A Cold Day On Villefond by Rob Inns

Rob Inns braved the chilly weather this spring and it sure did pay off! If you're considering a late or early season trip, have a read below...

In March 2012 I was lucky enough to be invited to Lac Du Villefond for the filming of the Angling Lines venue video. It turned out to be one of my most memorable fishing trips to date as I caught a new P.B mirror (which for a short time was the lake record mirror carp) at 51lb 4oz. The capture was made particularly memorable for me as it was all caught on film from start to finish.

Jump forward to March 2013 and my family and I were booked to go to Disneyland Paris for a few days and with the memory of the previous year’s capture still etched in my memory I could not resist driving down to Villefond afterwards to see Villefond's owner, the Lamberts, and hopefully get the rods out.

But as the trip approached I became a little worried the difference in weather between March 2012 and March 2013 were chalk and cheese. The previous year the days had been so warm I spent most of the trip in shorts and a t-shirt but this year winter was still in full swing. Most of the lakes in the UK were frozen solid and on our drive down to Portsmouth to catch our ferry the snow was so heavy we could hardly see the road in front of us. Knowing I only had one days fishing ahead of me and with the weather being so cold I was far from optimistic.

Once family obligations were out the way it was off to see the Lamberts, where I was greeted with the fantastic news that the lake was not frozen and I would at least be able to get a bait in the water the next day.

The Island

The next morning I arrived at the lake where an icy cold wind and a sprinkling of overnight snow were waiting to welcome me. Mark informed me he had seen fish showing along the overhanging marginal trees a few days before so a single pop up with a hand full of the lakes house baits were fished to this area and my other rod was fished with a single pop up to the island.

As an hour passed in the cold I began to day dream about sleeping bags and bivvy heaters but being a day session we did not have these creature comforts to keep us warm.Luckily, my day dream was soon interrupted by an absolute belter of a take from my margin rod. The fish went on a powerful surging run and I could tell it was a heavy fish from the off. There’s nothing quite like a hard fighting Villefond monster trying to pull you into the water to help you forget about the cold winter wind. As the fish came towards the net a flash of its flank revealed it was a good mirror which went 41lb on the scales and Mark identified it to be a fish known as Guinevere.

41lb 'Guinevere'

I was well chuffed to have caught anything let alone such a stunning 40+ mirror still in its full winter colours she really was a cracking looking fish. After weighing and a couple of photo’s back she went to her watery home and back my pop up went bang on the margin spot with another handful of the house baits.

As time passed and the cold started to set in again we joked that another run was needed quick before hypothermia set in and we didn’t have to wait long before my margin rod was away again. This fight was completely different from the first fish, there were few powerful surging runs just a lot of splashing around on the surface. Another mirror this time at 35lb 10oz and with a floppy tail and big patches of scales it should have been easily recognisable, yet no one did.

An 'unknown' fish at 37.10

The Lamberts keep all fish capture pics on record and we later discovered that there were no previous recorded captures of this fish, which is quite incredible that after all these years as a fishery the lake still kicks up unknown surprises. A second fish on a day that seemed to have blank written all over it was a real result and enough to convince us that a warm shower and hot home cooked meal were deserved.

Back home myself and hope other anglers have great results this coming winter by learning what they can about a venue and spending as much time as they can learning the fishes winter habits in the venue. This is why a lot of people are put off taking winter fishing trips, as they feel they don’t have enough time to learn the habits of the lakes inhabitants. This needn't be the case.

The guys at Angling Lines are always willing to give as much information on the venues as possible and lake managers such as Mark know the fish and venues like the back of their hands. Always willing to give advice and tips to help you put those big French lumps on the bank even in the heart of winter.

Rob

For more information on Villefond follow the link - Carp Fishing in France

Great Carp Session at Villefond

Christopher Blunt's party of five were out at Villefond the first week in August...

Details of your catches: 6 x 40's (41.4 - 47.2), 6 x 30's, 3 x grass carp - 22.0, 5 x 10 - 26.0 (total 20 carp) lost 15-20 carp

Your best tactics/bait/rigs: Listen to mark as his rig is designed for crafty carp, cast to showing fish or bubbling fish, critical balanced baits - pop ups

Were the facilities what you expected? Yes , the caravan could do with mains electric but as mark & john took electrical equipment home to charge. Worked out brilliantly, food package was excellent, well worth it.

Were you happy with them? Shower excellent, plenty of room to dry out gear or hang clothes.

