Crucians in France

[Mole-Patrol]

It may be that the British and French authorities need to do some DNA testing as the carassin carp are at the moment sharing the same Latin name as crucians.

[Tengisgol]

Hi Mark, is there concern that the gibel have affected even what we consider to be our truest of crucian line?

Are we safe to say that what we consider to be tier one crucian only fisheries remain just that?

[Coral Maestro]

Gibel - Prussian and Crucian --- a long thread about them on here -
""The Prussian carp, silver Prussian carp or Gibel carp (Carassius gibelio)""

We do have - I think - Gibel carp here already. Plus the others mentioned in the above thread which goes into great detail.

There are several Forum Members who visit/live in various parts - and fish - who are always ready to help!

There is an excellent book - Ou Pecher en France by Henri Limouzin - with every or almost every river stream in France. Although dated 2004 is gives local rivers/canals to anywhere you may be in France! Plus the usual fish found in them with 40,000 sites. It is in French but that would help in learning the french fishing lingo! It seems to be available via Am*z*n - very cheaply now.

All you need is a rod licence - Carte de Peche. Annual 2020 Licence is £80 for a max of 4 coarse rods on all public waters in all French Departments except 5 I think - ie 90 "counties"! (There is a weekly licence option of about £20+.) If you are travelling around or visiting for longer than fortnight the annual one probably works out the best.

Remember that you do not need a Licence for most Private Carp waters.

Carte de Peche prices for the current year (2020) are as follows:

So the Carte for all departments is €100/year.
For those who are comparing this with UK rates the system is different here. Once you have the Carte de Peche you can fish "public waters" free of charge. This includes a large number of lakes and reservoirs and also most rivers.

[Coral Maestro]

The 3lb rudd that also live there in the Marais Poitevin! Been for about 15 years now as my angling club friend had his gite in Courcon but yet to get my 3+ - close, very close within a couple of ounces - but not yet!

Had carrasins to 4lb and rudd to just under 3lb from Sevre Niortaise - fishable from Niort to Marans along the canal bank with parking mostly behind your swim. Plus sections fishable at night for big carp. And cats if you only use boilies! Huge bags of bream on the feeder in various areas even in a heatwave a year ago for me - 40C!

The canal from Marans to La Rochelle was dredged a couple of years ago but was idyllic and overgrown beforehand with easy tench fishing.

As to being true rounded crucians as found in Godalming's water, Marsh Farm, they are not as you can see. However they do fight well and are very obliging taking a variety of baits. But give me the rudd - monsters IF you can find them!

The very well stocked tackle shop in Fontenay Le Comte sells bait including maggots and pinkies in bulk if you order. The array of lures for sandre, black bass, etc is quite big to say the least

Do you have any photos of the rudd? Sounds like an area that would be well worth a visit. Decent sized rudd and carrasin are thin on the ground in my neck of the woods.

[Coral Maestro]

Crucian carp are one of those species that should bring a smile to any anglers face. I experienced my first will it-won't it crucian bite around 1970 at a small farm pond between Barnsley and Wakefield. When we moved to France in 2012 we bought an old camping-car and that was pressed into use not just for our joint trips, but when Little Wife went back to the UK twice a year to visit the coven I took our dog and cat on fishing adventures and one of the places we went to was Marans in the Charente-Maritime, not too far from La Rochelle to which it is joined by a canal. Marans is a paradise for the angler. It is an inland port much like Boston and surrounded by canals and drains all of which are home to the chubby little fish the French call Carassins.



They teem in large shoals in the sometimes saline waters that surround many of the towns and villages of the area. You will see them rubbing shoulders with mullet, chub and roach in the canal that runs through the town itself. In the La Rochelle canal you will find French pêcheurs ignoring the possibility of a 40lb carp or 100lb catfish and happy to pull out endless carassins using light pole tactics. 50 kg bags are not uncommon and 100 kg bags are possible as the average size of carassin is well over a kilo and they are obliging biters.

As you drive towards Marennes and the coast you drive for many kilometres alongside another canal where you see storks nesting in the electricity pylons. You can pull in anywhere alongside the road, or into the adjoining lanes and fish for carassins. It doesn't matter where you fish, they will oblige.Just outside Marennes, the area called Le Lindron where pêcheurs often catch in excess of 100 carassins in between being snapped by the many large carp that inhabit the same canal.



If that isn't a crucian angler's dream venue I don't know what is

Thanks for this post Mole-Patrol. Lots of useful information.

[Mole-Patrol]

It is a bit of a trek from where you are, but the Marais-Poitevin region is well worth a visit. Just remember your mozzie repellent if you go in summer. Le Lindron is the Mecca for local French anglers. There are tens of kilometres of unfished or rarely fished drains alongside many of the roads and chemins leading to and around Marennes where you can drive along and pick a good spot.

In nearby Marans there is a 'carpe de nuit' stretch of river opposite Super-U with fishing platforms and the length of canal in the old part of town from the road bridge back to the locks holds some good roach, a few chub, mullet in summer, and loads of carassins. There are catfish of 60lb+ lurking under the moored boats too. I find it best to fish from the Super-U side rather than on the town bank for more peace and quiet. In summer you'll find mullet in all the drains, canals and rivers.

[DaceAce]

Hi Mark, is there concern that the gibel have affected even what we consider to be our truest of crucian line?

Are we safe to say that what we consider to be tier one crucian only fisheries remain just that?

There's not a shred of evidence to suggest this. Sleep easy. Our tier 1 crucian only fisheries are safe at present (until some idiot introduces carp).

[DaceAce]

It may be that the British and French authorities need to do some DNA testing as the carassin carp are at the moment sharing the same Latin name as crucians.

There's far more testing than is widely known. It's the anglers that have little knowledge of identifying fish. On many forums I despair when simple id problems like an ide from a roach x chub, or even roach from rudd cause confusion. These gibel carp kept Peter Rolfe and I guessing for years but we are relentless in our quest!

[Dave Burr]

The easiest identification feature of the carassin is the rays in the fins. They split like the branches on a tree as opposed to reaching out in rays.

Personally, having been bothered by them whilst barbel fishing in Spain, I view them as an absolute nuisance fish and their only attribute is their willingness to bit more readily than minnows. If catching them turns you on then enjoy but, were they in a water I wanted to fish seriously for roach, rudd et al, I'd avoid that water like the plague. I hope they don't become common place in the UK.

But this post has got me thinking about being sat next to a French and all it involves. Had Corona not struck, that's exactly where I would be right now and I miss it like crazy.

[Olly]

Let's not go down the mixed heritage route of "crucian carp" again! Somewhere I saw pictures of Swedish crucians which looked deeper than the French version and rather like UKs.

The French ones I have caught from the Sevre Niotaise in the Marais Poitevin National Park area are identical to the bottom picture above from MP. I caught a shed-full under the rudd previously mentioned from the same swim but fishing deeper. There are several areas of night fishing between Marans and Niort both in Vendee, 85, on the north bank and Charente Maritime, 17, on the south bank. (There are restrictions regarding baits than can be used at night.) Apart from the Sevre Niortaise there is the Vendee river, flowing though Fontenay Le Comte, the two join above Marans. Another river, L'Autise, both old and new join them. Most of the larger river sections are navigable.

By the way La Lindron is next to Marennes and not near the Marais Poitevin in fact it is on the Canal de la Saudre a la Charente. The canal joins the two rivers - a shortcut avoiding the sea!