Stillwater · Granite · Loire / Roanne area, FR

Lac de Villerest

Lac de Villerest venue image
Fair · Trout
Pheasant Tail Nymph · 14-18
New ruleReported 14 Sept 2026

Severe drought restrictions (crise) in force

VigiEau lists this venue's surface-water zone (Fleuve Loire aval, dépt 42) at crise, under an official préfectoral drought arrêté. Fishing is not itself banned by it, but water levels are low — go gently on stressed fish.

Arrêté préfectoral n°38101 ↗

Temporary notices from official orders and recent fishery reports — they clear automatically once out of date.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

Fairlive now
Reasonable autumn fishing likely at Lac de Villerest
Good wave on — drift country. A useful wave. Work the productive shore.
62% confidence

Lac de Villerest is often best in spring through autumn.

What moved it
  • WindN 5 km/hCalm · Gusts to 9 km/h
Today's fly
Pheasant Tail Nymph
Pheasant Tail Nymph14-18
Upstream
Conditions on the water
Estimate
Wind
Calm · Gusts to 9 km/h
N 5 km/h
N
N
from the north
WaveRipple
Water temp15.0°C
Air temp15°C
CloudOvercast
Pressure1031 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 Trout
When
Current conditions suit Lac de Villerest well for autumn tactics. The ripple should help fish move and feed more confidently.
Where
Start with Pheasant Tail Nymph (14-18) — on the point — slow figure-of-eight retrieve. If that does not produce, switch depth or speed before changing the pattern entirely.
The plan
Plan A

Start with Pheasant Tail Nymph (14-18) — on the point — slow figure-of-eight retrieve. If that does not produce, switch depth or speed before changing the pattern entirely.

Plan B

A fry-imitating pattern stripped through the margins can save a blank in autumn.

Watch for

Buzzer may strengthen through the middle of the day as conditions warm.

Either bank or boat

Good ripple suits both bank and boat. Bank: work inflows, dam walls, and points. Boat: broadside drift covering wind lanes.

Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

Top nymph shown — see all 3 guilds as a supporter.

Start free trial

14-day free trial. Cancel anytime.

Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey(1)

Hatch predictions

Top prey shown — see all 4 as a supporter.

Start free trial

14-day free trial. Cancel anytime.

Through the year
0–3 scale · October 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
Fly box · Trout
Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
  • AAPPMA Loire
  • 2ème catégorie
  • Pike closed Feb–April
  • Water level varies with Loire downstream flow management.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Condition match
73%
Cloud50%
Wind100%
Temp60%

A good match for Lac de Villerest — most conditions are close to what it fishes best in.

Other water nearby · 4
Pisciculture du Moulin Piat
30 km
Rainbow trout · Brown trout
Pisciculture de Férrières Sur Sichon
31 km
Rainbow trout · Brown trout
Pisciculture du Moulin de La Goutte
36 km
Brown trout · Rainbow trout · Char
Pisciculture du Moulin de la Charme
40 km
Rainbow trout · Brown trout · Char
Gallery · 1
  1. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
Water quality (WFD)
  • Ecology: Poor
  • Chemical: Good
What this classification means

WFD ecological status Bad → Poor corrected to EEA WISE 2022 (3rd RBMP) classification for waterbody FRGL096 (was a stale earlier-cycle value). Source: EEA WISE SWB_SurfaceWaterBody (discodata.eea.europa.eu), verified 2026-06-18.

WFD classification · FRGL096

Why this score
  • Wind conditions (ripple) closely match what this water fishes best in.
  • Buzzer is in its seasonal window, boosting the chance of targeted feeding.
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Pike Letzter Saturday im January → End of December
Related guides
Big Stillwater Playbookreservoir tacticsReservoir Entomologymatching the hatchThermal Layers & Troutreading depth and temperature
Booking & contacts