Accommodation facilities (rated 1-5): 
Accommodation cleanliness (rated 1-5): 
Accommodation overall (rated 1-5): 

Would you recommend the venue to a friend? Yes its the best place for a chance of catching a forty or even a fifty, lifetime fantasy.

Would you recommend our services to a friend? Yes - long journey but well worth it.

General comments: English owned - brilliant, couldn't have made my party feel any more at ease & happy

For more info & catch reports follow the link - carp fishing in France

Maximising Your Catch at Villefond

I have decided to write a piece to try and help people to get the best of their week fishing our lake, Villefond. As the fish grow on in leaps and bounds and with the lake average now pushing over 40lb the carp are becoming ever more wise and wary.

I have explained in previous articles about why I believe the fish feed in such a unique way so I won’t go into that again, what I will start with is common mistakes made and how to avoid them. When you arrive at our lake you have just a week in which to catch as many carp as possible so if I can share the knowledge I have gained over the years walking the banks every day and fishing the lake myself I can hopefully help stop the common mistakes and get more fish on the bank. So here they are:

1) Not doing homework on the lake; if you study our catch reports nearly all of the people who do well, learn as much about the lake as they can before they come out. Our lake and how the fish feed is very unique and I am on site to give advice but a lot of the time only towards the end of the week will people after either blanking or struggling then begin to switch to what is advised. People who have studied the feed back, read the articles, and spoke to me have the advantage of knowing what to expect and can hit the ground running, catching fish from the start.

2) Prepare to change and work for the fish; A lot of people will do there homework like find which swim is doing the best the week before they arrive then fish the same spot. Every week is totally different and although doing your home work is vital being rigid in the follow through can be flawed. For example the fish always move away from noise or lines or even over powering baits and you will find they are constantly moved around the lake. If the week before the fishermen were well spread out but the guy in swim 1 for example had the best bait and rigs and caught the most, this doesn’t mean the following week everyone should be in swims 1, 2, and 3 for example. So its especially important when only a couple of guys are fishing the lake to spread out or get up and go stalking to keep the fish moving around. This preparing to change applies to everything including rigs, baits, every tactic in fact as our fish are extremely cunning and will test your fishing in everyway and again those fishermen that have been quick to adapt to the situation have done the best.

Big Carp Captures at Villefond

We have had some real monster fish out of Villefond recently...

First up is a new lake record Mirror at 55lb, a fish we believe to be Arnold. Bennetts the fish has been out at 54lb and we have had a new member to the 50lb club! A fish called slate grey was caught at a massive 51lb! First of many new 50’s this year we suspect.

'Slate Grey' at 51lb's - Stephen Horrocks

For more information on Villefond follow the link - Carp Fishing in France

Monsters in the Shallow Bay

Lac Du Villefond has been fishing really well recently and with a gap in the bookings I decided to take the opportunity to spend some time catching the monsters that swim our waters… 

I wasn’t able to fish a whole week so I decided I would at least pre-bait for a few days on the build up to Tuesday the 21st of May 2013 when I could finally get bank side. I had decided to use two rods and pre-baited a spot in the shallows right in the margins as the week before I had been told the fish had been jumping down there every night.I pre-baited with the house bait Plum Nut with around 3kg a day for three days prior to fishing, the bait varied in size as I used the off cuts from all the bait I had been rolling for fishermen the months before.

The Shallow Bay

I choose to fish the first swim casting to the far margins in the shallow bay, my baits would be in only about 2ft of water maximum. I knew how massive the majority of our fish are so I knew they would probably only be right in the shallows after dark when I believed they would be down there for the tadpoles and other natural foods hatching in the margins.

Fishing Villefond

A couple of days fishing at Villefond for fisheries manager Mark Lambert saw a few nice carp on the Bank, all falling to the house bait... To view more videos from Villefond follow the link - Carp Fishing in France

Villefond’s Latest Fifties

Michael Battenbough’s group came away from Villefond last week having caught;
2×50′s 13×40′s 7×30′s and 2×20′s. 

General comments: Very warm welcome received, lovely lake with some seriously big fish, not for the faint hearted.
Your best tactics/bait/rigs: House bait, pop-ups or bottom bait plum nut.

Left – 43lb
Right – Bennetts at 51lb 8oz

55lb ‘Arthur’

Follow the link for more information on Villefond - Carp Fishing in France

Villefond's Forties

Liam Whalley's group visited Villefond in February and out of the nine carp caught, 6 of those were 40+, including the two beautiful big commons below.

