"The pictures don't do it justice..." - most new anglers when they have their first walk round.

We bought Redmill from Madame Denoual 10 years ago when her husband died. Monsieur Denoual was a Parisian businessman - he'd bought Le Moulin Rouge to retire to. He didn't allow anybody else to fish it. All Madame Denoual knew was that there were "beaucoup des grandes carpes".

There are some stunning original fish. 9 years on and we still get first-time captures when somebody fishes areas that don't get fished. We've dripped in stock fish to minimise the risk to the originals. A handful of the original commons are 40's, with one going 50. One, bigger, that's never been banked.

The bigger mirrors from the early stockings are overtaking the originals - 7 different stocked mirrors go 50, biggest so far this season 53lb 10oz.

Redmill's one of the carpiest lakes you'll ever see. And one of the richest. Almost certainly one of the best. It's over 350 years old with an ecosystem to suit. Just under 10 acres, with an average depth of 5 or 6 feet and spot on pH – it’s a perfect carp environment.

Having a house as a base is a bonus when you're in the middle of nowhere for a week.

Around 400 carp. Sometimes it's very easy. Often, it's not. The fishing's rewarding. Reap what you sow.

Any questions email Paul@BigFishHolidays.com or call me on 0033 297 22 96 95 any morning.