L'Etang du Morinais

La Morinais is an ideal fishery if your preferred approach is float fishing the margins, free-lining, casting to bubblers, fishing floaters or snooping about looking & waiting for that opportunity. Or alternatively, not bothering to cast at all; finding a comfortable trunk to rest your back against, dipping your hat over your eyes & having a little snooze.

I put most of my efforts here into looking after the fish & the environment. I am slowly increasing the stock; taking out fish under 8lbs for growing on, before selected fish being returned. There are plenty of wam-bam carp fisheries in France, if figures are only your interest.

I take great pride when anglers happily return, who have caught nothing during a previous visit. There is no stronger message. Happily though, very few have failed to catch.

Apart from the carp, there are good stocks of roach, the pike are growing rapidly, perch, rudd, tench & a few silure, quietly packing on the weight. The stock pool is great fishing for younger budding anglers, with plenty of 4" carp thru to a few doubles & roach.

The owners do not rely on the income from the lake for a salary, which means two things; firstly, the need is not there to get anglers on the banks every week & secondly, all income is invested back into the fishery & the site. There is a maximum of three anglers on site at any one time, with a minimum of five clear days slotted in between anglers visits. The owner has done such a stirling job of establishing a fishery such as this & maintains very firm views about not spoiling it. It is a very beautiful & tranquil setting.

The site is sixteen acres total, with the main lake at nine acres & two smaller pools. The site is surrounded by woodland & open countryside. Parts of the site are covered by spruce woodland & deciduous trees. There are no nearby busy roads, factories or any industrial noise of any kind, apart from the local farm tractors.

The lake bed is clay, depths ranging from shallow & deep margins to 4m maximum. The bottom is flat, lots of overhanging trees & two islands. There are eighteen formal pitches around the lake, but anglers are permitted to fish anywhere, excepting from the islands.

There is a huge abundance of wildlife, far too much to mention here. Some rare birds & insects have either made seasonal visits or made their homes at La Morinais.

For further information on the progression of the stock & goings on at the lake, visit www.purepiscator.com, click on Working Party, click on Mike, then view articles.

Angling and family holidays

L'Etang du Morinais is not just a fishing retreat, it is also an ideal base for family holidays and for exploring Brittany's rich historical culture.

Stipulations for fishing at La Morinais

During my time as custodian at La Morinais, I have got to know the lake intimately, gained some familiarity with the behaviour of the carp, watched anglers fish & the techniques they use. I have learnt how the carp react to the fishing methods employed in attempts to outwit them. These rules are primarily for the ongoing benefit of the fish, but some are in place (although you may not think so at the time) to actually improve your chances, particularly when two or three anglers are fishing at the same time.

1. No bait boats. You are welcome to use the rowing boat for baiting.
2. No spodding.
3. Do not bring remote alarms to La Morinais, you will not need them. If you leave your peg, baits must be taken out of the water.
4. Three anglers maximum on site at any one time.
5. Three rods maximum.
6. All hooks must be barbless or microbarb only, regardless of size.
7. Do not bring landing nets, unhooking mats, weigh slings, sacks or keepnets through the gates, leave them at home. These will be provided for you when you arrive.
8. Grass carp must not be kept in sacks, not even for short periods, return them as soon as possible.
9. When using shock rigs, a safety rig/lead release system must be used.
10. When fishing for carp, no lines less than 10lbs breaking strain are permitted.
11. The marginal weed beds are not to be disturbed, no slashing down of iris or reed mace.
12. No smoking inside any of the buildings.
13. Do not put saucepans on the cooker & leave the building unattended.
14. If anything gets broken or damaged, please tell me so I can get any problems sorted out quickly.