Vincent Cadiergues, fishing guide instructor in Auvergne

Discover the portrait of Vincent Cadiergues, fishing guide instructor in Auvergne and specialist in fly fishing.

Hello Vincent, first of all, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers?

Hello, my name is Vincent Cadiergues, I am 48 years old and was born in the Ardennes. Former executive manager in various private companies, I have lived in the Auvergne region for 15 years now. I am married and the father of two children aged 10 and 6.

Where did your passion for fishing come from?

This passion comes from my father, who took me for a walk along many French rivers, but also foreign ones, since my childhood. I was able to fish the Irish rivers (since 1976), Scottish, Canadian (for salmon) but also Austrian and now Serbs.

It was at the age of 3 that I caught my first fish (3 kg trout in a lake !!!)

What fishing techniques do you teach?

My favorite technique is fly fishing, both dry, drowned and nymph. I also teach toc fishing, and toc nymph (which is particularly effective in the rivers of Auvergne).

What is so special about fly fishing that makes it your specialty?

Whatever one can say, fly fishing is very technical and varied. With new fishing techniques and new materials, nowadays it is possible to fish all different categories of fish both in river and sea.

This technique also allows us to change our possibilities of looking for the fish where it is, of prospecting the stations (A bit like with lures). Compared to other techniques, fly fishing is the most motivating for my taste because it allows me to practice No-Kill.

Even if nowadays, mentalities are changing and that more and more practitioners of lure fishing are ensuring that the fish caught can leave in the best conditions.

So it seems that trout is your fish of choice? What excites you the most about trout fishing?

Trout is indeed a fish that I particularly like because it is present in a majority of rivers in France, and easy to find. You can fish for trout in rivers as well as in lakes or reservoirs.

Shade is also a fish that has always fascinated me. Quite complicated to find and fish. I'm starting to know a lot of spots in the region where to fish it! In addition, this fish allows us to fish until the end of the year because it is often found in the second category.

I have also fished for salmon, both in France (Brittany or Normandy) and abroad and in particular in Ireland the famous Ridge Pool on the Moy river.

Originally from the Ardennes and having traveled a lot in France and abroad, you have decided to finally set up your activity in Auvergne. Why this choice ?

If I set up my activity in the Auvergne region, it is because my wife works in Clermont Ferrand. But this region offers a great possibility of guidance if you move around a bit. Indeed, we are quickly at the edge of the Dordogne, the rivers of Lozère, Allier, Corrèze, Savoie and other strategic points of fly fishing. It is good to note that this Auvergne region is at the heart of France. It is also easy to travel abroad from Aulnat (Clermont-Ferrand Airport).

Why did you originally choose to do this job?


The various trades exercised have all led me to management and the desire to pass my knowledge on to others. It seemed easy enough for me to pass my passion on to people who wanted to learn.

You went through the National Training Center for Fishing Trades in Ahun. Can you tell us a little more about the course of this training and what you learned from it? This could be of interest to future fishing guides

Yes, the course of the training provided by the Ahun Center to future fishing guide instructors is very complete, and surely the most complete compared to other centers. It should be noted that we do not go to Ahun to fish all day long but to learn to teach, to learn about the aquatic environment.

At the end of the training, we counted the number of speakers who came to bring us their knowledge in these different areas: 127 people. Among the various speakers, we were able to meet Jan Astier, Gael Even or even Jean-Pierre Misseri! The driving force behind this training is Yoann Esquis, who goes to great lengths to ensure that this training works in the best conditions. Recognized by all of France and even beyond the borders, Yoann Esquis knows how to bring us his motivation and his desire!

At the same time as my training as a guide instructor, I was able to pass my diploma as Director of a holiday center, my diploma as a trapper and a private fishing guard.

What do you like most about guiding today?


What I love most is spending time at the water's edge with someone who relies on you to learn, grow or just have a good time. Everything can only go well because we are there for the same thing and the same passion. And very often, this equation is a winner!

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

What most people are looking for on a guide is to have a good time, with a professional who can answer their questions and often either to learn or deepen their technique (s).

For me, it is essential to support your client in this process; we are there for the client, so that they can have fun. And of course avoid promising the catch of the century !!!

How do you see the profession of fishing instructor-guide evolving?

For me, the profession of fishing guide must evolve in the sense that we should be observers. Indeed, with our trips abroad, we observe other fish farming, healthy natural environments etc ...

In France, we are faced with problems which affect the natural environment, we see the rivers which are polluting each other, a scarcity of fish in certain areas. All is not over, the French are too fatalistic, but actions should be put in place, and this is where we should intervene!

It is a pity that in France we do not have the Anglo-Saxon mentality. Americans and English fish very often accompanied by a guide or a "Guilly".

During our guides, it is up to us to provide the right advice, the actions to avoid so that it does not harm the site in which we are located !!! For example, tell a customer who smokes that throwing his cigarette butt in water pollutes more than 500 liters of water with cyanide !!!

At the same time as a fishing guide instructor, I am also a private fishing ranger on the Pontgibaud AAPPMA on the Haute-Sioule river. I can say that when you give yourself a minimum of trouble, it is very easy to start a river again!

We met for the first time at the CNPL in Clermont 2018, what was your first impression when we presented the concept of Rodmaps to you?

Yes indeed we met on the CNPL, I liked the concept because you are the first to want to set up a site in which all the fishing guides instructors are gathered, offering their specialties, their guides. I could see that you are struggling to want to put together something that is solid, user-friendly and that lasts over time. The only way to help you is to participate as best as I can in your project!

Any future projects you would like to tell us about?

I would like to set up an association of Auvergne fishing guide instructors, I have indeed already set up the statutes, but to date few people have answered me !!!!

I am returning from Serbia, where I have just made a film, I would like to go in this direction to present fishing projects in the form of films !!!

An anecdote to tell us about a guide?

One day in Ireland I found myself in knee-deep water dropping a 16 pound salmon in a field because my client had blocked his fly reel and did not have a landing net !! All this in basketball jeans because our fishing session was over, and everyone had changed !!

This on the River Moy in Foxford!

At times, you have to know how to give of your person !!!!

Discover the guiding offers of Vincent Cadiergues: