To all who graced our banks in the 2008 season we wish you a warm welcome & all the best for Christmas & New Year. This is the final update for this season and we have got bundles of news to tell you about the later part of the year plus what's new and how the fish are coming on!!! But first of all, as a lot of you know, Jayne and I have been waiting for our new arrival and a first for us in the shape of a new PB for my wife!!! Our Gorgeous Baby Boy, Gabriel Rhys arrived on the 4th November. He was banked off the double peg at a whopping 8lb 3oz. I told Jayne that a water birth would be an easier method as long as she didn't wade out too far into the deep water!!! Joking aside he is a little cracker!, in good health and handsome like his Dad, both Mum and Baby are doing well. I already have his rods on order and he will be casting over 100 yards before he is out of nappies! The fish are now resting after the busy summer and will not see a hook or line for the next 5 months. This rest is vital for the health of the fish and with mild wet weather that has moved in, they are bubbling all over the lake. Due to us not draining down this winter I can't weigh each fish to record the average weight, but I totalled the full years catch (number of fish divided by weight) which was a job in itself and the average weight is 33lb 9oz. For an average this is superb and with the number of 40lb+ showing towards the back end of the year I think that 2009 will be a big turning point for us with big fish coming out on a weekly basis. There is a small group of fish that have been named the "Jackson 5" that have for the second season running, gained double figure growth rates, which is outstanding. The "Big Leather" is now fast approaching the 50lb mark, along with "Nemo", a mid 40lb, a half linnear Mid 40lb and "The Keg" will be the first 50lb Common. The stock which I have been raising in other ponds will be transfered onto site next year, so I will take some photos of the young stock that are coming through and post them on the site to "blow your socks off". One area we have talked about in length is the price for a weeks fishing. Value for money means everything to me being a tight arsed northerner and a working class family man. With the credit crunch hitting everyone hard at the moment we think it's only fair that we all have to ride the storm and not pass the exchange rate loss or inflation costs onto the customer. We will not be increasing our prices for 2009 and our price has remained the same since we opened our fishery, despite the improvements of the facilities. The maximum number of anglers has now after much debate been reduced from 5 to 4, the price still remains the same for a lake booking (£1000) and £250 per angler, the 5th angler was free for the past 2 seasons. Long term this will benefit both the fish and the customer, also the whole ambience of the fishery will also benefit. We think that for what we offer here at The Sanctuary Fishery for £35 per 24 hours fishing, it takes some beating. I can't think of any waters in the UK for this price, that offer a Full English baguette, max of 4 anglers on 7 acres of water, hot shower and toilet facilities 24/7, free shopping service, unsurpassed surroundings and average fish weight 30lb+ with fish to 51lb, I think that's value for money. The only other way some fisheries can justify £350+ per week is to throw in an evening meal into the equation (need I say any more!!!). We are in the process of building a kitchen area down at the lake, that will be ready for the 2009 season opening. There will be a Sink, Cooker, Table & Chairs, Fridge Freezer & Electricity points. This will allow you to sit down with your mates and have a beer with your meal if the weather isn't playing ball!!! You will be able to freeze all your bait down at the lake, also it's somewhere you can dry your clothes if the weather is bad. There will be all the cooking utensils, plates and cutlery, so no need to bring your own. We are bringing a new rule into place for 2009 which will control the amount of bait going into the lake. There will be a max limit of 20kg pellet/Boilie per angler for the week plus 5kg of particles. We are are not saying NO to particles, but it is amazing how many anglers bring buckets of hemp/maize/fine seed mix to France and not use it by the end of the week. Any bait that is left over please do not throw into the margins, just inform me and I will get rid of it. There has been many cases where rotten particles have come floating to the surface uneaten, and the fish are avoiding large beds of particles. 