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.

Closed season · Trout
Hare's Ear Nymph · 14–16
Closed season
Season reopens late May (after ice-out). Try elsewhere.
Closed — confidence not applicable today.

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

What moved it
  • WindNW 3 km/hCalm · Gusts to 14 km/h
Today's fly
Hare's Ear Nymph
Hare's Ear Nymph14–16
Upstream
Conditions on the water
Estimate
Wind
Calm · Gusts to 14 km/h
NW 3 km/h
N
NW
from the north-west
WaveFlat calm
Water temp5.4°C
Air temp0°C
CloudOvercast
Pressure1017 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
June–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

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.

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
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
59%
Cloud50%
Wind65%
Temp60%

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

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

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
  • winter conditions with overcast skies and calm wind.
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
At a glance

Lac du Mont-Cenis is a lake in Savoie / Haute-Maurienne (Vanoise), France. Its recorded elevation is about 1,964 m above sea level and the catchment geology is granite. Our data lists brown trout and char here. The trout season is recorded as running from Late May (after ice-out) to 3rd Sunday of September. Best window recorded for anglers: June–September. Core methods listed: Shore wet fly; nymph; small 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 Arc at 11 km, Arc at 11 km and Plan d'Aval at 16 km.