Freestone · Mixed · Ariège / Pyrenees, FR

Ariège

The Ariège River flowing through the town of Tarascon-sur-Ariège in the French Pyrenees, with a rocky peak rising behind the rooftops.
Marginal · Brown Trout
Hare's Ear Nymph · 14-16
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
  • Level0.87 mLifting fast
  • Water temp18.7°C
  • ClarityVery colouredColouring up
Today's fly
Hare's Ear Nymph
Hare's Ear Nymph14-16
Upstream
Conditions on the water
Live gauge
Level
Rising
0.87 m
Lifting fast
Water temp18.7°C
ClarityVery coloured
Weather11°C
WindS 3 km/h
Pressure1022 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm
Rain · ahead4.5 mm

Live readings only. Trends shown where the gauge supports them.

Water temperature for Brown Trout
Warm — slow
18.7°Cideal 1016°C
0°14°28°
How to fish it · for Brown Trout
When
Through the open trout season. Spring olives April through May; sedges through summer; small dark flies into late September.
Where
Pool tails and seams behind boulders through the Ariège valley. Classic Pyrenean freestone — clear, fast, intimate.
Method
Upstream dry to risers; dry-dropper through the riffles. Long leader, fine tippet.
Kit
9 ft #4 — French freestone default. Floating line, 12 ft leader to 4 to 5 lb fluoro. Studded boots.
Why this works
Water at 18.7°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 2 active hatches hour by hour with Pro.

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Evidence
Survey-backed · regionalHigh 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
Evening SedgeHatch
2
3
3
3
2
Alpine RhithrogenaHatch
1
2
2
1
Large Dark OliveHatch
1
2
2
1
Iron BlueHatch
1
2
2
2
2
2
2
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 permits
  • French Pyrenean regulations.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Cooler water nearby · 1
Water here at 18.7°C — the fishing's alive, but these are cooler if you'd rather rest the warm water.
Gallery · 2
  1. The Ariège River flowing through the town of Tarascon-sur-Ariège in the French Pyrenees, with a rocky peak rising behind the rooftops.
    The Ariège River at Tarascon-sur-Ariège
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
Water quality (WFD)
  • EcologyGood
  • ChemicalUnknown

WFD classification · FRFR170

The full read · show the working · for Brown Trout · confidence 80%
How the 30 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature29 × 28%8.1
Flow55 × 22%12.1
Clarity15 × 18%2.7
Feeding Time50 × 13%6.5
Pressure80 × 7%5.6
Insect activity33 × 12%4.0
Limiting factor: Water is very coloured — too coloured for Brown Trout= 39
Can you trust it?
Water temperaturelive gauge readinggauge
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.
A drop and clear would lift the flow and clarity scores.
The dawn and dusk windows score higher than the midday lull.
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.

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