Batz Island, an area rich in fish with many varied spots

Vertical fishing off Batz Island

Located on the north coast of Brittany, Batz Island is separated from the mainland by a few miles and marks the western exit from Morlaix Bay. Whether you're fishing from the shore or by boat, you're bound to find a sheltered spot to indulge your passion. Come aboard for an outing and discover this area, rich in fish.

How do I get there by boat?

To reach Batz Island by boat, the easiest option is to leave from the port of Bloscon in Roscoff. You'll be just a few miles from Batz Island. At the port, you'll find a large slipway, permanently accessible. There's also a large, secure trailer parking area and a water point for rinsing your boat. Its use will cost you ?9 per day (2021 rate). If you take out a subscription, the price will be degressive.

La cale, très large, permet la mise à l'eau de plusieurs bateaux simultanément.
The large slipway allows several boats to be launched simultaneously.

The fishing zone

There's no shortage of spots in the area! There's something for every technique, whether you want to fish on the surface, scratching or pulling in the veins of strong currents, or head out to sea, seeking out the deeper areas for yelloweye and other juliennes found on wrecks.

The areas close to Batz Island, no more than 10-15m deep, allow you to fish with a scraper if the current is weak. You're sure to find a few very nice-sized "vielles" here, as well as some pretty "lieus jaunes" lurking in the kelp, which is abundant in this area.

Using a soft lure, leaded with 15 to 20 grams of sinker and a rod with plenty of resonance, it won't be long before you feel the first bites.

As you move further out, staying at depths of between 15 and 25 metres, you'll find some nice current veins. Naturally, these areas are prime spots for pull-fishing, where you can swim your shad lure through these veins. To optimize your chances in this sector, make sure the tidal range is high enough. There, you'll be surprised to find some very nice bass, tucked away behind the many submerged rock heads.

En laissant votre shad nager dans les veines de fort courant vous aurez surement la chance de croiser la route de jolis bars comme celui-ci ayant succombé à un Nitro Shad 150 coloris Blue Herring
By letting your shad swim in the veins of a strong current, you'll be sure to come across some nice bass like this one, which succumbed to a Nitro Shad 150 in Blue Herring

Failing that, large concentrations of smaller fish are present. If you're lucky enough to get out at the right time of year and come across a large gannet hunt, then all the marbles will be with you for some great fishing.

Off the coast of Batz Island, you'll quickly find deep areas in excess of 60 meters with beautiful wrecks to prospect, as well as deep plateaus on the western side of the zone. The bottom will oscillate between sand, gravel and rock, allowing you to target a multitude of species such as pollack, pike-perch or julienne, as well as flatfish.

Pagras are present almost all year round, with a peak of activity in spring and in the off-season. On sandy areas, fishing with bait you'll find some fine specimens on the 30 to 40 m depths. A masai eschewed with a piece of squid or cuttlefish will be enough to decide them.

Un joli pagre de l'ile de Batz.
A pretty pagre from Batz Island.

Offshore, the wrecks will allow us to flush out the finest specimens of yelloweye or julienne. To catch the latter, you'll optimize your chances by fishing with a mackerel, for example. There are many wrecks in the area, and you'll need to do a lot of prospecting to find the ones that harbor the fish. Not all wrecks are created equal!

Réussir à piquer au leurre une julienne n'est pas compliqué. En revanche la remonter sans être équipé de bas de ligne acier pour résister aux dents de ce poisson l'est beaucoup plus !
Successfully luring a julienne is not complicated. However, reeling it in without steel leaders to resist the teeth of this fish is much more complicated!

From August onwards, when you're fishing offshore, keep an eye on the horizon - you're bound to come across a bluefin tuna hunt in the area!

Finally, one of the special features of the Ile de Batz is that the area is very exposed to swell, especially on the northern and north-western parts of the island. These highly exposed areas are excellent for tracking sea bass. But they are as good as they are dangerous... That's why you'll need to have a good knowledge of the area if you want to venture out, and always leave someone at the helm.

Les zones exposées à la houle doivent se pêcher avec la plus grande prudence !
Areas exposed to swell must be fished with the utmost caution!

Fishing tackle

This area resembles many others on the north coast of Brittany. Some of the deeper sections will require you to use 150-gram lead heads or large 200-gram jigs. In this case, a casting rod with a dedicated reel is highly recommended.

Crazy Sand Eel 220, Sayori shad et jig Hareng sont mes leurres favoris pour pêcher les épaves en verticale
Crazy Sand Eel 220, Sayori shad and jig Herring are my favorite lures for vertical wreck fishing

For the rest of the area, your usual equipment will do. If you opt for a single rod, choose one around 2.20 m in length and 15-50 grams of power. This will enable you to cover almost all fishing situations. If you opt for a set of 2 rods, 10-30 grams supplemented at high range by 20-60 grams will suit you perfectly.

More articles on the theme