Overview

Brionnais is a 12 acre lake set in the heart of the Burgundy countryside, probably one of the most beautiful regions of France. The route to the venue is mostly motorway, very straight forward, and should take about 7 hours from Calais. The lake has 15 pegs around it's perimeter with a norm of 10 and maximum of 12 anglers at one time. The first 5 pegs on the west bank all have chalet accommodation. The chalet on peg five is specifically kitted out for the disabled angler, with ramp access to the unit and a purpose built platform equipped with fish handling and weighing apparatus.  

This venue is very special - giving the angler a chance to combine fishing for very large carp with the comfort of chalet accommodation - ideal for a family holiday.  There are lots of interesting local attractions - visit  www.burgundy-tourism.com.
 

The Lake

The banks are flat and there is ample room for bivvies in front of the chalets. The lake is fairly shallow, around 3 or 4 feet for much of the area, dropping to 5-6 feet at the dam end. There is a central channel that runs down the middle of the water. 

Click here to see plan of lake. 


Click here to see some more photos of the lake.

Accommodation

The chalet accommodation at the venue is modern, clean and in excellent condition - 2002 being their first year of use.  All the units are fully furnished and equipped with all the essentials one could need for a weeks holiday, including adequate kitchen facilities (hob, fridge, pots, pans and cutlery - but no oven or microwave), toilet & shower. The chalets vary in size and configuration. As mentioned above, the chalet on peg 5 is particularly adapted for the disabled. Bedding, pillows and sheets are not provided, each bed has only a continental quilt.

Click here to see some photos of the chalets.

Peg 1 - Cottage Chalet 

A chalet that can sleep 4/5 people.  It has a fully equipped kitchen, two bedrooms, one double bed and two singles, a dining area plus a shower and toilet.
 
  

Peg 2 - Club 5 Chalet

A smaller chalet than Peg 1 but still with the same level of equipment.  It can sleep 4 people. It has a fully equipped kitchen, two bedrooms, one double bed and two singles, a dining area plus a shower and toilet.
 
 

Pegs 3 & 4 - Petit Trianon Chalet

These units are divided into two separate chalets by means of a sliding wooden panel across the veranda. They are totally separate, self contained chalets. They can either be used separately, both retaining their privacy, or as a double unit suitable for say two families of four or two groups together. In this case the wooden panel can be slid back and the veranda area shared.

     

Peg 5 - The Disabled Chalet

A variation on the Cottage Chalet this unit has been specifically designed with the disabled angler in mind. There are ramps up to the terrace and the front entrance, as well as disabled toilet and shower facilities. In front of the chalet the facilities extend to a purpose built platform with handrail, weigh basket and scales and a chute for releasing the fish.

       

The Fish

This venue holds a remarkable head of very pretty fish all in immaculate condition, with a high average weight. Most of the carp are 20lb plus and there is a very good population of fish over 30lb, with a lake record of 51lbs. Throughout the summer months there have been excellent catches of very large carp in excess of 40lbs.  The fish are extremely pretty fish too, with many fully-scaled and scattered mirrors. The mirror carp are the dominant strain, but there is a good head of commons too.

Crayfish are present at Brionnais but normally only attempt to eat baits in July & August -  you can always "Net" your baits to stop them being attacked by the little nuisances!  There are numerous smaller lakes on the complex all holding carp to around 12lbs - this can provide hours of fun for children (or just bored anglers!) who will find the carp very easy to tempt.

Winter session?
Brionnais would also be an excellent choice for a winter session - the comfort of the chalets giving protection from the worst of the weather - it's quite possible to sleep in the chalets and still be on your rods safely. During a session in March 2002 we had a dozen fish of 31lb 9oz, 30lb, 24lb 2oz with all but a couple over 20lb. Our tactics were to fish at around 40 - 50 yards spodding out trout pellets. A few handfuls of boilies were then fired over the top. This technique proved successful with 12 runs resulting in 48 hours including two thirty plus carp. 

It would seem logical that with such a high density that the Method would be a winning technique, particularly as the French anglers do not use it.  Accurate baiting though seemed to result in more runs than baiting a wider area and the fish were active even during spodding.  I used the spod on a little and often basis, baiting the swim after each run or if the runs stopped for more than 2 or 3 hours - this seems to provoke the carp into feeding.