Lucas in Search of Magic: Return to the Red Lands

For this return to the Devil's Banks, I arrive at the end of the afternoon and decide to explore several areas that could potentially hold fish. Always the same strategy, no boat, waders and polarizers for a quick and discreet approach.

I walk towards the micro-bottom of a bay, where only a tiny reed corridor allows passage and three mirrors are in operation less than a meter away. I put out some bait, which the carp immediately grabs, and without hesitation I go back to the vehicle to grab the essentials for the night.

A rod is quickly placed at the micro point of the three mirrors while another fishes the edge at the exit of this small reed belt near a drowned tree. The third is the “long distance rod”. I position them four meters from the edge at a potential passage for fish to move along the fishing line in front of the strip of seaweed.

In a short time the micro spot wand starts up and brings me one of the three mirrors, it's not huge but has some nice scales. The hood is saved quickly, that's the main thing. The hours follow and are quiet, then shortly after midnight the stick near the tree allows me to take a typical lake.

That will be all for this first night. A quick breakfast, then I quickly go looking for carp and the nicest carp possible.

Two carp are circling in an area several hundred meters from last night's spot. I watch their movement, it is quite regular, they position themselves between a submerged tree and a short piece of reeds, forming a loop that penetrates the seagrass beds.

When they move away, I quickly place the congregation within sight of the small area that will surely be freed up by their regular presence.

In the end the rod gets carried away and brings me a two week mirror, it is actually one of the two fish. The job is done, I then try the same approach on a fish further along the line, but lack of discretion, miss, we can't win every time...

Alex calls me, he is on the way back from Spain and asks me if I happen to be at the Salag to spend an evening together, the ideal place for a relaxing break after hundreds of kilometers.

As luck would have it, we can spend an evening reuniting over a good meal.

So the gear is folded up, a short walk to the car to reach a spot where he can park nearby and sleep in the van. There is good hope at this point because it is the place that brought me the large mirror on my last trip.

We meet, we clink glasses, we place the two bars at the other end, Alex takes the opportunity to take a few nice photos of the moment.

Everyone talks about their adventures at the beginning of the season, their wishes, goals, in short, the moment is pleasant. The discussion is interrupted by a straight line in the night, I put on waders, jump on the rod and fight with a fish that seems pretty decent.

It is one of the old towns of the lake, very long, just over fifteen, we shoot immediately to immediately put it back in the water and then put the rod back in.

Nothing will happen anymore, but we are happy.

Wake up, breakfast, I pack up while Alex enjoys a cool swim in the lake.

This will be the last fishing of the month on this lake, new month, new conditions, new goals, it continues!

Lucas