Praying for rain

Well, what can you say, what is happening to this weather, from the squelchy surroundings for the last two sets of visitors to the sight of something that resembled the sahara desert , which greeted our latest piscators , John & Maria, on their first visit to the lake.

It had been a relief to hear they had actually arrived as they had asked me to send them some directions from the tunnel to make things easier, if only they knew i need a satnav to get myself from my living room to the kitchen.

The temperature on arrival was into the 40s once again, as it had been for weeks, with the sun having turned all round the lake a golden white.

After a cup of tea and a relax after the journey it was time for a look round, Maria loving the apartment which she had chosen to take advantage of, settling in and unpacking the sun worshippers wardrobe.

John, however , opted for the carpers hotel, so bivvy it was, and after a walk round the lake with John , he plumped for the oak bank.

He liked what he saw of the lake and chose this swim as he could reach all the areas he fancied fishing.

Unfortunately for him, the fish did not want to know , the lake being a foot down on normal levels, the fish sunning themselves in the upper layers and looking lethargic ( bit like most of us in that sort of heat ).

The weather got hotter and was that bad it even made Maria retreat into the shade although in the end she was happy with the lovely golden tan she had gained.

A sudden algae bloom had the aerators doing full time instead of the daily bursts but still no sign of the little flat nosed devils.

John was then cruelly taunted by two aborted takes, but still persevered , trying everything he could to tempt one from the now tropical lake , but it was not to be. After a week of fishing hard John was finally beaten into submission , a feeling a lot of anglers in france have suffered this summer by all accounts.

Credit to him, he never gave up and on departure had this to say in the visitors book :

My first visit to this fab lake, never managed to put a fish on the bank but had the best time. Thank you J & J for all your hard work and making this so special . Food was excellent. See you next year.

The happy couple were wished a safe journey back home and sent on their way.

What happened next was unbelievable, the cam chain on the vehicle had snapped and an email next day revealed they were still in france ( think I’ve used excuses like that before to get an extra couple of days away lol ) It doesn’t seem to have deterred the now hardened french travellers as they finally got home safely and has let us know he’s invested in some new delkims and other goodies to have another bash next year.

A lovely couple , it will be a pleasure to see them return for a fishing holiday and not a camping one ( that was below the belt , sorry mate, couldn’t resist , yours truly has blanked many times in conditions i rated spot on so what would i know )

The little beauties will be fed and waiting for your return, just pray for a little more favourable conditions, so long as Maria can top up that tan.

Until next time, is that pork i can smell cooking , i think i should get into the shade .