Fishing session on Etang Chayenne

These are strange times, with the current corona pandemic, this has already caused misery for many anglers such as cancelled trips abroad, not to mention the curfew in our own country. We also almost had our trip cancelled because all paywaters had to close for 4 weeks in April due to tightened measures throughout France, yet we found a nice location through Angling Escapes because it is completely exclusive to rent with 2 to 3 anglers maximum namely etang “Chayenne”.

It is located in the north of France just under 500 km from Breda, near the city of Troyes. The water was created about half a century ago from gravel excavation and has a water surface of 1.9 ha this on a fully enclosed domain on which there is a cottage near the water containing 2 double beds, TV, etc. There is also an outbuilding where you can find all the plumbing and a kitchenette with all the conveniences for cooking such as stove, oven, microwave also there is a large refrigerator with freezer available.

With a negative pcr-test (not older than 72 hours) according to French law at the moment, we set sail for this beautiful water at the end of April. The outward journey went smoothly and after 4 hours of driving we were already at the gate of our destination. After a first walk around the water it soon became clear where the overhanging trees predominate, the fish also let themselves be noticed instead of the somewhat balder other side. So our plan was already partly forged to choose a more central spot instead of right in front of the house on the dock built for that purpose, so we could better attack our scaly friends.

We chose not to disturb the water too much by going in with a boat but to subtly map the water with the feeding boat and thus also put the possible hotspots in the gps, there are several talluds and hard sections to be found on etang Chayenne so it is certainly not a “bathtub” with no bottom difference. What our tactics are on most paywaters since you never really know 100% what your predecessor has done in terms of feeding and the like, we always start minimal say with a mix of kemp seed, buckwheat in combination with Hollandbaits Scopexliver 16mm and 20mm mixed together with the corresponding stick mix and bait booster.

Per rod we use 1 good feeding spoon. Afterwards we check which swims are running faster and if necessary we increase the feeding. What we noticed was that if a swim produced several fish, the day after it remained quiet, what we did was just move it a few meters to the left or right and this turned out to be worth its weight in gold, it usually didn’t take long before that rod started producing plenty of fish again.

Especially during the night most fish came on the mat, also during the day they regularly showed themselves. If you like bycatch such as sturgeon, this is the place to be. Top week on this beautiful water with 85 fish of which 17 sturgeon. The carps had weights up to 24.2 kilos with also some nice koi above the water.

A top location from Angling Escapes for any angler, whether alone, with a fishing buddy or with the family, this is truly a must! And for those who love typical delicious French croissants, chocolate rolls and baguettes are in luck because every morning the local baker makes a stop at the gate of the property where you can bring your wish for the next day.

Warm fishing greetings,

Bjorn Verbeeck and Kevin Hoes
Teammember Angling Escapes

View the page of >> Etang Chayenne << for more information and bookings.

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Bert Altena

Van kinds af aan ben ik te vinden aan de waterkant. Vanaf een jaar of 12 heb ik het karpervissen geleerd. Wat het karpervissen voor mij leuk maakt is de ontspanning en de voorbereiding op de karpersessie in combinatie met een manier van vissen wat constant vernieuwing nodig heeft om de karper weer te kunnen verrassen!