Spate · Granite · Black Forest / Baden-Württemberg

Ellbach

Ellbach — Black Forest: Ellbachsee
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.
80% confidence
What moved it
  • LevelDry recentlyNo gauge reading
  • Water temp21.5°C
  • ClarityClear
Today's fly
Elk Hair Caddis
Elk Hair Caddis12-16
Upstream dry
Conditions on the water
Estimate
Level
Dry recently
No gauge reading
Water temp21.5°C
ClarityClear
Weather29°C
WindNW 14 km/h
Pressure1017 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm
Rain · ahead2.1 mm

No gauge on this water — readings are regional estimates from weather, not a live gauge.

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 21.5°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 3 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.

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
March BrownHatch
2
3
2
GrannomHatch
2
2
Large StoneflyHatch
2
3
2
Yellow SallyHatch
2
3
2

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.
  • Black Forest stream in Baden-Württemberg
  • Fischereischein + Erlaubnisschein required.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Cooler water nearby · 1
Water here around 22°C — probably warm enough to stress Brown Trout . These are likely cooler.
Schluchsee
22 km
~20°C
Brown trout · Lake trout
Gallery · 2
  1. Ellbach — Black Forest: Ellbachsee
    Black Forest: Ellbachsee
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
Water quality (WFD)
  • Ecology: Moderate
  • Chemical: Unknown
What this classification means

WFD ecological status Unknown → Moderate corrected to EEA WISE 2022 (3rd RBMP) classification for waterbody DERW_DEBW_31-02-OR2 (was a stale earlier-cycle value). Source: EEA WISE SWB_SurfaceWaterBody (discodata.eea.europa.eu), verified 2026-06-18.

WFD classification · DERW_DEBW_31-02-OR2

The full read · show the working · for Brown Trout · confidence 80%
How the 18 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature10 × 28%2.8
Flow60 × 22%13.2
Clarity95 × 18%17.1
Feeding Time60 × 13%7.8
Pressure80 × 7%5.6
Insect activity55 × 12%6.6
Limiting factor: Water temperature (21.5°C) is outside Brown Trout's preferred range (10–16°C)= 53
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
Related guides
Euro Nymphingsubsurface methods
Booking & contacts