Freestone · Volcanic · Arizona

Black River (White Mountains)

Clear mountain stream flowing through boulders and pine forest, East Fork of the Black River, Arizona White Mountains.
Prime · Brown Trout
Chubby Chernobyl · 6-10
Primelive now
About as good as it gets
River steady at a fishable height. On the feed top to bottom — start on the rises with a dry, drop a nymph if they stay down.
90% confidence
What moved it
  • Level0.47 mLast reading 22h ago
  • Water temp10.7°C
  • ClarityClear
Today's fly
Chubby Chernobyl
Chubby Chernobyl6-10
High-confidence seasonal pick
Conditions on the water
Live gauge
Level
Steady
0.47 m
Last reading 22h ago
Water temp10.7°C
ClarityClear
Weather10°C
WindN 5 km/h
Pressure1022 hPa
Rain · recent0.1 mm
Rain · ahead20.9 mm

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

Water temperature for Brown Trout
Ideal
11°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
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 3 active hatches hour by hour with Pro.

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Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

See the full sub-surface read with Pro.

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Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey

Hatch predictions

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Evidence
ModelledModerate confidence

Modelled from regional ecology — no survey or occurrence data for this water yet.

Through the year
0–3 scale · July highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Trout seasonSeason
1
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
1
Western Green DrakeHatch
2
2
Flav (Small Western Green Drake)Hatch
2
3
2
Mahogany DunHatch
2
2
American March BrownHatch
2
3
2

Numbers are intensity 0 (none) to 3 (peak) — a guide, not a guarantee.

Ranked for today
Brown Trout fly box
Local fly shops: Lees Ferry Anglers
Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
  • Much of the Black River is on the White Mountain Apache (Fort Apache) and San Carlos Apache reservations and requires the TRIBE'S permit, separate from an Arizona state licence — verify which reach needs which permit before fishing
  • Native Apache trout reaches carry special conservation rules (AZGFD/tribe)
  • Treat all native-trout water with restraint.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Gallery · 2
  1. Clear mountain stream flowing through boulders and pine forest, East Fork of the Black River, Arizona White Mountains.
    Black River East Fork in the White Mountains
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
Water quality · US Clean Water Act
  • Aquatic life: Not assessed
What this classification means

EPA ATTAINS assessment unit 'Black River, from East Fork Black River to RESERVATION CREEK' (AZ15060101-007_00), 2024 Integrated Report. Aquatic Life use: Insufficient Information. This is a Clean Water Act assessment-unit classification (the US analogue of WFD), not a live reading.

Status is for the Clean Water Act assessment unit covering this reach.

EPA ATTAINS (Clean Water Act) · AZ15060101-007_00

The full read · show the working · for Brown Trout · confidence 90%
How the 83 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature100 × 28%28.0
Flow80 × 22%17.6
Clarity95 × 18%17.1
Feeding Time65 × 13%8.5
Pressure80 × 7%5.6
Insect activity54 × 12%6.5
Conditions total= 83
Can you trust it?
Water temperatureair-to-water estimateestimated
Level / flowon-river gaugeobserved
Prey activitymodelled from regional profilemodelled
What would change the calculation
The dawn and dusk windows score higher than the midday lull.
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Trout1 January → 31 December
Related guides
Euro Nymphingsubsurface methods
Booking & contacts