History Of The Town

A proper French carp water, shaped by time

 

Lake Catherine is a 4.5-acre, horseshoe-shaped carp fishing lake tucked into the quiet countryside of Pernant, just ten minutes from the historic town of Soissons in the Aisne valley. Like many of northern France's most productive carp waters, the lake began life as a worked-out gravel pit — the kind of mineral-rich, spring-fed depression the Aisne valley is famous for — before being flooded and allowed to mature into the mature, feature-packed venue UK anglers travel to today.

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Decades on, that gravel-pit heritage is exactly what makes Lake Catherine fish the way it does. The bed is a classic mix of gravel, silt and clay, with clean spots, natural plateaus rising to around 3 feet, and an average depth of 6 feet — the sort of varied lake bed that holds natural food year-round and gives the carp somewhere to patrol, feed and hide. Nothing here is manufactured. It is an old, settled, proper French water.

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Stocking history — four decades of growing on

 

Lake Catherine's carp story starts in 1991, when the previous owners bought the lake and introduced 100 carp between 15 lb and 30 lb to a head of wild fish already present. Those original stockies have had more than thirty years to grow on in a low-pressure, food-rich environment — and the results speak for themselves on the bank.

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In November 2017, the lake received a major top-up: 120 mirror, common and grass carp weighing between 15 lb and 40 lb 4 oz. A second batch followed in March 2018 — 49 mirror, common and linear carp from 23 lb right up to 58 lb 8 oz.

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The result is a balanced, hard-fighting stock of old English-style mirrors, big commons, striking linears and the occasional grass carp, across a weight range that gives everyone from the first-time France angler to the seasoned specimen hunter a realistic shot at a new PB.

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Under UK ownership — run by anglers, for anglers

 

Lake Catherine is now owned and run by a UK carp angler who understands exactly what British visitors want from a French trip: a clean, well-maintained venue; honest stock information; properly spaced, comfortable swims; the right bait available on site; and someone on the end of the phone who speaks your language. The lake has been rebranded and relaunched as Lake Catherine France, with bookings taken exclusively from UK anglers and parties.

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Where you'll be fishing — Pernant, Soissons and the Aisne valley

 

The lake sits on the edge of Pernant, a small village on the left bank of the River Aisne that has been continuously occupied since the Iron Age. Celtic chariot burials have been excavated here, a Gallo-Roman villa was uncovered as recently as 2024, and the 12th-century Church of Saint-Léger and the Château de Pernant still stand above the valley. Ten minutes down the road, Soissons (Roman Augusta Suessionum) one of the oldest towns in France gives non-angling partners a cathedral, a ruined medieval abbey, restaurants and supermarkets, all within easy reach of the lake.

For UK anglers, the location is hard to beat: roughly 2 hours 30 minutes from Calais on fast, quiet roads, making Lake Catherine one of the most accessible quality carp waters in northern France for a long weekend or a full week's session.

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Ready to book your session?

 

Lake Catherine is booked on an exclusive basis for UK anglers and small parties, so you fish the venue the way it should be fished, without crowding, without language barriers, and without surprises.