For all Fishing Fans

There are a wealth of fishing in the rivers of the Charente and a great site, unfortunately in French, which has all the information you need is on the Fishing Federation site for the Charente.

A note from our resident fishing expert, Mark.

Pictured here with a rather attractive looking carp!:

'The obvious choice is the excellent River Charente which runs through the whole of the department. It varies in depth & flow. In the deeper slower stretches it containers big carp, bream, tench, roach and pike. I have caught carp up to 34lb.The best bait is maize & boilie for the carp. In the faster flowing areas it is great for fishing chub, barbel & even brown trout. Licences from any tackle shop for a year or holiday permits available. There are the plan d'eau (small lakes) at Villefagnan, Chef Boutonne & SauzeVaussais. Tickets and info are available from the local mairies. There is also a great carp spot on Popes Island (Chaunay) which is a 2 acre private lake at the cost of 20€ per day and has carp up to 32lb. Best methods to fish this lake are boilie & pellet fishing to the far bank. Another good private day ticket water is the campsite lake at Luxé (near Mansle) next to the river Charente. Tickets are sold on site'.

Whilst doing my research I have found a good site called Fishing.co.uk which gives good information on the do's and don'ts in France and where to get licenses.