THE SUMMER

Ah, the Summer time, the hot bit!

Although most of us look forward to this time of year, hot weather and bbq's and all that, it can also be amongst the most testing of conditions at times....

It can become very hot in the Dijon area from mid to late June and running through July and August. Big storms can build up and unload torrential rain with very strong winds, causing all sorts of chaos for un prepared anglers!

The bug life is working overtime too! the Mosquito's will happily drain you of blood if you let them, so it's wise to bring some extra defenses with you if you plan to visit the lake at this time, just in case.

The lake itself is brimming with life, both above and beneath the waters surface, with an abundance of natural foods available to the carp.The water levels are down at their lowest now generaly, and the water temperature can increase rapidly, and remain high for long periods.

Oxygen levels in the lake will reduce the hotter the water gets, and although they are unlikely, due to the size and nature of the lake, to ever become critical, the high temperatures may cause reduced feeding activity periods on the baited areas for certain times of the day.

THE ANGLING

As mentioned above, the effect of very high water temperatures can easily find the carp outside of their comfort zone for certain parts of the day, and affect their behavior in different ways...

Summer time usually the fish are more lethargic during the daytime hours, with the exceptions of may bee the early morning, and late evening times. They are capable of spending hours and hours sitting under a bush, and doing it would seem, absolutely nothing!

But, they can still be caught....

Stalking your fish is an excellent way to spend your time in between feeding spells on your baited areas...

The carp at the lake are regular visitors to the margins once the water is warm enough. Your going to need to creep up on them though! as they become very aware of what's going on around them, and one step out of place will see you moving on to a new spot for another try.

Although the naturals are abundant during this period and may have an effect on the carp's feeding behavior, the fish will feed on baited areas, but only when they choose too. You may find that your getting shorter, but much more predictable feeding times, compared to the rest of the season.

FACT

Although reduced activity is usually expected with high water temperatures, it's not always the case...

The 2006 season saw several "new faces" caught amongst the carp of the lake. By this I refer to the young fish, that have hatched and grown since our arrival at the lakes, that are clearly coming through now, and becoming big enough and bold enough,to be contenders for the food themselves.

The lake fished very well during the summer of 2006, which I'm sure is a result of the extra competition from these younger fish, for the available food. Weekly average catches were up from the 2 previous seasons, and they included a fair few appearances from the larger residents too!

Update: 2007 season was very consistant too throughout the Summer. The removal of the Bream has seemed to also add to the results, and has definatley added to general weight gaines on the Carp.

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