The thirteenth stage of the 2017 Tour takes us from Saint-Girons over three hard climbs and into the town of Foix in the Ariège department where the locals like to fish for trout au toc.
Pêche au toc adapted to the small, heavily forested streams of the area, in which fly fishing is not possible. It is a kind of bait fishing in which a long rod is used to hold the hook over holes where the trout like to hang out. The off hand holds the rest of the line and senses by touch (au toc in Occitan) whether a fish has bitten.
There are a bunch of tutorials on Youtube. These guys look like they’re having fun:
A great day for the French as Warren Barguil outsprints the leading group on Bastille Day.