49lb

43lb

43lb

42.08

45lb 'Max'

For more information, feedback and articles on Villefond follow the link - Carp Fishing in France

Villefond Carp of the Month for March

My fish of the month for March is not the biggest fish in the lake by any stretch but was still a special capture. So what makes the capture of a 35lb 10oz mirror in a lake full of 40’s and 50’s worthy of the title fish of the month?

Well a few things; firstly the fish was one of 2 fish caught on a short 5hr session in unseasonal cold weather.

But the main reason for this selection is that this is the first ever recorded capture of this fish. Which for an established water such as Villefond where every capture big or small is logged for reference purposes is incredible. The fact that this fish has avoided capture for so long begs the question of how many other special fish have done the same swimming and feeding undetected.

The fight itself was also strange on lifting into the fish it came straight up and jumped clean out of the water, it then continued to fight in the surface layers rolling and half jumping several times.

A truly unique fish and definitely worthy of fish of the month…

Carp Fishing in France at Villefond

Winter Review (December & January) of Villefond Carp Lake

Winter Review (December & January) of Villefond Carp Lake

February 25, 2013DavidNo comments

Arthur at 55.04

Winter Review

Lake Manager Mark Lambert has taken full advantage of the quiet winter period here at Villefond to test out the new tweaks and flavours made in the house bait range which includes the new plum nut bait which has already had great results. Fishing just short sessions through out the winter using the new baits Mark banked 3 x 20’s, 6x 30’s, 9 x40’s (to 47lb 12oz) and 1 x 50.

The 50 was the big Common known as Arthur and for the second capture running has set a new lake record for a common Carp.

This is the fish I will focus on in the next section.

Fish of the month

Arthur is by far the lakes largest original fish (unstocked by us) and was first reported to us by Mark himself some years ago at 44lb+ and since then has continued to grow and has now set a new common carp lake record on both its last captures this time at a whopping 55lb 4oz.

I know as well on a personal level how much this capture meant to  Mark as well, as lake manager Mark gets to see all these fish getting caught but only very rarely gets to fish for them himself and has been desperate to catch one of the lakes 50’s. A dream he has now made reality and for the fish to be caught on the new improved Villefond house bait just makes that capture even sweeter.

We have our first customers on as early as mid February this year and with the new bait already performing so well I can se another year of records here at Villefond so watch this space in the coming months.

Carp Fishing in France at Villefond

54lb Common Carp is the New Villefond Record

54lb Common Carp is the New Villefond Record

February 3, 2013DavidNo comments

Lac Du Villefond‘s Arthur at a Massive 55lb 4oz caught by Mark Lambert on 30/01/2013.  Mark used a 16mm pop up on a size 8 curve shank hook over a bed of 16mm venue sold boilies.

You can read the story here.

Carp Fishing in France at Villefond

Villefonds New Carp Bait Range

Villefonds New Carp Bait Range

January 22, 2013DavidNo comments

42lb mirror falls to the new Villefond 2013 bait

The 2012 season saw the Villefond bait range really excel and it definitely landed more fish than any other bait.

Every winter I feed the fish with a new flavour boilie and ever improving quality bait. I choose new flavours because over the year the fish get caught on the same popular choices and eventually start to become cautious of those baits. So over the quiet winter periods I choose my new bait after extensive field testing then I put lots of bait in so the fish can feed without fear of being caught.

This gets the fish keying into the smell of the house bait and then, once found, they know it’s a good food source. By the beginning of the 2013 season the bait will the best bait to use on the lake.

We are constantly looking to improve our bait firstly for the benefit of our fish and secondly to help anglers catch them. So I spend a long time field testing the flavours and using the knowledge of what has worked best in the past, I have come up with my main two flavours;

• Supreme Blood Worm
• Plum Nut

The ingredients I use are the absolute best because cutting corners will ultimate only effect our fish growth. Last year saw our fish continue to grow really healthy and put on great weight gains and this new bait is even better.

I will be able to offer different flavours if you contact me in advance… but these two will be the ones I will for the most part feed the fish with.

Please contact me via the Forum with any questions regarding bait or anything else.

The above picture is  just one of the carp caught during the start of my field testing of these new baits.

Happy Fishing!

Mark (fisheries manager)

Carp fishing in France at Villefond

Villefond End Of Year Report for 2012

Villefond End Of Year Report for 2012

January 12, 2013DavidNo comments

Arthur @ 54.07 (Oct 2012)

2012 has once again been a great year for the lake and for meeting some great guys and great anglers.

