The Indre, a department to discover for anglers
Right in the heart of France, in the Berry region, the Indre is a little-known département, both to the general public and to anglers. No rivers renowned for trout, no exceptional spots for catfish, no lake where you can catch three metered pikes in the same day on every outing, so no visibility in the various specialist magazines or on social networks with fishing "influencers".
And yet, for those who want to discover it, this is a department where you can practice every fishing technique and catch almost every species of freshwater fish. A department where you can practice all fishing techniques.
Beautiful rivers to fish
The Indre's hydrological network is made up of some 5,000 kilometers of rivers, mainly lowland, and therefore classified as second category for fish.
The first category is found mainly in the south of the department, in the foothills of the Massif Central, on the border of the Creuse and Haute-Vienne departments. That's where you'll be looking for fario trout, on toc, ultra-light or fly fishing with small rods, as we'll be fishing mainly in small rivers and streams.
The second category therefore has the lion's share of the aquatic landscape, with the main rivers being the Indre, which crosses the département from south-east to north-west, the Creuse in the south-west, the Théols and Auzon in the north-east, the Fouzon and its tributaries in the north, and the Cher at the northern border.
Fishing the Indre
The Indre, which flows through the "capital", Châteauroux, is a very interesting river. At the beginning of its course in the department, it is a first category river, but very quickly, due to the various reservoirs which slow down its course, and its altimetric profile which becomes almost flat, it becomes a second category river. Its course alternates between riffles and a slow, flat river with a few pools. There's something for every angler. Fly-fishermen will find a few spots (mainly when crossing towns and villages) to track chub, vandoise and rotengles. Carp anglers will also find good spots and some areas for night fishing. And finally, carnivore anglers will also find what they're looking for, with pike, zander, perch and, of course, catfish.
Note that float-tubing is often the best way to exploit the river's full potential, as the banks are often private and therefore difficult to access.
Fishing the Creuse
As for the Creuse, it arrives in the département with its large reservoirs giving life to three lakes well known to carnivore anglers and carp fishermen: Eguzon, la Roche au Moine and la Roche bat de l'Aigue. These lakes are paradises for carnivore anglers by boat. After the lakes, the Creuse alternates between riffles and deep water, with numerous reservoirs dotting its course. It's a superb river, but beware of dam releases, which can greatly influence fishing...
Once again, all types of fishing are possible. Also noteworthy in this area are the proximity of the Angin, Gartempe and Bouzanne rivers and their tributaries.
To the north-east, the Théols joins the Arnon, with a good population of carnivorous fish and whites. Work is underway to remove the weirs, giving us the opportunity to fly-fish. Here again, chub, barbel and other whitefish are our playmates.
The department of a thousand ponds
The department is also full of ponds, notably in the Brenne, the land of a thousand ponds (in fact over 2,000), but most of them are privately owned and used for fish farming.
The Brenne is also crossed by the Claise, a small river with a large carnivore population. The Indre region also boasts a number of ponds for carp and spearfishing. The main ones are in Luant, Châteauroux (Belle-Isle), Saint-Georges-sur-Arnon (les étangs de la Presle), as well as Sainte-Sévère, and many other communal ponds.
For fishing enthusiasts looking for a bit of fun, the Étangs Neufs fishing complex in Neuillay-les-Bois is managed by the Indre Fishing Federation (access with river fishing card). The complex comprises three ponds: a 4.6 ha no-kill carpodrome, a 2.5 ha no-kill bassodrome, and a 6.2 ha multi-pêche pond. The site is planted with trees and equipped with picnic tables for family picnics by the water.
The Indre department, even if it's not widely known, is well worth a stopover for anglers to discover its fishing heritage. And believe me, there's plenty to enjoy, with all kinds of fishing techniques.
