Several days have passed since the start of the cold snap, the wind has not let up, swirling up the water and cooling it down quickly, the few degree increases since the beginning of the year are being washed away quite quickly in some places. Unsure of the destination given the weather, I decide to head out for 48 hours at a dam I fished at the same time last year.
Like many dams this year, the water level is still very low, so I row in the small 190 towards an intermediate area of the lake that seems rather strategic given the conditions. The three poles are quickly positioned between 1 and 9 m for wide panning. The wind is constant and still cold...
Rather adept at mobile approach, this time it will be the opposite, I will land in the area with the aim of spending two nights there.
Little by little I put my things together for the bivouac, then a bite occurred while the rod had been fishing for just 1 hour and 30 minutes. A good fight in the gusts because as I approach the mesh I quickly recognize that grayish fish that I touched last summer. This time he weighs almost three kilos more to give me the first 20+ of the year.
Unfortunately, this quick key will be the only one in this version. The weekend is just around the corner, I'm going to the van bivouac on another lake without taking out the rods...
Back to work for a week, then I use several days off to return to the dam of the beautiful gray mirror for four nights. I plan to go to the furthest upstream of the lake, but on my way I see a large crack at the bottom of the bay. This inevitably changes my plans, because every fish here is worth it. Unobtrusive installation on the slope, everything is ready for the night, the rain starts to fall...
Early in the morning there is nothing to report, nothing has moved, no activity... I gently lean over and give the morning shot a little tug, but that won't change anything. Go to the area that brought me the mirror earlier. Same scenario, everything is done quickly and discreetly. At midnight the staff of the paid spot begins to roll out, it is a beautiful city that spends the two weeks that are conquered. The prison is saved!
There is light activity at night, so it is decided to spend a second night in the area... But there is nothing to do... Hood! I also watched a few jumps 300m from my post on a scree slope over two days, nothing earth-shattering, but still active fish. Waking up with a quick coffee, I remove the rods to keep just one with a small floating rod and a half handle made of 16mm balls. I move towards the jump area, these increase as the sun gets closer. A small cable for minimal noise and assembly of the assembly in 4/5 m water depth.
Stalking approaches are rarely worthwhile here, but there is still hope and 30 minutes later the rod turns. For the honor I carry a beautiful mirror weighing a little less than fifteen kilos.
Reboot, wait a few hours, but nothing else. I will slowly move some of the equipment to this area to spend a night under the stars in the rocks.
When you wake up there is nothing left to report. I still have 3 days to go and I'm quite hesitant, I'm pursuing a goal completely independent of the results, but on the other hand my friend Nico has been urging me to join him for several days because the carp appearing in the Aveyron is rather playful at the moment. The arrival of a carp angler at the lake reinforces my idea of joining Nico.
As I set out to launch I see another fisherman unloading his car, the lake is not that well known... But while chatting I meet a very nice person, which is rare. Mehdi is an adventurer and we have a lot of shared knowledge and fishing spots. It's really nice to talk to each other. Big thumbs up, dude 🙂
The VW is loaded and heads to Aveyron to stalk carp in 80cm of water and try to catch scales in this local dam...
Lucas
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