Freestone · Granite · Cévennes / Ardèche

Ardèche (Upper, Aubenas Headwaters)

Ardèche (Upper, Aubenas Headwaters) — Balazuc - Ardèche - France - 20130614
Poor · Brown Trout
CDC Emerger · 16-18
New ruleReported 21 Jul 2026

Severe drought restrictions (alerte renforcée) in force

The Ardèche zone (Dept 07) is at alerte renforcée — 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°37399

Temporary notices from official orders and recent fishery reports — they clear automatically once out of date.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.
90% confidence
What moved it
  • LevelProxyvia Loire (Upper)
  • Water temp23.0°C
  • ClarityClear
Today's fly
CDC Emerger
CDC Emerger16-18
Dead-drift
Conditions on the water
Proxy gauge
Level
Steady
Proxy
via Loire (Upper)
Water temp23.0°C
ClarityClear
Weather32°C
WindSE 9 km/h
Pressure1021 hPa
Rain · recent26.0 mm
Rain · ahead1.8 mm

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

Water temperature for Brown Trout
Warm — slow
23°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 23°C. This is the line where catch-and-release kills brown trout. Do not fish for them today.
Hatch timeline · todayPeak at 6pm

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 2 with Pro.

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Evidence
Survey-backed · regionalModerate confidence

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

Updated 5 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
Large Dark OliveHatch
1
2
2
1
Blue Winged OliveHatch
1
2
2
2
2
1
Autumn OliveHatch
1
2
1
GrannomHatch
1
1

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 Ardèche
  • Plusieurs réserves de truite sauvage sur les parcours amont — no-kill, mouche uniquement.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Cooler water nearby · 1
Probably above the Brown Trout safety line — these are likely cooler, but carry a thermometer.
Gallery · 2
  1. Ardèche (Upper, Aubenas Headwaters) — Balazuc - Ardèche - France - 20130614
    Balazuc - Ardèche - France - 20130614
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
Water quality (WFD)
  • EcologyGood
  • ChemicalGood

WFD classification · FRDR421

The full read · show the working · for Brown Trout · confidence 90%
How the 4 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature2 × 28%0.6
Flow80 × 22%17.6
Clarity95 × 18%17.1
Feeding Time60 × 13%7.8
Pressure80 × 7%5.6
Insect activity50 × 12%6.0
Limiting factor: Water temperature (23°C) is outside Brown Trout's preferred range (10–16°C)= 55
Can you trust it?
Water temperatureair-to-water estimateestimated
Level / flowproxy via Loire (Upper)proxy
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
  • Trout 2nd Saturday of March3rd Sunday of September
Related guides
Booking & contacts