French Carping

I'm just wondering what some peoples reasons for getting out to France for Carping is. Is it the fact that you have a chance to catch a real biggun and smash your PB, the fact that you can get out in the sun while doing your favourite sport or just 'cos it's different? I'd like to hear your thoughts.

Cheers.

hi there kane i got back from france on sunday after a fantastic weeks fishing i suppose its a bit of everything really like you said we hired the whole lake between 6 of us that worked out at 2 acres each where in this country can you get that sort of water without it costing you a fortune the weather was awesome and the fishing was excellent plus i could stock up on the bacci and cheap wine lol

Hi kane, I`ve yet had the chance to go to france fishing but next year I will deffo. My reason would be being there with that chance off a whopper, up`ing my PB, enjoying my favourite hobby-pastime-sport, the adventure getting there and being there in the lovely french landscape, the social, plus the hypermarket visit on the way there and when returning to our english land. Tight lines

I have not been yet - but the deposit is paid for next year!

I am expecting what the guys have said above + going with cherished friends and my mobile will not work. A week of chilling out catching big fish whilst quaffing good wine...

Whats not to like?

hi,

i go to france 4 or 5 times a year , only on the big rivers and public lakes , this is why i go /forum/smilies/big_smile_smiley.gif

Some good pics there Paul, why do you only fish the public waters?

for me ,fishing should be an adventure and in France i found that , from my very first trip over a decade ago , i remember walking round a 2,500 acre water , the first thing i saw , was a home made bank-stick cut out of the hedge and leaning against the tree waiting for its owner to return , that and the outstanding beauty that is France , just clicked with me , no one to tell me that" jack no pecs" was often caught in so and so's swim , or that there was 9 30s and 200 20s (you get my drift lol )

nothing, unknown stock , quite banks , great food , really nice people (don't believe a word , about how horrible the french are , there the nicest people i have ever met )

the real france , how people can go to france and yet the only part of france they experience is through the window of a car/bus , is beyond me .

each to there own , and i'm glad so many do use the commercials , keeps them out of my way
/forum/smilies/tongue_out_smiley.gif/forum/smilies/big_smile_smiley.gif

With you on that Paul...France is generally a beautiful country,the people are very friendly and the food is awesome.They invented good food.

I have mates who have been fishing in France for 20 years and they still love it.

The fishing can still be hard but some of the scenery is breathtaking and you wont be surrounded by the carp noddy circus.

there are lots of commercial/holiday waters that offer you a realistic chance of a big fish and safe and secure surroundings.There are also more places off the beaten track than you could fish in 10 life times.

If you want a refreshing break from the farcical joke of UK carp fishing then give France a go.

Also if you or any of your mates can speak French then you will find it opens alot of doors and the gendarms will often not speak English even tho they can so the extra effort will be worth it.

Good luck

I think everyone generally has the same idea then, the beauty and the fishing. Oh and the cheap booze LOL. I have been to France but never went fishing which is why I'm going to try and book it next year. I even went on the Seine and didn't fish. I do speak a little French, just the basics but I'm sure that will still be appreciated.

Niceto see people thinking beyond the commercials. Of course if that is what floats your boat & you just want to chill then there is nothing wrong with it but if you are the adventurous sort then there is a world of possibilities out there. Steveo is right, the fishing is notalways easy and you won’t automatically catch a whopper on every cast but the satisfaction of catching Carp or other fish from these venues is enormous.

My advice – get your self an ordnance survey map, target an area and spend a couple of days checking out all the bits of blue. Learn a few words of basic French and shake people’s hands when you meet them, it will open doors for you. Treat the people and places you find with respect and remember to take your litter home. Have fun!

Paul what are the regulations like for the type of fishing you do? Licemces, permits hours you are allowed to fish etc? Does it differ between lakes and rivers?

Paul what are the regulations like for the type of fishing you do? Licemces, permits hours you are allowed to fish etc? Does it differ between lakes and rivers?

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hi Richard ,
philip makes it sound quite simple , its not quite that simple , although he is correct , treat the french and there country with respect and it can indeed open door (if they like you )
regulations , the french love regulations , and give "red tape" a whole new meaning lol ,
france is made up of many departments , each having its own federation de peche , and here ,is where the similarities end .
some departments allow night fishing all year ,
some allow night fishing from April till October , or June till September , or April till mid July then closed until the start of September (for the holiday makers )
some allow nightfishing from Friday to Saturday, or Saturday to Sunday (no midweek night fishing )
some allow nightfishing Friday till monday morning only .

theres more

the last couple of years I have noticed a growing trend creeping into a few more federation rules ,
some federations are now saying , that you have to contact them either in writing or by phone to book a swim on some of there lakes , you don't have to pay anything , they just like the rules lol .......

some departments allow a normal bivie some say umbrella type only , one say you have to take the bivie down during the day .

ok that's most (not all ) of the common rules you will come across , most of these rules are for the lakes , but some departments include rivers in these rules as well , but rivers tend to be less strict .............for now !!