2008 has been a repeat of 2007 with the best hits coming to boilies and pellet introduced on a little and often basis. This method has also has also produced the bigger fish as well. A strange phenomenon that has been occuring on a weekly basis is anglers getting takes then picking up the rod up only to get a hook pull after a few thumps on the rod tip. I have been racking my brain and can only think it's the natural learning curve of the fish picking up the hookbait and learning how to eject the hook. Fishing hooklinks around 12 inches long and hook sizes in 4-6 have helped to eliminate the problem. These fish have such a big frame and mouth so it's all relative when a size 4 looks like a match hook inside a mouth you can put your fist in!!! Last but not least an update from "The Poynton lads" who came in August to the last group that came over in in the end of October. August produced some of the best hits of the season, when you would least expect it!! and the back end of the season was very disappointing with an unbelievable amount of fish crashing and bubbling all over the lake but avoiding the hookbaits. Some of the lads could not comprehend the amount of fish launching themselves out of the water in the early hours but no takes forthcoming. I don't think we were alone, with this strange behaviour happening on many lakes throughout France. I think sometimes the moon has a bigger effect on the fish's behaviour more than we realise, but I guess this keeps us all guessing and confirms we never "win the game"!!! To watch the fish coming clean out of the water down in the shallows on a full moon shining like a torch light over a glass covered surface made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up!!! The Poynton Lads did have the best hit of the year with a total of 56 fish, with the best being an awesome mirror of 49lb 8oz. Between the 4 of them they landed 5 x 40lb+ fish and 22 x 30lb+ fish with half of them being mid 30lb+. 10 of the remaining 20lb+ fish were also 28lb+ Well Done Lads!!! August 9th saw Mike and his partner arrive, they booked the lake exclusively and were looking forward to a week alone and enjoying a peaceful break. Mikes approach was one of stealth and he fished peg 4 in the middle of the lake, building the swim over the course of the week. It was a great bit of angling and I'm sure the fish didn't even know he was there. Mike totalled 29 fish, the best being a PB of 42lb 8oz. 20 of the fish he banked were 30lb+ with 10 of them over 35lb+. The other 8 x 20lb+ fish totalled the catch with 6 being upper 20's. This is a great example of what the lake can produce if tackled right!!! By the end of the week Helen was begging for a good nights sleep and hoping for no more fish, but Mike just kept them coming and they both looked like they had spent a weeks holiday partying!!! A lovely couple we look forward to seeing next season. The 3rd week of August arrived with a new group of southern lads who brought the most rotten particles with them I have ever seen!!! and by the end of the week took what they didn't use back home for another session!!! I could not help but laugh when even the dog didn't attempt to eat the bait!! They totalled only 12 fish, best was a mirror of 41lb 10oz and a 39lb 15oz leather along with 7 other 30lb+ fish. The last week of August arrived with the "Bovril Brothers" with 2 of their mates. This was their first trip to France and they were like kids in a sweet shop!!! The first fish out was the best of the week at 41lb 8oz. They finished with 16 fish, 5 x 30lb+ and one of the highlights was the "Bovril Brothers" banking a mid 30lb+ fish each at the same time, which made a great photo. Well Done Lads for achieving your goals of catching a 30lb+ fish. The first week of September saw a new group arrive to battle their wits against the carp. Father and Son (Tony & Adam) worked as a team while the other two of the group spread over the lake. The weather was very mixed that week with very heavy rain and cold winds, making it a mixed week. This was the first week when the fish started to show a lot through the night, with lots of bubbling through the day. They totalled 18 fish, with the best being 40lb on the nose. They also landed 7 x 30lb+ fish, but the smaller fish were on the feed with a lot of the good upper 30lb fish not making an appearance. The second week of September arrived with good friends Wayne & his son Andy, with Rob and a new angler to the group Mike. Rob seems to land the 40lb+ fish each season, but