Stillwater · Mixed · Île-de-France / Paris (Bois de Vincennes)

Lac de Gravelle

Lac de Gravelle in the Bois de Vincennes, Paris, with reflections of trees and lakeside buildings

A one-hectare lake tucked into the southern Bois de Vincennes and set aside specifically for fly fishing — a proper Paris oddity.

Fair · Rainbow
Bibio Hopper · 10-12
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.
47% confidence
limited data

Lac de Gravelle is often best in spring through autumn.

What moved it
  • WindNW 15 km/hGentle breeze
Today's fly
Bibio Hopper
Bibio Hopper10-12
Upstream dry
Conditions on the water
Live gauge
Wind
Gentle breeze
NW 15 km/h
N
NW
from the north-west
Wave20 cm ripple
Water temp—
Air temp32°C
CloudBroken
Pressure1015 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm

Some readings unavailable — check directly before fishing.

How to fish it · for Rainbow
When
The daddy longlegs are on. Wind-blown Terrestrials may also come into play as the day warms. The ripple is helpful — fish should move onto the feed and a slow-drifted team or single wet will cover water well. The breeze will be blowing terrestrial insects onto the water — check the wind lanes and downwind margins for rising fish.
Where
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. Keep a sedge-style dry or emerger on a short leader for the evening rise.
The plan
Plan A

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. Keep a sedge-style dry or emerger on a short leader for the evening rise.

Plan B

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.

Watch for

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

Bank

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

Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

Top nymph shown — see all 2 guilds with Pro.

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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
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

Closer to wild-lake trout fishing than to competition réservoirs. More room for naturals, caddis, buzzer, terrestrial and modest lure use.

SD
Small Damsel
8-12 · Pattern
Retrieve
Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
  • APBV permit required
  • No-kill, fly-only, barbless/de-barbed hooks, landing net mandatory
  • Verify rules and ticket availability with the association before fishing.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Condition match
64%
Cloud100%
Wind65%
Temp25%

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

Other water nearby · 3
Étang BEP22 (Chessy)
24 km
Rainbow trout
Pisciculture de Villette
57 km
Rainbow trout · Brown trout · Char
Sources de l'Éclimont
58 km
Rainbow trout · Brown trout
Gallery · 2
  1. Lac de Gravelle in the Bois de Vincennes, Paris, with reflections of trees and lakeside buildings
    Lac de Gravelle, Bois de Vincennes
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

A one-hectare lake tucked into the southern Bois de Vincennes and set aside specifically for fly fishing — a proper Paris oddity. Managed by the APBV (Association de Pêcheurs au Lancer et à la Mouche du Bois de Vincennes) as a no-kill fly-only fishery: barbless or de-barbed hooks, trout returned, landing nets required. Stocked with rainbow trout and a smaller proportion of browns. Twenty minutes from a Métro stop, which is the point: on a damp Tuesday in April with a south-westerly putting a ripple across the surface, it does a passable impression of somewhere wilder than it is. Day and season permits via the association.

  • Lake
  • Mixed
Why this score
  • Cloud cover (cloud) suits the fishery well.
  • 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 Year-round → Year-round
Related guides
Small Stillwater Playbookstillwater tacticsThermal Layers & Troutreading depth and temperaturePyrenees PlaybookFrench rivers
Booking & contacts