Chris with his 45lb Mas Bas mirror
My wife and I have such fond memories of Mas Bas, but about five years ago we learnt that the lakes were to be represented by Angling Lines, a company that would put the fishing on a much more commercial basis.
We felt that this would change the holiday hide-away we knew and loved, so we decided that it was time to move on. This was no great hardship because since 2005 it has been fly-fishing that has taken up most of our time on the rivers and lakes.
It was not until we were looking through some old photographs that we realized how much we missed our excursions to Mas Bas and the good friends we have made in the area. So one evening back in July we decided that, regardless of how the fishing might have changed, we would book a week’s break at the end of September and drive down from St Malo.
The journey was easy now that the new motorways are open, but it was with some trepidation that we climbed the stairs at the side of the big house. We needn’t have worried; some things never seem to change.
Gilles and Lesley were still as welcoming as ever and the house had not lost any of its rustic charm. But the lakes seemed much larger. Gilles explained that the lily pads had died off and that we might be surprised by some of the fish.
‘Surprised’ doesn’t really cover the week we had!
For the record, the catch was as follows: 2 tench, about 3lb each… 5 Grass Carp at 6-9lb… 4 Sturgeon around 6-8lb… 2 Common Carp at 20.5lb, 22lb and 5 Mirror Carp, the best being 28lb, 32lb and 45.5lb.
This is undoubtedly the best week’s fishing that I can remember with the big mirror being my personal best Carp to date.
The fish that gave me a bad back!
The only downside to the trip was that I strained my back lifting the 32lb fish and was not able to lift the bigger one!
Our thanks to all concerned for making it a great week… ….we’ll be back!
Chris Sandford
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