The long-awaited trip to the magical Moulicent was soon upon us. As Sean and I traveled to Portsmouth to catch the ferry, we talked about tactics and discussed our approach for the week. Full of banter and excitement for the trip, we soon arrived at Portsmouth, where we met up with a couple of friends of mine to drop off several boxes of bait and grab a bite to eat and a few drinks.

Around 8:30 pm, we headed for the ferry, trying to spot other carpers in the queue as you always do, with camo on the boat being a dead giveaway. We enjoyed a few more drinks on the ferry before retiring to our cabin for the remainder of the crossing.

Early in the morning, that bloody horrible alarm was going off around the ship to wake us all up. After a visit to the restaurant and breakfast, we soon found ourselves driving on the wrong side of the road and en route to Moulicent.

I've got to be honest, I'd been watching the weather like a hawk for weeks leading up to the trip, and it was getting worse by the day. With the UK in the snow on Friday we departed, it was no surprise that only 25 mins from our destination, we drove through snow-covered cars and roofs and a temperature gauge reading 1 degree!!! I won't repeat what I said to Sean here, but you can imagine.

We stopped at the Super U, topped up on vital food supplies, had a quick McDonald's thrown down our necks, and headed off for the last 20-minute journey to the lake. Anna met us on arrival as Jon was on dad duties. We said our hellos before walking down "that hill." There she was, magical Moulicent, in all her winter colors and thankfully not white.

We set up our bivvies and went back to the van to meet Jon and load up the trailer and quad. Most of the day went by getting everything set up and walking around looking for any signs of feeding fish. We didn't see a thing, so we decided to place our rods where the silt line meets the slope of the dam wall opposite.

I placed storm poles with reflective tape on them to enable us to see them at night, at various locations along the dam wall. Casting over to the bank, I then walked around, clipped on my rig, and with the aid of the baiting pole, lowered the rigs down onto the spots, making sure to keep hold of the line as it went down to be able to feel the lead down properly.

Anna had prepared us a baguette each, so that was dinner sorted, and by 7:30 pm, I was tucked up, exhausted from the journey and day's setting up. I was fast asleep, dreaming of big carp when a light shone in my eyes with those magical words, "mate, I've got a lump in the net, give us a hand."

After fumbling around half-asleep, I climbed into my waders and went to inspect Sean's fish in the net. It was indeed a good fish, weighing in at 46lbs 10oz. Photos done and the fish was released back into the freezing water, Sean then informs me he's had five fish already!! The rest were the smaller stockies Jon introduced recently, so he didn't wake me for them, just weighed and released them after taking the chip number.

What a start! It was evident the fish were stacked up in front of Sean at this point, as my buzzers were silent. At first light in the morning, Sean was snoring his head off when I had my first take. Not feeling too big, I was confident it was another of the pretty hand-picked stockies. And so it was, I netted it, took the chip number, and released it none the worse for its little visit to see me.

I'd said to Sean on the way down that I thought Sunday into Monday was the best chance of the week, as the weather was spot on. Warm SW pressure dropped to 996, and day temps of 11, and night the same. I wasn't wrong, as Sean landed a flurry of fish, and by the time Monday came around, he was on 11 fish for the week.

We were fishing very similar tactics: lots of chopped Banchonut boilie blended with Banchonut boilie stick mix and a lot of matching S.L.A.B. liquid, although I mixed mine in equal amounts of the Banchonut and Mulberry Fizz S.L.A.B. to give it a kick. Added to the mix was a very small amount of Jon's house pellet and sweetcorn.

The idea was to create a massive amount of attraction but not overfeed them. As it was so early in the year and water temps so low, this made perfect sense. To be honest, it's how I've fished all winter on an intimate, tricky lake back home, and it had served me well, so I felt no need to change it.

Mid-morning on Monday, Sean was away again, and this time, we knew it was a much better fish. The fight was long and dogged, and the fish stayed deep. Eventually, we got a glimpse of her with big shoulders and a deep frame. She looked every inch a 50lber! We unhooked her and set the scales to zero. Up she went on the winch, Sean in the water looking up as I read out the weight: 52lbs 8oz. She was indeed a 50 and a new French P. B for Sean, in fact, his first French 50lber. With celebrations out the way and the rods back out, things slowed up a little, and I was still waiting for the wind to swing.

Over dinner on Monday night, I said I was going to force the issue and fish with just one rod on the end of the SW, and Sean should do the same. The idea being if that's where they were, we had a chance of catching them. Plus, we also had the chance to move them back up the lake into areas we were fishing.

Tuesday saw us do exactly that, and by late pm, we'd both caught fish. Mine was a 28lber, and Sean's was a 22lber. However, the trick had worked as the fish had definitely been moved out of the safe zone.

I'd been baiting one spot in my swim for three days and was yet to put a rod on it. Tuesday night I put a Banchonut pop-up and a spoon full of the good stuff on that spot! I was awake at 5 in the morning on Wednesday as I just had that feeling!! Sean was still snoring his head off as I walked the near-side bank looking and listening while drinking my cuppa. I'd heard fish in the area that night, and as day gently broke through from the pitch black, I again heard a good fish but couldn't work out where.

