Freestone · Limestone · Black Forest / Baden-Württemberg

Wutach

Wutach — Wutach-Wasserfall Lauffenmühle

The Wutach cuts through a dramatic gorge in southern Black Forest, limestone influence giving clearer water than the granite streams to the west.

Poor · Brown Trout
Elk Hair Caddis · 12-16
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
  • Level0.37 mLast reading 1d ago
  • Water temp22.3°C
  • ClarityClear
Today's fly
Elk Hair Caddis
Elk Hair Caddis12-16
Upstream dry
Conditions on the water
Live gauge
Level
Steady
0.37 m
Last reading 1d ago
Water temp22.3°C
ClarityClear
Weather29°C
WindE 9 km/h
Pressure1023 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm
Rain · ahead4.8 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 10–16°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 22.3°C. This is the line where catch-and-release kills brown trout. Do not fish for them today.
Hatch timeline · todayPeak at 6am

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
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

Southern Germany only. Trout and grayling in Bavarian meadow streams, alpine creeks and famous upper-river systems.

SS
Small Streamer
6-10 · Pattern
Swing
Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
  • Southwest Black Forest
  • Fischereischein + Erlaubnisschein required.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Water here around 22°C. Nothing cooler within range — carry a thermometer.
Gallery · 2
  1. Wutach — Wutach-Wasserfall Lauffenmühle
    Wutach-Wasserfall Lauffenmühle
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

The Wutach cuts through a dramatic gorge in southern Black Forest, limestone influence giving clearer water than the granite streams to the west. Good brown trout and some grayling. The Wutachschlucht gorge section is genuinely spectacular—fishing here is as much about the landscape as the fish.

  • Limestone
Water quality (WFD)
  • Ecology: Good
  • Chemical: Unknown
What this classification means

WFD ecological status Unknown → Good corrected to EEA WISE 2022 (3rd RBMP) classification for waterbody DERW_DEBW_20-03 (was a stale earlier-cycle value). Source: EEA WISE SWB_SurfaceWaterBody (discodata.eea.europa.eu), verified 2026-06-18.

WFD classification · DERW_DEBW_20-03

The full read · show the working · for Brown Trout · confidence 90%
How the 10 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature5 × 28%1.4
Flow80 × 22%17.6
Clarity95 × 18%17.1
Feeding Time60 × 13%7.8
Pressure80 × 7%5.6
Insect activity62 × 12%7.4
Limiting factor: Water temperature (22.3°C) is outside Brown Trout's preferred range (10–16°C)= 57
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
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Trout 1 March → 30 September
  • Grayling 1 May → 31 December

    Baden-Württemberg state rule: grayling (Äsche) closed 1 January – 30 April. Open season 1 May – 31 December. Individual fishing association (Fischereiverein) rules may apply. Always check the specific permit.

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

    Prime sport 1 August → 30 November

Related guides
Grayling Playbookgrayling tacticsEuro Nymphingsubsurface methods
Booking & contacts