Articles about Alder

This will be my second summer vacation to Alder Lakes, the last being in July 2012 where I banked 101 mirror carp. That particular week it averaged around 30C all week and every fish came out during daylight hours. However, French weather can never be predictable and the forth coming week proved just that.

As with any lake, it is important to do your research as best you can prior to your arrival at the venue. With the venue that I am going to talk about, I was fortunate enough to have previously fished it in mid-November 2 years ago.

Paul Cooper and I had the week beginning 21^st July booked on Alder. We had both fished Alder before Paul a week in November 2010 and myself two nights in October 2008, which was before the lake stocking.

Our second week fishing (w/c 14th Aug '11) was a 6 hour drive from Fishabil, edging down to central France towards Bordeaux region. Luckily it was all motorway and after a stop off or two we soon approached the lake. 

When I started fishing many years ago, the first rule was to always have the landing net ready and this was reinforced in the many fishing books that I used to devour at Meltham library. 

The carp have had their last feed in readiness for winter, in comes the rain, high winds and cold northerly winds... and Ron Key and myself are off to try our luck at Alder Lake, in Central France! 

Alder Lake is a mature 10 acre clay/gravel pit within a beautifull valley in the limousin area of France. It’s just a 5½ hr drive from Calais which is on all major roads going through two toll’s with plenty of services to stop for refreshments. 

There’s becoming a pattern to my trips to France and it usually involves a dispute between me and the sat nav and getting lost. This trip was to be no different. We had fished a few days at another Angling Lines venue Lillypool and at ten in the morning we were packed up and loaded.