Try out the Club

Unlock the fishing spots of Cottam, weather forecasts and many other services with the Premium Club.

10-day free trial

Nouveau : FishAndYou, l'appli des concours de pêche

Avec FishAndYou, vous pouvez créer votre propre concours de pêche, et gagner de l'argent.

Créer mon concours de pêche

Discover everything to fish in Cottam

Find the best moment to go fishing in Cottam, the most caught species, the techniques used, go fish with anglers nearby, find a fishing charter or guide, save your spots and discover new ones.

Go for it!

N°1 | The Rainbow trout

The Rainbow trout belongs to the Salmonidae family. On average, it measures 35 to 70 cm and weighs 500 g to 6 kg. In this species, a maximum lifespan of 11 years has been observed. Rainbow trout reproduce naturally from late March to early July. Fertility is about 2000 eggs per kg. Depending on the region, it is fished from March to September. Rainbow trout have a streamlined, laterally compressed and slender body. It has a small head and a slightly split mouth. Its body is arched at the level of the dorsal fin. It should also be noted that there is an adipose fin common to all Salmonids. Its scales are small and thin. Generally, the entire body is punctuated by small black spots, many on the back and sides, as well as on the dorsal and caudal fins. The back is olive green and the sides are silvery. The color of the belly varies from white to yellowish. Nevertheless, the general coloring of the body varies greatly depending on the age, habitat and physiological stage of the fish. The particularity of rainbow trout lies in the presence, all along the body, of an iridescent longitudinal band, predominantly pink. During the breeding season, the female is generally rounder because of the ovarian volume, while the males appear to be more elongated. They become darker and their colors more vivid.

Fishing period : march to September

Minimum size : 20 cm

Difficulty :

N°2 | The Crucian Carp

The Crucian Carp belongs to the Cyprinidae family. Its average size is 45 cm for 3 kg. It can live up to 15 years. It breeds from Mai to June. The female lays up to 300,000 oocytes. It can be fished from spring to fall. The Crucian carp is ovoid, stocky and laterally compressed. The protruding back gives it a high body. The most common specimens have an average size of 15 cm and a weight of about 250 g, but they can reach more than 50 cm and a weight of 4 kg. The head, small and conical, has no barbels. The pectoral and ventral fins and the anus are slightly rounded and have a reddish colour. The dorsal fin is characterized by a convex line. Finally, the caudal is slightly indented, and has 20 soft rays. Large scales cover the body and 31 to 36 scales run along the lateral line. Overall, it is greenish in color, dark on the back, with golden reflections on the sides and lighter on the belly. A black spot at the base of the caudal fin characterizes juveniles of this species. This stain disappears with age.

Fishing period : Spring to fall

Minimum size : 30 cm

Difficulty :

N°3 | Bleak Fish

The Bleak fish is a Cyprinidae. In general, its average size is 10 to 15 cm and its weight is 15 to 50 g. However, some individuals can reach up to 60 g for a size of 25 cm. The bleak has a lifespan of 6-7 years. The spawning period is between April and August. It can lay up to 7000 spawns. You can fish bleak from June to September. This fish swims quite fast and offers a little resistance during the catch. The bleak is a fish with an elongated body that is very compressed laterally, allowing it to have a high velocity. The upper jaw is shorter than the lower jaw. The mouth of the bleak is oriented upwards (above), a typical character of fish that seek their food on the surface. The caudal fin is strongly indented and the caudal peduncle is thin. The dorsal fin is inserted behind the pelvic fins and has a shorter base than the dorsal fin. Its name refers to the bright white color of its scales, which gives the bleak a metallic sheen. Its back is darker greenish-blue, its sides are silvery white and its fins are pale grey. During the breeding season, nuptial tubers appear on the backs and sides of males and their fins become orange.

Fishing period : June to September

Minimum size : 10 cm

Difficulty :

N°4 | The Strerlet fish

The Sterlet fish belongs to the Acipenseridae family. The Sterlet fish measures about 3.50m in length and weighs 300kg. It can live a hundred years. Females lay more than 800,000 eggs on the gravel. Spawning season is around May to June. It can be fished all year round. The back and sides are grey to beige, the ventral and lateral parts are lighter (almost white). Five longitudinal rows of large bone plates are arranged along the body. The upper lobe of the caudal fin is more developed than the lower lobe. The muzzle is narrow, pointed and raised upwards with four long fringed barbells. The lower lip is notched in the middle. The Sterlet fish has a protractile mouth placed on the underside of the head.

Fishing period : All year

Minimum size : 1,80 m

Difficulty :

N°5 | The Eel fish

The Eel fish belongs to the Anguillidae family. The eel can measure up to 1.50 m in length for 4 kg, but the average size is between 40 and 60 cm. They can live up to 50 years old. They reproduce in March. They can be fished from April to September. The eel is a species of snake fish, hence its Latin name "anguis" which means snake. Its anterior part is circular while the caudal section is flattened. Its body is covered with smooth skin and enriched with mucus. The scales only appear late. The eyes of an eel are round. It has a terminal mouth with a prominent jaw. Without pelvic fins, the eel has only small pectoral fins and long dorsal, anal and caudal fins. These meet at the level of the tail.

