Our Belle Isle sur Risle hotel in Pont Audemer is located on a small island on the River Risle. This environment is ideal for letting go, recharging your batteries and strolling to the sound of the murmuring water.
The Risle, the last tributary of the Seine, located in a protected valley, is 144.7 kilometres long and very popular with kayakers.
But there is also a lesser-known activity in the area that is practised with passion: fly fishing.
The river is home to a multitude of species, including trout, barbel, wels catfish and chub, and is considered to be one of the best rivers in France for trout fishing.
The river is easily accessible to anglers thanks to its towpaths and the rehabilitation of its banks, notably by the SIBVR. Over the last few years, the SIBVR (syndicat intercommunal de la Basse Vallée de la Risle) has set up numerous projects and actions to preserve the river Risle. Recently, work has been carried out on mills and dams to enable migratory fish to move along the Risle (fish passes).
There are 3 no-kill fishing routes on the Risle: Saint Philibert sur Risle, Appeville Annebault and Corneville, closest to Belle Isle sur Risle.
A 2km stretch of the river is signposted and reserved exclusively for no-kill fly-fishermen. Access is via Route Départementale 130, halfway between the towns of Corneville and Appeville.
Fly fishing respects the environment that surrounds fly anglers, and requires a solid knowledge of the waterways and rigorous training in the fishing techniques that make it up. Depending on the season, a trout, for example, will behave differently, and you’ll need to respond accordingly. Fly fishing is undoubtedly the fishing technique most in harmony with nature, and requires very specific equipment.
There are for example 2 types of lures:
A dry fly, an imitation of flying insects
A nymph or a submerged fly, a representation of aquatic larvae
A streamer, an imitation of a fry
No kill fishing is the practice of releasing caught fish alive. It is more respectful of nature and consists of fishing for the pleasure of catching fish rather than for consumption. The practice originated in the United States, with salmonid and black-bass fishing. It goes by many names, including ‘catch and release’, “graciation” and ‘fishing without baskets’, and has developed in France with a new generation of anglers and the creation of specific fishing zones.
But be warned: open fishing, even no-kill fishing, requires a fishing licence. You can find all the information you need about fishing around Belle Isle on the website of the “association des pêcheurs de la Risle et de ses affluents”.
And so, Belle Isle sur Risle is an ideal base for nature lovers and anglers alike.
But be warned: open fishing, even no-kill fishing, requires a fishing licence. You can find all the information you need about fishing around Belle Isle on the website of the Risle and its tributaries fishermen’s association.
