The Berry canal
The Canal du Berry is a canal in France. It is 260 kilometers long, beginning in the town of Montluçon in the Allier department and ending in Noyers-sur-Cher in the Loir-et-Cher department.
It was used from 1840 to 1945 to transport goods, but since 1945 it has not been used for this purpose, and was decommissioned some ten years later. One of its particular features is that it has a small gauge, and the size of the barges that travelled on it could not exceed 27.50 × 2.60 meters.
There are still many remnants of this era, with dams and locks that have not been totally abandoned, as associations have put them back into service on certain sections.
This canal is very easy to access, and both banks are generally accessible, as they are located on public land. All you have to do is stop in one of the villages along the way.
Fishing on the canal
As far as fishing on the Canal du Berry is concerned, the species for which it is best known and worth visiting is its black-bass population. They have acclimatized very well over many years. There are also chub, pike and perch.
As summer progresses, the canal quickly becomes overgrown with aquatic vegetation. For this reason, it's best to prioritize small lures that can be rigged with a texan or jig, as it's often under this vegetation that back-bass are positioned. So, frogs, critters and worms are what's best suited to the area.
Because of its very narrow width, fishing is mostly done on the sides, not straight ahead. Similarly, to avoid being spotted by the fish, it's best to keep back from the bank and be discreet.
Moreover, this canal was built as a secondary channel when the Cher was not passable. As a result, it runs along the entire length of the Cher, so even if the canal isn't productive, it's easy to take a trip down the Cher to see if the pike, catfish or perch that populate it are more cooperative.
In a region where black bass are not very common, this canal is a great opportunity to discover this species, for those who live nearby or are passing through on vacation.