The lake was once again pretty solidly booked and saw lots of characters on the bank breaking personal bests and enjoying their break from work, all trying to catch one of the Villefond monsters.

As for the fish unbelievably they have continued their massive weight gains pushing the average size of the fish over 40lb up from last year’s 38lb! We now have over forty 40lb+ fish and at least 4 x 50lb+ fish.

The very unpredictable weather this year meant that the carp spawned heavily twice, and over a drawn out period, so we saw weights Yo Yo and catch reports rise and fall as they fed up and then stopped feeding.

The amount of new uncaught fish has now slowed down as we slowly improve our documentation with pictures. However, we still have some really elusive fish & some of these came out during 2012 including some fish that haven’t been on the bank in over two years and some fish that have only ever been caught twice in four years! As we always say, Villefond is tricky water, the carp are very clever and some anglers this year really struggled and then there were some times they seemed to jump on the hooks.

We had the usual bloom of naturals in the lake and all the same wild life around the lake such as foxes, hares, rabbits, bird life, pine martins, hedge hogs, coypu, the list goes on.

2012 was the first full year we offered the food packages and as you can read on our feedback page we received some great feedback, so we will continue offering this service into 2013. Also the bait proved itself again to be the best fish catcher and with bait choice so important on the lake we will be offering an even better improved bait for 2013.

Work round the lake this winter will continue as always with many man hours going into clearing brambles & weeds, improving swims and access, plus a spruce up of the shower block and mobile home. We have introduced some new rules to help keep the fish in pristine condition as they get bigger and harder to handle along with more rules to help us keep the lake as clean as possible. These rules can be seen on our rules page.

To conclude the lake is still rocketing skyward on its way to becoming something really, really special & we would like to thank all the anglers this year that came to our lake for looking after the fish they caught. This meant they are still pristine for the next angler. We hope that we carry on seeing the faces that make our job a pleasure and wish everyone the best for 2013.

Best wishes,

Mark, John & Debbie Lambert

A Day Session on Villefond

A Day Session on Villefond

December 9, 2012DavidNo comments

 

Measels at 44.04

Saturday 17th November;

I arrived at Villefond just as the sun was rising which at this time of year is about 8am. By 9am I had all three rods in the water.  My left rod was a small piece of meat on the bottom, my middle rod was a cut down 15mm pop up and finally my right hand rod was a 10mm white pop up. As with all my fishing I use size 8 hooks, flying back leads, back leads and tight lines.

My left hand and middle rods were dropped on a gravel spot at about 120 yards with my row boat out in the middle of the lake. My right hand rod was chucked out to the right at a patch of bubbles, hopefully a feeding fish.

38.08

10.15am just as my dad was walking round the lake to see how I was doing my left had rod with the meat on bleeped, once, twice, and then I struck. The fish kited straight to the right and as most the fish in our lake they don’t seem to really fight hard until they get into the margins. I knew from the jerky runs and seeing the fish fighting near the surface it wasn’t a big fish by Villefond standards. It topped the scales at 38lb 8oz’s which I was still very happy with as I knew I still had one more bait on the spot with a good chance their was other fish feeding down there.

I boated the bait back out and as I was sinking the line and putting on my back lead my middle rod took off on a screaming run. Immediately as I struck I felt a much heavier weight on the other end of my line and the slow really deep motion of the fish indicated this was a bigger carp. During the fight as the fish kitted to the right in went under and got caught round my right hand rod. I always put a lot of effort into pinning my lines down so I know somewhere out in front of me there must be a gully or deeper hole along the bottom of the lake.

In the margins the fish fought really really hard still just hugging the bottom which had me and my dad thinking this could be a nice fish. Eventually I pulled the fish over the net my dad was holding for me and our suspicions were correct this was a bigger fish. The fish went 44lb 4oz’s and I recognised it as fish known as Measles because of a small cluster of tiny scales that resemble spots on its tail, it was a nick name that stuck.

Shortly after getting my rods out again I had a run on my left hand rod.  As I struck I didn’t tighten the bit runner enough and as I lifted line just span off the reel. This small error was all the clever Villefond carp needed and it quickly shook the hook before I could set it properly and left me cursing myself. The two fish before helped to lessen the pain of this escaped fish so I wasn’t too annoyed at myself.

Just a baby at 10.04!

All went quiet and I got my rod back out, my dad left and I laid on my bed chair and had a few hours shut eye. At 2:30pm my dog saw me stir and came over to say hello. As I reached out my rod began to scream at me again. I struck and felt a small carp which I quickly had in the net. It was a 10lb 4oz Villfond baby, offspring of our monster carp and looked a really solid little tank with massive shoulders, a real future monster.

