Freestone · Volcanic · Arizona, US

Black River (White Mountains)

Clear mountain stream flowing through boulders and pine forest, East Fork of the Black River, Arizona White Mountains.
Today · About as good as it gets
Sculpin Streamer
Forecast · Today
About as good as it gets
On the feed top to bottom — start on the rises with a dry, drop a nymph if they stay down.
90% projected
Today's fly
Sculpin Streamer
Sculpin Streamer
Conditions on the water · Today
Live gauge
Level
Steady
0.90 m
Water temp8.9°C
ClarityClear
Weather8°C
WindN 13 km/h
Pressure1031 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm
Rain · ahead0.0 mm

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

Water temperature for Brown Trout
Cool — slow
9°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
Good — water clarity is working for you, but time of day is the limiting factor today.
Likely species
Mayflies
Chironomids
Gammarids
Hatch timeline · todayPeak at 21 Uhr

12 Uhr(now) — Western Blue-Winged Olive

Stage: On emergersApproach: Emerger or dryActivity: 56%
Also:Black Midge46%
Peak emergence window6 food groups active

Peak activity at 21 Uhr — Brown Dun (Brown Dun, 5 food groups active)

Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

Supporters see the full sub-surface read.

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Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey(1)

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Evidence
Records-basedModerate confidence

Based on species-occurrence records, not local invertebrate surveys.

Through the year
0–3 scale · October 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
Brown DunHatch
2
3
3
3
3
3
3
2
Western Green DrakeHatch
2
2
Flav (Small Western Green Drake)Hatch
2
3
2
Mahogany DunHatch
2
2

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

Ranked for today
Fly box · Brown Trout
SD
Sex Dungeon
2-6 · Pattern
Proven pattern for this period
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 75%
How the 75 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature78 × 28%21.8
Flow80 × 22%17.6
Clarity95 × 18%17.1
Feeding Time40 × 13%5.2
Pressure80 × 7%5.6
Insect activity66 × 12%7.9
Conditions total= 75
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
  • Trout 1 January → 31 December
Related guides
Euro Nymphingsubsurface methods
Booking & contacts