Stillwater · Limestone · Savoie / Prealpes, FR

Lac du Bourget

Lac du Bourget — Lac du Bourget, France

The Bourget is the largest natural lake in France and quite possibly the coldest at depth, which is why the Arctic char have held on here through every warming summer the Alps have thrown at them.

Fair · Trout
Hare's Ear Nymph · 14–16
A respectable few hours, if you choose your moments
Good wave on — drift country. A useful wave. Work the productive shore.
49% confidence
limited data

Lac du Bourget is often best in spring through autumn.

What moved it
  • WindN 12 km/hLight breeze · Gusts to 23 km/h
Today's fly
Hare's Ear Nymph
Hare's Ear Nymph14–16
Upstream
Conditions on the water
Estimate
Wind
Light breeze · Gusts to 23 km/h
N 12 km/h
N
N
from the north
Wave20 cm ripple
Water temp11.8°C
Air temp10°C
CloudOvercast
Pressure1001 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm

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

Head to
Wind driftN wind
Northern end

A northerly has held for 17 hours, running colder than the water (10°C air against 12°C water). The end it blows into is taking that chilled surface water, so try the sheltered northern end instead — off the back of the wind, where the undertow returns food along the bottom. That chill sits in the top of the water, though, and the bed is slower to feel it — on a bottom bait it is the undertow, not the temperature, that puts you at this end. Treat it as a tiebreaker between good swims rather than an override — features and angling pressure usually count for more.

How to fish it · for Trout
When
April–June and September–October
Where
Set up a broadside drift and cover the water systematically. Work a bushy searching pattern on the bob and drop a contrasting nymph on the point.
The plan
Plan A

Set up a broadside drift and cover the water systematically. Work a bushy searching pattern on the bob and drop a contrasting nymph on the point.

Plan B

If the main plan is not working, switch to a smaller, more imitative pattern fished slower and deeper. A change of drift angle can also make a difference.

Watch for

Keep an eye on changing conditions — wind shifts and cloud breaks can trigger short feeding spells.

Boat — drift

A gentle ripple is ideal for drifting — broadside drift covering the wind lanes should be productive.

Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

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Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey(1)

Hatch predictions

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Through the year
0–3 scale · November highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Trout seasonSeason
1
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
1
CaenisHatch
2
3
3
2
Black MidgeHatch
2
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
2
Silverhorns & LonghornsHatch
2
3
3
3
2
Daddy Long LegsHatch
2
3
3
2

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

Ranked for today
Trout fly box

French nymph-first water. Fast current, technical presentation, weighted nymphs and emergers, with dry flies when fish rise.

Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
  • AAPPMA Lac du Bourget + boat fishing supplement
  • Depth restrictions apply to certain char techniques
  • Check Savoie prefectoral order for current rules.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Condition match
73%
Cloud50%
Wind100%
Temp60%

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

Other water nearby · 5
Fier
29 km
0
Brown trout
Usses
31 km
0
Brown trout
Isère (Combe de Savoie)
32 km
0
Brown trout · Grayling
Lac d'Aiguebelette
20 km
Brown trout · Char
Lac d'Annecy
27 km
Brown trout · Char
Gallery · 2
  1. Lac du Bourget — Lac du Bourget, France
    Lac du Bourget, France
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

It is a long, deep limestone trench — the sort of water that looks indifferent to you from the shore because it more or less is. Most of the char fishing happens vertically from a boat at thirty to fifty metres with weighted nymphs, which is how the locals have always done it and how the fish have always been caught. There are trout along the quieter edges in April and May if you can find them, and the féra run through the mid-depths in numbers that would surprise anyone who only knows the lake from the motorway. It is not quick water, and it is not water that rewards impatience, but it is good water and it deserves the time.

  • Lake
  • Limestone
Water quality (WFD)
  • Ecology: Good
  • Chemical: Good
What this classification means

WFD ecological status Moderate → Good corrected to EEA WISE 2022 (3rd RBMP) classification for waterbody FRDL60 (was a stale earlier-cycle value). Source: EEA WISE SWB_SurfaceWaterBody (discodata.eea.europa.eu), verified 2026-06-18.

WFD classification · FRDL60

Why this score
  • Wind conditions (ripple) closely match what this water fishes best in.
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Trout Last Saturday of January → End of December
  • Char varies_by_lake → varies_by_lake

    French lake char (omble chevalier / omble de fontaine) — seasons and retention rules are set by departmental regulations and local fishing associations (AAPPMA). French char lakes are often managed with strict rules. Check the local AAPPMA or departmental fishing regulations before targeting char.

Related guides
Thermal Layers & Troutreading depth and temperaturePyrenees PlaybookFrench riversEuro Nymphingsubsurface methods
Booking & contacts
At a glance

Lac du Bourget is a lake in Savoie / Prealpes, France. The catchment geology is recorded as limestone, and the water sits at about 231 m above sea level. Species listed for this water: brown trout and char. The trout season is recorded as running from Last Saturday of January to End of December. Best window recorded for anglers: April–June and September–October. Core methods listed: Vertical nymphing (char); shore streamer; wet fly. Its Water Framework Directive ecological status is recorded as good. Access is recorded as day tickets through the local AAPPMA (angling association). Nearby waters in our listings include Lac d'Aiguebelette at 20 km, Lac d'Annecy at 27 km and Fier at 29 km.