Stillwater · Granite · Loire / Roanne area, FR

Lac de Villerest

Lac de Villerest venue image
Fair · Trout
Pheasant Tail Nymph · 14-18
New ruleReported 19 Aug 2026

Severe drought restrictions (crise) in force

A préfectoral drought order places this catchment's surface water at crise, the highest of France's four restriction tiers. Fishing itself is not named in the order, but flows are low and water-use restrictions are in force. Zone: Fleuve Loire aval (dépt 42).

Arrêté préfectoral n°37751

Temporary notices from official orders and recent fishery reports — they clear automatically once out of date.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

Fairlive now
Evening session looks promising at Lac de Villerest
Good wave on — drift country. A useful wave. Work the productive shore.
62% confidence

Lac de Villerest is often best in spring through autumn.

What moved it
  • WindSW 14 km/hGentle breeze
Today's fly
Pheasant Tail Nymph
Pheasant Tail Nymph14-18
Upstream
Conditions on the water
Estimate
Wind
Gentle breeze
SW 14 km/h
N
SW
from the south-west
Wave20 cm ripple
Water temp22.0°C
Air temp22°C
CloudBroken
Pressure1016 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
Conditions are not ideal but fishable at Lac de Villerest. The ripple should help fish move and feed more confidently. Evening can bring a surface rise — have a dry fly or emerger ready.
Where
Start with Pheasant Tail Nymph (14-18) — on the point — slow figure-of-eight retrieve. If that does not produce, switch depth or speed before changing the pattern entirely.
The plan
Plan A

Start with Pheasant Tail Nymph (14-18) — on the point — slow figure-of-eight retrieve. If that does not produce, switch depth or speed before changing the pattern entirely.

Plan B

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

Watch for

Evening tends to be the best period in summer — stay late if you can for a sedge or spinner fall.

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

Top nymph shown — see all 2 guilds with Pro.

Start free trial

14-day free trial. Cancel anytime.

Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey(1)

Hatch predictions

Top prey shown — see all 5 with Pro.

Start free trial

14-day free trial. Cancel anytime.

Through the year
0–3 scale · August highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
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
Trout fly box
Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
  • AAPPMA Loire
  • 2ème catégorie
  • Pike closed Feb–April
  • Water level varies with Loire downstream flow management.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Condition match
65%
Cloud70%
Wind65%
Temp60%

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

Fishing better nearby · 5
Gallery · 1
  1. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
Water quality (WFD)
  • EcologyPoor
  • ChemicalGood
What this classification means

WFD ecological status Bad → Poor corrected to EEA WISE 2022 (3rd RBMP) classification for waterbody FRGL096 (was a stale earlier-cycle value). Source: EEA WISE SWB_SurfaceWaterBody (discodata.eea.europa.eu), verified 2026-06-18.

WFD classification · FRGL096

Why this score
  • Daddy longlegs are in their seasonal window, boosting the chance of targeted feeding.
Directions
Seasons & zones
  • Pike Last Saturday of JanuaryEnd of December
Related guides
Booking & contacts