Karst · Limestone · Franche-Comté / Doubs (St-Hippolyte)

Dessoubre

Dessoubre terrain map
Marginal · Brown Trout
CDC Emerger · 16-20
New ruleReported 17 Jul 2026

Severe drought restrictions (crise) in force

The Plateau calcaire jurassien zone (Dept 25) 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°37370

Temporary notices from official orders and recent fishery reports — they clear automatically once out of date.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

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
  • LevelProxyvia Cusancin
  • Water temp19.8°C
  • ClarityClear
Today's fly
CDC Emerger
CDC Emerger16-20
Dead-drift
Conditions on the water
Proxy gauge
Level
Steady
Proxy
via Cusancin
Water temp19.8°C
ClarityClear
Weather23°C
WindS 7 km/h
Pressure1018 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm
Rain · ahead0.8 mm

No gauge on this water — conditions are inferred from Cusancin. The trend transfers, the absolute level does not.

Water temperature for Brown Trout
Warm — slow
20°C est.ideal 1016°C
0°14°28°
How to fish it · for Brown Trout
When
Through the open trout season. Spring olives and sedges; summer evening hatches; autumn small flies into the close.
Where
Limestone gorge water through the Doubs department. Pool tails and the cushion behind boulders; the Dessoubre is small-scale and intimate.
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 19.8°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 5 active hatches hour by hour with Pro.

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Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

See the full sub-surface read 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 du Dessoubre
  • Fly-only parcours on several stretches, barbless recommended
  • Check current rules — the river has active no-kill reserves.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Water here around 20°C. Nothing cooler within range — carry a thermometer.
Water quality (WFD)
  • EcologyGood
  • ChemicalUnknown

WFD classification · FRDR634

The full read · show the working · for Brown Trout · confidence 80%
How the 29 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature28 × 28%7.8
Flow80 × 22%17.6
Clarity95 × 18%17.1
Feeding Time70 × 13%9.1
Pressure80 × 7%5.6
Insect activity64 × 12%7.7
Conditions total= 65
Can you trust it?
Water temperatureair-to-water estimateestimated
Level / flowproxy via Cusancinproxy
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.
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