Hi Mike, Wonderful report and well written. Really enjoyed reading about your experiences. Not many of us get the chance to fish in other regions of the world. Count your blessings. Al
> 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 manner. > Dinner 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 > > > > --