this time Wayne and young Andy had a score to settle. They landed 21 fish, with Wayne and Andy both breaking their PB's with fish of 43lb 4oz each. Wayne landed another fish of 41lb 3oz and Rob "only" managed a best of 39lb!!. 14 other fish were 30lb+ with 8 being 35lb+ and 3 x 29lb+. A good week for some of the better fish and well done to young Andy for working hard and smashing his PB with his first 40lb+ fish. The third week of September saw the "Main Man" from Trakker products arrived with his fishing mate Alastair. They booked the lake to themselves and wanted a week of peace and quiet after having such a busy year with the business. They were both in awe of the lake and said it truly lived up to its name. Alan has taken some first class professional photos of the lake which we will download onto the website when we get our hands on them. They totalled 12 fish, the best being a perfectly proportioned fish of 49lb 12oz. The fish was weighed on two sets of scales, but was just short of the mind blowing 50lb mark! Alan also had another fish of 41lb and they also landed 5 fish of 30lb+ and 2 x 29lb+. Keep you eye on the Trakker website for a little update on their session at The Sanctuary Fishery. The fish by this stage were well into their feeding mode for the winter, crashing out all through the night and getting well on the natural food. The fourth week of September arrived with a new group with Melvin and his wife dropping in the double swim and father and son (Keith & Kevin) dropping in pegs 1 & 3, and Darren tried his luck down in peg 5. This was a very split week with the fish now starting to group up and feed in tight areas. The lads were winding Keith up because he draws the short straw each year and blanks most of the time, but luck was about to change, he had the best fish of the week and a new PB just 2 days into the session at 42lb 6oz. They also landed another fish of 40lb 10oz and totalled 14 fish between them, 7 x 30lb+ fish and the rest 20lb+ made the rest of the catch up. This was a frustrating week to see the fish showing and bubbling so much, but never getting on the bait hard. Keiths son Kevin worked very hard in peg 1 for 5 fish, even though they were holding up in the middle of the lake., but he did display some of the best angling I have seen this season, a first class angler. The last week of September, first week of October was another frustrating week with more fish lost than landed. Billy Richards group are lads from up North, so we had a good chat about waters we had both fished in the past. They only landed 10 fish, but the best was a cracker of 46lb 6oz, along with 7 x 30lb+, most mid 30lb+ making the bulk of the catch. The first week of October was a hard one, Neils group had to work so hard to try and put fish on the bank, but they were not playing ball. I put in so much effort myself to try and help young Johnny put a fish on the bank, but they would not pick up the bait. It wasn't as if you didn't see the fish, they were crashing all over the place, despite that they only managed 8 fish, half of which were 30lb+. this was not down to their angling abilities, young Johnny has the makings of a very good carp angler, the fish were just more interested in the naturals. We closed the doors for the mid two weeks of October expecting the new arrival to appear, but he didn't play ball either, so we had the last group arrive in the final week of October. The weather could not have been worse, with freezing winds, hail, snow and heavy frosts. The group managed a fish of 44lb 4oz when they first arrived, followed by another fish of 35lb mid week, but by then the weather was so bad that they threw the towel in and made their way home. It was a shame to finish the season on such a note after being a great year all round, but hey if I could control the fish or the weather I would be a richer man!!! Now the season has come to an end it gives me time to reflect on the year and focus on what lies ahead for 2009. I have just taken the dog for a walk around the lakes and the winter fog is rolling down the valley and covering the lakes for their winter sleep. The Cranes are on migration passing over in huge V formation from Scandinavia to rest in Portugal for winter and their fluid goose like call echos over the house. The Wild Boar are also on the move, with tracks along the stream, where they go in search of food through the cold frosty nights, and a Tawny Owl glided so close over my head he could have knocked my tweed cap off!!! This reminds me of the joy being out fishing.

