Vincent de Bruyne, fishing guide instructor in the Marne

Discover the portrait of Vincent de Bruyne, fishing guide instructor in the Marne department and specialist in predator fishing.

Vincent de Bruyne, moniteur guide de pêche dans la Marne
Vincent de Bruyne, fishing guide instructor in the Marne

After studies in aquaculture and a professional license in water management, it was only natural that Vincent de Bruyne wanted to make water his profession. A fisherman since the age of 10, Vincent has today become one of the key figures in the French fisheries landscape.

Hello Vincent, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers before starting?

Hello everyone, my name is Vincent de Bruyne, I am 35 years old. I am based in the Marne (51) on the Le Moulin de Sauvage site. I have been doing this job all year round for 12 years now. My playgrounds are quite varied… The private river of the Moulin by canoe for tracking pike, the lakes of the Orient forest by boat for their pike and large perch as well as the Seine.

I was manager of the Pesca Extremadura fishing center in Spain for 2 and a half years; I have been guiding for quite a while in Sweden and Holland in July, in Ireland at Club Esox in September, and finally part of the winter in exo, like this winter in Panama, in search of roosters and cubera fish giants! In short, you will understand, what I like is to guide and make my fishermen catch fish.

Where does your passion for fishing come from?

This is where everything is weird (laughs). I saw my uncle fishing when I was younger on vacation with my parents, and it hasn't left me since… He showed me the basics, then my father took over (but he didn't was not a fisherman), took me a bit at first, then, as soon as I was old enough to be alone at the water's edge, he would drop me off and pick me up in the evening.

Then, it only grew to the point of orienting my studies around fishing and then making it my job.

Today, fishing is a way for you to ...

For me fishing is a way of life. My life revolves around that. My house is glued to the water, I can see the river from my room. I am in contact with water, fishing and fish every day. If tomorrow I didn't have all this anymore, I would feel terribly bad!

Vincent de Bruyne, moniteur guide de pêche dans la Marne

What fishing techniques do you offer and in which region in particular?

I particularly offer pike fishing in a "guided canoe" on the Moulin de Sauvage river. That is to say, I manage the drift and the placement of the canoe on the posts while the fisherman has only one thing to do: fish. Then, I guide by boat (perch, pikeperch, pike) on the Seine, the Lakes of the Forêt d'Orient and the Lac du Der.

I am based in the Marne (1h30 east of Paris) but my playground extends equally well in the Aube, the Yonne or the Seine et Marne. Basically, 1h30 around the Mill, wherever there are fish and where they are most active.

Le Moulin de Sauvage is a rather unusual fishing spot in the French landscape. Can you tell us more about this area and its particularity?

Le Moulin de Sauvage was created by Laurent Labat and his wife Han almost 20 years ago. Laurent already had a long experience of fishing since he had lived in the United States, guided several years in Alaska and had set up in France the Domaine de Mépieu, in Isère.

He was one of the first generations of "qualified" guides and was one step ahead of the fisheries management and fishing tourism in France. When he found the Mill, he immediately fell in love with the site. Imagine… 14 kilometers of private river. That leaves a dream for a guide! He therefore arranged the river and the Mill to accommodate fishermen. At the same time, the title founded character of the river gave it fishing rights: this is the why and how of this fishing site.

Le Moulin de Sauvage owns the fishing rights, so there are only our fishermen on the river. But he also owns the water rights. There was a central microphone on the site that Laurent has restored. Combined turbine fishing gave birth to this atypical site and at the same time proves that Tourism Fishing and Micro Centrale can coexist, without constraint for one or the other of the activities ...

For my part, I joined the adventure of the Moulin in 2006. At present, the Moulin de Sauvage is "a fishing trip in France". We offer accommodation and catering for fishermen and have a fishing territory that allows you to fish 6 days or more without ever fishing 2 days in the same place! Imagine… You park in the car park and let yourself be guided for a turnkey fishing trip. The only thing you can think of is fishing; we take care of the rest! I think that's what best defines the Moulin de Sauvage.

Le moulin de Sauvage
Vincent de Bruyne and a beautiful trout from the Moulin de Sauvage

Pike seems to be your fish of choice, doesn't it? Why this species in particular?

Indeed the pike is my favorite fish. Why ? First of all because it is very well represented in the region where I live, but also because I like fishing for this fish. I fish it a lot in rivers with clear water, and being able to see the pike attacking makes me vibrate. Also, I like never knowing the size of the fish you are going to hook. Keep this part of mystery until we understand that we are dealing with a beautiful fish ...

And then it is possible to fish it in many different ways: On the surface, with a soft lure, with a spinner, with a jerk ... in places as diverse as they are varied. This makes it possible to never be bored and pushes us to question ourselves permanently. One of the essential points in fishing!

You also guide and fish a lot abroad. So what is your view on fishing in France and its future?

My take on fishing in France is simple. I think that our bodies are not fully aware of the fishing potential in France. Some Federations such as Aveyron, Vienne, Aube and others are starting to take the step of tourist development linked to fishing. But there is still a long way to go.

