Stillwater · Limestone · Jura-edge / Ain (Bugey)

Chaley Lake

Chaley Lake terrain map

Artificial fly-fishing reservoir in exclusive salmonid mode.

Fair · Rainbow
CDC Emerger · 16-20
New ruleReported 8 Aug 2026

Severe drought restrictions (alerte renforcée) in force

The Rivières du Bugey zone (Dept 01) is at alerte renforcée — 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°37638 ↗

Temporary notices from official orders and recent fishery reports — they clear automatically once out of date.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

A respectable few hours, if you choose your moments
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.
48% confidence
limited data

Chaley Lake is often best in spring through autumn.

What moved it
  • WindW 8 km/hLight breeze
Today's fly
CDC Emerger
CDC Emerger16-20
Dead-drift
Conditions on the water
Live gauge
Wind
Light breeze
W 8 km/h
N
W
from the west
WaveRipple
Water temp—
Air temp32°C
CloudClear
Pressure1022 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 Chaley Lake. 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. Early morning is often the most productive window in summer — make the most of it.
Where
Start with Small Perdigón (16-20) on a 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 a 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

Daddy longlegs may strengthen through the middle of the day as conditions warm.

Bank

Bank-only venue. Fish from accessible margins, points, weed edges, and inflows.

Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey

Hatch predictions

Top prey shown — see all 3 with Pro.

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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

Sight-nymphing and technical dry-fly fishing on very clear trout and grayling rivers, with strong mayfly and sedge windows and highly selective fish.

Gammarus Scud (Olive)
Gammarus Scud (Olive)
12-16 · Gammarus Scud
Dead-drift, sub-surface
Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
  • AAPPMA permits.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Condition match
55%
Cloud25%
Wind100%
Temp25%

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

Other water nearby · 5
Albarine
6.0 km
Brown trout · Grayling
Suran
25 km
Brown trout · Grayling
Ain (lower / Plaine de l'Ain)
31 km
Brown trout · Grayling · Chub
Domaine des 3 Lacs du Soleil
33 km
Rainbow trout
Usses
34 km
Brown trout
About this water

Artificial fly-fishing reservoir in exclusive salmonid mode. Day passes available. Brown and rainbow trout stocked. Spring through early autumn fishing. Good for developing fly skills. Check directly with venue for current stocking levels, catch limits, and facility details.

  • Reservoir
  • Limestone
Water quality (WFD)
  • Ecology: Moderate
  • Chemical: Unknown
What this classification means

WFD ecological status Good → Moderate corrected to EEA WISE 2022 (3rd RBMP) classification for waterbody FRDR10607 (was a stale earlier-cycle value). Source: EEA WISE SWB_SurfaceWaterBody (discodata.eea.europa.eu), verified 2026-06-18.

WFD classification · FRDR10607

Why this score
  • Wind conditions (ripple) closely match what this water fishes best in.
  • High temperatures may push fish deeper and reduce surface activity.
  • 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