Karst · Limestone · Jura / Haut-Jura (Saint-Claude)

Bienne

A calm, clear forest river with a gravel bank in the foreground and dense green trees lining both banks
Poor · Brown Trout
CDC Emerger · 16-20
New ruleReported 30 Jul 2026

Severe drought restrictions (crise) in force

The Plateau calcaire zone (Dept 39) is at crise — 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°37532

Temporary notices from official orders and recent fishery reports — they clear automatically once out of date.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

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
  • Flow1.6 m³/sLast reading 7h ago
  • Water temp22.8°C
  • ClarityClear
Today's fly
CDC Emerger
CDC Emerger16-20
Dead-drift
Conditions on the water
Live gauge
Flow
Steady
1.6 m³/s
Last reading 7h ago
Water temp22.8°C
ClarityClear
Weather32°C
WindW 6 km/h
Pressure1021 hPa
Rain · recent0.1 mm
Rain · ahead1.1 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 April through May; sedges through summer evenings; small dark flies into autumn close.
Where
Karst water through the Haut-Jura valley around Saint-Claude. Pool tails and the cushion behind limestone boulders.
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 — French karst-stream default. Floating line, 14 ft leader to 4 lb fluoro. Polarising glasses non-negotiable.
Why this works
Water at 22.8°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 9 active hatches hour by hour 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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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
Brown SedgeHatch
2
3
2
Freshwater ShrimpHatch
2
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
2
Blue Winged OliveHatch
2
3
3
3
3
2
Mayfly (Green Drake)Hatch
2
2

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 required
  • Fly-only and no-kill parcours on several marked stretches
  • Check the FDAAPPMA du Jura maps for closed zones.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Water here around 23°C. Nothing cooler within range — carry a thermometer.
Gallery · 2
  1. A calm, clear forest river with a gravel bank in the foreground and dense green trees lining both banks
    The Bienne river at Vaux-les-Saint-Claude, Haut-Jura, near the Gour aux Moines
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
Water quality (WFD)
  • EcologyGood
  • ChemicalUnknown

WFD classification · FRDR499

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 activity57 × 12%6.8
Limiting factor: Water temperature (22.8°C) is outside Brown Trout's preferred range (10–16°C)= 56
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.

Related guides
Booking & contacts