Sébastien Thête, fishing guide instructor in Ain

Posted On 13 October 2018

Discover the portrait of Sébastien Thête, fishing guide instructor in Ain and specialist in predator and trout fishing.

A graduate of the National Training Center for Fishing Trades in Ahun in 2017, Sébastien Thête is a lover of fishing but above all of nature. Showing that the pleasure does not lie only in catching fish but also in sharing, respecting the sites, discovering our heritage and the richness of our ecosystems, these are the motivations that led him to become an instructor guide. peach.

Hello Sébastien, Can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers before starting?

Good morning all ! My name is Sébastien Thête, I am 35 years old. Fishing guide instructor installed in the Ain, on the banks of the Saône, I graduated from BP JEPS “leisure fishing” from Ahun National Training Center for Fishing Professions. I am also a partner of the brand Smith Europe, a family that values sharing.

Recently installed, I currently exercise 2 trades because I have also been the manager of an earthworks and landscape company for 6 years.

Where did your passion for fishing come from?

Before getting that far, I was inspired by a very varied fishing culture.

Having grown up in Corsica in a small village crossed by a splendid river, I discovered very early a passion for fishing and nature as a whole. From an early age, my father introduced me to trout fishing and its subtleties, its sumptuous rivers where discretion and cunning allowed some beautiful "lady fario" to dry up.

I have come a long way and learned a lot of techniques.

The carp fishing that I practiced for more than 10 years made me realize the importance of "no kill" and the need to protect our treasures from degradation and greed. Predator fishing marked my initiation as a young fisherman and I do not remember a trip where my fishing rods did not accompany me faithfully to engrave in my memory splendid memories, even during my trip to wedding…

A passion nourished by my travels ...

Senegal for fishing for sailfish, jacks and other captains, Corsica, Croatia and Greece (Denti, Liche) made me discover the joys of sport fishing at sea.

Canada, Iceland, Scotland and above all New Zealand where I spent 6 months of my life made me discover breathtaking landscapes, lined with lakes and rivers where time s 'stopped. All that matters is the harmony that emerges, fishing rod in hand of course!

More recently, Swedish Lapland on the camp Lappland Pro Natur d'Alban Regnoult allowed me to discover great wild spaces a few hours' flight from home and immense possibilities for our leisure time!

What fishing techniques do you teach?

I like to practice many fishing techniques and did not want to lock myself in the transmission and sharing of a single technique. This also allows when you are a little "too" passionate like me to practice all year round! I take advantage of the various assets of my territory to offer my trainees the following offers:

• Fishing for predators with lures by boat on the Saône, and the lakes near my home (pike, pike perch and perch) and vertical fishing that I like to introduce to my trainees in the winter.
• The hunt for the Saône giant: the catfish! We look for it vertically with the drifting clonck and also with the lures when the conditions are right.
• The discovery of fly fishing on one of the jewels of our department: the Albarine! A river which is for me an example of the management of our fishing heritage. It is important for a guide to highlight these rivers and its AAPPMAs which move things in the right direction, we are here for that too.
• Tracking trout with lures, also on L'Albarine where wild trout require discretion and cunning!
• Coarse fishing initiations and discovery of aquatic environments especially for young people.

You recently went through the National Training Center for Fishing Professions in Ahun. Can you tell us a little more about the course of this training and what you learned from it? 

This training has met my expectations. Both comprehensive and technical, it gave me a lot more than knowledge. This year was a unique human experience which greatly motivated me for my future professional project.

I absolutely do not regret my choice to have followed this training at the Ahun center, far from my family despite the difficulties I encountered, because it exceeded my expectations.

But beware ! We must not kid ourselves (no pun intended) 

The route is not easy and there is no room for dreamers. The job is difficult and trying, but like all jobs I think passionate! 

For those who would like to try the adventure, I think there is room. But be careful not to look at the time spent, nor the failures, nor the money otherwise there will be disappointments!

At the same time, I would like to thank once again all the players and all my training colleagues who made this year a real turning point in my life and an exceptionally rich experience.

What conclusions do you draw from these first months of activity?

