Stillwater · Volcanic · Auvergne / Puy-de-Dôme (Monts Dore), FR

Lac Chauvet

Aerial view of the round volcanic Lac Chauvet surrounded by forest and farmland in the Monts Dore, Puy-de-Dôme, France

Chauvet is smaller and less famous than Pavin, which is the case for most lakes in the Monts Dore and is generally why they reward the visit.

Closed season · Trout
Hare's Ear Nymph · 14–16
Closed season
Season reopens 2nd Saturday of March. Try elsewhere.
Closed — confidence not applicable today.

Lac Chauvet is often best in spring through autumn.

What moved it
  • WindE 21 km/hModerate breeze · Gusts to 60 km/h
Today's fly
Hare's Ear Nymph
Hare's Ear Nymph14–16
Upstream
Conditions on the water
Estimate
Wind
Moderate breeze · Gusts to 60 km/h
E 21 km/h
N
E
from the east
Wave40 cm chop
Water temp6.2°C
Air temp-1°C
CloudClear
Pressure1015 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm

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

Head to
Wind driftNE wind
North-eastern end

A northeasterly has held for most of a day, running colder than the water (2°C air against 6°C water). The end it blows into is taking that chilled surface water, so try the sheltered north-eastern 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–September
Where
With limited drift, anchor or fish static from sheltered positions. Work a bushy searching pattern on the bob and drop a contrasting nymph on the point.
The plan
Plan A

With limited drift, anchor or fish static from sheltered positions. 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.

Bank

Bank-only venue. Fish from accessible margins, points, weed edges, and inflows.

Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

Top nymph shown — see all 2 guilds as a supporter.

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Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey(1)

Hatch predictions

Top prey shown — see all 3 as a supporter.

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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
1
Claret DunHatch
2
3
2
Black MidgeHatch
2
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
2
Flying AntsHatch
1
2
1
Silverhorns & LonghornsHatch
1
2
2
2
1

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 Puy-de-Dôme
  • Standard 1ère catégorie season.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Condition match
52%
Cloud25%
Wind65%
Temp60%

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

Other water nearby · 5
Dordogne (upper)
19 km
0
Brown trout · Grayling
Lac Pavin
6.0 km
Brown trout · Char
Lac Chambon
14 km
Brown trout
Lac Guéry
17 km
Brown trout
Lac Servières
21 km
Brown trout
Gallery · 2
  1. Aerial view of the round volcanic Lac Chauvet surrounded by forest and farmland in the Monts Dore, Puy-de-Dôme, France
    Lac Chauvet, Monts Dore
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

It is another volcanic crater — same genesis, similar geometry, similar clear cold water — and it is one of the quieter fly venues in the Auvergne on any given day. The fish are small and wild and behave like fish that have not been hammered. Shore access is straightforward; boats are not generally needed. This is the sort of water you drive to when you want to spend a long afternoon casting small flies at a beautiful piece of crater without having to think about anything else, which is a kind of fishing that gets undervalued by people who measure success in centimetres.

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

WFD chemical status Failing to achieve good → Good corrected to EEA WISE 2022 (3rd RBMP) classification for waterbody FRFL32 (was a stale earlier-cycle value). Source: EEA WISE SWB_SurfaceWaterBody (discodata.eea.europa.eu), verified 2026-06-18.

WFD classification · FRFL32

Why this score
  • winter conditions with clear skies and breezy wind.
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Trout 2nd Saturday of March → 3rd Sunday of September
Related guides
Thermal Layers & Troutreading depth and temperaturePyrenees PlaybookFrench riversEuro Nymphingsubsurface methods
Booking & contacts
At a glance

Lac Chauvet is a lake in Auvergne / Puy-de-Dôme (Monts Dore), France. The catchment geology is recorded as volcanic, and the water sits at about 1,199 m above sea level. The species listed for this water is brown trout. The trout season is recorded as running from 2nd Saturday of March to 3rd Sunday of September. Best window recorded for anglers: April–September. Core methods listed: Shore wet fly; nymph; dry 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 Pavin at 6.0 km, Lac Chambon at 14 km and Lac Guéry at 17 km.