Hi Mike,
That is quite a story. I happened to be in Eindhoven last tuesday. I can
imagine you want to escape from that place now and then ;-)
How about a trip to Lake O in the first week of May?
Paul
Normally a fishing report deals with fishing. Accommodations are a
sideline
as long as they are clean and functional. Good food is an added benefit,
but not necessary, as long as it is filling. However, if you are going to
fish in France, you may as well enjoy the added benefits. After all, there
is a good chance your significant other is going to be along as well.
Finding a place to meet everyone's needs comfortably is important in
situations like this. On a recent trip to France, I found such a location.
Setting the stage, the first couple of months of 2004 were not stellar. As
an American expat living in The Netherlands, I found the Dutch winter grey
and damp with short days (not much different than Seattle). To top it off,
I was looking forward to the prospect of spending a week on my own as my
daughter (I'm a house dad) was going to a school ski camp and my wife was
in
the States on a business trip. Normally, this would have been a great
excuse to take a trip somewhere warm and sunny. However, health wise I
wasn't feeling the best. Most important, I needed to be in the region in
case something happened as far as my daughter was concerned. The prospects
were a little bleak.
A couple of weeks before, I had attended a fly-fishing show in Charleroi,
Belgium. While taking in the show, I visited a booth showing pictures of
various species of mammoth trout. The photographs also showed the fishery
to be an inviting bed and breakfast. Not thinking any further about it at
the time, I stuffed a brochure into my goody bag, and proceeded to the next
booth.
So, considering my options, I decided to give Le Moulin de Gemages a try.
I
called and set up a reservation for two nights lodging and a day of
fishing.
After all, it met the needs of getting away from Eindhoven: it wasn't
difficult to get to, it still kept me accessible, and who knows, I might
catch some large fish.
Le Moulin de Gemages is located an hour and a half west of Paris via the
motorway. After exiting the motorway, it is an additional 20 km drive on
country roads. It is located in the Perche region of Basse (Lower)
Normandie.
On arriving, I met the owners, Nicolas and Anna Iannaccone. They showed me
my room and asked if I wished to have dinner with them on or my own. I told
them I'd by happy to join them for dinner was told to be at the main house
at 8:00. After unpacking, I took a quick tour the grounds and so started
an
excellent fishing adventure.
When Anna and Nicholas purchased the Moulin, the main building had been
gutted by fire and the rest of the place was in a state of disuse. The
main
building also houses the old water mill on the ground floor. They rebuilt
the main building and renovated the attached cottage, barn and workshop
The grand room, on the first floor above the mill now acts as the dining
room and kitchen. The barn houses the guest rooms upstairs and small
conference center downstairs. The mill's old work shop was renovated into
a
fly shop, bar and lunch room all in one.
Four rooms are situated on the second floor of what was the old stone barn.
The rooms are very comfortable and clean, and tastefully decorated. On my
rounds of Europe, my wife and I have had a few surprises concerning local
accommodations, not always positive. These rooms compare very favorably
with anything that you may find recommended in one of Karen Brown's guides.
My room cost �40 including breakfast, single occupancy. The larger cottage
is attached to the main house. It is suitable for a family with children
or
two couples together.
The meals are a great treat. Breakfast, while continental, was a hearty
and
taken in the main house's grand room. For lunch, I requested sandwiches
for
�5. One sandwich was more than enough. It was made from half a very fresh
local baguette with either meat or cheese. I ate the first day's lunch in
the renovated workshop. On the second day, I ate lunch while fishing so I
wouldn't waste any valuable time. By the way, I know that the bread was
fresh. That morning I had accompanied Nicolas to local bakery so that I
could visit the cash machine. On the way back from the bakery, we stopped
at a small caf� for a quick espresso.
I ate dinner on site with the family. Dinner was a three to four course
meal comprised of local cuisine and character. All the dinners were
extremely well prepared and tasty. The only issue was portion control, or
how not to have to have too much put on your plate in a gracious mannerDinner cost me
�20. The charm of joining their family for dinner was worth
the trip by itself. Because things were so comfortable, I extended my trip
for an extra day and night.
Now about the Moulin's fishing. The fishing grounds consist of a variety
of
ponds and berms dug out from an existing pasture. They staged them in a
manner so that the water flows from one pond to the next in a terracing
fashion. The water source is the mill creek stemming from the nearby
river.
All fishing is done from the bank in what some may consider English style.
According to Nicolas, the best fishing is in the spring and fall. Summer
water temperatures tend to be a bit high. This past summer, the region's
high temperatures were extremely hard on the fish, and some of the ponds
needed to be drained to eliminate plant growth. The water is not as clear
as will find in some streams or reservoirs. Visibility is about a meter.
However, even with the low visibility, I found myself using 5x tippet.
These fish get pressure and are wise to the fly. The easiest fishing was
in
the pond where the smaller stocked rainbows are kept.
According to their son, Ivan, a trained fish biologist who also works in
this family business, all of these fish eat what is naturally provided in
the ponds. They are not fed with any artificial fish meal, so matching the
hatch is important.
For fishing gear, a 5 or 6 rod weight will do. I used a floating line for
all of my fishing. A full sinking line is necessary if you want to dredge
leeches for the lunkers. Leeches in dark colors with a bit of flash in
sizes 6 ? 10 will work. I did most of my fishing with nymphs and scud
patterns, sizes 16 through 12 and did pretty well.
Rain gear, such as a jacket, pants and a pair or Wellingtons are important
to have. This is Western Europe and dampness is always on the horizon.
Even if it isn't raining, the ground may still be a bit soggy. Fly rods
can
be rented in the shop in case you can't bring gear with you. Also, flies
along with basic extras such as leader, tippet and line are available as
well.
The stocked fish are rainbow, golden, brown and brook trout along with a
couple of hybrids such a such a tiger trout. All of these fish are spawned
and raised in a hatchery so they aren't wild fish. However, they are
beautiful specimens. Nicolas purchases the fish from a specially selected
hatchery. They bear none of the marking that you may expect of a hatchery
fish such as worn fins or damaged mandibles. As he told me, "The fish must
be perfect." It cost me �40 per day to fish.
In case you are interested in non-fishing options, the Perche region of
Basse Normandie offers markets four days of the week, the old walled city
of
Le Mans, mansions, castles and the nearby national park, Parc Naturel
R�gional du Perche.
Be advised, this is a small business so they don't accept credit cards.
Also in my last review of the Moulin's web site, I noticed prices had gone
up a bit.
Here is a link to Le Moulin de Gemages:
http://moulindegemages.free.fr/anglais/index.htm
For some photos that I took during my visit:
http://community.webshots.com/album/118226899xtCopQ
Mike
