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Trip Of A Lifetime - Ray Harris
Trip Of A Lifetime - Ray Harris
Late last week I received a lovely email from Richard Howland, manager of our Sittingbourne shop, who's good friends Ray Harris and Malcolm Downs have recently returned from a rather action packed week in France! The two of them we're kind enough to write a little catch report and to attach some rather awesome pictures, so without further adue, I'll let Ray take it away!
On 4th of October 2014 I and three friends set off for a week at Lake Serene in France. As there was only four of us we decided to have a draw and 1 & 2 go where they wanted and 3 & 4 follow on but on Wednesday morning we would swap over.
Malcolm Downs and I came out 3 & 4 and ended up starting out in The Beeches which is a double swim.
We decided to try the Korda Cog system in 3.5 oz. leads and Crank hooks in size 6 with the 20lb Camo hooklink braid.
My first fish in the early hours of Sunday morning was 53 lb closely followed by a PB 59lb and a 41lb. Malcolm wasn't slow off the start with fish of 47lb 36lb and 27lb. It gets boring to give out fish weights but suffice to say by the early hours of Wednesday morning Malcolm had caught a 50lb common 4x 40s 4x 30s and 3x 20s.
I was awoken at about 4 in the morning by Malcolm shouting at me to wake up and get out here, as he was connected to something big, after a major scrap I netting what I can only describe it as a colossal of a carp. I knew two of us couldn't lift it so we called the others and woke the owners to witness and help move the fish from the net into the weigh sling all this took place in the water. After weighing the beast, the agreed weight was 80lb and the icing on the cake it was a common.
We all looked at this magnificent animal and it was decided to do the photos in the water. In my younger years I would take my young family to London zoo to see Clarissa the Carp that Dick Walker caught and marvel at the size of her, now here I was 30 odd years later looking at a Carp twice the size.
Obviously the other two guys were busting a gut to get in our swims so after breakfast in the pouring rain we moved out and let the other 2 move in. However the swim failed to produce for the other two. Malcolm moved into a swim called the Royal and continued to catch consistently for the rest of the week.
He ended up with 1 x 80 1 x50 (Commons) 6 x 40s 10 x 30s and 4 x 20s. I ended up with 10 fish 2 x 50s (Mirrors) 2 x 40s 2 x 30s 4 x 20s. The other two guys had 2 x 50s 2 x 40s and 1 x 30. We feel the cog system helped as all fish were well hooked. This certainly was a trip of a lifetime for Malcolm and for me a privilege to be there.
Our thanks go to John and Mave Ashford the owners who make sure you have a good time.
Ray Harris
