Spate · Limestone · Pyrénées-Atlantiques / Soule

Saison (Gave de Mauléon)

Clear green river flowing under an arched stone bridge past riverside houses in Mauléon-Licharre, France.
Poor · Brown Trout
CDC Emerger · 16-18
New ruleReported 17 Jul 2026

Severe drought restrictions (crise) in force

The Bassin du Lausset zone (Dept 64) 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°37314

Temporary notices from official orders and recent fishery reports — they clear automatically once out of date.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.
80% confidence
What moved it
  • Level0.10 mLast reading 19h ago
  • Water temp21.9°C
  • ClarityClear
Today's fly
CDC Emerger
CDC Emerger16-18
Dead-drift
Conditions on the water
Live gauge
Level
Steady
0.10 m
Last reading 19h ago
Water temp21.9°C
ClarityClear
Weather31°C
WindNE 6 km/h
Pressure1020 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm
Rain · ahead5.7 mm

The nearest gauge doesn't record temperatures, so we've estimated it — defer to the river keeper's advice.

Water temperature for Brown Trout
Warm — slow
22°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; small dark flies into late September.
Where
Pool tails and seams behind boulders through the Mauléon valley. The Saison runs intimate Basque freestone water.
Method
Upstream dry to risers; dry-dropper through the riffles. Long leader, fine tippet.
Kit
9 ft #4 — French freestone default. Floating line, 12 ft leader to 4 to 5 lb fluoro. Studded boots.
Why this works
Water at 21.9°C — above the brown trout caution line (18°C). Fish dawn or dusk only. Land it fast, wet hands, no air shots.
Hatch timeline · todayQuiet day

Hatch predictions

Today's headline hatch shown — see all 3 active hatches hour by hour with Pro.

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Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

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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
March BrownHatch
2
3
2
GrannomHatch
2
2
Large StoneflyHatch
2
3
2
Yellow SallyHatch
2
3
2

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

Ranked for today
Brown Trout fly box
Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
  • AAPPMA permits required.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Cooler water nearby · 1
Water here around 22°C — probably warm enough to stress Brown Trout . These are likely cooler.
Gallery · 2
  1. Clear green river flowing under an arched stone bridge past riverside houses in Mauléon-Licharre, France.
    Mauléon-Licharre (Pyrénées-Atlantiques)
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
Water quality (WFD)
  • EcologyGood
  • ChemicalUnknown

WFD classification · FRFR262

The full read · show the working · for Brown Trout · confidence 80%
How the 14 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature7 × 28%2.0
Flow80 × 22%17.6
Clarity95 × 18%17.1
Feeding Time60 × 13%7.8
Pressure80 × 7%5.6
Insect activity52 × 12%6.2
Limiting factor: Water temperature (21.9°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

Salmon: Banned (2026) — Salmon fishing is closed across the Adour and Gaves basin under the 2026 prefectoral order (Nouvelle-Aquitaine), which renewed the 2025 total prohibition.

Related guides
Booking & contacts