Stillwater · Granite · Lozère / Margeride, FR

Lac de Naussac

Lac de Naussac reservoir with lakeside village on the far shore, Margeride, Lozère, France

Naussac is an eleven-hundred-hectare reservoir on the Margeride granite — built in 1983 to store Allier headwater flow for the Loire irrigation network downstream — and it fishes like a genuine upland water despite its artificial origins.

Fair · Rainbow
Small Perdigón · 16-20
New ruleReported 8 Aug 2026

Severe drought restrictions (crise) in force

The bassin de l'Allier amont zone (Dept 48) is at crise — the second-highest French drought tier — under a préfectoral arrêté. Fishing itself is not named as prohibited, but water is severely restricted and flows are likely very low; fish with care and check locally.

Arrêté préfectoral n°37588 ↗

Temporary notices from official orders and recent fishery reports — they clear automatically once out of date. Always confirm locally before travelling.

Fairlive now
Reasonable summer fishing likely at Lac de Naussac
Water temperature is the limiting factor today, not the wave. Fish dawn or dusk if you go at all, and handle everything with extra care.
54% confidence

Lac de Naussac is often best in spring through autumn.

What moved it
  • WindSW 10 km/hLight breeze
Today's fly
Small Perdigón
Small Perdigón16-20
Euro-nymph
Conditions on the water
Live gauge
Wind
Light breeze
SW 10 km/h
N
SW
from the south-west
Wave20 cm ripple
Water temp—
Air temp25°C
CloudOvercast
Pressure1017 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm

Some readings unavailable — check directly before fishing.

How to fish it · for Rainbow
When
Conditions are not ideal but fishable at Lac de Naussac. The ripple should help fish move and feed more confidently. Very warm conditions — trout have a narrower safe zone of cool, oxygen-rich water. Fish only at first light or last light, use barbless hooks, keep fish in the water during release, and stop if fish struggle to recover.
Where
Start with Small Perdigón (16-20) — on the point — slow figure-of-eight retrieve. Evening can produce explosive surface takes — try a foam beetle or booby on a long leader. Rainbows respond to more active retrieves — try short strips between pauses.
The plan
Plan A

Start with Small Perdigón (16-20) — on the point — slow figure-of-eight retrieve. Evening can produce explosive surface takes — try a foam beetle or booby on a long leader. Rainbows respond to more active retrieves — try short strips between pauses.

Plan B

Fish early and late, try deeper during the heat of the day with a fast-sinking line.

Watch for

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

Either bank or boat

Good ripple suits both bank and boat. Bank: work inflows, dam walls, and points. Boat: broadside drift covering wind lanes.

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
Reservoir BuzzerHatch
2
3
3
3
3
3
2
Lake OliveHatch
2
3
3
3
3
3
2
Silverhorns & LonghornsHatch
1
2
2
2
1

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

Ranked for today
Rainbow 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 Lozère
  • 2ème catégorie reservoir
  • Boat access from Naussac village
  • Float tubes permitted.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Condition match
63%
Cloud50%
Wind100%
Temp25%

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

Other water nearby · 5
Allier (Upper, Langogne–Langeac)
4.0 km
Brown trout · Grayling
Loire (Upper)
28 km
Brown trout · Grayling
Chassezac
37 km
Brown trout
Ardèche (Upper, Aubenas Headwaters)
40 km
Brown trout
Beaume
41 km
Brown trout
Gallery · 2
  1. Lac de Naussac reservoir with lakeside village on the far shore, Margeride, Lozère, France
    Lac de Naussac, Margeride
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

Naussac is an eleven-hundred-hectare reservoir on the Margeride granite — built in 1983 to store Allier headwater flow for the Loire irrigation network downstream — and it fishes like a genuine upland water despite its artificial origins. Brown trout, rainbow trout (stocked), pike, perch, and zander all hold here, with the trout dominating the upper reaches near the inflow and the predators working the open water. The lake sits at around 940 metres so the season is cool-weighted: fly fishing peaks in May and again in September, with a productive autumn run through to mid-October before the Lozère winter sets in properly. Boat access is good, float tubes are allowed, and the shoreline access around Naussac village and the Chambouret arm is straightforward. Good, under-visited water.

  • Reservoir
  • Granite
Water quality (WFD)
  • Ecology: Good
  • Chemical: Failing to achieve good
What this classification means

WFD ecological status Moderate → Good and chemical status Good → Failing to achieve good corrected to EEA WISE 2022 (3rd RBMP) classification for waterbody FRGL113 (was a stale earlier-cycle value). Source: EEA WISE SWB_SurfaceWaterBody (discodata.eea.europa.eu), verified 2026-06-18.

WFD classification · FRGL113

Why this score
  • Wind conditions (ripple) closely match what this water fishes best in.
  • Daddy longlegs are in their seasonal window, boosting the chance of targeted feeding.
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Trout 2nd Saturday of March → 3rd Sunday of September
Related guides
Big Stillwater Playbookreservoir tacticsReservoir Entomologymatching the hatchThermal Layers & Troutreading depth and temperature
Booking & contacts