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N°1 | The Ling fish

The Ling fish belongs to the Lotidae family. It generally measures 1.60 m in adulthood, but can reach a height of 2 meters and weigh up to 45 kg. Its longevity is estimated at 10 years for males and 14 years for females. Breeding takes place from March to July. The female can lay up to 60 million eggs. It can be fished all year round except in winter. The Ling has a cylindrical and very elongated body. The head is flattened with a prominent upper jaw. The fairly long chin barbell is larger than the diameter of the eye. This species has two dorsal fins and one anal fin. The first dorsal fin is shorter and often shows a black spot on the back, the second one runs the rest of the body to the tail. The black caudal fin has a white border on the tip. It is uniformly greenish brown in color, but slightly darker dorsally in adults. The young are often lighter, with its coloring more or less marbled orange.

Fishing period : all year except in winter

Minimum size : no restriction

Difficulty :

N°2 | The Common Skate

The Common Skate belongs to the Rajidae family. Its average size is 2.85 m for 110 kg of weight. It has a lifespan of 100 years. It breeds in spring to summer. The female can lay up to 40 eggs. They are considered as threatened species by the IUCN or International Union for Conservation of Nature. The Common Skate has a pointed snout and rhombic shape, with a row of spines along the tail. The upper surface is colored olive-grey to brown with dark or white spot, and the bottom is lighter blue-grey.

Fishing period : Not available

Minimum size : Not available

Difficulty :

N°3 | The Brill fish

The brill fish belongs to the Scophthalmidae family. The minimum size of capture is 30 cm but can reach 75 cm for 6 kg. He can live up to 3 years. It breeds from late spring to early summer. The female can lay up to 15 million eggs. It can be fished all year. The brill has an oval body. It rests on its right side and has its left side. Thus, when placed with the head facing left, both eyes are located above the mouth. Its common name of brill comes from a particularity of its dorsal fin, whose origin is far in front of the eye and whose first rays are free and branched. The distance between the two eyes is greater than the diameter of one eye. The lateral line is very curved at the pectoral fin. As with many flatfish, the coloring is variable and depends on the biotope. The brill is indeed capable of homochromia, i.e. to match the color of the background. The coloring is rather brown, more or less speckled, and also varies according to the environment on a live fish. It has many round spots whose edges are incomplete rings of darker colors. The blind side is whitish.

Fishing period : All year

Minimum size : 30 cm

Difficulty :

N°4 | The Conger Eel

The Conger Eel belongs to the Anguillidae family. Its average size is 40 to 150 cm for an average weight of 4 kg. It has a life span of 50 years old. They breed from spring to summer. The best period to fish for Conger Eel is from April to September at night. Snake-shaped, oval body and the rear part is vertically compressed. The skin is relatively thick and covered with mucus that covers the scales. The lower jaw is longer than the upper and the nostrils are tubular. The dorsal and anal fins merge with the caudal fin and this all forms a single continuous fin that starts well behind the pectoral fins. There is no pelvic fin. Back brown-green with yellowish belly for yellow eel but back black with silver belly for silver eel. It turns black with a silver belly in silver eels for individuals ready to migrate to the Sargasso Sea.

Fishing period : April to September

Minimum size : 58 cm

Difficulty :

N°5 | The Flounder Fish

The Flounder Fish belongs to the Pleuronectidae family. It usually reaches a size of 50 cm; the maximum observed size is 60 cm for a weight of 1.5 kg. The maximum lifespan is estimated at 15 years. It reproduces in early spring. The female can lay up to 2 million eggs. The best time to fish it is in spring and autumn. The Flounder fish is a flatfish of general losanitary appearance, taking into account the triangular shape of the head and dorsal and anal fins. Both eyes are on the same side of the head, on the right side, for about 2/3 of the individuals. The mouth is small and terminal, with a slightly tapered snout. The oral commissure is located on the same line as the center of the eye. The lateral line barely curves towards the dorsal edge at the pectoral fins. It has a row of tubers in its front part. Similarly, the base of the dorsal and anal fins is highlighted by a line of tubers, which are clearly palpable. The anal fin has 35 to 46 soft rays. The oculate side has a variable coloring, from olive green to reddish brown, or grey, enhanced by dark green mottling, with small, dull and few orange spots. This helps to give it a "dirty" appearance. The blind side is white.

Fishing period : Spring and Autumn

Minimum size : 25 cm

Difficulty :

N°6 | The Coalfish

The Coalfish belongs to the Gadidae family. With a size of up to 1.30 m, the coalfish can weigh up to 10 kg. It has a life span of 8 to 10 years. The breeding period varies according to the location. The female lays up to 4 million eggs. It can be fished all year round but at a minimum catch size of 61 cm. Its body is fusiform and elongated, covered with small round scales. In profile, the lower jaw is slightly prominent. The back is greenish brown; the belly is silvery. The clear and almost straight lateral line is well marked. It extends along the entire length of its sides. There may also be a black spot at the base of the pectoral fins. The mouth is terminal. She's black on the inside. The fins are soft-raked. They are dark like the back of a fish, except for the lighter pelvic fins. The coalfish has 3 dorsal fins, the first being triangular, the others longer, and 2 anal fins. The pelvic fins are positioned well forward, under the head, and the caudal fin is a little concave. Young people may have a small barbel on their chin.

