Karst · Limestone · Jura / Haut-Jura (Saint-Claude), FR

Bienne

A calm, clear forest river with a gravel bank in the foreground and dense green trees lining both banks
Good · Grayling
F-Fly · Hook 18–22
New ruleReported 10 Aug 2026

Severe drought restrictions (crise) in force

A préfectoral drought order places this catchment's surface water at crise, the highest of France's four restriction tiers. Fishing itself is not named in the order, but flows are low and water-use restrictions are in force. Zone: Plateau calcaire (dépt 39).

Arrêté préfectoral n°37667

Temporary notices from official orders and recent fishery reports — they clear automatically once out of date. Always confirm locally before travelling.

Goodlive now
A proper day on the water
River dropping into shape after a lift. Fishing well — get there before it drops out.
75% confidence
What moved it
  • Level0.46 mDropping after lift
  • Water temp13.3°C
  • ClarityColouredClearing
Today's fly
F-Fly
F-FlyHook 18–22
in season · matches water height
Conditions on the water
Live gauge
Level
Falling
0.46 m
Dropping after lift
Water temp13.3°C
ClarityColoured
Weather13°C
WindSE 10 km/h
Pressure1018 hPa
Rain · recent24.6 mm
Rain · ahead1.1 mm

The nearest gauge doesn't record temperatures, so we've estimated it — defer to the river keeper's advice.

Water temperature for Grayling
Ideal
13°C est.ideal 414°C
0°14°28°
How to fish it · for Grayling
When
Autumn through November prime. The Bienne's grayling fish well in cool karst water.
Where
Faster runs and the heads of riffles through the middle valley.
Method
Euro-nymphing through the deeper pockets is the daily default; switch to dries on autumn afternoons when sedges and small olives come off. Long fine tippet for the clear water.
Kit
10 ft #3 nymphing rod for the deep pockets; 9 ft #4 for dries. 4 to 5 lb fluoro tippet, 12 ft leader.
Why this works
Good — water temperature is working for you, but time of day is the limiting factor today.
Hatch timeline · todayQuiet day

Hatch predictions

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

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Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

Top nymph shown — see all 2 guilds with Pro.

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Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey(1)

Hatch predictions

Top prey shown — see all 2 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
Freshwater ShrimpHatch
2
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
2
Brown SedgeHatch
2
3
3
3
2
Small SpurwingHatch
2
3
3
3
2
Small Dark OliveHatch
2
3
3
3
2

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.
  • AAPPMA permits required
  • Fly-only and no-kill parcours on several marked stretches
  • Check the FDAAPPMA du Jura maps for closed zones.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Other water nearby · 5
Gallery · 2
  1. A calm, clear forest river with a gravel bank in the foreground and dense green trees lining both banks
    The Bienne river at Vaux-les-Saint-Claude, Haut-Jura, near the Gour aux Moines
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
Water quality (WFD)
  • EcologyGood
  • ChemicalUnknown

WFD classification · FRDR499

The full read · show the working · for Grayling · confidence 75%
How the 77 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature100 × 28%28.0
Flow95 × 22%20.9
Clarity70 × 18%12.6
Feeding Time25 × 13%3.3
Pressure80 × 7%5.6
Insect activity58 × 12%7.0
Conditions total= 77
Can you trust it?
Water temperatureair-to-water estimateestimated
Level / flowon-river gaugeobserved
Prey activitysurvey-backed invertebrate datasurvey
What would change the calculation
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.

Related guides
Booking & contacts