Fishing Lac du Bourget: the fish, the seasons, and the plan to catch them

What and where it is

Lac du Bourget sits in Savoie, in the French Alps, with the spa town of Aix-les-Bains on its east shore and Le Bourget-du-Lac at its south end. It is France's largest natural lake by volume: about 18 km long, 4,450 ha of water, and up to 145 m deep. Deep, cold and glacially fed.

The depth matters more than the size. A lot of the lake drops away fast, so the bank fishing works the margins and the drop-offs, and the deep water is boat country. The water sits around 7 °C in January and 23 °C in July, so it warms slowly and the season is shaped by it.

This is an alpine lake used by swimmers, sailors and tour boats as well as anglers, so it is busy and bright in high summer. That shapes the fishing: the early and late windows are when it is quiet and the fish feed. Thirty-three fish species live here, managed by two angling associations: Aix-les-Bains and Chambéry.

The fish, and where, when and how to catch each

Perch and pike are the bank fish. Zander, lavaret, Arctic char and lake trout reward a boat. Each one holds at a different depth, moves through the year, and wants a different method. The cards below give you where, when and how for every species in scope.

Others, for context: the lake also holds catfish (record 198 cm), carp (a good stock of 6–12 kg), and coarse fish. Several must be released for the table (see below). The six cards above are the trip.

How the fishing changes by season

Spring is the quiet patch, with predators closed for spawning. Late spring opens pike (20 April), then perch and zander together at the end of May. Summer pushes the fish deep, so you fish dawn and dusk. Autumn is the best all-round window. Winter pike come on livebait before the predator season closes in late February.

• Late spring (May–June). Pike are open and shallow at 3–5 m near the banks, the one time pike are easy from the bank. Perch and zander both open 30 May. Lavaret go pelagic at 15–30 m.
• Summer (July–August). Pike drop to 6–15 m. Perch move up toward 10–20 m and switch onto lures and the surface chasses. Dawn and dusk are strongly best.
• Autumn (Sep–Oct). Perch in 10–20 m give good lure fishing, pike feed up, and lavaret move back toward the bottom before they close on 18 October. Often the best all-round window.
• Winter (Nov–Feb). Pike hold on the same marks but come best to livebait. Pike close on 22 February, later than most waters, before the spring shutdown.

What you can eat (and what you must release)

Because of historic PCB contamination, a prefectural order bans keeping or selling six things from this lake: Arctic char, eel, bream, tench, and roach over 10 cm. Those go back. Lavaret is the prized eating fish; pike, perch and zander are fine within limits. Release of lake trout is encouraged.

Whatever you keep, check the size and bag limits and any closed season first, handle fish in wet hands, unhook them in the water where you can, and clean your kit between waters.

Licence and rules

Yes, you need a French fishing licence, the carte de pêche. Buy it online at cartedepeche.fr in a few minutes, or from a local tackle shop. A week (vacances) card is €36.50 for 2026, a day card €18. To fish from a boat, run multiple lines, or fish the gambe with more than three nymphs, you also need the boat option. There are minimum sizes and a three-predator daily cap.

2026 carte de pêche prices

Sizes and bag limits

Up to 3 carnivores per angler per day, all species combined (pike, zander and perch counted together). Pike opens 20 April; perch and zander both open 30 May; the predator season runs to late February (pike close 22 February here). Lavaret runs from 14 February until 18 October 2026.

Where to fish from the bank

From the bank, the reliable spots are outside the harbour walls, at the river mouths, and on the fishing pontoons: Grand Port and Le Petit Port at Aix-les-Bains; the pontoons and the Maison des Pêcheurs at Viviers-du-Lac; Baie de Grésine; Le Lido; the Leysse and Sierroz mouths; and Conjux in the north. Perch and pike are the bank fish.

Bank vs boat, and the time of day

From the bank, target perch (and shallow pike in late spring) at first and last light. From a boat you add zander, lavaret and char over deeper water, best in low light and into dusk. The middle of a bright day is usually slow either way.