Fishing period : All year

Minimum size : 61 cm

Difficulty :

N°7 | The Gurnard Fish

The Gurnard Fish belongs to the Triglidae family. their sizes vary from 250g to 1 kg. The maximum size recorded is 6 kg. The maximum age that was reached and measured in this fish was 15 years. It is fished in August in April. The gurnard can be identified by the way he moves on the bottom using the first 3 rays of his pectoral fins transformed into locomotor appendages allowing him to "walk" on the seabed. The longest rays of the pectoral fin reach the beginning of the anal fin. This fin, when the individual begins to swim, shows its underside decorated with a bright blue border. It may also have a fairly central black area with blue spots. The bluish coloration of the pectoral fades with age. This fish has two distinct ridges, the first of which is quite short. With a maximum height of 75 cm, but usually not exceeding fifty centimeters, it is the largest representative of the family. Its maximum referenced weight is 6 kg. As with other gurnards, the head is massive and armored. It has a snout extending far forward and ending in a curvature or a slight indentation. The spines on the lids and pre-lids are quite short. The general color varies from grey to reddish to brown with varying degrees of dark spots. Her belly is white. Small scales give it a very smooth looking integument. The lateral line, which is similar in color to that of the body, shows only a slight relief.

Fishing period : from August to April

Minimum size : 200 g

Difficulty :

N°8 | The Pouting fish

The Pouting fish belongs to the Gadidae Family. Its longevity is short: 4 years for a maximum size of 45 cm and a weight of about 1kg. Breeding takes place in March-April and is fished all year round. This small fish, generally 20/30 cm, rarely 45 cm, has an oval body, flattened laterally. Beige/pinkish white, slightly coppery, it can, especially when it is close to a poorly lit area (cave, wreck), have four to five wide dark vertical stripes. These bands may be absent in sunlight or on dead fish. The lower jaw is slightly set back, giving the pouting fish a characteristic profile with a small "nose". The eye is quite large, and a barbell is clearly visible under the "chin". The pouting fish has, like other Gadidae, three dorsal fins and two anal fins. A black spot is clearly visible at the base of the pectoral muscles.

Fishing period : All year

Minimum size : 25 cm

Difficulty :

N°9 | The Garfish

The Garfish belongs the Belonidae family. It measures from 30 cm to more than one meter and can weigh up to 5 kg, the average weight being around 400 g. It has a lifespan of about 10 years. It breeds from Mai to June. The female lays thousands of eggs. The Garfish is a fish with a very tapered body of oval cross-section. The head extends into a long beak formed by two thin jaws armed with sharp teeth. The lower jaw is slightly longer than the upper jaw. The nostrils are located in a depression in front of the eyes. The ventral fins are located approximately in the middle of the body, the caudal fin is very indented, the dorsal and anal fins are very far back, at the same level. The back of the dorsal fin is the same height as the back of the anal fin. The caudal peduncle has a strong hull. The very low lateral line is on the belly and not on the sides like other fish. The back is a dark blue-green, the sides are silvery, the belly white, the edges green.

Fishing period : Spring and summer

Minimum size : 30 cm

Difficulty :

N°10 | The Mullet fish

The Mullet fish belongs to the Mugilidae family. It can measure up to 75 cm and weigh 2.5 kg. A 16-year-old individual holds the observed longevity record. Breeding generally takes place from July to October. The female can lay up to 2.6 million eggs. It is fished from April to August. The mullet has an elongated body of about 35-50 cm or even 70 cm, with an oval cross-section and a robust appearance. Its color is generally silvery grey, bluish (sometimes more or less white, olive or brown), lightening on the sides and light belly. Sometimes grey longitudinal lines and golden reflections are present on the dorsal part. The lateral line is rarely visible. A small black spot is often present in the armpits of the pectoral muscles. The flattened head is wide, fat eyelids are well developed (but not always visible underwater because of their transparency) and protect the eyes near the snout. Its mouth has straight, dense and thin teeth, usually in several rows. The commissure ends below the posterior level of the nostril. Its upper lip is thin and smooth. It has two dorsal fins: the first with four spines and the second with 8-9 soft rays. The yellowish anal fin has 8 soft rays and 3 spines; pectoral fins have 16-19 rays; the pectoral axillary scale is well developed and about one-third the length of the fin. The ventral, anal and lower lobe of the caudal fins are sometimes yellow (but not necessarily yellow). The scales, arranged in lateral series (36-45), are cycloid (smooth

Fishing period : April to August

Minimum size : 20 cm

Difficulty :

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How it works

This is a score of 1 to 10 calculated city by city according to some forty criteria affecting fishing: moon, weather conditions, atmospheric pressure, sunrise / sunset. sun, tides, swell etc .