12 min. reading time

Etang Marolles, An oasis with true pearls

A trip to Lake Katlov in Czech Republic was planned which was still yellow on Tuesday before departure, but on Wednesday all of Czech Republic turned orange. Really disappointing but one thing was certain. We were going angling. After contacting Reclin from Angling Escapes, there was space at Etang Marolles in the Mayenne department in France. With 6 people we were going to fish this beautiful lake exclusively.

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Trip to Etang Marolles

We had rented an extended van to drive with 4 people to Lake Katlov but since that didn’t go through, we drove with the Sprinter to Etang Marolles. This complex is located between Normandy and Brittany near the town of Ernée in the Mayenne department. There were 3 options to drive and since we would drive with 6 people and 2 vans, we chose different routes. We all come from North Brabant so we drove via Antwerp.
1. Without toll roads (676km) you drive from Lille via the east side to the south. The disadvantage is that you drive for at least 9 hours. The advantage is the 75 euros in toll costs that you save
2. Toll roads via Paris you drive to Le Mans (731km). This is the fastest route and goes over mostly good highways. The advantage is that you arrive at the water after 7 hours of driving. The disadvantage is 75 euros in toll costs.
3. Toll roads via Amiens and Rouen (707km). This route only gives an advantage if traffic around Paris is stuck. Route takes about 7.5 hours. The disadvantage is 75 euros in toll costs and the last 100km are on D-roads with very many villages and roundabouts. This route is a good alternative if there are problems at Paris and you drive via Amiens early.
Upon arrival, pay attention that you take the right exit. The navigation directs you after the village of Ernée to the right at a beautiful church on a hill, but then you arrive at the back of the water. You must take the exit at the roadside restaurant La Rabine.

Once you have turned in at this roadside restaurant continue driving and after a kilometer you will see the etang appear on the right. You now continue until you reach the small bridge below which is the entrance to the complex.

The complex

Upon arrival we were welcomed by David and Caroline. These former owners of this complex took over the honors for the new owners Georgie and Darren who could not be in France due to travel restrictions.
There are currently 2 waters being fished, namely Bellevue lodge and Etang Marolles. Both waters can be rented exclusively. Between these two waters stands their beautiful lodge.

Bellevue lodge

At this water is a beautiful cottage with all amenities including hot tub and large aquarium and are also 2 bivvy sites should you want to move.

Etang Marolles

Etang Marolles is a bivvy lake with 11 spacious swims. Because you rent this lake exclusively, you can choose which swims you take. Each swim has electricity but the plugs are English so it is advisable to bring a connector to use a European plug.

Plumbing

Centrally between the 2 etangs are the sanitary facilities. This is a very neat toilet building containing very spacious luxury shower with neat european toilet including seat and sink. This is all very spacious and is maintained by the administrators during your stay. You can also get water here but if you want to drink it you have to boil it first. As drinking water you better just use bottled water.

Impression

The overall complex is very neat and well maintained. Waste can be left at the plumbing. Here are bins to deposit this. Make sure you separate the waste because this is mandatory in France but there are plenty of bins. Owners are English-speaking which makes communication a lot easier.

Etang Marolles

This 5.5-acre water has 11 spacious swims, all with power points. All swims are equipped with pebbles so you won’t be bothered by mud. Each swim is equipped with a cradle and sling so you can leave them at home. You have to bring your landing nets and they will be disinfected by the manager upon arrival. A tip is to load them last. You can then hand them over to the manager immediately upon arrival so he can disinfect them. You can drive with the car / bus to the cuttings to unload and build up everything. After unloading, you have to park your car in the central parking lot.

All cuttings are on the north and east sides of the water. Since you can rent the water from 4 to 6 people you have plenty of room to fish per person. We had divided the water into 3 sectors and assigned 2 people per sector. East section are 3 swims (9 to 11) and you have the eastern part which is also the deepest part with 1.5m for swim 9. From swim 11 you can fish left into an angle with a central island around which the fish migrate. You also have several small islands in this sector.

