Fishing in Poitou Charentes

We offer holiday homes with fishing lakes on site and a large selection of properties with fishing lakes and rivers nearby.

We have provided various information to help with arranging your fishing holiday in Poitou-Charentes, and hope that this is helpful to you.

Fishing in the rivers of the Poitou-Charentes
The region offers the angler beautiful surroundings which together with some great fishing contributes to the complete angling experience.
What could be better than fishing in magnificent surroundings such as field upon field of sunflowers or vineyards, beside a forest or on the outskirts of a quaint picturesque village.
The variety of fishing in Poitou-Charentes is great, there is something to suit every angling taste. The region’s rivers such as the Vienne, Sèvre, Boutonne and Charente vary from fast and shallow in the upper reaches to deep and steady downstream and offer endless piscatorial possibilities while the numerous tributaries all provide different angling challenges. There are large and small lakes, both natural and man-made, many kilometres of canals and some fabulous beaches along the Charente-Maritime coast for the sea angler.

Categories
The upper reaches of the main rivers and many of their tributaries hold stocks of trout and are classed as first category, which means there is a close season from the end of September to mid-March when no fishing is allowed. Most of these waters are stocked with trout prior to the opening of the new season, so usually the best of the fishing is from opening day to early June.

All other waters are second category and the wide range of species they hold can be fished all-year round.  However there are a few important exceptions to this:
* there is a close season for the predatory fish pike and zander that runs from the end of January to the start of May. During this time it is illegal to live bait or use lures, the way to catch these fish, on any second category water.
* eel is now classed as an endangered species and so deliberately fishing for eels is illegal and any caught accidentally must be immediately returned alive to the water.

Which fish are available?
Roach, bream, rudd and perch are in every waterway and provide good sport all through the year. Most waters also hold crucian carp, this is especially true of the canals of Charente Maritime where huge catches can be taken in June, July and August.
Tench and various varieties of the other larger carp strains such as mirror, common and leather carp are common with the latter running to over 25kg in most rivers and lakes. These are best fished for in spring or summer as are the barbel found in some rivers, especially the larger tributaries of the River Vienne.
Chub and dace are usually found in the shallower stretches of river and provide year round sport.
Pike and zander fishing is at its best from October to the end of the season while for black bass-another predator found in some waters-those summer days when they feed near the surface and can be caught by fly fishing are the best.
Bleak, little silvery surface feeders that are often used as bait fish, are everywhere in Poitou-Charentes and while they can be annoying when seeking bigger game they also provide welcome bites during times of flood and frost.
Beware! One fish to look out for is the American catfish or poisson-chat. These small fish are in most lakes and are voracious feeders during hot weather. They have sharp spikes on the gills that can inflict serious wounds, so it is essential to handle them with care.
The other catfish likely to come the angler’s way in the region’s rivers and lakes is a much bigger beast, the Danubian Wels or silure. It can reach over 50kg and has a very large mouth.

You need to get a carte de peche prior to fishing
There are many hundreds of kilometres of public domain rivers waiting to be fished throughout the Poitou-Charentes - however you need to purchase a carte de peche first. This covers the whole region, is similar to the British rod licence and runs for twelve months from New Year’s Day. From June to September it is also possible to buy a visitor’s carte de peche that covers two weeks. Both are available at fishing tackle shops, supermarkets and many bars and newsagents and the booklet that comes with it provides useful information on what is available in the department where it was purchased.
An additional small fee for Club Halieutique membership allows fishing on the department’s many public lakes and has the additional benefit of giving the holder the right to fish public waters in three-quarters of the other departments throughout France.

Most private lakes are covered by a tax paid by the owners, so can be fished without a carte de peche-but always check before unpacking the rods.


Night-fishing
There are strict rules on night fishing on all public waters. All fishing must stop at sunset with the exception of carp angling which is allowed only on certain designated areas which are clearly signposted and only with specific carp baits such as boilies; certainly no worms, maggots or anything else that wriggles.

Favourite fishing spots
An angler is spoilt for choice in Poitou-Charentes; but here are some of the favourites.

Pescalis at Moncoutant in Deux-Sèvres.   The largest fishing-orientated centre in Europe and now has 100hectares of lakes where you can fly fish, spin with lures, try for specimen fish or just catch loads of fish from the well stocked mixed fisheries.
It offers a variety of specialist sites, including night fishing. The complex is not just for anglers, there is an aquarium, parks, horseriding and other activities. A place for all the family to visit.
It has hosted international angling competitions and has a hotel, apartments, gites and camping. There are different day ticket prices for each lake, a big fishing tackle shop and it’s ideal for novice anglers because tuition is available in all aspects of the sport.

Jarnac. The River Charente is public domain here and holds a variety of fish.
Opposite the Orangery, members of the town’s carp fishing club have caught fish to 27kg; Roach are popular, deep bodied, red finned and burnished with gold they can be caught all along the river and there are also plenty of bream and some very big chub to go with them.
Half a kilometre downstream of the quay on the right bank is a great place for a fishing picnic with plenty of leafy shade on a hot day.

The canals at Marennes in Charente-Maritime look fishy and really live up to their image.
In the green tinged water there are masses of crucians, bream, roach and big carp;
Comfortable fishing in quite shallow water with an easy cast to reach the far side; you can park close to where you fish and when the fishing is done it’s just a few minutes away from wonderful shellfish cabins and cafes near the harbour.

Port L’Houmeau is a favourite fishing spot in the winter. Located in the middle of Angoulême at Port L’Houmeau, alongside Boulevard Besson Bey. Large shoals of bream and roach move into this slower flowing section of the river as the temperature drops and with many people feeding bread to the resident ducks this is the favourite bait for the fish. The concrete quay solves the problem of muddy river banks at this time of year; you park right behind where you fish and when it gets too cold to fish you have welcoming cafes just a short stroll away.

Twin Lakes at Soumeras near Mirambeau in Charente Maritime. The top lake at this English family owned day ticket fishery is stuffed full of roach and it can be a fish a cast when they are on the feed. But there are also some lean, mean carp running to double figures that put in an appearance and test your skill as they hurtle off in the shallow water.
Things are a little more sedate on the bottom lake; but the fish are bigger with carp over 35lb to be caught.
Add a lakeside bar, lounge and café;

French translation of varieties of fish
Fishing has a universal language, here’s what the fish you catch would be called by a French angler.
Bleak Ablette
Bream Breme
Zander Sandre
Pike Brochet
Roach Gardon
Chub Chevesne
Tench Tenche
Perch Perche
Carp Carpe
Dace Vandoise
Rudd Rotangle
Crucian Carassan
Trout Truite.


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