Henri-Daniel Champier
L’appel du lac

There’s no need to ask him what made him decide to become a professional fisherman, Henri-Daniel Champier dismisses the question out of hand… in the depths of Lake Geneva: “This kind of choice goes back to my childhood, of course. I was born by the lake and used to go fishing with my father, that’s all! Based in Clarens, in the Basset harbour, Henri-Daniel Champier is not one to prevaricate. He prefers to talk about his job, the difficulties he encounters, the species of fish he catches, how to reproduce them, and how to process the product, which is essential to add value to his work. He recounts the good days and the bad, the catches of 100 to 200 kilos and the outings from which he returns almost empty-handed.

Raphaël Pasquini

He prefers to evoke those interminable days that begin on the water, at dawn, as early as 4am in summer, to raise the nets, and end as they began, on the lake, around 7 or 8pm, when the nets are set. He recounts the countless hours spent working and processing the fish. Shucking, scaling, gutting, carving, marinating, smoking, preparing rollmops, carpaccios and all sorts of specialties that delight his customers’ taste buds… Perch, burbot, féras, pike, trout, Arctic char and roach have long held no secrets for this passionate fisherman. Nor have they for Brigitte, his wife, who willingly shares some of her best cooking secrets. Trout in a salt and herb crust, roach fillets Grandma style, Arctic char with tarragon… So many great recipes to discover while enjoying the rustic charm of the Pêcherie du Haut Léman, in Clarens, or in the lively atmosphere of the Vevey Market, twice a week.

La Pêcherie du Haut Léman is….

112 According to figures from the Association suisse romande des Pêcheurs professionnels, no fewer than 112 professional
anglers were listed in French-speaking Switzerland in 2015
8 Henri-Daniel Champier has eight nets to suit every type of fishing. For pike, mesh widths range from 60 to 80mm and line thickness from 0.20 to 0.30mm. For perch fishing, the ideal mesh width is 23mm with a thickness of 0.10mm.
2 Trout, pike, arctic char and perch are just some of the fish smoked in the two smokehouses at the Haut-Léman fishery.
3 Of the 200km of shoreline on Lake Geneva, only 3% remains in its natural state. To encourage fish spawning in a natural environment, the restoration of pebble beaches has been the fisherman’s priority since 2006.
35 Pike weighing up to 35kg can be found in the lake. They are also impressive in size, measuring up to 1.5m.

Raphaël Pasquini

Protection and reproduction

Fishing in Lake Geneva is highly regulated. Pike fishing is prohibited in April. In May, perch fishing is closed. From mid-October to mid-January, fishing for salmonids such as perch, arctic char and trout is prohibited. These closed periods correspond to fish spawning. To improve the breeding environment for these species, Henri-Daniel Champier created the “Le Chemin des Galets” association to create natural spawning grounds along the shores of Lake Geneva. Since 2006, when he’s not on his boat, the fisherman has been taking concrete action to restore shorelines that are conducive to fish reproduction. An interesting initiative to follow on www.lechemindesgalets.ch.

Raphaël Pasquini

Recipe for fennel-flavoured féra

Serves 4
Ingredients: 4 féras, 4 sage leaves, 1 tsp. fennel seeds,50g butter, 1 lemon zest,Worcester, salt, pepper

Make two or three cuts in the backs of the gutted fish. Stuff each with chopped sage, a pinch of fennel seed, grated lemon zest and half the butter. Butter a large sheet of aluminum foil with the remaining butter. Carefully roll up the four fish and slide the large papillote into the oven, heated to 250°. Bake for 15 minutes.

A la Pêcherie du Haut-Léman
Rue du Lac 145, 1815 Clarens
Tel. 021 981 11 10 – www.pecherie.ch

Main photo of this article: Raphaël Pasquini