licenses ,
holiday licenses (carte de vacancies ) can be brought from june till mid september as a rule , they last for two weeks and cost on average 25/30 euros .

if like me , you want to go several times , then its best to buy a year licence (carte de peche )january till december . these cost between 50/70 euros this allows you to fish in the department that you brought it in , if you want to fish in another department , then you have to buy that departments stamp 25/30 euros , there are other types of stamp you can buy that allow you to fish several departments , but the above is enough info for most people .

turned into a rather long post lol , i might add that i am not trying to put anyone off of trying he wild side , far from it , my point is , do the research and then some more research , no where you want to go, and research it , then research back up waters , because lakes/rivers change from month to month , you may get to a lake and find it really low but with very steep banks and you just not prepared etc , or you may get to the river and find it in flood with trees floating past (i kid you not )
don't just pick a blue spot and go , check it out properly or you will end up having a great sightseeing tour of France and a heavy fuel bill .

there are many many more things i could say , enjoy and be careful , several french guys die each year because of silly mistakes and taking there environment for granted , for example , there are lakes in mountain areas that can rise after heavy rain , more than 3ft in a very short time , its quite something to see a lake of 2,000+ acres rise that much in a few hours obviously this is the extreme , but it happens in several areas .

now this is a long post ....sorry lol .

The Carte de Vacances are transferable between departments - and to confuse matters there are a few departments (mainly in the North) where a cartes de vacances is not necessary.

These licences allow you to fish any waters which have public access - and most rivers have significant (miles and miles and miles etc) areas of publci access.

It is in french but here is a site which gives you access to information on all matters re French Angling

French Angling

best fishing i had in france was on a barage. 20's much stronger than lake 40's

<blockquote class=quoteheader>PoshPaul (ACA) wrote (see)</blockquote><blockquote class=quote>

The Carte de Vacances are transferable between departments - and to confuse matters there are a few departments (mainly in the North) where a cartes de vacances is not necessary.

These licences allow you to fish any waters which have public access - and most rivers have significant (miles and miles and miles etc) areas of publci access.

It is in french but here is a site which gives you access to information on all matters re French Angling

French Angling

.....................................................................................................................

i dont bother with carte de vacances prefering a EHGOand a CHI along with my carte de peche ,

tell me what departments in the north that say a carte vacance is not necessary , as i have not noticed that before .</blockquote>

Paul, if you look on the map on the front of the carte - you'll see the departments covered by the two "mutual" societies shaded in green - i.e. most of France, there is an area in white - I initially thought these were departments that didn't participate in the mutual agreement and a separate carte was needed for each - however checking in a French fishing tackle shop I discovered that these areas did not need a carte in order to fish. They are mainly Pas de Calais and Picardy.

The added complexity is that some plein d'eau need you to pay a local fee BUT do not require any form of licence - I bought a ticket for the plan d'eau in Ligeuil once and was told I was the first person in about 10 years to have bought a ticket!!

What I haven't yet been able to find is a definitive list of plein d'eau which don't require a carte and a similar list of those that do!

Saying that I have never been asked to show my carte de vacances in 20 years of visiting France - however I would no more avoid buying a carte than I would avoid buying a licence in England (checked once in 30 years!!)

The French have been hugely successful at introducing two new cartes - one for kids under twelve (2 euros per annum) and one for les femmes (30 eu per annum) - they havsold something like 500,000 of the kids ones - and developed a huge new interest and resepct for the sport/

Fun isn't it!!

Many thanks to the two Pauls for all the information.

<blockquote class=quoteheader>paul tant wrote (see)</blockquote><blockquote class=quote>

for me ,fishing should be an adventure and in France i found that , from my very first trip over a decade ago , i remember walking round a 2,500 acre water , the first thing i saw , was a home made bank-stick cut out of the hedge and leaning against the tree waiting for its owner to return , that and the outstanding beauty that is France , just clicked with me , no one to tell me that" jack no pecs" was often caught in so and so's swim , or that there was 9 30s and 200 20s (you get my drift lol )

nothing, unknown stock , quite banks , great food , really nice people (don't believe a word , about how horrible the french are , there the nicest people i have ever met )

the real france , how people can go to france and yet the only part of france they experience is through the window of a car/bus , is beyond me .

each to there own , and i'm glad so many do use the commercials , keeps them out of my way
/forum/smilies/tongue_out_smiley.gif/forum/smilies/big_smile_smiley.gif</blockquote>

Sounds fantastic.

Do you go on your own?

The public licenses changed a couple of years back and as Posh paul mentions it’s different now from the stamp for each department card that came before.

There are indeed lots of rules. Even the bailiffs themselves can get it wrong. The bottom line is you will never work it all out in advance if you intend to do a bit of Pioneering/exploring and don’t have a fixed venue in mind before you leave. The only way to be sure is to find a bit of water you like then ask at a local tackle shop what you need to fish there. Some waters will be closed shops, some will be open, some will be available on a private day ticket some may be free. Many rivers and canals will be open on the public licenses.

Don’t risk fishing without a permit.

Roto - a "barage" ???