Yachting Art Magazine

In just over four months, sport fishing enthusiasts will gather for the third edition of the Mercury Fishing Cup, the French boat fishing championship for predatory fish. The event, organised by the French Sport Fishing Federation (FFPS/Carnassier) with the support of its title partner Mercury Marine, will take place on 9 and 10 November 2025 on the waters of Vassivière lake.

This iconic stretch of water, straddling the Haute-Vienne and Creuse departments, is the ideal setting for the competition. Covering nearly 1,000 hectares, with its varied coves and significant depths, Vassivière is a challenging terrain for anglers. The site is renowned for its rich fish stocks: pike, zander and perch abound and offer a technical challenge to participants, who will have to choose between different strategies to come out on top.

The Mercury Fishing Cup is not just about winning a trophy. The duo that wins the title of Champion of France will also win the opportunity to join the French team and represent the country in international competitions, including the World Championships.

The previous edition attracted 103 boats and 206 anglers. The event was marked by two days of intense competition and ten hours of live coverage, allowing the public to follow the competitions online. The duo Armand Michaud and William Courte won in 2024, succeeding Jean-Baptiste Morel and Nicolas Noël, winners of the first edition. They received a cheque for €10,000 for their performance.

The competition promises to be particularly fierce in 2025. The crews will have 137 days to fine-tune their preparations, test their equipment and define the techniques that could make all the difference on such a complex lake. Registration will officially open on 29 August 2025 and will be done via the My FFPS app, available on the Apple Store and Google Play.

Beyond the purely sporting aspect, the event is backed by a solid organisation. Last year, around 30 volunteers helped to ensure the smooth running of the competition. This collective dynamic is once again at the heart of the preparations for the 2025 edition.

Mercury Marine, a long-standing partner, will highlight its commitment to recreational fishermen. As Yann Diquerreau, the brand's marketing manager, points out: ‘We are proud to support the Mercury Fishing Cup, which has established itself as the biggest recreational fishing event in France.’

For his part, Michel Polydor, president of the FFPS Carnassier, reiterates the importance of partners and volunteers: ‘The Mercury Fishing Cup, as the French boat fishing championship, is an essential event that brings together all the major players in recreational fishing in France.’

The organisers have already announced new surprises and attractive prizes for this year's event to boost interest among competitors and the public. Sport fishing enthusiasts will therefore have a major event to mark in their diaries between now and the end of the year.

All practical information, rules and registration details will be available via the official channels of the FFPS/Carnassier and the Mercury Fishing Cup in the coming weeks.