Clearing the feeder stream
By Heather Barber at Genets;
So often through the season I am asked the question “whatever do you do with yourselves in the winter, do you go “home” to see family, or go away on holiday?” If I had a euro for each time I am asked that question I think I would now be taking a very long holiday 
My initial reaction is always to reply that I am already “home” as home to me is where I live which is at Les Genets in France. I do sometimes tell people very tongue in cheek that I disappear to the Caribbean for 3 months ( Oh I do wish)… & I’m sure that some actually believe me.
However in reality one of the things that just cannot & must not be ignored when running a carp fishery is the need for constant maintenance much of which must be carried out during the closed season.
The cut down begins before the cold spell.
This year 2009/2010 has proved more difficult than usual due to the prolonged freezing cold weather conditions, but there was no getting out of it… we just added a few extra layers of clothing along with 6 pairs of socks (although I don’t know why I bothered as I still could not feel my feet)& got on with it. I did though just have to insist on stopping every 30mins or so & spoil myself with a cup of hot chocolate, it was very tempting to add a nip of Brandy to it but I resisted the temptation ….honestly!!
Along with all the other smaller jobs on the “To Do” list there were 4 major things we wanted to get done, the first one being going along with a digger to clear out a lot of the silt & mud build-up at the inlet. Steve used his expert digger manoeuvring skills to do this & the water now flows much more freely. I only had to duck a few times to avoid the bucket descending onto my head!
Plenty of chainsaw work!
The next was to have a major chop down of lots of the bamboo which just grows & spreads so quickly along with all the grasses & reeds in the edge around the lake. It was then chainsaw time & some trees were cut down & many branches trimmed out.
Next was time to replace the small bridge that goes over the outlet, the old one was removed & replaced with railway sleepers making it very strong & sturdy so should now last for a good few years.
We had decided that this year all the wooden platforms at the swims needed replacing as with constant use throughout the season & having had quite a few repairs they really were past their use by date. They have now all been replaced, the wood has been treated & new woodchip has been put down in all the swims. Some swims have also been made slightly wider.
Car park area is widened
So, there you have it, no winter in the Caribbean this year, but we are pleased we managed to get everything done as planned & are now ready to welcome our first Anglers of the season next week.
Regards, Heather, Genets.
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