I went and sat with the rods. Sean came down and I said I was staying put in the swim today, as I could feel a good one was on the cards.

At 9:45, I was away and this fish was not happy at all. A good 30 minute battle, and eventually I got to see it. It was a stunning common, a bar of gold. Thankfully she went into the net. I was mega happy to see this one; it was a fish called Chocolate Orange, a very rare visitor to the lake, having not been out for a couple of years.

*Mat Holland The very rare Chocolate Orange common 38lb 12oz*

She went 38lbs 12oz on the scales, not that it mattered to me, just such a stunning fish. The photos of her and the mist over the water are etched in my mind. I said to Jon that fish has made my week; doesn't matter what happens after this. Famous last words and all that.

I put the rod back out on the spot and topped it up. A few hours later, the same rod was away again, and if I thought the last fight was crazy, this was off the scale. I really thought I wasn't going to get it in, with every long run staying deep and heavy. My old Fat Boy Slim rods bending right through to the butt at times, like trying to walk a dog on a lead as I followed it up the lake and back again.

Now, I've had my fair share of big girls over the years, but what lay in the mesh just blew me away. It was so wide, so deep, I stood there in awe of it. I knew she was an A-Teamer. I phoned Jon and said I had one of the big girls in the net.

We left her to settle for a bit, whilst I gathered myself. By the time Jon came down, we were ready to put her in the sling. He smiled and said, "That's the biggest in the lake, mate. That's Dropscale."

Now, I know this fish has been 72lbs plus in the past, so I was very nervous when she was hoisted up on the scales. I left Jon and Sean to call out the weight; 69, 70, 68 before finally settling on 67lbs 10oz, a new French PB, and a long-time wish to catch this fish was achieved. Still buzzing now as I write this and still can't quite believe it, to be honest.

*Mat Holland New French PB ‘Dropscale’ 67lb 10oz*

Magical Moulicent had delivered once more; a truly phenomenal lake with so many monsters and memories from the last 16 years of visiting the place. The rest of Wednesday was a bit of a daze. We had a curry night and a few drinks with Jon to celebrate before he staggered up the hill, and we retired for the night.

Thursday morning saw us into our final 24 hrs, as we had to leave on Friday due to the ferries. Again, I saw a few more subtle signs of fish in my area, so decided to move a rod into the zone. Sean had another take and went on to land a lovely 34lbs 8oz common, a real deep-bodied fish with a stunning orange tail. He then had another smaller mirror at 22lbs that the scales looked like they were burnt into it, another stunner for the future.

Midday and the rod I'd moved was away fishing 120 yards out. It took a while to gain control over it and get it on a shorter line. Eventually, another thick-set mirror was in the folds of the net - a real brute of a mirror which weighed in at 42lbs 10oz. Sean and I had another 3 fish that afternoon: he had a 24 plus mirror and a 28lbs plus common, and I had a 24 plus mirror.

We had a lovely BBQ and a few beers to celebrate the week late PM before an early night, as we had an early pack up to get the ferry. Before I went to bed, I decided to move one rod to a new area away from the baited spots, fearing they'd blown as after the common and PB mirror, that spot had not done another bite!!

I was awake at 4.30 in the morning, sitting down drinking a cuppa, listening to the dawn chorus, when I heard a big fish crash out in the bay. I walked down, but it was too dark to see where it was. I could just about make out the rings; it was definitely in the area I'd repositioned the rod in the night before. Nothing else showed, so I commenced with the pack-down. By the time Sean got up at 6.30, I'd almost packed everything away, just leaving the brew kit and my chair.

At 7 o'clock, Sean had a weird take. He hit it, but there was nothing on the end! At 7:30, my middle rod was away. This was the repositioned one. By 8, I had landed another thick-set common that I actually thought was the same one Sean landed earlier in the week. A good look over, though, revealed it wasn't, and at 35lbs 8oz, she was to be the last bit of action before the rods came in, and we loaded up the quad and trailer.

On reflection, I think we fished well during the week. Rotating areas and resting others while baiting spots and not fishing them definitely worked well. The bait combinations of maximum attraction and very little to fill them up also worked really well. The slab pulling them to the baiting zone each time was effective.

Moulicent is a mega water, more like an old-school English syndicate nestled deep in the woods. The wildlife is amazing; if you don't see it during the day, you'll hear it at night. Jon, the owner, has over the last 16 years created a truly wonderful water fit for the thinking angler. It's no pushover; no runs water. Every bite is hard-won but so, so rewarding.

If you'd like the chance to win a week at Moulicent, visit our competitions page. For just £20, you could win a prime week next April for up to three anglers, including a bait package from us at Max Attract Baits and you too can have a week as we did.

22 fish landed, two new PB’s, and experience all that moulicent has to offer.

Competition Page

Moulicent: Monsters and Memories W//Mat Holland

Winter Reflections at Serenity W// Mat Holland

Approaching a Public Water for the first time. W// Dan Williams