Take care and we will see you all next season

Happy Days

The Sanctuary Fishery Clan

Update October 2007

Our first season is coming to a close and it's given us chance to inform you of the progress this year. We have started to update the gallery page with new pictures and remove old mug shots of myself. We will use this update page to inform you of any changes here at The Sanctuary, great catches, lake records or any other interesting news. This season has been busier than expected with most customers catching new pb's and having a superb holiday. We do not make claims to have the largest fish in France or ridiculous amounts of fish being caught every week but if you are prepared to work hard and think about your fishing you could well have a session of a lifetime, but one thing we can guarantee is The Sanctuary will live up to it's name and the fish are there to be caught. We are still sticking to our pledge to provide an honest service with no false advertising, customer service that is hard to find these days and to maintain a true passion for the sport. This season has seen some memorable catches with numerous anglers catching a dozen 30lb+ fish over the week. The lake record common came out in late April at 44lb 6oz which was the first time this fish had ever been caught and has not been banked since. Also the lake record Mirror has avoided capture after being banked at 50lb 7oz in April, there are still fish that have yet to be caught this season which is really exciting for 2008. The unique 'Black and White' fish has just been banked at 32lb 10oz which you can see from the first photo in the Gallery, she looks stunning! This fish is one of many that keep growing and we have recorded weight gains of 11lb+ for some fish in a season which is staggering. So where is The Sanctuary Fishery heading? and what are our future plans? The opening of the 15 acre lake has been put back to around 2010, we expect there to be over 200+ fish in the 30lb+ bracket with some beautiful heavily scaled lumps to boot!! This lake is being drained for the time in the last 10 years this winter, which we hope will reveal some stunning originals like the fish on the homepage. We will be keeping the anglers to a minimum with a maximum of 6 anglers. We have a breeding program in place using some of the original true fully scaled and heavily scaled mirrors which we hope will cement our future with some unique stunning carp. If you are looking to escape the maddening crowds, fish a lake in unspoilt tranquil surrounding with minimum angling pressure and don't want another hole in the ground venue, with loud and rowdy anglers we maybe what you are looking for. Please feel free to ask any questions via the contact us page and we will be happy to help.

Happy days ahead

The Sanctuary Fishery Team

Adam & Jayne

Update February 2008

A warm welcome to you all & a Happy New Year. I have managed to pry myself out of my waders and get chance to put pen to paper, I have spent so much time in the water this winter I think I have grown gills. The 15 Acre lake has now been drained and filling up as I type this. I think the scale of the job was completely underestimated by myself and we have learnt so much from this drain down, because the lake has not been drained for 10 years there was a heavy clay sediment build-up near the culvit end which prevented us from removing all the water. All the fish held-up out in an area near the centre of the lake near the 'old tree line' in about 2ft of water. Now 2ft of water sounds like nothing but you would be amazed how big fish can hide in the smallest puddles of water, and they just dig down in the lake bed and can be missed so easily!!! The sheer number of fish that were out there is hard to comprehend unless you can see it with your own eyes, I could not even walk out into the 2ft of water without falling over & when your neoprene waders get full of water, I was wallowing around like an elephant seal in distress!!!! Over 7000lb in weight of carp alone were placed in holding tanks and pools while we removed half tonne of tench, but there was still dozens & dozens of carp left but the task was too great. The weather had been kind up until this point but it changed very quickly and it was time to make the decision to call it a day. With temperatures dropping to -5 it was time to start refilling the lake & return the carp back to their home asap. The fish stocks added in early 2006 had on average gained 10lb+ and had all reached the 21lb-23lb bracket, these fish are all young (5 seasons old), so they will be over the 30lb bracket in the next couple of seasons. Over 50+ original fish were caught with the biggest unknown being 44lb 12oz, these fish are all heavily scaled specimens, with some lovely "fullys" to boot!!. Two dozens old warriors were removed that had seen better days, and a handful of the originals were placed in the 7 Acre lake, the rest of the stock was returned to the 15 Acre lake. Also some Zander up to 10lb+, Black Bass up to 4lb 8oz, Perch up to 3lb 2oz were all returned along with a handful of Tench over 7lb+. The wheels are now in motion with a clearer picture of what the 15 Acre lake now holds, and we can start to look at forming a plan to shape this lake for opening in the future. This is a long term plan and will not be rushed just to make a quick buck!. We are going to turn this lake into the jewel in our crown for the Sanctuary Fishery. So it's bye for now, with new pictures and newsletters to follow soon.

