Jason’s book, Carping Journeys, featuring Boux can be found at www.booksoncarp.co.uk
2008
My first impressions of Domaine De Boux in April 2008 were nice enough but I had no idea how special this place would become to me in the following years.
A gloriously hot April day was not in keeping with one of the wettest Springs we had experienced in many a year and the southern, shallower end looked like the place to be. Steve being the driver had elected to fish half way down the forest bank and I was more than happy to fish the shallows from summer point. Four runs by nightfall was an amazing start although 2 of these were lost around markers carelessly discarded by previous anglers. The forest bank was flooded and it had taken quite some time to ferry all the gear up by boat but the decision was fuelled partly by the fact that the dam was covered in bivvy circles.
Another warm day greeted us after a good night’s sleep and I boated out some new baits whilst Steve went up to the farm house at the top of the hill to pick up breakfast and have a wash. I had quickly adapted to the tranquil surroundings and felt very relaxed listening to iPod watching the tips of my rods against the back drop of bright blue skies.
I noticed Steve’s van pull up at the farmhouse about a mile away about the same time as the tip on my rod pulled down causing the alarm to let out a high pitch screech that momentarily distracted the cows from their morning drink. By the time Steve returned after no more than half an hour he was on netting duties for carp number 5 and 6. Number 7 came pretty soon after and proved to be my first 40lbs common and a more beautiful example would be hard to imagine, a fish I would also catch the next three years as well. The fishing got better and better all week as the fish got well and truly on the bait, with up to 16 fish coming to my rods in a single day.
The sport was so good that I soon gave up fishing at night, preferring to get a nice sleep and the rods repositioned for the morning. As the week went on a large algae bloom made fishing very difficult with huge rafts of it drifting up and down the lake and taking out the lines. In the end we were just fishing one rod each with pva bags cast at close range from the summer point but even then the fish kept coming. We left a day early as the fish were spawning and taking longer to revive after capture.
I had a total of 71 carp up to 47-08 with the average weight being nearly 31lbs. I also had a couple of big grass carp and even a Pb tench.
2009
2009 was completely different in terms of weather at least. The lake had been vindaged over the winter with all the fish under 20lbs removed, the lake had failed to fill up though and all my productive spots were now actually part of the bank! It was actually possible to walk right across the lake at the southern end and we decided that we would have to fish from the dam.
The fishing from here was also a bit precarious and a 6 foot scramble down a steep bank was necessary to net all the fish. Once again night fishing was soon abandoned as it really was a two man operation to get the fish up the bank safely; once again it was not needed either.
I had been working until late the day before and the drive had left me shattered and I was soon asleep after casting out a couple of bags. One this occasion Harry was going to join us for the days and leave at night to stay in the hotel close by, I can barely remember him arriving or leaving but he had decided to leave a rod out for Steve.
Steve woke me about 5am on Sunday morning after taking a 53-08 on this rod! He had also had about 3 other fish which I had managed to miss. We did not realise at the time but a lot of the fish were actually up in weight and the 48lbs fish that Steve had the next afternoon came out at 44lbs for me this year, a nice mirror with only one eye. I think due to the lack of water and the handling during netting the fish were forced to keep moving all winter and subsequently feeding.
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