THE PLAN
We knew when we bought Genêts that it needed dredging. That was clear from day one. But it wasn't until summer when we saw how the fishing was going - this couldn't wait another season. It HAD to be done this winter.
Early November, we're ready. All systems go.
The plan was simple:
- Get a digger
- Get a dumper
- Remove the silt
- Build new banks
- Job done before Christmas
Easy, right?
"How hard can it be?" I said.
James just looked at me.
WEEK ONE: THE OPTIMISM PHASE
First digger entry into the lake - absolute scenes! We're removing TONS of silt from the shallow end. It had been completely full of the stuff - 2-3 feet deep in places. We're building new banks, creating proper depth, making the shallow end of the lake and the rear bank corner that was completely unfishable for years, actually fishable for the first time ever!
We're transforming it!
We're posting progress pics on Facebook, feeling proper smug. "Look at us! We're lake managers! This is going brilliantly!"
The universe was just waiting for the right moment to humble us.
WEEK TWO: WHEN THE RAIN CAME
Remember that simple plan? Yeah, France had other ideas.
Days and days of RAIN. Not gentle British drizzle - proper French downpours. The kind that turns a construction site into something resembling a very large and angry chocolate pudding.
The ground conditions went from "bit muddy" to "absolute nightmare" to "is this actually quicksand?"
Our paths? Churned up beyond recognition. The lake edge? A mud bath. The dumper? Getting stuck. Then getting stuck again. Then getting REALLY stuck.
The digger had to push the dumper out like some kind of mechanical rescue mission. Multiple times, it's wasn't pretty!
"No problem," we said. "We'll get a bigger dumper with better traction and we'll need to make less trips with the silt!"
Simple solution, right?
WEEK THREE: THE CHRISTMAS LIGHTS DELIVERY
We're now into December. We've found available kit - delivery arriving late at night (around 7pm) so we could crack on again first thing the next morning.
The plant machinery arrived in the dark with the lights from the low loader and tractor reflecting off the lake - lit the place up. We posted them on Facebook calling them "Genêts Christmas lights" and honestly? They looked quite magical.
Better traction, loads more capacity, less trips, lots of mud but this kit could handle it. We were optimistic. This new dumper was just what we needed - it wasn't going to get stuck!
Or so we thought...
WEEK FOUR: WHEN NATURE FIGHTS BACK
The new bigger dumper? Started off great! Here we go! Loads more silt coming out along the rear bank!
The dumper was working beautifully until it hit a tree root, slid sideways, and ended up in the ditch.
Can you believe it?
The digger had to come OUT of the lake, up one of the banks, to pull the dumper out of the ditch. And as it did that, made a deeper hole in the bottom of the lake.
Right. New plan.
Once the dumper was out, we decided to use the track the digger had made around the inside edge of the lake - the dumper could follow behind it. Brilliant! That worked for a bit!
Until the dumper got stuck in the deeper hole made by the digger. And then it started sinking!
We absolutely made everything significantly worse before we made it better. Mud EVERYWHERE. The site looked like a herd of enthusiastic but directionally-challenged elephants had held a mud wrestling tournament.
THE BREAKTHROUGH
Finally - FINALLY - we worked it out. The silt started shifting properly. The banks started taking shape. The lake started looking like an actual lake again rather than a building site having an identity crisis.
THE VICTORY LAP
28th December, and the shallow end is DONE.
New banks built along the far bank - proper ones that won't collapse - right up to where we made the dam to contain the fish.
Rear corner completely transformed - genuinely fishable for the first time.
Shallow end now has proper depth.
Features uncovered that have been buried for years.
Was it hell? Yes.
Did it take twice as long as planned? Absolutely.
Did we question our life choices? Daily.
Was it worth it? Yes! If you've fished Genêts before we hope you will too!
WHAT WE LEARNED
- Nature doesn't care about your timeline
- French rain is not messing about
- Tree roots are sneaky - even for experienced dumper drivers!
- Making it worse before making it better is a valid strategy
- When you're watching a dumper sink into mud, James's usual "stop me if I'm boring you" chat about lake management suddenly becomes a lot less boring and a lot more urgent
- We knew heavy plant hire on a lake with tight access, wouldn't be easy - and we were right! But it was the only way to get the shallow end done (and we won't need to do it again!)
THE PHOTOS TELL THE STORY
So that's Dumpergate documented, our decent into chaos and our final return!
THE RESULT
Come fish Genêts!
The rear corner that was never properly fishable? Sorted. The shallow end that was basically a silt pit? Transformed. The lake that was slowly suffocating under years of build-up? Ready for the start of the 2026 season, we have seen the carp already finding new spots and loving the extra room!
We've got the scars, the photos, and possibly some mild PTSD from the dumper incidents, but the lake's brilliant.
Serious carp, relaxed vibes, and a dredging story that we'll be dining out on for YEARS.
James & Liza
P.S. If anyone asks how the dredging went, just show them one of these pictures, that'll cover it! 😉