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There
is great fishing in the Vendée. All types, including coarse fishing, sea
fishing and fishing in the salt marshes. The
Vendée is among the regions in France with the greatest extent of rivers
for freshwater fishing.
However,
you do need a license. During your holiday, you
can take a "Carte Pêche-Vacances", a temporary holiday fishing
permit costing around 30 euros (£20), which is valid for 15 consecutive
days, between 1 April and 30 September, on all non-private waters in the
county - including rivers, and any lakes created on them by dams.
The
permit covers a maximum of 4 lines on rods, each with maximum of 2 hooks.
You can buy the permit at most tackle shops, or ask at a local tourist
office or "mairie" (town hall, or village equivalent). Or if
you're staying at a camp site, the office will be able to tell you the
nearest point of sale. Day passes are not available.
From
most tourist offices you can pick up brochures produced by the Vendean
Angling Federation, carrying a map of the county and its rivers.
Children
under 16 can fish a bit cheaper, by buying an annual card ("carte
jeune") for 25 euros (about £16), which is valid for a whole year
and covers 4 lines.
There's
a "carte orange" costing 9 euros (£6) which permits just one
line to be used, and can be bought by under-16s or by the spouse of an
adult paying the full rate. Children under 12 can use a free "carte
verte" to fish with just one line.
The
availability of all types of bait - with the exception of casters (the pupa
stage of maggots) - is quite good. Most hypermarkets have a bait fridge with
a wide selection of maggots, worms, pinkies. But beware - they are
expensive. A small tub of 25 maggots cost about 1 euro.
You
will find all types of fish common to English waters such as Carp, Roach, Bream,
Tench and Pike, and a few not-so-common fish such as Mullet, Zander and Catfish.
An unusual species is Black-Bass which is well-known in the US apparently,
but less so in the UK.
Speaking
from my own experience of fishing on the sluggish lower reaches of the river
Vie, near St-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie, I should say a towel to hold the Catfish!
On one of my very first casts I hooked a small specimen and swung it
straight to my hand - not realising that they have very sharp pectoral fins
- and lacerated my finger. Five minutes later I caught another Catfish - and
another, and another... In fact the main topic of conversation among British
anglers on the river bank was how not to catch catfish! (I should add
that we did manage to catch a few Carp, Tench and Bream between us, too,
though.)
by,
Rob Busby
Rob
returned to the Vendée a couple of years ago with his family, and that both
he and his son caught record-sized Carp in the Lac d’Apremont, at Maché!
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