2018 Reviews

 

Jim and Helen - April 2018 We left at the very end of last season and it was a joy to be back at the beginning of this season. It is always a delight to be here at Les Croix in the company of Jon, Lisa, Oscar and Bailey. Everything was as we expected, the gite immaculate,

the quality of the fish caught superb and with Jon’s great knowledge and skill to guide you through. We have already booked our next year’s trip and will be looking forward to it from the moment we leave.

 

John and Julie – April 2018 It’s always wonderful to come back to Les Croix and this 5th visit was no exception. We love the gite and the attention to detail with the welcome pack (nice Bordeaux, thank you). Good to see Jon Oscar and Bailey but very sorry we missed Lisa on this visit. The fishing was a challenge but turned out to be exceptional right at the death with Emma turning up on Friday afternoon as my new PB to add to another lovely 50lb mirror and a couple of stockies. Already looking forward to September, many thanks.

 

Simon and Christina - May 2018 Our 3rd year to Les Croix, as always Jon, Lisa, Oscar and Bailey gave us a great welcome, the gite again was fantastic, the treat of the welcome hamper a nice touch. Christina had  the bonus of a personal trainer thrown in as Lisa put her through early morning jogging sessions which she really enjoyed. Now, the fishing......what looked like being a promising week, warm settled weather, I was hoping this would get the carp moving about. Unfortunately they started spawning, second earliest time ever here, anyway I stuck with it and on Wednesday morning with cloudier skies I had two in two hours, First Pawprint  ar 50.08lbs followed by a very pretty scaled stockie at 14.11lbs (doesn’t matter how big when they look like that). As I write this they are still spawning, Bailey has had more luck finding and eating the pellets than the Carp!! Ha Ha. Still a very relaxing, lovely week. Thanks Jon and Lisa.

 

Darren and Michael - May 2018 Mine and Dads first visit to Les Criox, Jon and Lisa were excellent hosts and the gite was amazing, very comfortable and everything you could want for a nice relaxing break away. The welcome hamper was unexpected and appreciated- thank you.

Now for the fishing, I wasn’t expecting too much as they were spawning the week before and some were still at it on arrival. However, with the change of weather Sunday bringing in cold winds and rain this soon put a stop to that. With Sunday bringing three fish to the bank, two commons at 24.16 & 31.12lb then Dad landed a chunk of a mirror at 58.12lb beating his PB by 22lb so he was chuffed. Unfortunately for him he only managed one more during the week on Wednesday 21.12lb mirror. As for me I had a bit more action with another seven fish during the week 3 x 40’s (46.04, 42.00, 46.08lb) 1 x 50 (51.08lb) 1 x 30 (31.08lb) and two at 10.14lb and 14.16lb. So in all 11 carp and 2 Pike.  Excellent time had and a great venue. Hope to return in the future

 

 

Jim and Gill – July 2018 We both had a wonderful time and enjoyed the hospitality and the clean and very comfortable accommodation. The weather was so hot that it made the fishing very tough so the catch total wasn’t good but we didn’t let that spoil what turned out to be a very relaxing week. Jon is very helpful and informative with regard to methods and rigs for fishing. Lisa was also pleasant and I enjoyed the morning dog walks. She was also so kind washing loads which were appreciated. A very enjoyable stay in spacious and well maintained surroundings. The lake is tranquil and beautiful.

 

Stuart, Claire, Emily and Jack  - August 2018 This was our first visit to Les Croix and upon arrival we received a very warm welcome from Lisa, Jon Oscar and Bailey. The gite was very well equipped, clean and comfortable. The pool area was heaven! A lovely warm pool due to the solar heating and very private. The lake is absolutely beautiful with the surroundings having an abundance of flora and fauna. After reading the weekly blog for months on end, Stuart was looking forward to potentially having a monster. Unfortunately due to the very high temperatures and constant sunshine there was no fish  to be had except a 4lb 14oz mirror during week 1. Luckily we had a second week and a second chance and with a change in the weather mid week this also made a change to the fishing. Over the fortnight we ended up with 3 x 40lb+, 7 x 30lb+, 1 x 20lb+, 1 x 4lb 14oz. Over the moon! Apart from the stamp of fish you can potentially catch they are a joy to behold due to how immaculate they are, this is testament to Jon’s obvious care knowledge and rules in place. Excellent hosts who are always there if needed. With Jon being great at keeping broken spirits up! Booked again for October 2020, can’t wait and already strategising. Keep up the good work !

