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It's well known that France is a country of fishermen and trout fishing. We have sea fishing, lake fishing and river fishing. The geographical make-up of France has given rise to a multitude of approaches and, to some extent, numerous species of fish.
Whether using lures, minnows, toc, nymphs or flies, trout fishing has been practised for a very long time in France, particularly due to its presence in mountain rivers.
With the Alps, the Pyrenees, the Massif Central and the Vosges, the rivers of these mountains are perfectly suited to trout, particularly the Fario.
As with any angler who gradually begins to master his subject, the most assiduous and the most bitten will try to find bigger and bigger fish in order to beat his record regularly. But not all areas of France are the same when it comes to finding very big trout.
We're going to try and give you a few pointers to guide you on your next fishing holiday.
What is a big trout?
Not everyone will fix the notion of a big fish in the same place, or even to the same species, regularly separating fario and rainbow. It depends on personal records. It may also depend on your experience in France or abroad. If you have fished in Ireland, Canada or elsewhere, you may already have achieved some formidable records.
In our opinion, a big trout is first and foremost a fish that you don't catch every day. It's an exceptional fish that you look for specifically with bigger lures, specific baits, different equipment and practice areas chosen for that purpose.
The big trout is the record fish. We'll say that at 60 cm or more you can consider that you've caught a very nice fish. Most of the time, the dresses are magnificent and each catch is truly unique, unlike that of a pike or black bass, for example. But you have to realise that in some areas with narrower tributaries, smaller fish can be very successful, forcing you to update your technique.
Why did you choose rivers?
That's the question you'll probably be asking. Not least because there are so many lakes in France that are home to pretty trout. And you'd be right, we often see some very fine specimens photographed by anglers just about everywhere in France.
Even if this is quite honourable and a fine performance for lake anglers, most of the time these fish are part of a release programme.
We still have a slight preference for wild fish that have been lucky enough to have lived in rivers for several years. In our opinion, it is by respecting this type of fish and understanding its habitat that we will be able to re-establish biotopes that are conducive to a significant new population of our rivers, in the mountains as well as in the valleys. You can also find a selection of the best trout fishing spots in France for fly fishing, if you're a fan of the practice.
Which rivers will give you the best chance of catching a record trout?
Generally speaking, you should opt for fairly wide rivers. Large trout generally need to be able to hide easily in large holes. They can withstand strong currents. So it's in wide and sometimes deep rivers that you'll have the best chance of catching your record angler.
- In the south-west, you could stop off at the Gave de Pau. Known and respected by anglers both locally and from much further afield, it was once a mecca for Atlantic salmon during the season, who particularly travelled up this river to spawn at higher altitudes. The width and depth of the pools and the fact that the water doesn't dry out very much all year round mean that the river supports good populations of large trout. Even though the area is huge, it tends to hold some nice surprises along the way.
Photo : Florent Pécassou
- In the south-east guy, we'd tend to head for Lozère. This sparsely populated and beautiful département is full of possibilities. The Tarn is one of those we know well. This river remains on a human scale in this department, while offering opportunities for some very pretty fish. You can also go up to the Ardèche.
Photo: Sébastien B.
- In the Alps, you'll be spoilt for choice when it comes to great fishing. But the area is so large that it's hard to settle down and make the most of these wide-open spaces. But a few big names stand out: the Durance, the Verdon (not in the gorges), the Isère... and dozens of others, some of which don't see very many anglers a year.
Photo : Pierre Lavaurs
Finally, we can't end this list of rivers without mentioning Brittany as a benchmark for trout fishing. Especially as these rivers have the advantage of being particularly accessible and not too wide. They don't teem with huge trout like the big French rivers, but there are some nice surprises to be discovered.
Photo: Babelouest
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