Many Anglers visit Domaine des iles (DDI) to fulfill their Dreams,
Determination and Imagination, just like father and som,
Yan and Jamie Szuca who have been coming to DDI for the past 4 years.
Like many anglers they would like to visit more but due to work commitments
and of course the "old thing called money", they can only manage
once a year.
Jamie's last 2 visits have been successful with a 47lb 6oz mirror in
the year 2000 followed by the same fish in the year 2001 weighing 48lb
4oz. They arrived on the monday morning for the last week of April armed
with Whiskey nash bait and monster carp pellets, and their heads full
of hopes knowing that at least for a week they could eat, drink, sleep
and talk carp for the whole week, with the dream of a 'big one'.
After the normal rush of getting set up and rods in the water, the waiting
game begins. The peace, tranquility and silence and not even a bleep,
until Tuesday. Tuesday brought a 17lb 6oz catfish and a grass carp of
22lbs 10oz for Jamie. Wednesday night another catfish for Jamie. Thursday
late morning got 1 bleep, full of enthusiasm and at his rods ready to
strike ont he next bleep. Yan hit on the next bleep, and played the fish
in for 10 minutes. Its only when you see the big head go into the net,
that you realise the size of the fish. On the scales it weighed 48lb 8oz.
Yan was a very 'happy chappy', but never expected what came next. Placing
the same rod out in the exact same area, after 5 hours it whizzed off.
The fish gave Yan a longer fight and the adrenaline was rushing by now.
Yan could not believe his luck, the fish weighed 47lb 8oz.
He was glowing, the thought of having one 40lb+ carp behind his belt was
great but 2 carp over 40lbs was beyond his wildest imaginations.
Everything went quite until Friday, then a 17lbs 6oz catfish for jamie
and an 18lb 10oz catfish for Yan. Saturday was Jamie's day, he has managed
a 40lb+ carp on his last 2 sessions at ddi and again on theis session
his latest fish weighed 41lb 4oz.
Sunday Yan caught a catfish of 19lbs 4oz and during the night he managed
to play in another carp of 30lbs 4oz. All of the fish were caught on pop-ups
3 inches off the bottom, with a small bed of bait. Both men left DDI and
what a way to leave, with three forty plus carp, a 30 plus and twelve
other fish. There trophies are not just good memories but excellent photographs
taken by the owner Bernard Caron, which they took home with them. Like
all carp anglers they left planning their next trip, with the hope of
beating their PBs with a 50lb plus carp.