La Bletiere is a beautiful little venue in the heart of the French countryside, around 2.5 hours from the ferry at Caen, where you can have a well stocked carp lake all to yourself and stay in a high quality gite on the banks of the lake. It’s owned by English couple John & Lesley London who live on site and are always on hand for help and advice. A maximum of 4 anglers can fish the lake but John prefers 3 as that gives you options to move around a little.
Bletiere gets its name from the French word for wheat, ble, because it was once part of a large cereal farm. The 2.5 acre lake sits in 16 acres of woods and fields giving you real seclusion. You reach the property down a long track and it’s totally enclosed by other fields and woods, not over looked at all – the feeling of exclusion & tranquillity is palpable. There’s always been a lake here - it can be found on maps back as far as 1833 – and over the years it’s been extended to its present size and shape.
The local village is just 2km away and here you’ll find a restaurant/bar and a well stocked grocers store. You can reach the city of Le Mans by motorway in 50 minutes and the Loire valley is only 1.5 hours away. In nearby La Ferte Bernard there are plenty of shops and things to do ranging from a 50 acre lake with a beach, to swimming pools and boats on the canals. There’s an excellent English speaking tourist board in the town, but the English owners live on-site and will be happy to give you help and advice should you need it. So there’s plenty to explore if you feel like pulling yourself away from La Bletiere’s peace and quiet and the excellent fishing.
The lake is 120m from the gites front door, so not far to go and get those cold drinks on hot days! When the owners moved here in December 2006 one of the first jobs they had done was to dredge the lake to clear the silt and overgrown banks, but not in a way to destroy the natural beauty.
The lake is between 0.75 and 1.5m deep with a hard clay and gravel bottom and small amounts of silt. There’s an island at one end with lily beds and patches of weed which give the fish shelter. The lake is fed from underground streams so there’s no problem with low water levels and oxygen in the summer - this helps with the fish growth and health due to the high levels of natural food.
 Click here to see some lake photos from Bletiere.
The owners had the lake netted in 2006 to ascertain the stocks they were inheriting. They found 360kg of roach (all removed), small mirrors, commons, grass and crucian carp, pike and perch, all of which were returned. They also found one big old goldfish that to this day they have never seen again! Due to the island it’s likely that not all the fish were caught so there may yet be some surprises turn up.
They then started a planned re-stocking programme. All the fish have come from local fish farms and all have been hand-picked to ensure good quality and a mix of variety and scale pattern.
In January 2007 they put the following mix of commons and mirrors into lake;
15lb to 20lb x 20 fish
20lb to 25lb x 46 fish
25lb to 30lb x 12 fish
30lb to 37lb x 4 fish
Plus 2 x 15lb koi and 2 x 10lb ghost koi.
Followed in February 2007 by;
16lbs to 22lbs x 43 fish (mostly commons)
And then in October 2007;
15lb to 20lb x 21 fish
20lb to 30lb x 27 fish
This gives an excellent stock of fish for this relatively small venue so action is usually fast and furious as the catch reports to date show. Our experience is that the fish soon wise up to anglers techniques and the first year or so on a newly stocked venue often turns up great fishing.
So, if you’re looking for great fishing, excellent accommodation and a truly peaceful location... give us a call and be one of the first to visit Bletiere!
Click here to see some fish from Bletiere.
The Gite was built over the winter of 2007 to a high standard – it certainly makes your stay an enjoyable and comfortable time with all you should need for your holiday. It comprises;
Upstairs – A shower room with wc, a double room with views over the lake and at the rear a twin room. For your convenience all bed linen and duvets are supplied (if you wish to have the bed linen changed mid-week this can be arranged for a small charge).
Downstairs - open plan kitchen / diner & lounge with high quality sofa bed.
The kitchen includes oven, fridge, microwave, toaster, kettle, all crockery and cooking utensils.
In the lounge area there’s a log burner for those less warm days, but the whole gite does have electric radiators if needed. There’s also an English TV, DVD & stereo and if you can force yourself indoors there’s a big collection of DVD’s which you’re welcome to borrow during your stay.
Outside there’s a stone BBQ and utensils, a table, chairs and sun loungers for catching up with all that reading you keep promising yourself!
The owners have 16 acres of land and you’re free to wander and let your children play in the woods and go down to the two streams and catch some mystery creatures in nets they supply - this should keep them amused and away from the TV. There’s also a double swing for the children to play on.
This venue offers an excellent home cooked food package consisting of breakfast & evening meal.
Click here to see the menu.
Food package price £**
If you book the food package you will be asked to pay a 10% deposit to Angling Lines and the balance to the lake when you arrive. Please note that due to fluctuations in the exchange rate the balance you pay when you arrive may not equate exactly to the remaining 90% in £’s sterling – it may be slightly more or less due to a change in the exchange rate.
From £238 per person for bivvy fishing, including ferry. Based on 3 anglers.
From £219 per person for lake exclusive, including Gite, including ferry (based on 2 anglers and 2 non-anglers)
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