11
www.leggettfrance.com
P
eople will pay good
money to land a big
carp. One of the fastest
growing trends in the
UK, it's competitive,
addictive, and a hobby that
might even involve driving to
France - or buying a lake there
too.
Purchasing a lake in France is
not as crazy as you might think.
"Ninety per cent of [our] fi shing
lakes are bought by the British,
for the British," says Kevin
Andrews, Area Coordinator for
Leggett in Central France. "But
post-Covid, the French have also
started buying some too." In
2020, 192,550 French children
under 12 had a fi shing licence!
It's especially popular in
the Limousin, where there are
over 3,000 lakes off ering trout,
carp, pike, bream, dace, perch,
and much more. Still, there are
lashings of lakes in Brittany,
Pays-de-la-Loire, and PoitouCharentes.
You can buy a small lake
for swimming, one for canoeing
with family and friends, or you
could purchase one to run
as a commercial fi shing lake,
perhaps with a house and gÎtes.
If there is a fi shermen's hut or
lodge by the lake, assume that
you won't be able to turn it into
a home - get your notaire to
check that any dwelling by the
lake is legally permitted. The
key is knowing what you are
buying.
Finding a suitable lake
requires careful consideration.
Lakes in France used for
commercial rather than private
fi shing must be licensed in line
with Department of Agriculture
(DDT) standards. A lake might
be registered, which means its
existence is on record, but it
might not 'conform', therefore
not meeting the standards that
the DDT sets out regarding its
management.
"Unless you speak fl uent
French, buy a lake that conforms
if you want to run it as a
business, or the paperwork can
be a minefi eld," advises Kevin
Andrews. Prices refl ect this. A
lake that doesn't conform (see
A14756, over the page) will
be less expensive compared
to ones that do, like this great
example in the Dordogne
(A08595).
Size matters. The advised
minimum size to run a lake
as a business is two hectares,
although fi ve is often preferred.
Whether the lake is fed by
spring water and if it is deep
enough are essential questions,
as is how well stocked it is with
fi sh. You might have to take the
seller's word that a lake contains
€25,000 of fi sh - unless you
drain it and count them, how can
you prove it?
"If you buy a lake, draining
and cleaning it, then stocktaking the
fi sh before refi lling
it, can at least mean you know
what you've got," suggests
Andrews. But of course, this
involves costs. A carp lake needs
around 500kg-600kg of fi sh per
hectare. Sometimes lakes come
with a smaller breeding pond
such as this property (A14042)
or a 'hospital' pond (used to let
the big fi sh recover from being
hauled out repeatedly).
The 'holy grail' is a fi shing
lake with a house and some
gÎtes if you want to hook
the family holiday market.
Fishermen might 'drive and
survive' a long way to hook that
big fi sh but also want access to
other amenities. When you set
up any French business, you will
be subject to French taxes and
hefty paperwork, so make sure
you have the correct insurance
for all aspects.