Fishing in France
Even the most excitable Frenchman can find total relaxation in casting his line and settling down to watch and wait. There is even a political party whose raison d'être is nature conservation, hunting and fishing.
Fresh water fishing requires a licence issued by the national association (AAPPMA) which groups the 92 départementale federations. Check locally where and when you can fish, bearing in mind there may be complete restrictions in national and regional nature parks and fishing seasons vary according to when and where fish breed. For convenience, retailers selling fishing tackle can usually sell you the annual or holiday period licences. An annual licence averages around 25€. Certain freshwater fish, notably trout, salmon and black bass, must be over a certain size or thrown back in the water.
Coastal fishing is allowed any time of the day or night throughout the year provided local port and naval restrictions are respected and fish caught are at least a certain size. Contact the local Association de Pêche in the Yellow Pages under Pêche et chasse (pratique de) for current regulations. Fishing underwater, which must be without the aid of lighting and breathing apparatus, is not allowed between sunset and sunrise and not within 150 metres of fishing boats and buoys indicating fishing nets.
The following lists are by no means exhaustive, but would-be anglers should know that the Atlantic and English Channel offer: bass (bar), mackerel (mackereau), sole, plaice (carrelet), conger eel (congre), sea bream (dorade), mullet (mullet), whiting (merlans) and cod (morues)
And the Mediterranean: sea perch (loup), sea bream, rock fish (poissons de roche) and tunny (thon).
Freshwater fish include trout (truite), grayling (ombre), char fish (omble), carp (carpe), roach (gardons), pike (brochet), perch (perche), bream (brème), barbel (barbeau), black bass and gudgeon (goujon).