Happy days ahead

The Sanctuary Fishery Team

Adam & Jayne

Update June 2008

We are now into our 10th week of the new season and I have managed to put pen to paper and update the site with some new pictures and give you a quick update on how the season is progressing. The first week of the season started with a "bang" when Simon and Dave bagged 25 fish for the week despite the freezing temperatures, and Simon who had set his target for a 30lb fish also broke the lake record with a mirror of 51lb 7oz. The second week was even colder with temperatures down to -2 degrees but the fish were starting to wake up even though the rods were freezing to the buzzers!! This didn't stop the lads from 'Fatbaits' catching, and by the end of the week they totalled 44 fish, with some lovely fish gracing the banks. Neil the owner of Fatbaits had one of the original Scaley fish and his mate Chopper managed to bank the Black & White fish at the end of the week, but the highlight was Dan in Peg 1 with a total of 27 fish (13 x 30lb+, 2 x 40lb+), best being a 47lb 12oz Mirror followd by a 40lb 12oz Mirror, 39lb 8oz Common and a 39lb 8oz Leather. He managed 5 x 30lb+ fish in under 24hours back to back which gives you a insight into what the lake can produce if you hit it right. Each week has continued to produce 40lb+ fish apart from the last 2 weeks, which have done spawned out fish of 39lb 8oz and 38lb 2oz Common. Spawning started week commencing May 3rd, which continued for 4 days and the fish are now feeding well and gaining weight. The Lake has produced 99 fish over 30lb+ since opening this year, so it looks set to be a great season ahead. The weed has come up again this season despite all the work we carried out over the winter! but we are working hard to remove it on a weekly basis, for all the customers that have booked this season, please take this into account before your trip (ie small "break away" leads, & 15lb main line with size 6 hooks will all help). other highlights this season have been one of the lads from the 'Spencer Crew' had his first 40lb+ fish in over 10 years of Carping in France, so well done to him. Also Dean, Dan & Mark (who have become good friends) had fish up 41lb 8oz & they all broke their PB's. Dean is still hot on the heals of the Website Homepage "Scaley Original" which came out for the first time 2 weeks ago to Steve Alan at 31lb+. Here at The Sanctuary Fishery we are proud of the progress since opening in 2007, and we will carry on striving for our dreams to produce a fishery with a unique experience all of its own! For all you nature lovers out here the Osprey has been back hunting the 15 acre lake and we are sure it is nesting in the vicinity, along with the Black Kites, which are now raising their clutch along side the lake. For the season of 2009 we will be reducing the maximum number of anglers from 5 down to 4, the price will not change (the price for 1 angler will remain at £249, and £1000 for a lake booking). We have worked out that 95% of our customers are groups of 3 or 4 anglers, with only 5% taking up the offer of the 5th angler coming for free. Over the long term this decision will reduce the pressure on the fish and provide more room for you to enjoy the venue, while most venues are increasing the number of anglers we are reducing them to show our commitment to the business and the welfare of the fish. We will keep you updated with anything special and any new developments, in the mean time enjoy your fishing and we hope to see you soon.