We have nothing to envy in terms of our European neighbors, so let's make people want to go fishing and come to us. Let us ensure that our rivers are rich in fish, accessible from the shore, that there are launchings, let us fight against pollution, the lack of water in our rivers ... and fishermen will naturally find their way back to the rivers , lakes and ponds! I know it's easy to say, but I've been an administrator in a Fedé and an assistant treasurer of an AAPPMA, so I think it's possible.

By all working in the same direction, hand in hand (farmers, fishing federations, aappma, river unions ...) and by professionalizing the sector a little more by creating jobs with people who have followed a course close to the environment aquatic and fishing, we will move in the right direction.

Vincent de Bruyne, moniteur guide de pêche dans la Marne

What appeals to you the most today in your job as a fishing guide?

What drives me the most in my job is to introduce people to fishing and to share it. I think these are the key elements of the job. Today, a good guide must do everything to transmit his knowledge and share it with his fishermen.

Another thing that animates me in this job… It is the fact of discovering new spots, new species, new techniques; in short, to travel to France or the world in order to gain as much experience as possible. Always with the final goal of discovering and sharing all this.

What is your type of clientele? What are they looking for behind Vincent de Bruyne and Le Moulin de Sauvage?

I don't have a predefined type of clientele, but if I had to say something it's that fishermen call me to go fishing first. Then it's up to me to take them to the best place at the moment. For this, most of my fishermen trust me at 100%.
On the other hand, most of them are looking for a turnkey, "all in" service. And that's what we offer at Le Moulin. As I said previously, park in the Moulin car park, don't think about anything, we'll take care of the rest!

Vincent de Bruyne, moniteur guide de pêche dans la Marne
Vincent de Bruyne for catfish guidance

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

To be a "good guide", the first quality in my opinion is not to fish! I hear too many fishermen talking to me about guides who made a big fish with them, or who made 10 fish while the fisherman made 2. And I find that a shame!

Even if they don't admit it, they would have preferred to be the guide in these situations. So my philosophy, and the one that Laurent passed on to me, is: the guide must be available, attentive, and know how to do everything to ensure that the fisherman catches the fish, and not the other way around. This is the job of a guide. It is not to fish, but to make fish! I hardly ever take a rod to guide, it's the best way to be 100% with your fishermen ...

Next, a guide should be professional. Let me explain ... He must be punctual, have a sense of sacrifice and involvement, know his fishing areas, have irreproachable equipment, clean and well-maintained work tools (boat , batteries, electronics, 4 × 4, canoe, float-tube…), a presentable look. In short, everything that is expected of a person in another profession. Because Fishing Guide is a profession in its own right, a real profession with which we must be able to live all year round, and not a “dilettante” profession that we do like that to have fun or round off our ends. months!

What is your best fishing memory?

Fishing memories, I have plenty, and they are all as beautiful as each other. All moments are magical, that's why I go fishing. A sunset over the Perrins dogs on the island of Yeu, a Gt in the Seychelles, a pike at the Moulin… All these memories (and many others) are memories that I love to keep while going fishing and that I like to share with my friends to make them experience the same thing. These are the memories that contribute to my desire to fish.

Vincent de Bruyne, moniteur guide de pêche dans la Marne
Vincent de Bruyne with a beautiful GT from Madagascar

What is also your fondest memory as a guide?

For a pike fishing fan, my first 120 cm pike in guidance. The myhic bar of a pike guide. Especially since this has happened to me twice (in the gravel pit and on the Lac du Der) and in addition in France. What a foot and what crazy moments! What a pleasure to be able to bring this to life for fishermen and to share it with them!

A message to pass on to those who would like to discover fishing at the Moulin de Sauvage or elsewhere?

I would say overall not to hesitate to take the step of taking a guide or a guided trip, and that, whatever the place in the world. A guide is there to advise you, guide you, take you to the best spots and do their utmost to make your day unforgettable! So trust the guides, you will come out a winner!

Discover Vincent de Bruyne's guiding offers:

Stage de pêche des carnassiers en bateau

Predator boat fishing course with Vincent de Bruyne

It is aboard a 14-foot Kodiac Crestliner powered by a 40 hp Mercury, Humminbird echosounder and Minkota electric motor that we invite you to discover the fisheries wealth around the Moulin de Sauvage and its 14 km private river.

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Stage de pêche du brochet en canoë

Canoe pike fishing course with Vincent de Bruyne

It is aboard a canoe that we invite you to discover the pike fishing downhill, on a prestigious site with limited attendance. The fishery riches of the Moulin de Sauvage make this place a unique place to go in search of pike which is experiencing very low fishing pressure here.

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Fishing guides in the Marne with Vincent de Bruyne

Fishing takes place by canoe on its private 14 km river, or by boat on the Seine, the Yonne, the Aube or the great lakes of the Forêt d'Orient.

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Useful links to get to know Vincent de Bruyne and his profession better:

The Sauvage mill

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