Freestone · Limestone · Jura-edge / Ain (Varambon–Rhône)

Ain (lower / Plaine de l'Ain)

A wide, calm stretch of the River Ain with a gravel bank in the foreground and autumn trees lining the far bank, in the Ain department, France.
Prime · Grayling
F-Fly · Hook 18–22
Primelive now
About as good as it gets
Low and clear — careful approach country. Take your time — read the water before you cast.
90% confidence
What moved it
  • Flow14.3 m³/sLast reading 3h ago
  • Water temp11.2°C
  • ClarityClear
Today's fly
F-Fly
F-FlyHook 18–22
in season · matches water height
Conditions on the water
Live gauge
Flow
Steady
14.3 m³/s
Last reading 3h ago
Water temp11.2°C
ClarityClear
Weather36°C
WindN 5 km/h
Pressure1020 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm
Rain · ahead0.9 mm

Live readings — water temperature is an estimate where the gauge does not record it.

Water temperature for Grayling
Ideal
11°C est.ideal 414°C
0°14°28°
How to fish it · for Grayling
When
Midday window — grayling feed best from late morning into early afternoon.
Where
Work runs and glides — grayling shoal in the bottom third of the water column.
Method
Tight-line nymph the bottom third with weighted patterns.
Kit
10 ft #3 rod, floating line, long leader to 4 lb fluoro for nymphs.
Why this works
Excellent — water temperature is right today, though insect activity could be better.
Hatch timeline · todayQuiet day

Hatch predictions

Today's headline hatch shown — see all 12 active hatches hour by hour with Pro.

Start free trial

14-day free trial. Cancel anytime.

Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

Top nymph shown — see all 2 guilds with Pro.

Start free trial

14-day free trial. Cancel anytime.

Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey

Hatch predictions

Top prey shown — see all 2 with Pro.

Start free trial

14-day free trial. Cancel anytime.

Evidence
Survey-backed · regionalModerate confidence

Backed by regional invertebrate surveys; no sampling on this exact reach yet.

Updated 3 hours ago

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
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
Grayling fly box
Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
  • Carte de pêche AAPPMA.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Other water nearby · 5
Gallery · 2
  1. A wide, calm stretch of the River Ain with a gravel bank in the foreground and autumn trees lining the far bank, in the Ain department, France.
    The River Ain near Villieu-Loyes-Mollon, on the lower Ain plain
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
Water quality (WFD)
  • EcologyGood
  • ChemicalUnknown

WFD classification · FRDR484

The full read · show the working · for Grayling · confidence 90%
How the 85 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature100 × 28%28.0
Flow80 × 22%17.6
Clarity85 × 18%15.3
Feeding Time90 × 13%11.7
Pressure80 × 7%5.6
Insect activity60 × 12%7.2
Conditions total= 85
Can you trust it?
Water temperatureair-to-water estimateestimated
Level / flowon-river gaugeobserved
Prey activitysurvey-backed invertebrate datasurvey
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.

  • Coarse 2nd Saturday of March3rd Sunday of September

    Chub has no national closed season of its own in France — on a 1st-category (salmonid) reach like this, ALL fishing (any species, any method) is prohibited outside the water's own open season (Code de l'environnement Art. R436-6), so chub simply inherits the trout/grayling season rather than following a separate coarse-fish law.

Related guides
Booking & contacts