Fishing

Spring Salmon and World Record Allis Shad: a great Spring 2005 angling combo!

 

Generally speaking...

Anglers visiting Brittany are spoiled for choice as the rivers, streams and many stillwaters are managed for public use. Once you pick up your fishing license, you will have access to a large region of Finistère known as the GIPAULNE (see map below), including mile after craggy mile of coastline of sea fishing.

:denotes the general boundary of the GIPAULNE fishing management
region within Finistere (department 29) of Brittany, but you may fish many other areas of Brittany for an additional fee (Federal Stamp) of only 10 euros.

 

If you arrive between 12 March and 30 May, and want to fish for spring salmon for example, your full fishing license will cost around £60. This will entitle the license holder to fish not only the GIPAULNE region but many of the other salmon rivers of Finistère where reciprocity agreements already exist. Otherwise if you visit during the normal spring/summer holiday season, i.e. between 1 June and 30 September, your full fishing license will cost approximately £45 (if your primary quarry is salmon, otherwise the license becomes much cheaper). Sam has translated the regional, local and specialist fishing regulations into English so you can simply concentrate on getting a tight line instead of constantly rummaging through a French-English dictionary. You can also book Sam whose first language is English (English-speaking guides are very rare creatures in Brittany!)

***Gear hire available, please enquire when booking your trip***

 

About your Guide

Sam, is a fully-licensed and insured professional fishing guide or 'guide de pêche professionnel' (siret no.481 133 023 00012) specialising in fly and lure fishing for fresh- and saltwater game fish. Besides having years of game-fishing experience, Sam also has a doctorate in fish anatomy, biology and evolution which he received from University College London in 2002. In January 2005, Sam was voted in by the local fishermen as a member of the Council of Administrators for the Châteaulin Fishing Association (Châteaulin AAPPMA). He is an ardent supporter of 'catch and release' fishing, where the photograph or video becomes the primary trophy. However, those visiting anglers who are interested in keeping a spring salmon or bass, for example, for the table are welcome to do so. Sam is also seasoned casting instructor and tournament caster. He is also a volunteer at the Salmonicuture at La Favot where he can be found stuck into a many fish-farm related activities In August, Sam was certified by the IGFA as the 'all-tackle' world record holder for the Allis shad which he caught on the fly.

Many anglers pay huge sums of money to chase after these migratory marvels all over the world. Fish and Fun Brittany are not here to compete with the big boys of Salmon Angling. However, we offer the new or seasoned salmon angler a chance to catch their beloved fish in lovely Breton surroundings without resorting to an 'Oceans 11-type raid' on the bank. Take advantage of flying over for 'peanuts' with one of the cheap air carriers like FLYBE (see Destinations Page for details) or via a short ferry break to enjoy a weekend or longer of salmon fishing. Your license can also be purchased ahead of time to avoid any administrative delays. So armed with some local river/angling information and a fly or spinning rod, you can immediately start enjoying some fishing solitude or be accompanied by an English-speaking guide if desired.

 

Salmon Fishing Season 2005

The French fishing authorities have divided the salmon fishing season into different fishing periods with different restrictions attributed to each particular period. To the foreigner these restrictions may seem odd but are in place to better manage future stocks of the Atlantic salmon in Breton rivers. With this said, the visiting angler has an excellent chance to catch a keeper salmon. For those keen salmon anglers who book a stay with us for a week or longer, there are plenty of alternative fishing/outdoor opportunities on those 'salmon off days'.

 
Period 1 (12 March to 15 June)

• Fly, artificial lure and bait fishing authorised without restriction to hook type.
  

• Fishing for salmon authorised on the following days only: Saturday, Sunday, Monday and Wednesday.
  
• Minimum keeper length is 50 cm. This is standard throughout the salmon seasons.

Period 2 (16 June to 31 July)

• Fishing with artificial lures or flies with single hook only is authorised.
  

• Anglers are allowed to fish any day of the week.
  
• Anglers who catch a salmon longer than 70 cm are obliged to return it to the river.

Period 3 (1 August to 17 September)

• The river Aulne is closed to salmon fishing.

Period 4 (18 September to 15 October)

• Like period 2, fishing with artificial lures and flies with single hook only is authorised.
  

• Anglers are allowed to fish any day of the week.

Coarse Fishing at the bottom of our Garden...

...is simply outstanding on the river Aulne which borders our Gîte as the fish are *wild*, numerous, and big due to the wonderful river habitat and very little local fishing pressure, as the majority of the local fishermen prefer to fish for small roach, rudd, and bleak.

Left to right: Sam with his first trophy bream (Spring 2005)
and budding angler,Joel Strutt, with a beauty of a summer pike (river Aulne)

Well enough of me rabbiting on about how good it is on the canal, here are some photos of Graham, one of my UK clients, who came over in May 2005. He told me: " I haven't caught so many big bream in more than 3 visits to ireland as I have here in one afternoon in your garden!" He has booked 2 more fishing trips with this season!

 

Pike Fishing on St Michel Reservoir

Finistère's premiere fishing reseroir is over 450 hectares. It's a place where large rainbow trout, whose population is supported by the pisciculture at La Favot, and giant pike abound. A reservoir stamp for your fishing license costs only 18€ for adults. For those anglers who want to pursue 'loch-style' fishing, Sam can guide you on a new 4.5 metre fully-equipped Quicksilver sport fishing skiff which is ideal for pursuing pike or trout on this picturesque and peaceful lake in quiet comfort.

 

River Wading for Wild Brownies

Within a 30 minute drive from Sam's home are some rivers which are not only picturesque but also hold some of the most beautiful brown trout in France. Rivers like the Odet and Jet will enchant the river fly fishermen and you may be rewarded with a finely-spotted prize of your own.

A Fisherman's Dilemma on the River Odet and others: Should I turn and go left or right?

 

Master river fly angler, Christian, with one of many gorgeous wild brown trout caught
 in the river Odet. Suffice it to say they ended up as the main course of that evening's barbeque

 

For Kids

Next to our property, the commune of St Thois has built a large custom-built fishing pond stocked with a variety of coarse fish. Kids up to 16 years of age can fish after paying a nominal fee for a fishing licence. In June the AAPPMA of St Thois stock the pond with over 200 rainbow trout. Fishing for them is FREE!!

Your trip: tailor-made to suit your fishing interests

Be it salmon fishing, lure/fly fishing for sea bass off of the rocks, loch-style fishing for rainbows, stream fishing for brownies, lure fishing for pike, and of course, coarsing fishing for wild species, we can create a package for you. We can also organise your fishing license in advance so you can fish at the bottom of the garden as soon as you arrive! We can prepare packed lunches, a 3-course evening-meal or show you the lovely local restaurants. We also provide a drying area for your wellies, waders and other 'wet gear'.

 

Weather (short & long range forecasts)

Email Sam on samuelpdavis@hotmail.com or call to set up your fishing holiday!