Pavin is the youngest volcano in mainland France and it is perfectly, almost unnervingly round — as if someone had placed a compass at the centre and drawn the shoreline in a single gesture. Seven thousand years ago there was a phreatomagmatic eruption here; now there is a crater lake ninety-two metres deep with water so cold and so still at the bottom that it has not mixed properly in anyone's memory (the word is 'meromictic', which is the sort of word that usually wins people drinks in bars). The ecology is exactly what you would expect: cold, oligotrophic, and perfect for salmonids. Arctic char live in the deeps, brown trout work the shoreline in the shoulders of the season, and perch do whatever perch do in a place like this. Boat fishing is permitted and is genuinely the best way to fish Pavin, because the crater is round and the wind is usually from somewhere you will want to row away from. Beautiful water; serious fishery.
- Public aappma day ticket
A respectable few hours, if you choose your moments
Good wave on — drift country. A useful wave. Work the productive shore.
Conditions on the water
Some readings unavailable — check directly before fishing.
The brief
The plan
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.
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.
Keep an eye on changing conditions — wind shifts and cloud breaks can trigger short feeding spells.
A gentle ripple is ideal for drifting — broadside drift covering the wind lanes should be productive.
What's on, when
Numbers are intensity 0 (none) to 3 (peak) — a guide, not a guarantee.
Top pattern + the box
Why today scores what it does
- Wind conditions (ripple) closely match what this water fishes best in.
Precipitation
Who this water suits
Lac Pavin, on the water
Field guide · contributor-editedWhat this water is
Pavin is the youngest volcano in mainland France and it is perfectly, almost unnervingly round — as if someone had placed a compass at the centre and drawn the shoreline in a single gesture. Seven thousand years ago there was a phreatomagmatic eruption here; now there is a crater lake ninety-two metres deep with water so cold and so still at the bottom that it has not mixed properly in anyone's memory (the word is 'meromictic', which is the sort of word that usually wins people drinks in bars). The ecology is exactly what you would expect: cold, oligotrophic, and perfect for salmonids. Arctic char live in the deeps, brown trout work the shoreline in the shoulders of the season, and perch do whatever perch do in a place like this. Boat fishing is permitted and is genuinely the best way to fish Pavin, because the crater is round and the wind is usually from somewhere you will want to row away from. Beautiful water; serious fishery.
- Lake
- Volcanic
How to get to the water
Where the rules change
- Trout2nd Saturday of March → 3rd Sunday of September
- Charvaries_by_lake → varies_by_lake
Licences, sorteo, the rules
- AAPPMA Puy-de-Dôme
- Standard 1ère catégorie
- Boat fishing authorised (check current regulation for boat type).
Lac Pavin
Pavin is the youngest volcano in mainland France and it is perfectly, almost unnervingly round — as if someone had placed a compass at the centre and drawn the shoreline in a single gesture.
A respectable few hours, if you choose your moments
Good wave on — drift country. A useful wave. Work the productive shore.
Some readings unavailable — check directly before fishing.
A good match for this venue — most conditions are close to what it fishes best in.
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.
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.
Keep an eye on changing conditions — wind shifts and cloud breaks can trigger short feeding spells.
A gentle ripple is ideal for drifting — broadside drift covering the wind lanes should be productive.
- Wind conditions (ripple) closely match what this water fishes best in.
Numbers are intensity 0 (none) to 3 (peak) — a guide, not a guarantee.
Terrain map
- AAPPMA Puy-de-Dôme
- Standard 1ère catégorie
- Boat fishing authorised (check current regulation for boat type).
Pavin is the youngest volcano in mainland France and it is perfectly, almost unnervingly round — as if someone had placed a compass at the centre and drawn the shoreline in a single gesture. Seven thousand years ago there was a phreatomagmatic eruption here; now there is a crater lake ninety-two metres deep with water so cold and so still at the bottom that it has not mixed properly in anyone's memory (the word is 'meromictic', which is the sort of word that usually wins people drinks in bars). The ecology is exactly what you would expect: cold, oligotrophic, and perfect for salmonids. Arctic char live in the deeps, brown trout work the shoreline in the shoulders of the season, and perch do whatever perch do in a place like this. Boat fishing is permitted and is genuinely the best way to fish Pavin, because the crater is round and the wind is usually from somewhere you will want to row away from. Beautiful water; serious fishery.
- Lake
- Volcanic
- Trout2nd Saturday of March → 3rd Sunday of September
- Charvaries_by_lake → varies_by_lake
Pavin is the youngest volcano in mainland France and it is perfectly, almost unnervingly round — as if someone had placed a compass at the centre and drawn the shoreline in a single gesture. Seven thousand years ago there was a phreatomagmatic eruption here; now there is a crater lake ninety-two metres deep with water so cold and so still at the bottom that it has not mixed properly in anyone's memory (the word is 'meromictic', which is the sort of word that usually wins people drinks in bars). The ecology is exactly what you would expect: cold, oligotrophic, and perfect for salmonids. Arctic char live in the deeps, brown trout work the shoreline in the shoulders of the season, and perch do whatever perch do in a place like this. Boat fishing is permitted and is genuinely the best way to fish Pavin, because the crater is round and the wind is usually from somewhere you will want to row away from. Beautiful water; serious fishery.