am getting wrinkly! Nothing to do with being 71! :unsure:
Your input never fails to make me envious Steve! Looks beautiful out there and the fish look in excellent condition
Happy days mate
 
Your input never fails to make me envious Steve! Looks beautiful out there and the fish look in excellent condition
Happy days mate
Anyone my age tends to look back at "the good old days" when things were so much better. Not always the truth but often just retro rose tinted spectacles!

But I first read about the Lot and its great fish over fifty years ago, and from what I have seen in the last six years living here, the Lot has not changed much at all! :love:

When I was a child I lived by the river Wye near Monmouth. As an 8 year old I "poached" some of the salmon stretches for chub and eels. Over 60 years on I have the wonderful river Lot to fish (legally) and it's like I am that little boy again, but now I have the experience to catch BIGGER fish!

Happy days! :cool:

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Yesterday my wife and I had a picnic on the banks of the river Lot.

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Of course I packed a rod and first cast had a carp which put up a good fight.....

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a peculiar carp though, looked like it's father had taken a shine to a goldfish......

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Anyway, a bit of sport and the first carp I have had for a few months. Glad the summer is past now, still good weather but we are now out of the heatwaves. Summer is always a struggle with the fishing, low flow and low oxygen slow sport considerably, the better fish hide under the weed and in the deep sections. Autumn should get fish biting, just need a little rain. 🐟
 
Seems like a long time since I last posted, the weather has been slowing down my fishing!

Early October we still had summer weather and I had to contend with low flow river conditions and sluggish fish. That changed rapidly as it turned to the wettest Autumn I have known in the six years living here in the Lot.

By early winter this was a regular scene, there is a weir under there where I have caught carp to nearly 40 lbs in recent years!

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Suddenly flows were greater than I would have considered suitable for fishing. As the rain continued the river stayed high and fast, I had to think hard to remember swims that might still hold fish. I also had to use heavier tackle than I like for the barbel, fortunately last winter I had bought a Korum Big Water 13' 2.75 lb TC rod. It's proving to be an excellent choice with much more action than a similar test curve carp rod, a good tip for seeing bites and playing barbel.

I still use lighter rods when I find suitable slacks, but that Big Water rod is growing on me!

Barbel and chub still regular catches, but the carp are hiding somewhere I have not found recently!

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That barbel is my first of 2024, caught just days into this year, a good start!

Even though this winter has been cold and often very wet this is still a wonderful place to live.

Our friends took their dog for a walk near Bouzies after we had shown them that stretch of the Lot valley. It's along a walkway cut for horses that pulled barges along the Lot a long time ago, there is about 300' of cliff above your head here!

This is the photo they took that morning.....

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A Magical river winter scene! :love:
 
What a great thread Steve! Looks like you are having a great time since leaving the UK. Keep the pics coming :)
Hi Bigads, long time no see, how is your fishing going?

I had some great times fishing in Scotland, for over 30 years :love:. Cod from the Scottish east coast, tope from MOG, pollack (still my favourite!) from all over. A 250 lb+ porbeagle from Scrabster and a 200 lb+ common skate from Loch Torridon completed my UK big fish ambitions! Oh, I had a few pike over 20 lb from Loch Lomond and the Lake of Mentieth as well!

Excuse me reminiscing, I love posting fishy photos though you may have seen them before......

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The fishing in Scotland kept me alive, pity my old family was such a disaster!

After a lengthy divorce (which nearly killed me!) I met Sally and she had friends living in the Lot, France. I remembered reading magazine pieces about the river Lot, so when Sally retired we sold up and moved here. Best move either of us have ever made!

Now I have to settle for this scenery......

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.......and the river has a healthy population of barbel......

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.....with big enough carp to make me smile......

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Best place for an old dangler to finish his fishing years! :cool:
 
Another river, another carp!


After a run of blanks on the river Lot I had to do something drastic, I was going to have to fish a different river! :eek:

The Lot runs cold at this time of year, fed from barrages high in the Massif, a bit either side of 7c this last couple of weeks. The barbel have totally switched off or moved to swims I cannot reach. Only a few chub have kept enough appetite to take my baits. About a 50 minute drive south is the river Aveyron and it is fed from springs at a lower level, so I hoped it would be a little warmer and encourage the fish to feed.

I had studied Google Earth for a few hours and had a few possible swims in mind. This afternoon I fished the second swim I visited and after the showers had passed it turned into a pleasant little suntrap for me. The river temperature was just over 9c which gave me some hope.:love:

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I have developed all the attributes of a carp angler now, and this brought a result......

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......a lovely river carp of 19 lbs which gave a very strong fight.

Apart from a few little pulls on the rod tips that was it, but I cannot complain. A jammy carp on my first short visit, I plan to explore this stretch further. :cool:
 
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