The asp
In the Loire, there was a boom in the asp population a few years ago; it now seems to have stabilized. Its arrival in the Loire is supposed to be accidental and would follow fryings. In any case, the Loire is a biotope which suits it very well and its presence does not seem to have any harmful effect on the fauna already in place.
The material
For an occasional fishing of the asp, your Medium Heavy rod, of power of approximately 5-28g, accompanied by its reel, will do very well. For a more intensive search for the species, the best is to have a rod of the same power, with a Moderate or Moderate Fast action to absorb the sudden and heavy touch that the asp provokes. Moreover, this type of action propels the lures more easily at long distance and makes the use of top water and fast retrieves with sinking sticks more pleasant. To go with this rod, the ideal rod is a reel in size 2500 or 3000 with a high ratio, greater than 90 cm per turn of the crank. The high ratio allows to meet the sustained retrieve speed needed in this fishery and not to prematurely deteriorate a reel that would not be designed for such use.
Finally, the leader should not be too thin, a fluorocarbon of 28 to 35/100 is necessary because it is a fish that can reach nice sizes and you must give yourself the opportunity to bring them back quickly, the current complicating the thing.
The best period
The most interesting time to fish for asp is between June and early October. Earlier, the fish are still spawning and later, the cold weather slows down their metabolism. It is quite possible to catch them in winter, mainly by fishing with soft lures, but from my point of view it is not very interesting compared to the pleasure of fishing them on the surface and in clear water, during the nice season.
