Fly fishing paradise
© Patrick Smith
A fantastic range of first class lakes and rivers, teeming with wild trout - 43 lakes et 3 mountain streams. The fisherman is spoilt for choice as to where to cast his first fly...
Here Cyrille Lespinasse, aged 27, and Jean-Michel Brunet, 28, have found a place commensurate with their love of fly fishing and the hours of quiet waiting it requires, eyes riveted on the water, rod at the ready. In the Gyr, the Onde, the Gyronde, the crystal clear tributaries of the Durance... Not to mention the 43 lakes of the Ecrins massif.
Ski instructors and mountain guides in winter, in mid June they carefully prepare their rods and lines and don their waders for the beginning of the fishing season, which lasts until the first weekend in October. They can be spied in the water every day, watching out for the smallest movement, a fleeting gleam, the little bubbles which will betray the presence of a trout.
Their passion can consume up to 200 days a year, when they comb the world in search of its most beautiful rivers. It is also a job. When they are in the Hautes-Alpes region, they work as fishing instructors. "The demand is increasing all the time”, they are happy to say, "It is an activity which anybody can practise, whether they're young or old, able-bodied or physically impaired. It is also a pastime which attracts both the quiet and the sporting types.”
Many of the Ecrins rivers have been classified as category 1, which means they are among the richest natural fishing resources in France, particularly for wild trout. Once caught, the fish make a delicious meal, but Cyrille and Jean-Michel release them systematically. "The wait and the catch in the marvellous scenery of the Ecrins is enough to keep us happy.”
Contact us
Guidages de pêche - Jean-Michel Brunet
05120 L'Argentière-la-Bessée
(0033) (0)6 13 79 52 58
Rates for beginners from 90 euros per person for a half-day to 150 euros a day. Reduced rates for small groups. 2 to 5 day courses can be arranged.
See the access map
Cyrille Lespinasse
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The Pays des Ecrins Tourist Office
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Topic : Landscapes and nature
Published on : 2008/12/23
Tags : fishing river
