Guido Richard: A premiere in Saint Cassien (2)

The wind didn't stop blowing during the night, the clouds in the sky darkened and gave hope of rain during the day. It must be 10am when I open my eyes, slumped in the flat chair, a little disappointed that nothing has happened since we placed the rods just after dawn.

On the right edge two rods were placed, one at less than a meter and fifty depths against a seaweed bed, the other at four meters depth on the deep side of the seagrass bed, the three other rods fish of the same species, the left boundary and a small one Bay.

I go down to the walking sticks to see Laurent, who hasn't succumbed to the temptation to take a nap. As the wind blows, he doesn't see anything moving, but points out to me the increasingly sandy color of the water being stirred up by the wind. In this area of ​​the lake the sand break slopes more gently and is littered with seaweed for the first thirty meters until the break drops very steeply and drops into the depths of the lake. Here we have already touched the fish on this day before. We firmly believe that the carp will come back to feed and a bite can happen at any time. We stay behind the rods until our stomachs make us go back to our things to eat something.

In the middle of the afternoon we finally let a bite indicator get carried away. When we get to the rods a few seconds later, the drag no longer rolls and the tip is completely bent without force, Laurent takes the rod in his hand and goes to the fish with it Boat. It got stuck in one of the many seagrass meadows, after several minutes of maneuvering in the wind around the seagrass meadows, Laurent managed to free the fish by applying strong pressure to it. Driven by the wind, it goes further and further to the edge, where the small town, which was very nervous, lets itself slide into the landing net. After putting the stick back and photographing the city, we pour ourselves a coffee, without being able to drink it hot, because another stick is starting.

For many minutes, despite the constant pressure, the fish rummaged around in the seagrass beds, got stuck there and got loose. I can't stop it, skeptical, I start to think it's a catfish. With increasing pressure I manage to counteract the fish and make it rise a little in the water layer, then I see the silhouette of a carp through the clear water, immediately the fish returns to the depths with the brake fully applied. The rod is completely bent and glides over the surface of the water. I do everything I can to prevent the fish from returning to the crowded bottom. After several appearances under the boat and a subsequent powerful rush into the depths, the fish shows the first signs of weakness and rises to the surface to land in the net of the landing net handled by Laurent. It is a fairly long two-tone community, similar to the one captured by Laurent a few days ago. Its orange colors and oversized fins make us dream. During the photo session, like all the other carp caught before, this one is super lively and constantly moving. Then we take a few photos in the water, in complete safety for the fish, accompanied by the first drops of rain.

Unfortunately, at the end of the evening we broke a fish after catching a large bream... To console ourselves, we mistook this lost fish for a catfish. For the next day and the coming days, the weather forecast predicts very little wind, sunshine and over thirty degrees. Since we have no perspective on this lake, we have no idea how the fishery would develop during this anticyclonic phase. In any case, we still want to try our luck for the morning shot at the current position, which turned out to be the most productive at the moment. Before we return to the car for the night, we sprinkle some boilies and tiger nuts on the areas.

The next morning the sky was clear and the wind had died down. With the Toqeedo, a small electric motor that has the power of a three horsepower combustion engine, we race towards the train station at full speed. Without wasting a minute, our five rods are fishing. It's about 6 a.m. and we're sitting on the large stones a little away from the water with a good coffee in our hands. Unlike previous days, the water surface is completely smooth and we see even the smallest fish moving on the surface and we don't have to wait until the afternoon to touch a fish like previous days. At around eight o'clock one of the rods started, luckily the fish didn't get stuck. Laurent can calmly fight against it in a boat far from any obstacles on the edges. Unfortunately, like all the other carp, this one is very lively during the photo session and only allows us to take a photo of it before it escapes...

We're still in the water behind the rods, laughing at our misfortune, when another rod starts. A little surprised, I pick up the rod and get into the boat. Luckily the fish didn't get stuck in the large seaweed bed it was caught next to. He swims away from the shore away from obstacles and gives me a great fight overlooking the bridge. A few minutes later, Laurent puts the fish in the landing net and we quickly return to shore. It is really a very beautiful mirror carp with large scales on its back. Luckily we can photograph it peacefully.

For me, who mainly fishes with flies and increasingly with lures, carp fishing can seem very boring. Finally, we simply set a “trap” in the place where we suspect the carp are feeding and then wait, with no other option than to hope it works... The longer we wait, the more more we ask ourselves whether the chosen one The place is the right one. Unlike fly or lure fishing, where you're constantly in action, carp fishing can quickly bore and disappoint me. But it's moments like this morning that make me love this fishing. In addition, this fishing allows me to immerse myself in nature and the time I spend on the water is always pleasant for me.

Twenty minutes before I released this mirror carp we were still waiting and doubting, we had no idea what this day of fishing had in store for us. In just a few minutes everything changed and sped up. I think that's one of the best feelings about fishing. It urges us to return to the water's edge and continue fishing.

The rest of the morning will be very quiet overall. Very satisfied and happy with our fishing, we loaded the boats at midday in search of another safe area of ​​the lake. Of course, we would definitely have caught more fish in the late afternoon, as the previous two days had been very good, but the aim of this first fishing trip in Saint Cassien was not to produce profits or success at any price. Above all, we wanted to fish and explore a large part of the lake to see for ourselves, to take a quick look. Quite naturally, after spending the first few days in the south arm and then in the central section, we set off to explore the north arm.