Angling

Autumn Fishing

By Clive Kenyon

WELL, THAT IS ANOTHER YEAR NEARLY OVER AND BECAUSE OF ‘YOU KNOW WHAT’ MANY OF US WILL BE BEHIND WITH OUR QUOTA OF FISHING

For many UK anglers November would hundred years before this was be associated with species such as implemented in many rivers. In the grayling and pike. Unfortunately for most meantime other factors including of us, grayling aren’t really an option. Pike industrial pollution and over fishing in fishing can be good at this time of year and rivers and offshore had reduced the there are plenty of places where you can numbers to the point where salmon were fish for pike from small rivers to the an endangered species. Well before the law massive Lac de Vassiviere. Because lure was passed observers in the 17th century fishing for predators is so popular in had noted that salmon had stopped France I seek out the overlooked spots running up certain rivers that had been wherever possible and the River Charente canalised and made slower flowing and the from Suris down to Mansle and beyond is lock gates prevented fish from as good as anywhere for hunting old Esox. passing through. One of the two lakes in the Haute Charente, Lac Lavaud also receives very little angling pressure and providing there is enough water left to fish in after the long, dry spell that is now but a distant memory you could do better there than in the neighbouring Lac Mas Chaban where angling pressure is much greater. The most famous area for salmon fishing in France can be found in Navarrenx situated in the ancient kingdom of the Béarn, home of the Three Musketeers, where the monarch Henri II d’Albret compared it to “a flea fought over by two apes”, in reference to the kings of France and Spain, both of whom wished to add As for myself; I’ll be seeking out some independent Béarn to their property seasonal barbel and hoping that the zoo portfolio. Displayed on the wall inside the creatures that have plagued me in the last PMU bar in Navarrenx are old black and few autumn periods have the courtesy to white newspaper cuttings depicting the take the large bait on the heavier rod I good times with anglers displaying have carefully prepared for them. multiple catches of fish running to over Salar the Salmon Many of us will be familiar with the magical book written by Henry Williamson that was devoted to the life of the salmon. 30lb. The town still retains its claim to being the premier salmon fishing destination in France and holds an annual competition for salmon anglers. So it is good news that after many years of Efforts are now being made to increase the decline the Atlantic Salmon is now being numbers of salmon returning by various actively championed by means. Hatcheries authorities in France and determined efforts are Fortunately for anglers, the provide young fish bred from native being put in place to bears and wolves favour the stocks and progress facilitate its return to a higher areas where angling is is being made in the healthy population. construction of fish As in the UK, salmon used to migrate up French rivers in great numbers. The cathedral of Oloron SainteMarie in the Pyrenees Atlantique (Dept 64) has a tympanum depicting three salmon fishers as trades dating back to the 15th century. Fishermen would place nets across the rivers to harvest the returning fish, a practice that continued well into the 20th century. In 1906 one village records professional fishermen caught over 800 salmon at an average weight of over 14lbs each. In the early 19th century workers in French cities including Paris and Bordeaux ladders where the path of migration is obstructed by weirs or barrages. This is replicated in other areas of France including our own region where the biggest obstruction to salmon navigating the River Vienne is the huge barrage at Jousseau. The Gartempe however is a tributary of the Creuse and is part of the local re-introduction scheme. Initially these schemes got off to a slow start with just a tiny fraction of the stocked fish returning to breed, but in the last few years the numbers have risen and in some cases have stabilised. used to have clauses added to their One of the greatest problems encountered contract of employment forbidding them by those championing the salmon’s cause to be served salmon more than three times is in some angler’s failure to grasp the a week. By the middle of that century a bigger picture and refrain from killing all decline had been noted and despite a law the salmon that they catch. In a survey drawn up in 1865 prescribing the building taken in July this year on the Gave of fish ladders to aid returning salmon’s d’Oloron only 14 of 174 salmon caught migration to the spawning redds it was a were released. Also professional fishermen

who have licences to fish using nets in estuarine waters are demanding compensation should their catches be restricted. The angling associations involved in the programs are forced to tread a very narrow path given the individual interests of its varied memberships. Another major issue highlighted in a similar scheme operating in Brittany is that Silure or Wels Catfish have been quick to exploit the salmon numbers often stationing themselves near to newly constructed fish ladders enabling them to mop up the conveyor belt of high quality protein rather as bears do in North American rivers. Talking of bears; that is another danger salmon must face in the southern departments where a number of brown bears have been controversially released into the Pyrenean mountains. Many people living in the mountain villages cannot quite comprehend why, in an area where endangered species like marmots, ibex, mouflons and salmon are being offered protection from human interference, the Government thinks it is a good idea to release apex predators such as bears and wolves into the area. Fortunately for anglers, the bears and wolves favour the higher areas where angling is not permitted. Should you fancy fishing for this majestic, if somewhat elusive species in France probably the best place to head for is the beautiful old Béarn region of the Basque country in the Pyrenees-Atlantique. The mountain rivers, called ‘Gaves’ spill from the mountains to the south and cascade down steep, narrow valleys before spreading their width in the lower pastures. There are three or four Gaves that are known for the salmon fishing but it is the Gave d’Oloron which boasts over 1,500 fish a year that return to its tumbling waters that is the most prolific fishery. According to the travel guides more than 160 salmon pools are referenced over the 80km of its course. Like the Scottish beats some have local names such as the priest's hole, the wire hole and the potato field. The season runs from 14th March to 31st July and there are restrictions on methods and catch limits dependent on the season and location. Sea-trout also feature occasionally in the angler’s catches and as you would expect, the rivers are also home to grayling and beautiful brown trout known as ‘Farios’. You won’t need much in the way of tackle; just the Béarn necessities! (Sorry – couldn’t resist that!).