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Office de Tourisme et des Congrès de Bordeaux Métropole
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The Bordeaux Fisherman

Jean-Marie Hauchecorne is Bordeaux’s only professional angler. He is proud of his work and knows everything there is to know about the Garonne River. Jean-Marie proposes trips on board his boat Les Tontons Flinguers that combine scenery with local produce. He docks at the Cité du Vin jetty.

You are among the last 30 freshwater anglers in Gironde. Tell us about your job.

With my boat, I mostly work between Le Pont d’Aquitaine and the Pont Chaban-Delmas bridges, where I fish for common fish such as pibales, twait shad, eels and Indian prawns. I also catch species that are considered to be invasive, including the catfish, and I have asked for permission to fish for Louisiana crawfish.

I use three techniques: set nets or drift nets, a creel or hook and line. Nowadays, I’m the only fisherman left in Bordeaux. Twenty years ago there were 300 of us in Gironde. It’s a job that is disappearing.

Fisherman river

You propose boat trips onboard Les Tontons Flinguers. Is it as a way to get people to learn about your profession?

Yes, I’m very conscious of the fact that my work is being phased out, and it’s important to me to pass on what I know. Also, I have always wanted to do what the Italians call “pesca-tourism”.

During my boat tours, I explain to my passengers how my traps work, where I place them, which bait I use. I also talk to them about the hazards of the profession: how the tides dictate what you do, how ice dams or those chunks of wood that float on the Garonne affect your work… I give them information about the fish I catch, as well as the others that live in the river: northern pike, carp, salmon, sturgeon, etc. Plus, I tell them all of the little secrets that the river holds.

Fish Garonne

Do you see your tours as a different way to explore Bordeaux?

Yes, I really think that they are a way of truly getting away from daily life while never straying too far from Bordeaux. My boat trips are also educational; I talk about fishing, the flora and fauna of the Garonne, as well as the history of the shipyards, the famous carrelet square dipping nets and fisherman huts, the landing stages.

In English and German if necessary! I also offer the opportunity to take a drink on my boat and enjoy some produce from the river! If the weather isn’t good, I invite my passengers into the superb cabin near the Pont d’Aquitaine that I’m lucky enough to be allowed to use.  If that isn’t “pesca-tourism” then I don’t know what is!

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You can book your trip online at www.visiter-bordeaux.com

Boat river