The middle section with swims 4 to 8 was also fished by 2 people. Here you have many overhanging woods against the far bank which can be fished well from these swims. In this sector the bottom is relatively soft but quite a few hard spots can still be found. On all these swims a hard strip runs from left to right between 40 and 55 meters from the bank. Behind this strip to the far bank was much more productive than swims on your own side. On your own side the bottom is also significantly softer compared to the bottom on the far bank.
The western section with swims 1 to 3 is closest to the managers’ house. Here are small islands with hard areas around them. The bottom here is also generally somewhat harder than the swims in the middle section. Here too, your own bank was the least productive and most fish came from the hard plateaus around the islands and from the middle to the far bank.
Over the entire lake it’s about 80 cm deep right under the bank and quickly drops to 130 cm. The majority of the lake is around this depth. Because the lake is continuously fed by natural springs, this lake has a constant water level. Fish also respond very well to this and are each in very good condition.

Fisheries

Because of the shallow depth, the fish respond very much to weather conditions. We arrived and the fish showed themselves in abundance. Soon the first fish was landed, but the temperature dropped very quickly, which virtually stopped the fish. Also constantly blowing wind was not conducive to catching. We knew that halfway through the week the wind would come constantly from the south and would increase significantly. Also, the temperature would start to rise again. This might well be the trigger.

What we had expected also happened. The fish gradually started to show themselves again which soon led to full runs. Beautiful fish came out regularly from all swims. The swim closest to the house produced the most fish but fish came from all swims.
We were lucky to experience a real autumn storm. There I was in my boxer shorts, polo and bare feet with a tent like a kite in my hands. Wind force 8 won and eventually the tent lost to the wind. Next time more pegs in the ground was a wise lesson. The weather can suddenly change dramatically because you have influences from the Atlantic Ocean.
Generally the angling is not very difficult and all rigs can be used. Angling with a tube is mandatory and the lead must come off when the line breaks. As rigs we used hinged stiff rigs for pop-ups and combi or supple rigs with snowman presentation. Do consider the length of your rig when you fish in a softer area. Since the average size of the fish is on the large side, I would consider strong hooks.
The fish know the obstacles and will head there after a bite. Make sure you are close to your rods at all times because they are fast and strong.
As bait we used Oriental Krill, Instant Project and Robin red garlic fish from Holland Baits with diameters 16mm and 20mm. All produced fish and there was no standout. Particles and tiger nuts were forbidden. Only pellets, groundbait and boilies are allowed as bait.
The impression is that placement in the right spot is the most important aspect to consider. Of course good bait, sharp rigs and even more variables are important but the placement of your bait proved to be the most important.

File

Stock of etang Marolles is between 230 and 250 fish. Mirrors and pangolins of all kinds. The good shape and condition of the fish really stood out. True pearls passed by on the mats. We had 20+ fish where it was noticeable that only 2 fish were under 12kg. There were around 10 fish between 12 and 14kg, the same number between 16 and 18kg. Largest pangolin we had caught was 19kg and largest mirror carp 21kg. We ended up with a respectable average weight of 15kg. Half of the fish caught were over 15kg.

Overall impression

Beautiful hilly surroundings. You enjoy the peace and in the evening you only hear nature. No cars or other sounds. Falcons hunting the thousands of swallows that come hunting every evening and chase the insects from the beautiful lake. While lying on your stretcher hearing another big one splash in the water also makes it very exciting. The fantasizing can begin. That such a big one can come to your line is very realistic here. Real pearls of fish passing by on the mat. The friendliness and helpfulness of the managers was truly phenomenal. You can do shopping at a few large supermarkets of your choice in the town of Ernée. These are located 5 kilometers from Etang Marolles.
A real recommendation to completely relax in beautiful surroundings with also a nice stock of fish.

Stein Verheggen
Niels Sprangers

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