Freestone · Limestone · Jura

Ain

Stone arched bridge crossing the River Ain over a weir at Neuville-sur-Ain, with wooded hills behind.
Poor · Brown Trout
CDC Emerger · 16-20
Poorlive now
Not the day for it
River temperature is the limiting factor today, not the flow. This is not the day to push it. Check the thermal advice above before you head out.
90% confidence
What moved it
  • Flow14.3 m³/sLast reading 3h ago
  • Water temp22.9°C
  • ClarityClear
Today's fly
CDC Emerger
CDC Emerger16-20
Dead-drift
Conditions on the water
Live gauge
Flow
Steady
14.3 m³/s
Last reading 3h ago
Water temp22.9°C
ClarityClear
Weather34°C
WindNW 7 km/h
Pressure1019 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm
Rain · ahead1.0 mm

Live readings — water temperature is an estimate where the gauge does not record it.

Water temperature for Brown Trout
Warm — slow
23°C est.ideal 1016°C
0°14°28°
How to fish it · for Brown Trout
When
Through the open trout season. Spring olives and grannom; sedges through summer evenings; small dark flies into autumn close.
Where
Karst water through the upper Ain valley. Pool tails, glides, and the cushion behind boulders. The Ain is bigger water than the Loue or Doubs — wadeable but demanding.
Method
Upstream dry to spotted rising fish; long fine leader. The water reads clear — careful approach matters more than fly choice. Move slowly upstream, cast accurately, accept the result.
Kit
9 ft #4 or #5 for the bigger water. Floating line, 14 ft leader to 4 to 5 lb fluoro. Polarising glasses.
Why this works
Water at 22.9°C. This is the line where catch-and-release kills brown trout. Do not fish for them today.
Hatch timeline · todayPeak at 6pm

Hatch predictions

Today's headline hatch shown — see all 8 active hatches hour by hour with Pro.

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Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey

Hatch predictions

Top prey shown — see all 2 with Pro.

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Evidence
Survey-backed · regionalModerate confidence

Backed by regional invertebrate surveys; no sampling on this exact reach yet.

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
Grayling seasonSeason
1
2
2
2
1
GrannomHatch
2
2
Evening SedgeHatch
2
3
3
3
2
Large Dark OliveHatch
1
2
2
1
Iron BlueHatch
1
2
2
1

Numbers are intensity 0 (none) to 3 (peak) — a guide, not a guarantee.

Ranked for today
Brown Trout fly box
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
Cooler water nearby · 2
Probably above the Brown Trout safety line — these are likely cooler, but carry a thermometer.
Gallery · 2
  1. Stone arched bridge crossing the River Ain over a weir at Neuville-sur-Ain, with wooded hills behind.
    Neuville-sur-Ain (Ain).
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
Water quality (WFD)
  • EcologyGood
  • ChemicalUnknown

WFD classification · FRDR492

The full read · show the working · for Brown Trout · confidence 90%
How the 4 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature2 × 28%0.6
Flow80 × 22%17.6
Clarity95 × 18%17.1
Feeding Time60 × 13%7.8
Pressure80 × 7%5.6
Insect activity55 × 12%6.6
Limiting factor: Water temperature (22.9°C) is outside Brown Trout's preferred range (10–16°C)= 55
Can you trust it?
Water temperatureair-to-water estimateestimated
Level / flowon-river gaugeobserved
Prey activitysurvey-backed invertebrate datasurvey
What would change the calculation
Cooler water — back toward the 10–16 °C ideal band — would lift the score and ease welfare.
The dawn and dusk windows score higher than the midday lull.
Directions
Seasons & zones
  • Trout 2nd Saturday of March3rd Sunday of September
  • Grayling 3rd Saturday of May3rd Sunday of September

    France national rule: grayling opens 3rd Saturday of May in all waters. In 1st category (salmonid) rivers, grayling closes with the trout season on the 3rd Sunday of September. Departmental regulations may impose additional restrictions. Always check the relevant département's 2026 arrêté préfectoral.

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