Tag Archives: Rivers

Family Fishing Holidays in France

France is a country that has a wonderful variety of fishing from the North through to the South and caters for fly fishing, course and game fishing on a wide range of rivers and lakes. Plus there is plenty of coast line for the sea angler to enjoy as well.

Carp fishing, cat fishing, not forgetting course and pike fishing are just some of the holidays that you can enjoy in France and whilst some places cater for the dedicated angler, others are more family orientated with accommodation and activities for the non fishers.

There are several types of fishing holiday available and for trout fishing, you would need to book from around the middle to end of March up until around the first week of September, which is the only time frame you are allowed to fish for trout in France.

In certain areas of France, salmon fishing is prohibited all year, so it is always best to check on the area you are going, prior to thinking that you will be able to get a licence for fly fishing, just like that.

Every country has numerous different regulations and France is no exception, with specific rules in place for what type of fish you can catch, when you are allowed to catch certain species of fish and what equipment you are allowed to fish with.

For some, this can be a daunting prospect, especially if you are not fluent in French, and although in some areas it will be easier than others to organise your fishing venue and licence, it is often easier to pre-organise your fishing holiday, so do try and get as much information as possible.

You must have a fishing licence to fish in rivers, streams and lakes throughout France unless these are privately owned or booked as a fishing holiday where the fishing licence requirements are normally included, but it is advisable to check this out before you travel!

If you need to obtain your own fishing permit, these can usually be obtained from the local fishing tackle shop or alternatively from the local bar or tobac. But if you are not sure on what is required then you can get advice from the local tourist information board, which can also provide maps of where you can and cannot fish.

If you are only going to be on holiday in France for a short time, then you can get what is known as The Carte de Peche de Vacances, which covers an angler for up to fifteen consecutive days and can be used between 1st June and 30th November. However, outside of these dates an annual fishing licence is mandatory.

An annual permit may be used for the whole year but bear in mind that this will only be for one department unless you get it stamped for different areas that you may go to and this is something that you will need for all fresh water fishing.

When it comes to catfish and carp fishing, you can get a licence to do this in the local rivers or public lakes, but the majority of people will want to opt for a carp fishing holiday on a dedicated lake. And when you go to a dedicated privately owned lake for carp fishing, cat fishing, etc, then you will not normally have to worry about getting your own individual licence as this will already have either been sorted out by the travel agency or the owner under their regulations.

Boats are allowed to be used quite a bit in France, but you may need to have a separate part to your licence to enable you to use a boat, even if it is only for baiting. But be careful if you have an echo sounder in your boat, as you are not allowed to have both this and your tackle in the boat at the same time!

Also, night fishing is prohibited in a lot of places in France, but when on a private fishing lake, or if with the correct licence on certain waters, this can be allowed. If not, then you can only fish half hour after sunrise to half hour before sunset. Some places on the rivers seine, rhone, mosselle, oise, madine and rhine, etc do allow night fishing, but there are many places that do ban the use of a bivvy or tent even if night fishing is allowed and you may only get away with a brolly!

Sea fishing off of the Atlantic coast is excellent and you will be pleased to know that a licence is not needed, and you can go out on a boat to catch bass, conger eels and even tuna or surf cast for sea bream to name but a few.

Fly fishing for salmon and trout is available in lots of public canals and navigable rivers but as with most countries, these will also contain other fish such as Pike, so beware! However some of the best places to try your hand at fly fishing are often owned by groups and in this case you would need to pay the owners for a permit to fish as well as having your licence.

Some of the best salmon fishing in France can be found in the Pyrenees Atlantiques and the river Loire is also a major salmon fishery for France.

Some of the best fishing in France is for course fishing where you will find lots of different species, but with carp, catfish and pike being in abundance, especially in areas such as the Dordogne, Lot and Charente Maritime. But if you like fishing for black bass, the river Rhone is known as a premier bass fishery, as is the river Saone.

The fishing dates and times do vary each year in France, so it is always advisable to check on these before planning your fishing holiday, and at the end of the day, forget about the headaches of the licences, just enjoy the whole experience and you too could be in with a chance of catching a fish that has never been caught before!

www.placesinfrance.com


Martyn Davis European Traveller, Author, Photographer and Business Development Manager, For all your French holiday needs and travel guide to France, with tourist information, landmarks and attractions – Family Fishing Holidays In France

Carp Fishing: Advanced Tactics

Product Description
Catching carp is easy if you fish “easy” waters, but if you take the next step and tackle the more difficult lakes and rivers the situation is substantially different. In such waters carp can test the capabilities of any angler. Carp are cunning, unpredictable, and among the toughest freshwater fish in the world to catch…. More >>

Carp Fishing: Advanced Tactics

Bow Fishing Equipment For A Heart Racing Good Time

Bow fishing is very popular among hunters in the off season for deer and birds. To fishing in this way you need the appropriate equipment to basically spear the fish. Bow fishing generally takes place in the warmer months for the most obvious reasons. Fishermen will usually either find a shallow body of water to hunt or may hunt from a small boat for lakes and rivers. It is also possible to bow hunt in the ocean, which can land some wonderful wall decorations as well as bragging rights. There are several different types of bow fishing equipment and it depends on the type of fish that you are looking to hunt.


