Stillwater · Granite · Savoie / Haute-Maurienne (Vanoise), FR

Lac du Mont-Cenis

Lac du Mont-Cenis — Lac du Mont-Cenis

Mont-Cenis is technically a reservoir — the dam went in in 1968 and flooded the old pastures and a hamlet or two — but it sits at 1,974 metres in the Vanoise granite and it fishes like a genuine Alpine water because that is basically what it is.

Fair · Trout
Hare's Ear Nymph · 14-16
Fairlive now
Daddy Longlegs expected on Lac du Mont-Cenis
Good wave on — drift country. A useful wave. Work the productive shore.
60% confidence

Lac du Mont-Cenis is often best in spring through autumn.

What moved it
  • WindSE 7 km/hLight breeze
Today's fly
Hare's Ear Nymph
Hare's Ear Nymph14-16
Upstream
Conditions on the water
Estimate
Wind
Light breeze
SE 7 km/h
N
SE
from the south-east
WaveRipple
Water temp13.8°C
Air temp12°C
CloudOvercast
Pressure1026 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm

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

Head to
Wind driftSE wind
North-western end

A southeasterly has held for most of a day at much the same temperature as the 14°C water. No thermal steer either way, but the drift still stacks food against the north-western end — the bank it is blowing into — so start there. This reads the upper water, though — a bottom bait at range feels it far less than a floater or a fish in the margins. 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
June–September
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

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

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 4 guilds as a supporter.

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Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey(1)

Hatch predictions

Top prey shown — see all 5 as a supporter.

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Through the year
0–3 scale · September highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Trout seasonSeason
1
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 Haute-Maurienne Vanoise
  • Standard 1ère catégorie rules
  • Short season — check for ice-out and first-snow closure.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Condition match
85%
Cloud50%
Wind100%
Temp100%

Conditions are ideal for Lac du Mont-Cenis — wind, cloud and temperature all line up.

Other water nearby · 3
Arc
11 km
Brown trout · Grayling
Arc
11 km
Brown trout · Grayling
Plan d'Aval
16 km
Brown trout
Gallery · 2
  1. Lac du Mont-Cenis — Lac du Mont-Cenis
    Lac du Mont-Cenis
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

Mont-Cenis is technically a reservoir — the dam went in in 1968 and flooded the old pastures and a hamlet or two — but it sits at 1,974 metres in the Vanoise granite and it fishes like a genuine Alpine water because that is basically what it is. The drive up from Lanslebourg is half the pleasure and half the filter: you arrive and the lake is quiet and the trout are wild, which is exactly the combination mountain anglers go looking for and rarely find. Ice-out is late — often not until the end of May — and the fishing season is tight, but the window that does open is genuinely good. Expect small fish, genuine wild browns, and the sort of day where the only sound is your fly line and the wind over the col. The char population exists but is modest and the trout are the real reason to come.

  • Lake
  • Granite
Water quality (WFD)
  • Ecology: Good
  • Chemical: Good

WFD classification · FRDL53

Why this score
  • Wind conditions (ripple) closely match what this water fishes best in.
  • Temperature (cool) is in the sweet spot for autumn fishing.
  • Buzzer is in its seasonal window, boosting the chance of targeted feeding.
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Trout Late May (after ice-out) → 3rd Sunday of September
  • 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
Scotland Playbookloch & river fishingThermal Layers & Troutreading depth and temperaturePyrenees PlaybookFrench rivers
Booking & contacts