I am very happy with my first months of activity and I had not expected such enthusiasm. The feedback is also very positive, which really motivates me! I think I am giving myself the means. I am a perfectionist and I like the people who accompany me to take care of me, exactly as if I was taking a guide myself!

Our trainer and the guides I was able to meet during the training such as Jimmy Maistrello, Jean-François Lecomte, Gaël Even and many others all have one thing in common: they do not count their hours! In this type of job there is no secret, to be successful you have to give your all.

What do you like most about guiding today?

Like any guide I think, the immense satisfaction when a client catches an exceptional fish in his eyes!

But also the sharing and meeting of very different trainee profiles. Fishing is a very diverse hobby! I also like to introduce my trainees to the surrounding nature. Knowledge is often the best way to protect an environment. They are also regularly astonished to discover the richness of our rivers despite the constant attacks they are subjected to.

I like to show my audience, whether they are a long-time fisherman or a novice, that the pleasure does not lie only in catching the fish but also in this moment of sharing, in respecting the sites, in discovering our heritage and in the richness of our ecosystems.

I would take a quote from Henry David Thoreau which I like very much and which I think sums up our job well.

"A lot of men go fishing all their lives without knowing that this is not the fish they are looking for ..."

What qualities do you think are required to be a good guide?

For me, a good guide is above all an instructor. He must know how to find the words to lead his trainee to success. He must be attentive and available and must adapt to his client's profile and not the other way around ... We are there to give the trainees a good time, to share and to create a memory!

You also guide in Swedish Lapland. What are the big differences for you between France and Sweden when it comes to fishing?

The fishing pressure of course, which is derisory compared to what we are used to in France, and the herd is just exceptional. For pike and perch, surface lure fishing is very effective and always has unforgettable actions in store for us!

The salmonid rivers are also very rich and allow to make a mix during a fishing trip, the best!

The environment too. In Lapland, we are really lost in the wilderness, and just that for me it's worth the detour! Fishing for a shallow in a lost cove and seeing a moose or a reindeer spring up to quench their thirst, it's just magic!

I think I really fell in love with this country.

You who have just started in the profession, how would you like to see the profession of fishing instructor-guide evolve in the future?

At a time when the stakes on water quality are so crucial, the fishing guide instructor, by virtue of his training, must be a watchman to watch over our common good. As a man on the ground, I think he should work in this direction.

The training of the youngest and education with fishing as a vector seems to me a real asset to change mentalities and protect our territories from threats of all kinds.

For me, the fishing guide instructor has a real role to play in the preservation of a territory. Let me explain.

If a lake or a river is valued touristically by an instructor, there is less chance that this space will suffer various attacks (jet-ski, professional fisherman, power station, etc.). In addition, by working together with the AAPPMAs and the federations, it seems possible to restore certain territories to their glory, but there is a lot to do ... 

it's up to us to highlight the weight of the fishing tourism activity in France. I am sure that if the public authorities realize this interest, our rivers and lakes will be all the better for it.

Any future projects you would like to tell us about?

I would like to work with young audiences, go to schools and make children aware of our riches.

For me “No one is supposed to ignore the laws of nature! ". Beyond fishing, there is a real environmental issue in our society. It is up to everyone to take their part.

In the end, I would like to live only from guiding but I am not a sweet dreamer and I think carefully about my projects. To be continued ...

An anecdote to tell us about a guide?

Yes and not the least! I was in Lapland on the Lappland Pro Natur camp, by Alban Regnoult and I was guiding 2 trainees of a certain age who fished for silverfish and live fish.

I wanted to introduce them to vertical fishing but they were a bit reluctant. So I lowered a lure in 10 meters deep on a pole ball that I had located with the sounder. It didn't take me 15 seconds to pick up a monumental cartridge and immediately realize that I had just stung a big fish. Verdict a pike of one meter twenty!

I admit that I felt a little bad at the time, because it is very rare that I fish in guiding except to show the animation of a lure for example. Still, he got started immediately and the most assiduous broke his pole vault record twice! I smile about it today and now when you don't want to apply a technique that I feel is the right one at the time, I insist a bit before demonstrating it where I tell my anecdote!

See you soon at the water's edge!

Discover Sébastien Thête's guiding offers: