Geoffray Begard is a French Moniteur Guide de Pêche (carnivorous lures and streamers and salmonids lures and flies) to whom we have already devoted articles on the site ( Guide's words and Fish & Curious ) and who, after developing guiding services in Ireland and Patagonia, has decided to develop his business further in France, and more particularly in Auvergne, the region where he and his family have made their home for several years now. Eager to introduce people to his new services, and in particular to the Drift Boat trip down the Allier, which we'll be talking about in an article to follow, I didn't hesitate for long when Geoffray asked me to act as a tester! So off we went, my father and I, to the Auvergne for 3 days of fishing.
Day 1, Etang de la Ramade
For this first day of guiding, given the recent rainfall in the region, we're going to give the Allier time to regain its Drift Boat-friendly profile, and take the opportunity to discover the Ramade, a body of water that's been in the news lately, particularly since two Moniteurs Guides de Pêche, Dominique Battistonni and Benoît Pireyre, took over its management.
Situated in the heart of the Combrailles region, this 400-year-old lake was originally built by monks to raise carp. For the past 20 years, it has been dedicated to carp fishing, for which it is renowned, with European competitions being held here. Like most production ponds, La Ramade is a very rich body of water with a high available biomass. Characterized by fairly turbid water, the lake is also shallow (1.20 m on average) and the bottom topography is uniform, making it technically very affordable for both lure and streamer fishing, the two carnivorous services offered by Geoffray Begard on this lake.
In terms of carnivorous fish, the Ramade boasts a very interesting pike population, with a good proportion of pretty fish averaging around 75 cm, with a current record in excess of 120 cm (held by a carp angler on a meaty pop-up). Fish of 90 cm and over are very common. A fish population monitoring program with tagging has been set up in partnership with the only two Moniteurs Guides de Pêche authorized to guide on the plan, including Geoffray.
Unseasonable conditions!
By the time we reach the site, the rain and wind have set in and will not make the day any easier. Julien, the other Fishing Guide Instructor on the pond, is also guiding. We spend the morning methodically combing a good part of the lake, alternating between shore and open water, shallow and deeper areas at the dike. At midday, we counted just one fish. A meagre result considering the potential of the area. Such is fishing.
After a dry picnic in the premises kindly provided by Dominique and Benoît, we were back on the water. The afternoon was just like the morning, very pleasant despite the vagaries of the weather, but complicated from a fishing point of view. All the technical approaches were used, as well as all the lures selected for the occasion, from hard to soft swimbaits, from shads to spinnerbaits, including jerk minnows and streamers! But to be successful today, you obviously had to be in the right place.
It was in the last 30 minutes of the day, in the last area to be prospected, that everything accelerated. A big fish followed, then a second, an attack, then a second, both ending in stalls! When the going gets tough, the tough get going! We learned that the anglers on the other boat were more successful, catching a total of 7 fish, including 4 between 80 and 1 m, and that they did most of their fishing on this famous last spot. While the shallow depths and uniform bottom topography of some of the ponds make them technically affordable, this also makes the fish very mobile. We missed a nice gathering of fish which, in addition to having produced a nice result on the other boat, brought guiding boxes to Geoffray's boat after we'd passed!
Be that as it may, this first session on site is far from reflecting the site's potential, which is the combined result of the richness of the biotope and the exemplary management policy put in place by Dominique and Benoît. Without exaggerating too much, and even though we saw several but exceptionally didn't touch any, catching a fish of 90 per outing is "almost" guaranteed...
Practical info
Geoffray Begard
info@fishing-in-france.pro
0671781209
Lacustra âeuros Etang de La Ramade
www.camping-restaurant-lacustra.fr
0981013302
