Night carp · 53

Night Carp Fishing in Mayenne

Venues sourced from the prefectural decree in force.

venues
30
rivers and canals
20
public lakes
3
private waters
7

The essentials in 20 seconds

Night carp fishing is legal in Mayenne on designated stretches defined by prefectural decree. Vegetable baits and boilies only, catch-and-release is mandatory. Geocarp lists 30 verified night venues in this department, with maps, access details and angler reports — in English.

Positions shown to within 1 km. The precise swim map is for members.See the map

Featured — largest lake

Lac de Haute Mayenne – Rive gauche, de la Monnerie au Domaine

Saint-Loup-du-Gast · 123 ha

See the venue

Verified venues

Venues sourced from the current prefectural decree; private estates follow their operator's rules.

Explore on the Geocarp map

Night fishing rules — Mayenne

Always check the departmental fishing federation's official list before your session.

Official list — Mayenne fishing federation

Frequently asked questions

Is night carp fishing legal in Mayenne, France?

Yes, on designated stretches defined by prefectural decree. Geocarp lists these venues with maps, access details and angler reports.

Do I need a French fishing licence?

Yes. A valid French fishing licence (carte de pêche) is mandatory and can be bought online at cartedepeche.fr. Some venues require an additional night carp option from the local angling club (AAPPMA).

What baits are allowed at night in France?

Vegetable baits and boilies only. Any carp caught at night must be released immediately — keeping or transporting carp at night is prohibited by French law (decree 2004-599).

Is the Mayenne (53) a good destination for a night carp fishing trip from the UK?

It is one of the most straightforward departments to fish if you are new to France. The prefectural order in force opens carp fishing at any hour, all year, on twenty consecutive stretches of the canalised river Mayenne, each bounded by the locks at either end and each reachable on foot from the towpath — running from Moulay and Commer in the north, through Laval at Changé and L'Huisserie, down to Ménil and the Maine-et-Loire boundary. Three lakes are also open: Saint-Fraimbault-de-Prières, Villiers-Charlemagne and la Chesnaie, the last two on marked swims. Laval is around three hours from Caen or Saint-Malo, which keeps the drive short. Rules: plant baits and groundbait only, four rods maximum, no carp kept or carried during the night hours, no live carp over 60 cm transported at any time, and one rod only within 50 m below a lock or weir.

The Mayenne is a canalised river department, and that shapes the fishing completely: the prefectural order in force opens twenty consecutive stretches of the river Mayenne to carp fishing at any hour, all year, every one of them walkable from the towpath. That makes it an unusually easy department for a first French trip — you park, you walk, you find a lock-pound, and the boundaries are the locks themselves. The run goes north to south from Moulay and Commer through Martigné-sur-Mayenne and Saint-Jean-sur-Mayenne, past Laval at Changé and L'Huisserie, then down through Origné and La Roche-Neuville to Ménil and the Maine-et-Loire boundary. Three lakes add settled options: Saint-Fraimbault-de-Prières, the village-pêche water at Villiers-Charlemagne and la Chesnaie between Meslay-du-Maine and Saint-Denis-du-Maine, the last two on marked swims. Laval is the obvious base, three hours from Caen or Saint-Malo, and this is quiet, green, cheap countryside. Rules: plant baits and groundbait only, four rods maximum, no carp held or moved during the night hours, no transporting a live carp over 60 cm at any time, and a single rod only within 50 m below any lock or weir.