Stillwater · Limestone · Hautes-Pyrénées / Gavarnie-Gèdre, FR

Lac des Especières

Lac des Espécières ou de Luhos venue image

High-mountain no-kill lake near Gavarnie-Gèdre.

Fair · Trout
Small Perdigón · 16-20
A respectable few hours, if you choose your moments
Glassy and bright — hard work without a breeze. Hard work without breeze. Look for the dimples.
48% confidence
limited data

Lac des Especières is often best in spring through autumn.

What moved it
  • WindNE 5 km/hCalm
Today's fly
Small Perdigón
Small Perdigón16-20
Euro-nymph
Conditions on the water
Live gauge
Wind
Calm
NE 5 km/h
N
NE
from the north-east
WaveFlat calm
Water temp
Air temp13°C
CloudBroken
Pressure1021 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm

Some readings unavailable — check directly before fishing.

How to fish it · for Trout
When
May–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. In the calm, a single dry fly or a slowly-fished nymph tends to out-fish an active retrieve.
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. In the calm, a single dry fly or a slowly-fished nymph tends to out-fish an active retrieve.

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

Sedge should come on through the afternoon as the water warms.

Bank

Flat calm suits bank fishing near features — points, weed beds, and inflows where fish patrol.

Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

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Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey

Hatch predictions

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Through the year
0–3 scale · August highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Trout seasonSeason
1
2
2
2
2
2
1
Black MidgeHatch
2
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
2
Daddy Long LegsHatch
2
3
2
Lake OliveHatch
1
2
2
2
2
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 permits.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Condition match
65%
Cloud70%
Wind65%
Temp60%

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

Other water nearby · 5
Gallery · 1
  1. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

High-mountain no-kill lake near Gavarnie-Gèdre. Fly-only, barbless, catch-and-release required. Wild trout in pristine alpine conditions. Hike-in access into spectacular Pyrenean terrain. Low pressure and wild fish. Short season driven by snowmelt. Permits required — this is destination water.

  • Lake
  • Limestone
Water quality (WFD)
  • EcologyUnknown
  • ChemicalUnknown
What this classification means

WFD code removed 2026-06-18: this lake was incorrectly sharing the Gave d'Estaubé river's code FRFRR404_2. EEA WISE has no dedicated lake (LW) water body for Lac des Especières, so status is left Unknown. Source: discodata.eea.europa.eu.

Why this score
  • Buzzer is in its seasonal window, boosting the chance of targeted feeding.
Directions
Seasons & zones
  • Trout 2nd Saturday of March3rd Sunday of September
Related guides
Booking & contacts