There was just myself fishing and to be honest I caught too many fish to mention… but the highlights were:
  • PB Mirror 37lb in fact 1st fish caught! Double Mainline Cell 18mm with mixed pellet PVA bag.
  • PB Common 21lb 8oz Double Mainline Cell 18mm
  • Lots of 10lb + and mid twenty Mirrors and the odd common, also just a few Grass Carp up to 17lb +
First of all I must say I have only been Carp fishing for a year so I’m a complete Carping novice, but I have coarse and sea fished all of my life.
Main Tactics were big baits, big sharp hooks (micro barb is recommended by Giles) and big leads 3-4 oz as the fish have hard mouths, most bait worked, if you use small baits expect smaller fish.  Lead safety clips are a must, expect to lose leads!
I used 18lb Fox mainline to leadcore leader and coated hook lengths to size 4 Fox Arma Point hooks. Although Quest Raja Spice boilies were available, I found that most bait caught fish, I will next time however use just one type of boilie either Rahja Spice 20mm, Scopex 20mm or Mainline Cell 18mm, and about 10kg is adequate for the week, scattering bait in a wide area brought in the fish there is no real need for bait boats on Lotus, dumping piles and piles of bait in one or two spots is frankly not needed, the fish do patrol from the shallows to the deeper water to feed, fish were caught from the shallows but it is very snaggy.
There was lots of fish caught, too many to list, I fished mainly in the afternoon and evening, I baited the left hand bank in the morning with mixed boilies went out to visit the local markets and towns and sight seeing during the day as the Carp tended to congregate in the shallows at the far end of the lake basking in the sunshine.  Nearly all my fish came from the left hand bank it was the easiest place to fish and bait, but beware there are a couple of sunken stumps and the fish know they are there! Only had to use the dingy once to rescue a fish which, I was told, looked hilarious as I’m not a small chap and its a very small dingy!
The accommodation was fantastic in Willow, dish washer, washing machine, fully equipped kitchen, very comfortable beds, the outside Gazebo made an excellent base to sit and wait for fish while eating and drinking, the Gazebo has a PowerPoint and two lights, one over the fishing platform, excellent idea Giles!  The hosts Leslie and Giles were brilliant, very helpful and nothing was any trouble to them to satisfy our stay, even Giles finding some maggots for us.  Top tip if you want to fish maggot or worm for the coarse fish take your own as the price of maggots is extortionate in France and not easy to find.
This was not just a fishing holiday, this was a relaxing holiday for us as a couple, and my wife was really pleased with Mas Bas (phew!) and has absolutely fallen in love with the place and surrounding area. We drove down from Roscoff and stayed in Limoges over night and then on to Cahors and finally Mas Bas on late Saturday afternoon. It is a long drive but don’t let that put you off, we avoided the dreaded Motorways and saved about £70 on tolls, to be honest the roads were fairly empty compared to GB and very easy duel carriageways.
Ade and Jan
Fishing Holidays at Mas Bas