Fishing in the Vendee

Fishing holidays in the Vendee are becoming ever increasingly popular, and the Vendee does offer some excellent fishing opportunities as it is the number one sport in the department.

We offer holiday homes with fishing lakes on site and a large selection of properties with fishing lakes and rivers nearby.   View Holiday Homes with Fishing lakes on site or nearby

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

Fishing in the rivers, Lakes and Canals
The Vendée has more kilometres of canals and rivers for fishing than any other Department in France, for all canal and river fishing a permit is required. (see more details below). The French refer to these areas as a "Plan d'eau".
Different lakes offer different opportunities for example the 127 hectare lake complex at Rochereau near Chantonnay has a 2 kilometre stretch for carp fishing at night, whereas the small well stocked Plan d'eaus that most villages have, offer a haven of peace and tranquillity. These local lakes often come under a permit that can be obtained from the local Mairie or Tabac and permits can often be purchased for a single day. There are often local fishing competitions which attract large numbers of competitors and of course have the obligatory refreshment stall.
Other Lakes or Plan d'eau may be private and require no permit, just the consent of the owner. Catches are usually restricted, by law on public rivers, canals and lakes and by permit contracts on village lakes.
We have several properties on the website with private fishing lakes - no permit is required for this.

There are 146 kilometres of coastline. So lots of opportunities to fish available, and no permit is required, however weight and quantity restrictions may apply:
Sea angling  Available from most harbours and there are organised sea angling trips available.

Beach casting Very popular, especially after storms. It is also referred to as surf casting and the beaches of the Vendée are ideal for this pastime.

Rock casting This is often practiced around breakwaters and jetties in the numerous harbours.

Sea Harvesting This is collecting shellfish, either by raking cockles at low tide, or by picking mussels, oysters, winkles etc. from the rock pools. It is a great pastime for children but the locals in certain areas take it very seriously indeed.

Tidal river fishing  fishing below the sluice gates and tidal barrages.


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 the Vendee 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 this region 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
"Carte Peche-Vacance" is a fishing license and is valid from the 1st April until 30th September and cost about €30. This permit is available from tackle shops and tourist offices, supermarkets and newsagents and allows 15 consecutive days of fishing on all non private waters, including lakes and reservoirs formed from the rivers. There is a booklet that come with it and provides useful information on what is available in the department and where it is purchsed.

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.

Fishing tackle and bait are readily available, virtually every town has a sports shop that will have the tackle and many will have bait and the same goes for the larger super markets and hyper-markets.

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 Vendee; 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.

Mervent  beautiful lake and forest - stunning environment in which to fish.  A good variety of fish available, some being very large.  Night fishing is available here in certain areas and with restrictions.
Various watersports also available, picnic area, restaurant etc so plenty for the rest of the family to do.

Twin Lakes at Soumeras near Mirambeau in neighbouring 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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