Bruno Garcia from the Charente-Maritime fishing federation takes us to sea this week on France Bleu la Rochelle to discover common bass and speckled bass.
A fable by La Fontaine?
Bruno Garcia: This is the story of our sluices. Things that it is necessary to master well when one decides to fish at sea. There are two species of bass with very distinct physics.
Do all the departments on the Atlantic coast benefit from these two kinds of bars?
Well it’s surprising but no. In Charente – Maritime we are privileged. Already when you go back to the Vendée department you have a lot less speckled bass, in Loire – Atlantique even less and in Brittany they are very rare. The distribution of this species is based on water temperature. Speckled bass come to reproduce on our coasts from April in waters whose temperature must be adapted and a little warmer than on the coast located further north.
Has global warming influenced this distribution in recent years?
Yes, we actually see, not only for this species, that this distribution is slowly changing. For lean, for example, the migration corridors rise slightly.
How do you distinguish common bass from speckled bass?
There are many criteria but the main ones and in particular the physical criteria are the coat which is dotted with black spots in the speckled sea bass, a body much more compressed, narrower than the common sea bass. You can’t be wrong.
After on their biology, the speckled bass reproduces in April May while the common bass reproduces in February – March and the maximum size which is around 50 centimeters in the speckled while the common bass can reach one meter.
Are the fishing techniques the same for both?
In general yes, but the speckled is held very regularly near the surface. Its manifestations when hunting are very spectacular. It is a very dynamic, very tonic fish, which very often gratifies you with a few leaps out of the water when you have it at the end of the line.
Why do you say it is so important to distinguish between the two as a fisherman?
Quite simply because the regulatory sizes are different, for the speckled bass it is 30 centimeters and for the common bass it is 42 centimeters. And besides, the common bass is subject to a quota of two fish per day and per fisherman, whereas this is not the case for the speckled bass.
Shall we talk about fishing activities?
Yes, there are still a few places left for the feeder sessions offered by the Federation for 12-18 year olds as part of the summer activities. You have a registration file on the website of the Charente-Maritime Fishing Federation or you call 05 46 98 98 79.
12 – 13 July: Saintes sector
19 – 20 July: Saujon sector
26 – 27 July: Rochefort sector
August 2 – 3: St Jean d’Angély sector
August 9 – 10: Jonzac sector