Plain version: if you only have the bank, fish perch at dawn and dusk, take pike in May and June when they sit shallow, and work the river mouths for a low-light zander. With a boat you keep all of that and add zander properly, plus lavaret and char in the deep water.

The boat: guided, hire, or your own

Three ways onto the water. Book a guide (the simplest for a first visit; they supply the tackle and know the marks), hire a fishing boat at Aix-les-Bains or Viviers-du-Lac, or launch your own at one of four ramps. The boat option on your licence is needed for any boat fishing.

Guided (recommended for a first visit)

• David Combier – davidcombier.com
• Arnaud Fileppi – adrenaline-fishing.com
• Michaël Coutaz & Joaquim Torres – centre-de-peche.fr

Hire a fishing boat

Centre de Pêche, Le Petit Port, Aix-les-Bains. La Maison des Pêcheurs, Viviers-du-Lac, hires barques. Self-drive hire is also available from the Aix-les-Bains marinas; confirm the rate and whether a permis is needed when you book.

Launch your own

Four ramps: Conjux and Châtillon-Chindrieux in the north, Le Petit Port and Charpignat in the south. In low season (Sep–Apr) the ramps are free; in high season a launch costs about €15 a day, or about €101 for a seasonal pass.

Where to stay (and buy a licence locally)

To base yourself near the fishing, the Maison des Pêcheurs at Viviers-du-Lac has fishing lodges right on the water with its own port and pontoons. There are campsites at Aix-les-Bains and Le Bourget-du-Lac. You can buy a licence in person at tackle shops in Aix-les-Bains, Chambéry and Grésy-sur-Aix.

Buy a licence in person at these dépositaires: Pêche Passion (Grand Port, Aix-les-Bains); Centre de Pêche (Petit Port); Décathlon (Grésy-sur-Aix); Valieutic (Chambéry).

The methods, and the rigs to build them

Six rigs cover every fish here, and they share most of their tackle. Drop shot is the all-rounder. The two float rigs present bait from the bank. The vertical jig is the boat method for zander. The pike rig adds a trace. The gambe is for lavaret and char.

Build your kit

Pick your fish and whether you are on the bank or in a boat, and the kit builder trims the shopping list and the rigs to exactly what you need. One light spinning outfit and a small box of terminal tackle build almost everything; lavaret adds one soft second rod.

A trip checklist

Before you go: check your dates against the closed seasons, buy the licence (with the boat option if you'll fish from a boat), decide bank or boat and book it, pack the one shared kit, and note the limits. Then print the cheat sheet and take it with you.

1. Check your dates against the seasons. Spring is thin (perch and zander stay shut until 30 May); June onward is the prime predator window.
2. Buy the carte de pêche at cartedepeche.fr (the week card suits most visitors). Add the boat option if you'll fish from a boat.
3. Decide bank or boat, and book it. Bank only: perch at dawn and dusk, shallow pike in May–June, the river mouths for zander.
4. Pack the one kit. Rod, 2500 reel, braid, fluoro leader, the small terminal box, soft plastics, net and bucket.
5. Note the limits. Pike 60 cm, zander 50 cm, perch no minimum, lake trout 50 cm and 1 a day, max 3 predators a day. Release char, eel, bream, tench and roach over 10 cm.
6. Print the cheat sheet and fold it into the box.

Common mistakes

The big ones: turning up in the spring closure with predators shut, expecting zander or lavaret from the bank, fishing the bright middle of the day, skipping the boat option on the licence, and bringing the wrong line.

• Fishing the spring closure by accident. Pike reopens 20 April, but perch and zander stay shut until 30 May. Check the dates before you book.
• Expecting zander or lavaret from the bank. Both are boat fish here. Bank-only means a perch (and, in late spring, shallow-pike) trip.
• Fishing the middle of a bright day. A sunny midday is slow on this clear, deep lake. Fish the first and last hours.
• Forgetting the boat option. The basic card does not cover boat fishing, multiple lines, or the gambe with more than three nymphs.
• Bringing the wrong line. For pike, a wire or heavy fluoro trace is essential, because pike teeth cut a light leader.

Frequently asked questions