Brief History

Excavated in 1979, Lac des Demoiselles was originally operated as a private trout fishery. Fifteen years later, new owners transformed it into a carp fishery, undertaking a comprehensive restocking programme that allowed the lake to thrive. However, subsequent changes in French regulations required significant modifications to regional lakes and as a result, the owners decided to sell the lake, along with the surrounding land, main house, and gîte.

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Alterations to the Lake

Before reopening Lac des Demoiselles as a fishery, it was necessary to bring it fully in line with current French regulations. Detailed plans were drawn up and submitted to the relevant authorities, beginning a lengthy approval process.

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While awaiting permission, extensive groundwork was carried out around the lake, including the creation of new swims. After two and a half years—and many discussions with the authorities—official approval was finally granted to begin work on the lake itself.

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In May 2016, what proved to be a huge undertaking began. Largely completed by Mark (previous owner), with occasional help from a small but dedicated group of friends, the work involved the use of a 14-tonne digger to create two stock-holding ponds near the shallow end of the lake, along with a deviation channel running along one side. Large underground pipe sections were installed, existing grills were upgraded, and a new grill was added.

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During the autumn of 2016, the lake was fully drained. The existing stock was separated into fish to be retained and those not returned to the lake, mainly silver fish, bass, and one catfish. Over the winter, using an 8-tonne digger and dumper, more than 10,000 tonnes of silt were removed. The lake bed was then remodelled, preserving the hard clay base.

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The removal of such a substantial volume of silt increased the lake’s overall depth at the dam end by 1.2 metres, bringing it to a depth of 4 metres. A new moine system was designed and installed, and the dam wall was faced with stone to a depth of one metre to prevent erosion.

The lake was then left to naturally refill and settle, allowing ecological balance to be restored. The retained Demoiselles stock was reintroduced in early spring 2017.

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Future Proofing

In Autumn 2017, Jean-Noël Retailleau of Pisciculture de la Gartempe introduced an additional seventeen high-quality carp in preparation for the 2018 debut season. His expertise will continue to be called upon to advise on future stocking levels and long-term fishery management.