Happy days ahead

The Sanctuary Fishery Team

Adam & Jayne

Update August 2008

At last it's time for another update!!! We are now well into the season & past the halfway mark so we thought it would be time to tell you all how the season is getting on and how the fishery is progressing. This season has fished consistently well with a perfect mixture of lovely fresh winds & warm sunshine, keeping the oxygen levels & water temperature up, "perfect for growing those fish!!". Over the course of the season we have only had two quiet weeks, one during spawning & the other a couple of weeks after, but I guess that's to be expected. Andy Sargents group did manage 20 fish, the best being a 43lb Mirror, but the fish were grouped up in tight areas making the fishing patchy. Four of the other fish they caught were over 35lb+, so the average weight was not bad!! The other quiet week was a case of the fish had already "fed themselves up" after spawning & the fish just laid up in the weed resting. The highlight of the week was Lyndon landing a Mirror of 47lb+ and 2 PB's were broken that week. For the rest of the season great catches have been made to the anglers who have worked the hardest, and a dozen plus 30lb+ fish per week has been common place and most weeks, fish over 40lb have been gracing the bank. The middle of May saw "The Manchester Guys" (John, Chris & Terry) land 32 fish with 16 x 30lb+, the best being a 47lb Mirror & 2 PB's broken. The last week in May fished well with "The Liverpool Group" (Warren Lee & Jason) all smash their PB's, and landing the same amount of fish and the same amount of 30lb+ fish as "The Manchester Group". The highlight was Warrens 38lb 2oz Common which was scale perfect!!!. The first week of June was another good week with group of anglers quite new to the sport landing 39 fish, 19 x 30lb+ fish & the best fish of the week was 36lb 10oz, Jamie, Shane, Andy & Mark all caught fish over the 30lb barrier, which was a great result along with 3 new PB's. A group from "Up North" again close to my home town arrived mid June & the pressure was on as these guys had waited 14 months to fish the lake!! The group had a great week with 27 fish landed, 14 over 30lb, best fish was 40lb 12oz. All the group had fish over 30lb & all broke their PB's. Phil down in Peg 1 managed 8 fish with 7 over 30lb, the best being 38lb 12oz. The 2nd week in July saw a new group of Manchester lads who also live close to my old house arrive for the week, after spending over 3 weeks fishing different parts of France. These guys take a month out each year fishing Europe. The weather was hot to say the least which slowed things down a bit, but the 2 of them set about using a Robin Red ground bait mix to encourage the fish to "rip the bottom up" & tear the weed apart. This method seemed to work well towards the back end of the week & this saw the turning point, (combined with the weather) reduced the weed dramatically. Liams group went on to land only 11 fish with 5 x 30lb+ & both taking a mid 30lb each. The following week saw a new group of anglers with over 10 years carping experience in France land 23 fish, 14 over 30lb+, best fish 43lb Mirror, 39lb 4oz Common & 2 other 39lb+ fish, and a 38lb 8oz Mirror. 3 out of the group of 5 had a new PB within the week & the other 2 guys both had upper 30lb fish. What a result to break 3 PB's in one week Happy Days!!! The 3rd week of July and a mixed group arrived with 3 anglers returning for their second year and 2 new arrivals. 42 fish were landed that week with "The Old Codgers" landing a Mirror of 50lb 2oz on the first evening within a few hours of arriving!. I had the pleasure of photographing & weighing the fish, and with a new PB combined it made for a very memorable moment!! 19 fish over the 30lb+ were landed by the group, with also 1 x 40lb+ fish & a 39lb+. New PB's for the whole group and 4 out of 5 landing upper 30lb fish. This was a great result considering the time of year and the hot weather. Our returning customers of the week (Paul, Dan & John) all broke their PB's which was great because they had an old score to settle with the lakes residents! The last week in July was another great week with one of the highly prized residents gracing the bank. Phil, Steve, Kevin & Gary landed 28 fish & 4 out of the group all had new PB's. 13 of the fish were over 30lb+ with 1 at 41lb 12oz. The highlight was for the group organiser Phil who had a session of a lifetime. He had a Mirror of 49lb 12oz followed by a Leather of 41lb 2oz & a Mirror of 39lb 12oz. He landed another 5 fish over 35lb+ & the beautiful Black & White fish at a top weight of 35lb, "Lucky G*t". Great angling & well done Phil. This takes us up to our present week (2nd August) with the new group of 4 anglers ( The Poynton Lads) getting off to a flying start with 40 fish landed in the first 4 nights! This group could be on for the "hit of the year" so far at the rate they are going with the best fish at 49lb 8oz Mirror, with 2 other 40lb+ fish, 13 x 30lb+ fish with no fewer than 6 fish over 35lb and 2 mid 30lb commons Great Result!! As can be seen from the updates The Sanctuary Fishery is more suited to the kind of passionate angler looking for an exclusive lake with minimum anglers and producing average weights over 30lb+ & plenty of mid 30lb+ fish coming through. We are not trying to achieve a "Stock Pond" scenario which is similar to "Hook a Duck" at the fairground , but more of the real achievement factor involved in your fishing with a balanced stocking ratio, where the fish are not solely reliant on a pellet diet & all natural food stocks have been exhausted. The fish are still growning at a truly staggering rate due to the conditions I mentioned above & richness of the waters. There also seems to be a unique micro climate that exists down in the valley keeping the water temperature high. The weed is dying back due to the fish activity but we are still advising all anglers to take the weed into consideration & no leaders of any kind to be used. So we will keep up the hard work & let you all know towards the end of the season the average weight for the lake. Last season we were running at 31lb 6oz average so we shall see.

Happy days ahead

The Sanctuary Fishery Team

Adam & Jayne

Tel: 00 33 248 749016	Please click here to send us an email info@thesanctuaryfishery.co.uk