Shortly after I packed up so I could run my dog before it got dark and I left looking forward to my next session on the lake.

Carp fishing in France at Villefond

Villefond November Review

Villefond November Review

December 7, 2012DavidNo comments

Well winter is well and truly upon us here at Villefond!  The weather has been horrid with heavy winds, extraordinary amounts of rain and now towards the end of the month the cold weather has moved in. That said the big fish have been feeding well to those who have braved the elements and November has seen a lot of 40’s on the bank… some of these doing over 40lb for the first time.

This is a great time of year to be on the bank at Villefond.  The banks are quiet with most of the summer wildlife well into hibernation but the fishing is far from quiet. The Villefond fish really seem to like this time of year for a big feed up before the temperatures really drop, And not only do they feed well but they are in prime condition and look stunning in their winter colours.

A truly cracking time to be on the bank. My choice for fish of the month this month is a prime example of a fish that is at its biggest weight and looking cracking in its winter colours, the Long Two Tone.

Fish of the month

So my fish of the month this month is the Long Two Tone.  For some time when talking about the large target two toned fish in Villefond this fish was mentioned almost as an after thought.  But in 2012 this has really started to change as this year she has really come into her own as she has started to show some impressive weight gains and also has taken on a unique pinky colour.

In this most recent capture the Long Two Tone set its new highest weight at 47lb 12oz and we fully expect this fish to join the list of 50’s before the winter is over. It’s hard to see from photo’s just how long this fish is, but it is an extremely long and lean fish with a lot of room for growth and I strongly believe in the not so distant future the Long Two Tone will become one of Villefonds biggest fish.

A truly cracking fish of the month.

Carp Fishing in France at Villefond

50lb Carp Landed at Villefond – & It’s All On Film!

One of the Villefond Big 5 Carp has just become the lake’s latest 50lb’er. Our cameras were there to capture the whole sequence as angler Rob Inns banks his first 50 – ‘Bennetts’ at 51lb 1oz. This is why we go carp fishing!

Carp Fishing in France at Villefond 

Carp Fishing Interview with Mark Lambert of Villefond

Here’s a new feature we’re going to run… interviews with our owners.  This week it’s Mark Lambert from Villefond;

1.  What are the 5 main features you look for in selecting a swim;

1. When selecting my swim I always wait until I arrive at the lake as pictures and maps can never really give you an accurate picture.  The first thing I do when selecting is speak to the owner/bailiff or if they are not there anyone one with local knowledge.  This is important because if they are on the bank every day they will have a better knowledge than anyone on where the fish hold up, feed, patrol etc.

2.  I would look for fish signs – for example topping fish or feeding signs.

3.  I would look for fish holding spots for example lily’s, over hanging trees, snags, islands etc

4.  I would look at the depth of water including features or gulley’s (this is where local knowledge can save lots of time).

5.  I would look at the bottom for features like gravel patches etc (again speaking to someone will save the effort and disturbance of finding these yourself)

2.  Do you believe the moon has any influence on carp fishing?

I don’t think there is any doubt the moon affects fish both in the lakes and in the sea – but I don’t necessarily think that there are times you defiantly will/won’t catch fish because of where the moon is in its cycle.  In fishing there are so many factors involved in catching fish and I don’t really let the moon factor in too much because like most fishermen I have limited windows in which to fish so don’t really have the flexibility to fish according to when I think the moon might increase fish activity.

3.   What are the 5 mistakes you most often see visiting anglers make?

1.  The first most frequent mistake would be not listening.  As a venue owner it’s in my best interest for everyone to catch well and being able to see what people have used the weeks before to catch fish I will give advice according to what has been working.  On arrival I always tell everyone what to avoid and what works to try to save time and help people catch some monsters.  However, some anglers wait until mid-week after not catching well before listening.  I am not conceited enough to believe I am the best angler and my advice would be always perfect, but I advise on what has worked the previous week for the last anglers and the few consistent things that help or hinder on our lake.

2.  The second biggest mistake is assuming that every lake is the same and because one tactic works on a particular French water than it will work the same on every other French water.  I find our lake changes literally from week to week as the fish are all big, smart and quickly adjust to bait , tactics etc… so preconceived ideas can often waste a few precious days of fishing where doing that extra bit of homework like reading catch reports and speaking to the owners could save time and lost fish.

