Créteil Lake: brightly colored and abundant perch.
Créteil Lake is among the few spots in the near suburbs where it's possible to fish and easily accessible by public transport. It's a really pleasant place with plenty of fish.
It's simple: when I was younger, it was my favorite spot. I used to pester my parents to take me there! It was my best streetfishing spot near Paris.
Where and how to fish in the Creteil lake ?
Créteil Lake (30 minutes from Paris by metro) is a great streetfishing spot that, despite the surrounding city, remains quite wild and boasts a surprising aquatic biodiversity.
"It's on this fishing course that I caught my first perch. They have incredible colors. I used to go there with my parents for the perch. And there are loads of them!"
The lake shores are well-equipped, making family fishing very accessible. There are over eleven fish species (including pike and carp), although I've never caught any.
I recommend fishing on the side facing the residential area, known as 'L'Estacade.' It's lined with wooden walkways, at water level, weaving through the reeds. Not far away, there's an island.
From this walkway, I suggest wading into the water up to a point where it drops off (be careful, as it gets deep suddenly, and you won't have footing). You can fish from this area towards the middle of the lake. As I mentioned, there's a constructed fault, almost vertical, behind which the perch gather.
"Early in the morning, it's quite common to see sun perchs and pike hunting in just forty centimeters of water beneath the walkway. Then, they return to hide at the base of the drop-off during the day."
Better in the morning. Classical.
To fish for perch early in the morning when they're hunting in shallow waters, I use an imitation of a dragonfly larva, like a Mayfly, on a small 2-gram jig head, or a small finesse type lure such as the Shad Impact.
From 10 in the morning, once the perch have descended back to the base of the drop-off, I catch them using small shads like Rockvibe or Easy Shiner.
Read also: Street fishing at the foot of the Mont Blanc in Chamonix, France
As for pike, back when I was around ten years old, I didn't know how to fish for them, but I often saw them hunting in the extremely shallow water near the walkway and among the reeds. I remember one day a pike even tried to tear open my keepnet to eat the roaches I had put inside!
For sunfish and whitefish, you'll just need a box of worms or even a baguette of bread with a simple rig to catch them in bulk.
"I've also done a lot of street fishing in Paris (see my other articles), but I've always preferred Créteil. More greenery. More tranquility."
Good to know / where is the streetfishing spot ?
Line 8 of the metro, Stop: Pointe du Lac.
Fishing permit required. No kill.
Fishing allowed only from the shore (no float tube).
Other fishing spots in the area
Fishing on the banks of the Marne River around Bry-sur-Marne (I caught a few fish there, including a small pike) and in Le Perreux.
There's also Lake Choisy (but I've only been there once). It's a bit like Créteil but requires payment. I definitely prefer the Creteil lake
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