During the winter months the hunters use their bow and arrow to hunt deer then turn their focus to the water with their equipment during the summer months. They claim that the bow fishing keeps their aim in practice and provides the same excitement that the land hunts provides. Many even state that the water hunt is more of a challenge due to the reflection and movement of the fish. Those little devils are quicker than what you think. Bow fishing equipment truly puts the hunt back into the sport of fishing.


For many years carps were regarded as the trash of the lake. Today many fishermen are seeing them as an adrenal pumping hunt. These fish are the larger fish of the lakes and rivers so they provide an excellent target. If it is more of a skillful shot that you are looking for then hunt a smaller fish! That should get you practiced up to one great shot before winter rolls around! There is also a great line of bow fishing equipment for the ocean fish such as the stingray, sharks and other marine life. There are many tours that take individuals out on the ocean for an afternoon of fishing.


Bow fishing dates back to ancient times when man would stand in the water and spear their dinner with a long hand carved arrow. Today there is a more advanced line of bow fishing equipment that powers the arrow. It is still a difficult sport and one should not assume that it is a great deal easier today over the past centuries, but the equipment has certainly improved. There are other types of equipment such as special arrows for different types of fish and even spear guns. That way there is something for everyone when participating in the sport of bow fishing.

For more information on all aspects of fishing equipment, and to download a free guide, visit The Fishermans Guide

All About Carp

So many of you will know that Carp belong to the species (Cyprinus Carpia). A fish whose natural habitat was Asia, but is now found on most of the large land masses, like Europe and North America.

 

Carp have had a chequered career. They were once considered to be an undesirable element in fresh water lakes and rivers. This resulted in a lot of activity aimed at getting carp exterminated.

 

Why were they undesirable? Because they are omnivorous – they eat both animal and plant foods indiscriminately. To ensure they miss out on nothing in their diet, carp roil about in the water, stirring up the sediment, rooting about for food. This increases the turbidity and creates an environment which affects the well-being and growth of many of the plants and animals found underwater.

 

A nice word – roil. It also means to vex, disturb and irritate, which bring us back to the verb ‘to carp’. This means to find fault, to complain unreasonably, to niggle or be critical. There seems to be a connection here between ‘carp’ and ‘to carp’ – don’t you think?

 

Carp’s fortunes began to turn when it was discovered that they are an easy fish to raise for food. If they are farmed, large amounts of fish meat can be produced per acre. This is done most successfully in Europe and Asia. To fish-farm successfully, the oxygen in the water needs to be replenished regularly. This can be done fairly easily when the fish are kept in tanks and the water is continually circulated by means of a pumping system. The food is fed directly into the tanks, though it’s unclear what exactly happens to the waste the fish produce.

 

This mass food production is a little at odds with the fact that they are not a particularly edible variety of fish, except perhaps to Polish people, to whom they are as important at Christmas time as the turkey is elsewhere. You will not find Carp appearing regularly as a dish on 5 star menus anywhere in the world.

 

To anglers though, catching Carp is a great sport. They can be very wily, putting up a great fight to avoid being removed from the water. At present the world fishing record for a Carp is more than 90lbs 15ozs.

 

And then, how about:

C for Carp

A for Anglers

R for Ready mades – boilies which have already been manufactured, sold in bags.

P for Pod, a folding stand where carp rods are placed.

Check out an ebook UK Carp Fishing Secrets which includes recipes for bait and tips on rigs, at the website below.

For fishing boats and pontoons go to:

 

To navigate to the Store page, click on ‘Store’

http://www.theboatingstore.co.cc/fishing-boats-and-kayaks

A retired high school teacher of geography and maths. Try ‘Quick Compare 35 Brand Name Kayaks’ to help you make a choice. Also if you would like a free ebook – an unusual story set in the days sailing by Joseph Conrad ‘The Secret Sharer’ or a book about travel in El Salvador ‘Slow Bus To Ahuachapan’ by John Drewman then use the email address on the website