The Adventures of Franck: The Big Back

I like large lakes, especially those with clear water. I stopped at this lake by chance 7 years ago... we are coming back from vacation with my wife, the way is long and we decide to stop, a quick look at the GPS, a bruise, off we go...

When we arrive in front of the lake, we let ourselves be seduced and decide to take the inflatable kayak out of the trunk of my T4 to walk and swim on the water. And during the conversation a harmless sentence comes from my wife: “I could imagine living here!”

1 month later the results of her big internship search are available, only one company has the opportunity to train her and this is 20 minutes from the lake, we take this as a stroke of fate, it is decided to move!

We live on the edge of this lake for a year, which I spend quietly and modestly fishing, when I feel like it and have time, my kayak, 5 liters of Tiger, my fins, a small trekking tent and that's it.

I caught some fish straight away, including some nice fish. This year there is also the opportunity to come across a huge ancient giant with a strange, twisted, wrinkled morphology… In short, a fish that stands out!

The years go by and I continue to visit the lake when I feel like it, always in kayak mode, spots, free diving, always with quite a bit of success, of course with a lot of big fish, but at least I catch some fish, and a priori it is Not bad here! Rarely do I see that fish that stands out from the rest, that big dorsal fin, that twisted back, the desire to fish it closer begins to grow...

But the task seems to be arduous, his behavior is unusual, it stinks of “impregnability” right in your face, you know, these fish have eaten the others, always away, but often not very far away... Over time it will Beautiful peaches come one after another, and often she isn't far away, but as luck would have it, she never comes out. In April of this year, as I was chaining the keys, I saw her coming to my right, as always she scurried past the others and walked past. But this time I have a chance, I'm pretty sure I know where she could eat! I hastily bring in the line, bait some sweet corn, make a stick of slightly dried corn mixed with flour, and cast it again...

My theory at this point is that she eats small bites more easily, hence the sweet corn, which also has the benefit of eating almost immediately. Even if it is infested with white, I have a chance because it is coming. And the long-awaited touch is heard, the contact is heavy, the swimming I feel is strange and seems to be his very special way of swimming, with his twisted and... unhooked back...

Terrible moment, I didn't see it but I know, my insides are tense, my head is boiling, but what can I do, it's too late, the chance is gone!

A few months pass and here I am again on the lake, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., I row and dive from the kayak, looking for any real trace of the presence of these ladies, but nothing, confusing, at 5 p.m. I'm ready to return , I hesitate, then pull myself together, there is still an option. Half an hour later things changed, I found a few individuals, but especially around them, sometimes in the middle, the big one, which, unlike the others that are placed, turns around, moves away, comes back, but never eats in front of me. The pressure builds again, my insides tighten again like it was yesterday!

I try my luck again, dive, find a spot that looks like a small feeding area, detect a certain approach in the hope of catching it...

The night offers nothing except a few blanks, and just as the sun begins to drive away the night, the rod bends, the drag is applied, my hand rests on the reel and forces a heavy fish to move into a smaller zone move . dangerous. Once I'm safe, I jump into the kayak and quickly find myself offshore, over a few dozen meters of water. And finally, after endless minutes, a huge twisted back emerges from the depths, this time it's the real one!!!

I shared the photo session with my friend Soël, who also has a story with this fish, but that's another story...