Limestone · Baden-Württemberg / Bavaria

Upper Danube (Obere Donau)

Upper Danube (Obere Donau) terrain map
Marginal · Brown Trout
Elk Hair Caddis · 12-16
Marginallive now
Slow going — pick your moments
River temperature is the limiting factor today, not the flow. Fish dawn or dusk if you go at all, and handle everything with extra care.
80% confidence
What moved it
  • Level0.26 mLast reading 8h ago
  • Water temp20.0°C
  • ClarityClear
Today's fly
Elk Hair Caddis
Elk Hair Caddis12-16
Upstream dry
Conditions on the water
Live gauge
Level
Steady
0.26 m
Last reading 8h ago
Water temp20.0°C
ClarityClear
Weather24°C
WindE 9 km/h
Pressure1022 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm
Rain · ahead0.5 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
20°C est.ideal 1016°C
0°14°28°
How to fish it · for Brown Trout
When
Nymphing can work through most of the day.
Where
Cover mixed depths.
Method
Start with tight-line nymphs and adjust if fish rise or drift higher.
Kit
9 ft #4 rod, floating line, 12 ft tapered leader to 4–5 lb fluoro tippet.
Why this works
Water at 20°C — above the brown trout caution line (18°C). Fish dawn or dusk only. Land it fast, wet hands, no air shots.
Hatch timeline · todayPeak at 6am

Hatch predictions

Today's headline hatch shown — see all 4 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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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
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
SS
Small Streamer
6-10 · Pattern
Swing
Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
  • Quellgebiet der oberen Donau
  • Fischereischein und Erlaubnisschein erforderlich.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Water here around 20°C. Nothing cooler within range — carry a thermometer.
Water quality (WFD)
  • EcologyModerate
  • ChemicalUnknown

WFD classification · DERW_DEBW_6-02

The full read · show the working · for Brown Trout · confidence 80%
How the 28 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature25 × 28%7.0
Flow80 × 22%17.6
Clarity95 × 18%17.1
Feeding Time85 × 13%11.1
Pressure80 × 7%5.6
Insect activity65 × 12%7.8
Conditions total= 66
Can you trust it?
Water temperatureair-to-water estimateestimated
Level / flowon-river gaugeobserved
What would change the calculation
Cooler water — back toward the 10–16 °C ideal band — would lift the score and ease welfare.
Directions
Seasons & zones
  • Trout 1 March30 September
  • Grayling 1 May31 December

    Upper Danube access spans Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria, with much of the classic gorge context (Tuttlingen–Sigmaringen) in Baden-Württemberg. Grayling rules must be checked against the exact Bundesland and fishery permit; do not apply the Bavaria default blindly. Individual fishery/Hegering or club rules may impose stricter limits or shorter access.

    Season dates are set at state or regional level — confirm the local rules.

    Prime sport 1 August → 30 November

Related guides
Booking & contacts