Situated in the Beautiful Charente region of France just south of the Brenne national park, 1hr30mins North of Limoges. Total tranquility yet just 10 minutes from all ammenities including supermarkets,banks,bars,restaurants.

Come and discover

One of the most beautiful and tranquil carp fisheries you will ever find.

Owned and run by an experienced English fisheries manager in association with a respected French fish farmer.

On top of that, the fishery is home to perhaps the most exciting stock of carp anywhere in France with around 1000 young carp, half of them are already above 30lb with many big carp from 40lb to approaching 60lb.

The stock continue to grow at an incredible rate and some of the best carp fishing in France in 2010 is happening here ( 139 x 30’s and 38 x 40’s caught in April 2010… 57lb mirror in May plus 44 other 40lb+ carp and catfish upto 132lb ).

3 lakes of 6acre, 19acre and 29acre offer the angler a fantastic choice, all of them are low pressure venues with a low maximum number of anglers allowed each week.

Each lake can be booked exclusive for as little as 200 euros per angler.

The 6 acre and 19 acre carp lakes have both been netted this winter to control the biomass and both lakes are will offer fantastic angling in 2010.

A  new clubhouse will be fully open in 2010. It is situated in the centre of the fishery under the canopy of ancient oaks and giant beech trees where you can relax and soak up the forest’s enchanting atmosphere whilst sipping on a cold beer or enjoying one of our freshly prepared meals (if you can tear yourself away from the water’s edge, of course!). There are also 2 shower blocks (male and female), charging points, power sockets, fridges and freezers for our guests to use free of charge.

A few dates are still available for 2010 so if you are considering booking your Carp Fishing Holidays in France  and you want to enjoy genuine top quality fishing with the Freedom to enjoy some proper angling we gaurentee you wont be let down or dissapointed if you choose to come to Freedom Lakes.

The big lake offers a real challenge due to lower stocking levels but the carp average 35lb+ with lots of commons and mirrors over 44lb and a new lake record 57lb mirror in April 2010. This lake allows anglers to use a fishing boat and with Scarface, the resident catfish probably weighing 200lb+ these days, you may well need it!

Our lakes offer a rewarding angling challenge in a very atmospheric woodland environment and we only allow a small number of anglers on each lake in order to keep it that way.

Carp Lakes

The setting

Imagine wandering through an untouched forest surrounded by big oaks and beautiful beech trees with natural trails leading you around undiscovered corners, with the bird chorus above your head and the sound of deer disappearing back deep into the woods and then that magical sound of a big carp heaving itself out of the water. As you walk along you catch a glimpse of water through a gap in the trees revealing the whereabouts of hidden lakes, this is what it is like to stroll around this carp fishery, no roads or railway lines just you and nature as it should be…

History and development
The lakes were originally created back in the early 1970’s and each lake seems to have its own unique atmosphere and character, almost like different worlds. Some of the lakes will remain untouched by anglers, used only for growing our future generations of fish but 3 of the lakes hold fish beyond your wildest fantasies and it’s on these lakes where you can experience carp fishing that is so exciting it makes you want to stay by the waterside forever.

The fishery is privately owned by Mark Beldom and Jean Noel Retailleau, the latter is a highly respected fish farmer handling around 100 tonnes of fish and emptying many lakes each winter and has the advantage over most people of seeing lakes and properties that most of us could only imagine in dreams, this is how he discovered what has become les 8 etangs and well known as Freedom lakes around Europe.

Back in 2004 a long term plan was formulated and for 3 consecutive winters, Jean had been hand selecting some really special quality fish and keeping them in one of his big lakes in anticipation of this project. Imagine having over 10,000 pristine carp and then selecting the very best 10% of these and you can perhaps understand why the stock have such enormous potential. Jean asked Mark to became a partner during the early stages and with his fishery management and carp angling experience adding to Jean noels ability to maximise water quality and growth rates, the carp lakes continue to develop into the very best carp fishing that France has to offer.

What will you find at Freedom Lakes?

9 acre lake
The 6 acre lake is nestling in the western edge of our property, it is bordered on all sides by dense woodland. There are lots of interesting features in the lake to fish to, there are several small islands, sand and gravel spots some lily pads and a densely reed lined far margin. The lake is stocked with around 150 carp and 8 big catfish. The lake is very shallow with depths ranging from 2ft to 6ft which means the lake fishes very well all year around, it warms up very early so the spring period can be very productive as well as being a good winter water with the fish reacting to any small change in conditions.

19 acre lake

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