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Normandy

Valley of la Touques - Pays d'Auge

Fishing miscellaneous for Normandy

Usual fly box

Matching the hatches ...

In sizes # 12 # 14 # 16, you dont need them all, just pick-up your favourite: Hendricksons light and dark, Adams, BWO, Iron Blue Dun, PMD, Sulphurs, Red or Blue Quills, Gordon quills, Cahills, Sherry spinners. Note that a bottle of dry Sherry can also be useful if you have a lot of olives (it is a Spanish tip).

Big Mayflies

Green drakes, Ephemerella Danica or Ephemerella Vulgata are often present, in Normandy. In their presence, you can try realistic big mayflies or emergers of the same in sizes # 8, or 10. If you do not have big mayflies, the biggest flies of the list above are equally effective, as well as sometimes # 12 or # 14 sedges or caddis (even if no caddis is seen on water).

Sedge & Caddis

Traditionnally # 10, 12, 14 caddis that we call here -sedges- like in England, in brown, beige or fox fire red, are good for the evening rise. Sometimes only small fluttering caddis in size # 16 appear.

Winged Ants

Ants can be useful -rarely- in the summer, especially on grayling.

Midges
A choice of CDC midges and black gnats in # 16, 18 or even 20 is compulsary after the end of June.

Attractors & Stimulators

To fish the water (near banks), or at dusk. You can use with success, Kauffman's stimulators, Elk hair caddis, or Parachute Adams. We have never seen much success for the Wulff's, Royal Wulff, Royal Coachman, Humpies, and big terrestrials.

Nymphing

Nymphing can be productive also, but mainly works on a spotted (rising) fish that doesn't reach surface), the classic models are Pheasant tail and Hare's ear with or without bead head. A fly we also like is the Hare's ear emergers with a CDC wing or wingcase. Nymphing blind or with indicator is not much in favor here. Normandy streams are also not very convenient for downstream wet-fly fishing.

The Andelle fly

There is a local curiosity, hybrid wetfly, nymph, called l'Andelle. It is a mayfly emerger dressed on a big weighted # 10 hook. A long mallard soft hackle is tied two times (at the head and at the bend producing both thick body and long tail). A shorter brownish or dyed yellow soft hackle is tied over at the head producing dotted legs and wing case. The fly Andelle is fished downstream and usually takes when raising up again after touching the river bottom.

MayFly "ephemerella Danica" as found in Normandy (would match a size # 10 hook).

Tackle

Rod - Line - Leader - Tippet
Rod size leader
Tippet, 6 or 7-X
Floating line
Weight # 4, 5, 6
Rod size from 8" to 10"
any travel trout rod can be used.

Tippets equivalent in France
9X 0.08 / 8X 0.10 / 7X 0.12 / 6X 0.14 / 5X 0.16 / 4X 0.18 / 3X 0.20 mm
It is usually expressed in 100's, ie: 0.14mm is said 14 centièmes

Brown trout (truite fario) of Normandy

Gastronomie normande

Normandy is a paradise for the cheese amateur

These are the dishes or products you can try when shopping for picnic or at a restaurant. Picnic shopping is particularly attractive at the many picturesque street markets.

At the Charcuteries. Among the usuals saucissons and pâtés, the smoked andouille deVire, can be mentionned as the spécialité locale. It is a big sausage that you can buy sliced (en tranches), if you ask it. Ortherwise you make your own slices easily with a knife. At the apéritif, the smoky taste of the andouille is the best matching appetizer to taste the wonderful -if chilled- norman apple ciders.

At the Boulangerie (baker). The most Norman bred is called Pain brillé and is a bred remaining fresh for a very long time. It was supposedly invented for sailors on sea for many days. Otherwise, nice bakery shops offer a huge choice of excellent different breds. Just look and choose. Same thing for apple tartes. Best bakers may propose up to 5 or 6 different versions ! always excellent. Try the Chibouste one if they have. It is topped with a calvados brandy cream...
Cheese. The real glory of Normandy is the cheese. The soft smelly cheese that made the reputation of France. One may joke about it or suffer when traveling in the same car but their supremacy remains untouched... worldwide... and even inside France. The most famous are the, Camembert, the Pont-Lévèque and the Livarot. With these we preferably drink red wine, but locally dry cider is quite good also. Did you know that the new statue of Marie Harel (who invented the camembert) in the Village of Vimoutiers has been offered by American veterans of the landing ?

Cellar. You will see the apple orchards everywhere. Except for Norman people, it is not so usual to order cider to accompany meals but you should try. Le cidre is an excellent companion for many dishes. It is very tasty, dry, refreshing and light in alcohol. Sometimes opening a bottle of cider can be as feasty as opening one of Champagne. Usually, none of my visitors will pass  the calvados (cider brandy) stirrup shot.

Fish spécialités. Grey shrimps, crevettes grises. Soles. Cream mussels. Scallops.

At the restaurants A dish said à la Normande, is almost always served in a cream sauce with baked apples and probably flambé and flavoured with a drop of calvados brandy. A traditionnal hot dish to be ordered at bistrots, are the Tripes à la mode de Caen. (It doesn't mean they're served with ice cream).

Picnics are always organized around 7 pm to fish comfortably until dusk

During the longest early summer days, we often fish until 10.30 or 11.00pm

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A Classic feast day Gourmetfly 

picnic menu

Starter

Pheasant terrine or wild-boar Pâté, 

or Saucisson de l'Aubrac

Cold dish

Daube provençale in aspic or Spanish tortilla de patatas

Salad

Pipérade or cold Ratatouille, or Lentils Salad

Fromage

Pont-Lévèque or Camembert

Dessert

Gateau de pêche à la pomme... 

NB do not translate by peach cake aux apples but by fishing cake...

Wine

Red -or rosé- wine from Provence - Cidre normand

- Café - Calvados

Our usual fishing red wine comes from La Cadière d'Azur in Provence (near Bandol). It is an assembly of cinsault, mourvèdre and grenache. We do not carry apple cider all the time but it is sold everywhere in Normandy. Upon any request we can stop at a farm to get good supplies. Note that these drinks are used with extreme moderation and only before spending a serious long time fishing, never before driving...

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