Fishing period : April to September

Minimum size : 50 cm

Difficulty :

N°6 | The Stone Loach

The Stone Loach belongs to the Balitoridae family. The current size of the Stone loach is about 10-12 cm and maximum 20 cm. Its longevity is 5 to 6 years. The breeding period takes place between April and July. Fertility is 50,000 to 80,000 eggs. Fishing is allowed from June to March. The stone loach has an elongated body, subcylindrical in its front part and covered with tiny scales. The head is broad and flattened. The mouth is equipped with three pairs of barbells on the upper lip. She does not have an erectile spine under her eye. The caudal fin is slightly indented, almost straight and punctuated with black. The back is brownish in color, the flanks are yellowish and the belly is clear. A dark band is present at the base of the caudal fin.

Fishing period : All year

Minimum size : no restriction

Difficulty :

N°7 | The Common Carp

The Common Carp belongs to the Cyprinidae family. Its average size is 40 to 60 cm (up to 1 meter for some specimens) with an average weight of 6 to 8 kilos (up to 37 kilos for some specimens). It can live up to 20 years in the wild. Common carp breed from spring to summer. The female lays 250,000 eggs per kg of weight. Carp can be fished all year round in the 2nd category rivers! It is a massive fish, green in color (except the koi). Its head is conical, its mouth is protractile, it has no teeth but has 2 pairs of barbels. Its growth is fast; it exceeds one kilo in 3 years. The fins are strong and grey, except for the pelvic and anal fins, which are slightly orange.

Fishing period : All year

Minimum size : 40 cm

Difficulty :

N°8 | Brown Trout

The Brown Trout belongs to the Salmonidae family. According to the location, the adult size varies from 25 cm to 80 cm for 300 to 800 g. It lives for 3 to 6 years. The spawning period starts in October and end in January. The female can lay up to 4000 eggs. The fishing period is open from the second Saturday of March until the third Sunday of September. This fish is not hard to catch but the fishing needs complex skills. Depending on its environment, the brown trout have a very variable color, but the brown trout, as its name shows, is rather brown with scattered black and red spots, depending on the spawners. It has a certain mimicry according to the bottom of its living spaces since the dominant brown will become a green dress if it lives close to the banks where yellow and even sometimes silvery white will mix. It has a "useless" adipose fin between the dorsal fin and the caudal fin. The head is tapered, strong and has a powerful jaw. Its back is a pretty black or night blue.

Fishing period : March to September

Minimum size : no restriction

Difficulty :

N°9 | The Grayling

The Grayling belongs to the Salmonidae Family. The average size is 35 cm for 400 g (maximum 50 cm for 1.5 kg). Life expectancy can reach 5 years, rarely more. Breeding takes place in spring. The number of eggs laid depends on the size of the female and ranges from 600 to 8000 eggs. The fishery is open from June to December. The body, compressed laterally, is covered with large scales, some of which, pigmented, draw longitudinal streaks, highlighted with black spots. The head is small, the mouth opens downwards. The muzzle is thin, the eyes have forward pointing pupils and golden rings. The distinctive signal of the species is the long, high dorsal fin, supported by about 20 soft rays. The whole forms, over nearly a quarter of the length of the fish, an iridescent flag of violet to purple coloring, also called a vexille. The caudal peduncle is thin, surmounted by the adipose fin characteristic of Salmonids.

Fishing period : From June to December

Minimum size : 28 cm

Difficulty :

N°10 | The Three Spined Stickleback

The three spined stickleback belongs to the Gasterosteidae family. The usual size of the three-spined stickleback is 4 to 5 cm for females, with males being a little smaller, about 3 to 4 cm. The life span of the three-spined stickleback varies from 3 to 5 years in natural environments and up to 8 years in captivity. Spawning season extends from March to June. Fertility is 200 to 400 eggs. It is fished from June to March. The three-spined stickleback is a tiny fish with a tapered, laterally compressed body. Its head is quite small, with fairly large eyes, and ends in a narrow mouth that is slightly oriented forward and upwards. The caudal peduncle of the three-spined stickleback is very narrow with a slightly indented caudal fin. The long dorsal fin is set far back, plumbing the anal fin. The dorsal fin of the three-spined stickleback is preceded by three spines, two long and one short, placed on the back of the fish. A curved spine also precedes the implantation of the anal fin. The pelvic fins are replaced by two thorns. The color of this fish is greenish brown for the back, with metallic reflections, silvery for the sides and whitish for the belly. Along the lateral line of the three-spined stickleback, there are no scales but bone plates called "badges", a kind of natural shielding that accompanies the thorny defenses of this fish.

Fishing period : June to March

Minimum size : no restriction

Difficulty :

7.6

10 am

Take out your rods! The fishes are here.

High

Medium

Low

The best moment to go fishing!

The fishing forecast allows you to forecast your fishing trips and always go at the right time to the right place!

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 .