Villerest is the big Loire reservoir above Roanne — seventeen kilometres of drowned river gorge held back by the 1984 dam, sitting at around 320 metres on the Forez granite. It is a second-category water first and foremost, which means pike, pike-perch and perch are the staples, but the upper end of the lake where the Loire itself comes in still holds trout and grayling in numbers that would surprise anyone who only knows Villerest from the motorway crossing. The fly fishing is a mixed proposition: pike on streamers along the drowned banks of the old gorge, and trout/grayling dry fly or nymph in the upper Loire tail where the river still runs free. The water level drops significantly through summer for Loire downstream flow support, which exposes the old gorge walls and changes the fishable margins week by week. Worth a visit for the predator fly fishing if nothing else.
- Public aappma day ticket
Reasonable late spring fishing likely at Lac de Villerest
Good wave on — drift country. A useful wave. Work the productive shore.
Current conditions suit Lac de Villerest well for late spring tactics. The ripple should help fish move and feed more confidently.
Conditions on the water
Some readings unavailable — check directly before fishing.
The brief
The plan
Start with Buzzer (14-16) on a slow figure-of-eight or hang under indicator. If that does not produce, switch depth or speed before changing the pattern entirely. When no hatch is visible, a buzzer team — black stripped quill on the point, attractor or pearl-rib on the top dropper — is the default starting point on any UK stillwater.
If fish refuse on top, drop to a buzzer under an indicator at different depths.
Keep an eye on changing conditions — wind shifts and cloud breaks can trigger short feeding spells.
Good ripple suits both bank and boat. Bank: work inflows, dam walls, and points. Boat: broadside drift covering wind lanes.
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 de Villerest, on the water
Field guide · contributor-editedWhat this water is
Villerest is the big Loire reservoir above Roanne — seventeen kilometres of drowned river gorge held back by the 1984 dam, sitting at around 320 metres on the Forez granite. It is a second-category water first and foremost, which means pike, pike-perch and perch are the staples, but the upper end of the lake where the Loire itself comes in still holds trout and grayling in numbers that would surprise anyone who only knows Villerest from the motorway crossing. The fly fishing is a mixed proposition: pike on streamers along the drowned banks of the old gorge, and trout/grayling dry fly or nymph in the upper Loire tail where the river still runs free. The water level drops significantly through summer for Loire downstream flow support, which exposes the old gorge walls and changes the fishable margins week by week. Worth a visit for the predator fly fishing if nothing else.
- Reservoir
- Granite
How to get to the water
Where the rules change
- PikeLast Saturday of January → End of December
Licences, sorteo, the rules
- AAPPMA Loire
- 2ème catégorie
- Pike closed Feb–April
- Water level varies with Loire downstream flow management.
Lac de Villerest
Villerest is the big Loire reservoir above Roanne — seventeen kilometres of drowned river gorge held back by the 1984 dam, sitting at around 320 metres on the Forez granite.
Reasonable late spring fishing likely at Lac de Villerest
Good wave on — drift country. A useful wave. Work the productive shore.
Current conditions suit Lac de Villerest well for late spring tactics. The ripple should help fish move and feed more confidently.
Some readings unavailable — check directly before fishing.
A good match for this venue — most conditions are close to what it fishes best in.
Start with Buzzer (14-16) on a slow figure-of-eight or hang under indicator. If that does not produce, switch depth or speed before changing the pattern entirely. When no hatch is visible, a buzzer team — black stripped quill on the point, attractor or pearl-rib on the top dropper — is the default starting point on any UK stillwater.
If fish refuse on top, drop to a buzzer under an indicator at different depths.
Keep an eye on changing conditions — wind shifts and cloud breaks can trigger short feeding spells.
Good ripple suits both bank and boat. Bank: work inflows, dam walls, and points. Boat: broadside drift covering wind lanes.
- 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 Loire
- 2ème catégorie
- Pike closed Feb–April
- Water level varies with Loire downstream flow management.
Villerest is the big Loire reservoir above Roanne — seventeen kilometres of drowned river gorge held back by the 1984 dam, sitting at around 320 metres on the Forez granite. It is a second-category water first and foremost, which means pike, pike-perch and perch are the staples, but the upper end of the lake where the Loire itself comes in still holds trout and grayling in numbers that would surprise anyone who only knows Villerest from the motorway crossing. The fly fishing is a mixed proposition: pike on streamers along the drowned banks of the old gorge, and trout/grayling dry fly or nymph in the upper Loire tail where the river still runs free. The water level drops significantly through summer for Loire downstream flow support, which exposes the old gorge walls and changes the fishable margins week by week. Worth a visit for the predator fly fishing if nothing else.
- Reservoir
- Granite
- PikeLast Saturday of January → End of December
Villerest is the big Loire reservoir above Roanne — seventeen kilometres of drowned river gorge held back by the 1984 dam, sitting at around 320 metres on the Forez granite. It is a second-category water first and foremost, which means pike, pike-perch and perch are the staples, but the upper end of the lake where the Loire itself comes in still holds trout and grayling in numbers that would surprise anyone who only knows Villerest from the motorway crossing. The fly fishing is a mixed proposition: pike on streamers along the drowned banks of the old gorge, and trout/grayling dry fly or nymph in the upper Loire tail where the river still runs free. The water level drops significantly through summer for Loire downstream flow support, which exposes the old gorge walls and changes the fishable margins week by week. Worth a visit for the predator fly fishing if nothing else.