 

Ben, Caroline, Beau and Sam (the dog) - September 2018 Perfect family and big fish holiday venue. This was my first family/fishing holiday with our 2 year old son. Normally it is just me and Sam (the dog) fishing large French public waters. Les Croix was the perfect week for our family. The gite had everything and more for our needs, we loved eating out on the terrace every evening while Sam was running around. We could not fault the gite one bit. This was not just a fishing holiday every day we explored the area with the good advice from Jon and Lisa. We recommend Confolens and the beautiful Lac de St.Pardoux. On to the fishing and what an experience that was. Only 40 hours fished in total for 10 fish;

9lb 5oz, 58lb 5oz (Slate), 38lb 7oz, 61lb 14oz (Emma), 6lb 14oz, 36lb 4oz(Domino), 39lb 5oz, 41lb 15oz (Stumpy), 37lb (Friendly Mirror), 9lb 1oz. Thanks again Jon, Lisa Oscar and Bailey, we will see you in 2019.

 

John and Pete - September 2018 John has visited Les Croix several times and has enthused about the place – both the gite and the fishing – well mostly the fishing. I was easily persuaded to come along and have been delighted to have had all his stories confirmed.

The location is splendid, the gite wonderfully compact, clean and well appointed – brilliant books and DVD’s – none of which  we made use of. The pride of the place of course does go to the fishery and we have had a spectacular week.    Jon and Lisa have been great hosts with tips and general advice that have borne fruit. The fish were in very good mood and 17 of them gave themselves up to us. We had a 60lb (Emma) 2 x 50lbs, 3 x 40lbs, 6 x 30lbs, 2 x 20lbs, 3 x <10lbs and a range in the appearance and type of the fish. All in all a brilliant trip in a magnificent setting. Thanks !

 

Ken and Rachel - September 2018 Another great week (our 17th at the venue !) spent at this fabulous place. For the time of year the weather was very hot which made the pool a godsend. Great for Rachel but not for me and my fishing. Despite a slow week with very few fish shows and scarce signs of the many large and beautiful carp that we know reside at this great venue, I managed to catch two of my favourite fish. One being the very greedy Emma weighing 62lb and to my joy in the last 30 minutes of my fishing I caught the beautiful Rachel at 30lb a fish I have been wanting to catch since I very first caught her and named in September 2012 when she was 14lb 9oz. Everything as usual was just perfect and we both look forward to our return next year.

 

Jim and Helen - October 2018 Another fantastic holiday at our favourite place in France. If we could afford to be here once a month we would. Nice to see Jon, Lisa, Oscar and Bailey and again relished the peace and tranquillity that Les Croix affords. Hope everyone else that visits truly appreciates what Jon has created at Les Croix, which makes the whole experience so much more than just catching carp. It is so refreshing to have Jon’s encyclopaedic knowledge of fishing and the inhabitants of the lake, which makes every capture an event to be savoured. Will be counting the days away until next May.

 

Martin and Sam - October 2018 This is my first visit, my son Sam spent a week here in 2015 and just loved it. We decided two years ago to come together and I have to say we have no regrets. The gite and location are great and the food package good value. The fishing – Sam landed 10 carp ranging from 10 to 57lb and I landed 3 carp ranging from 19 to 55lb. A great week and a good experience thanks to Jon. We would recommend this venue to anyone who is interested in serious fishing and a great location. It was nice to meet Lisa at the end of our trip. Look forward to another trip in the future.

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