the Rhine floodway canal

Fly fishing on the Rhine floodway canal allows since some years to fish on very big trouts near Strasbourg in Alsace.

In 1993, while I was at the Federation of fishing associations of the Bas-Rhin, I worked on setting up a fly only part on the Rhine floodway canal (contre-canal de drainage du Rhin in french), with one section at Plobsheim and another at Schoenau. (see picture above where I fish the canal in Plobsheim, published in the magazine “Pleasures of Fishing” of January / February 1994)

The management had been entrusted to the flyfishing club of Robertsau (Strasbourg). The Federation of Bas-Rhin took over the management on its own in 2012 and made it a public course, open to all fishermen holding a fishing card from department of Bas-Rhin (67). Two sections of this channel are managed in no kill sections. On the occasion of the opening of the 1st category, the Federation makes an immersion of rainbow trouts and / or brown trouts, most of them very big, in addition to the fishes naturally present.

The native population, if it includes some trout and graylings, is mostly composed by chubs and barbels. The (big) pikes are also whipped in the quieter parts.

Fishing is particularly interesting from the opening of the 1st category, in march, until May. It is more difficult after that, the fish having been very fished, but also because of the very dense meadows, leaving only few flows for the flies.

A fishcatch book is available by the federation on request or from the federal guards. It is a tool to improve the management of the Rhine floodway canal. Thank you for submitting this book of catch at the end of the season to a fishing guard of the Federal Brigade or return by mail to the following address: Fishing Federation Locality “La Musau” RD 228, 67203 Oberschaeffolsheim

You will find some practical informations on the blog of the Bas-Rhin Fishing Federation by clicking here