Stillwater · Granite · Limousin / Plateau de Millevaches, FR

Lac de Vassivière

Aerial view of Lac de Vassivière reservoir with wooded peninsulas and islands, Plateau de Millevaches, France
Good · Pike
Large pike streamers · 8–10
New ruleReported 2 Jul 2026

Severe drought restrictions (crise) in force

A préfectoral drought order places this catchment's surface water at crise, the highest of France's four restriction tiers. Fishing itself is not named in the order, but flows are low and water-use restrictions are in force. Zone: Bassin Vienne amont (dépt 87).

Arrêté préfectoral n°37065 ↗

Temporary notices from official orders and recent fishery reports — they clear automatically once out of date. Always confirm locally before travelling.

Goodlive now
Summer pike — dawn and dusk topwater
Useful ripple, fishable wave. Fishable ripple — drift the productive shore.
69% confidence

Lac de Vassivière is often best in spring through autumn.

What moved it
  • WindSW 23 km/hModerate breeze
Today's fly
LP
Large pike streamers8–10
Strip it for fish chasing fry or in coloured water.
Conditions on the water
Estimate
Wind
Moderate breeze
SW 23 km/h
N
SW
from the south-west
Wave40 cm chop
Water temp17.9°C
Air temp17°C
CloudOvercast
Pressure1018 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm

No gauge on this water — readings are regional estimates from weather, not a live gauge.

How to fish it · for Pike
When
Pike are ambush-feeding from weed cover. Fry and small perch concentrate in the warm shallows, drawing pike in during low-light periods. Mid-day pike retreat to deeper weed channels.
Where
Summer pike on the fly. Fish early (first light) and late (last hour) when pike push shallow to feed. Topwater is king — poppers and gurglers over weed beds. Mid-day fish hold deep in weed channels. Take a break during the heat of the day. Use a 9-10wt rod with a stiff butt for turning big fish away from weed.
The plan
Plan A

Summer pike on the fly. Fish early (first light) and late (last hour) when pike push shallow to feed. Topwater is king — poppers and gurglers over weed beds. Mid-day fish hold deep in weed channels. Take a break during the heat of the day. Use a 9-10wt rod with a stiff butt for turning big fish away from weed.

Plan B

If the daddy is being refused, drop to a hopper or a single foam beetle and cover rising fish individually.

Watch for

Watch for Sedge towards evening — this could be the best window of the day.

Bank, sheltered shores

In wind, bank fish the lee shore — boats can anchor in productive areas if conditions allow.

Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

Top nymph shown — see all 3 guilds with Pro.

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Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey(1)

Hatch predictions

Top prey shown — see all 5 with Pro.

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Through the year
0–3 scale · August highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Black MidgeHatch
2
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
2
Reservoir BuzzerHatch
2
3
3
3
3
3
2
Lake OliveHatch
2
3
3
3
3
3
2
Silverhorns & LonghornsHatch
1
2
2
2
1

Numbers are intensity 0 (none) to 3 (peak) — a guide, not a guarantee.

Ranked for today
Pike fly box
LP
Large pike streamersTop
8–10 · Streamer
Strip it for fish chasing fry or in coloured water.
PO
poppers
12–16 · Fly
A dependable searching pattern for these waters.
BU
bulkheads
12–16 · Fly
A dependable searching pattern for these waters.
Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
  • AAPPMA Creuse / Haute-Vienne
  • Second category — pike season closed end-January to end-April
  • Check permit reciprocity for cross-federation visitors.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Condition match
57%
Cloud50%
Wind30%
Temp100%

A reasonable day here, though wind isn't quite in the sweet spot.

Other water nearby · 5
Pisciculture Bugeat
24 km
Rainbow trout · Brown trout · Char
Creuse (Upper Combraille Reach)
26 km
Brown trout
Pisciculture du Moulin de Grandsaigne
35 km
Rainbow trout · Char
Domaine du Moulin Authier
52 km
Rainbow trout · Brown trout · Char
Réservoir de la Boisserie
55 km
Brown trout · Rainbow trout
Gallery · 2
  1. Aerial view of Lac de Vassivière reservoir with wooded peninsulas and islands, Plateau de Millevaches, France
    Lac de Vassivière, Plateau de Millevaches
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
Water quality (WFD)
  • Ecology: Good
  • Chemical: Failing to achieve good
What this classification means

WFD ecological status Moderate → Good and chemical status Good → Failing to achieve good corrected to EEA WISE 2022 (3rd RBMP) classification for waterbody FRGL034 (was a stale earlier-cycle value). Source: EEA WISE SWB_SurfaceWaterBody (discodata.eea.europa.eu), verified 2026-06-18.

WFD classification · FRGL034

Why this score
  • Wind conditions (windy) are not ideal for this water.
  • Temperature (cool) is in the sweet spot for summer fishing.
  • Daddy longlegs are in their seasonal window, boosting the chance of targeted feeding.
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Pike Last Saturday of January → End of December
Related guides
Big Stillwater Playbookreservoir tacticsReservoir Entomologymatching the hatchThermal Layers & Troutreading depth and temperature
Booking & contacts