Corsica is an island known worldwide for its beaches. However, this "mountain in the sea" finds its culture and its heritage mainly on the heights.
Corsica is full of nooks and crannies and waterways suitable for tracking salmonids. All the rivers of the island are classified in first category of pisciculture.
In Corsica, we can hope to catch large lake salmonids (or river salmonids!), trout with incredible phenotypes (dress and color) such as macrostigma or brook trout in high altitude lakes.
The big Corsican trout
Most of the big salmonids of Corsica are caught in the dam lakes. They find there food in abundance and notably other small fishes like rotengles, minnows, gudgeon, gambusia or pseudorasboras. This piscivorous diet combined with the high volume of water allows a rapid growth of the trout. In some lakes, the average catch is around 40 centimeters. A rare fact in France, even in Europe, to be underlined!
Sinking swimmers, wobbling spoons and soft lures are the best weapons to track down these predators!
Macrostigma trout
The macrostigma trout is a subspecies of the fario trout endemic to Corsica. That is to say that it is only found there. The misunderstanding persists moreover, because initially, the term macrostigma indicates a trout of Morocco and not a specifically Corsican trout...
The macrostigma trout, which should be more correctly called "Corsican red trout" is characterized by a dark coat dotted with bright red or orange cracked spots, more or less large. The size of its spots varies according to the rivers and the watershed.
It is a relatively difficult trout to find and it is necessary to concentrate its efforts on the headwaters of the basin, on zones difficult to access and cut off from the rest of the river. It is the isolation by impassable obstacles, such as waterfalls, which allows the proliferation of particularly spectacular phenotypes.
The corners are fiercely kept secret. To find them, you will have to be courageous and determined. If you are lucky enough to catch some, it is imperative to release them, because these trout have a great patrimonial value.
Brook trout
Particularly adapted to the cool waters of high altitude lakes, brook trout, whose acclimatization campaign dates back to the 1970s, have become particularly well established in certain high altitude lakes. They are the delight of hikers and fly fishermen and are relatively numerous.
We can mention their presence in the lakes of Bastani, or in those of Melo and Capitello. These lakes are relatively easy to reach with the family and easy to fish with lures.
I invite you to take note of the list of the reserves and the particular rules which govern the fishing in Corsica on the site of the federation of fishing in Corsica. There is also some precious information on the lakes for those who wish to go to the island and fight with the Corsican salmonids...