3.  The third biggest mistake I think would be noise.  This might link with assuming all lakes are the same because some lakes the fish have more competition with smaller carp or different species so can’t afford to be to spooky.  But on our lake noise will literally send the fish to the other side of the lake.  I have witnessed people fish to one spot on the lake and catch fish all week then decide to move right towards the end of the week to save the long cast and the noise on the new bank has scared the fish off to a different part of the lake.

4.  The forth biggest mistake I think would be paitence.  Sometimes with such big fish they take a few days to feel confident enough to feed to a patch of bait or to try a new type of bait.  I have had fishermen arrive on Saturday afternoon and by Monday morning have not had a fish and told me they have tried every possible tactic and bait and nothing has worked.  To give every spot, tactic, bait, and rig set-up a fair try would takes more time than any one person has on our lake, so being patient can often be key.  Sometimes fishermen have done themselves more harm than good by trying so many different spots that by the time the fish have found the first bed of bait they are making a new spot and in a few days there are so many beds of bait the fish are spread all over the place.

5.  The last mistake people on our lake would be bait.  Again this tie’s in with assuming every lake is the same.  On runs waters or even lakes with more competition from species such as bream or tench, or lakes with less natural food, then any bait will catch fish because of the competition.  Our lake has so much natural food which is great for the fish and helps them to put on really healthy weights but they have an alternative to the fisherman’s bait all year round.  This means that poor quality boillies especially will catch far less fish and it’s not just a case of putting in as much bait as possible.  On some lakes this will work but on ours quality of bait will definitely make a difference and quantity is a case of judgment on the bank.

Really hope this is of some use,

Regards, Mark

Carp of the Month at Villefond – Mick’s Mirror

Mick’s Mirror at 43.04

Quick Review

During January Villefond owner John Lambert, Lake Manager Mark Lambert and a friend Gavin Rose have spent a few short sessions on Lac Du Villefond field testing the range of baits that are available to our customers. Despite the cold winter weather the Villefond fish have been feeding well and on there first 24hr session eight fish were banked all over 30lb and four of these over 40lb. The next session was a day only session and the guys still managed four fish, two 40’s to 44lb one 30 and one 20+ common.

This is good fishing for any time of year but especially during the winter months and really shows the quality of the bait and how much the fish like to eat it. With 50% of the fish caught being over 40lb in these first short sessions of the year, Villefond is looking like having another good year with fish reaching even higher weights. And with the lakes real biggun’s yet to make an appearance and so many fish still never to have graced the bank anything is possible in 2012… so watch this space!

Fish of the month

This fish of the month sector will be a regular segment from now on and my choice will not just be decided by size. For me fish of the month does not equate to biggest fish banked that month. I will take into account many factors for example fish that are rare visitors to the bank, fish that are particularly stunning, fish of the month maybe one of the lakes real unique characters, it maybe a fish that has shown massive weight gains or simply a fish caught in bizarre circumstances.

Despite only a few sessions being fished on the lake through January my choice for this month has been a tough one as some of the lakes character fish such as Pink Flash and Nemo have already been banked. Also several fish have topped the 40lb barrier for the first time and one of our 2011 stockies that was stocked at 24lb has been banked over 30lb for the first time… a huge growth in just one short year.

The carp I have chosen as my fish of the month for January 2012 is a fish known as Mick’s Mirror - to call this fish elusive is an understatement. Mick’s Mirror did not grace the bank for several years after stocking and when it did it already weighed a hefty 36lb, it seemed to be a fish destined for big weight gains. But strangely the fish just disappeared.

She went the best part of two years before slipping up again in the beginning of March 2011. The strange thing about the capture was her weight had stayed around the same, in fact she weighed a little less at 34lb 5oz, so it appeared she may have peaked. Nearly a full year has passed since that capture and this tricky fish has made yet another winter mistake.

There is one thing about this capture that is glaringly different however, instead of Mick’s Mirror remaining at a steady weight, in the long time between captures this time its weight has rocketed weighing in at an awesome 43lb 4oz. This is a weight gain of nearly 10lb in less than a year.

Although it once seemed that she was avoiding angler’s baits and therefore avoiding capture it would now seem she is just getting away with it. Like many of the big Villefond fish she has become quite clever. What a lot of the big fish seem to be doing is once hooked instead of running for freedom they sit put and try to shed the hook. That was certainly the case for this capture and the only indication given was one beep and several violent knocks on the rod tip. Some may easily have dismissed this as nothing more than a line bite.