Freestone · Mixed Metamorphic · North Carolina

Davidson River

A calm, tree-lined stretch of the Davidson River reflecting autumn foliage in Pisgah National Forest, North Carolina.
Poor · Rainbow Trout
Foam Beetle · 14-18
Poorlive now
Not the day for it
River lifting fast on the rain. Not much stacked in your favour today. Worth an hour if you are nearby, not worth the special trip.
80% confidence
What moved it
  • Level0.45 mLifting fast
  • Water temp21.2°C
  • ClarityVery colouredColouring up
Today's fly
Foam Beetle
Foam Beetle14-18
High-confidence seasonal pick
Conditions on the water
Live gauge
Level
Rising
0.45 m
Lifting fast
Water temp21.2°C
ClarityVery coloured
Weather21°C
WindNW 7 km/h
Pressure1017 hPa
Rain · recent8.2 mm
Rain · ahead22.7 mm

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

Water temperature for Rainbow Trout
Warm — slow
21.2°Cideal 10–18°C
0°14°28°
How to fish it · for Rainbow 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 21.2°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

See the full hour-by-hour hatch timeline with Pro.

Start free trial

14-day free trial. Cancel anytime.

Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey

Hatch predictions

Top prey shown — see all 2 with Pro.

Start free trial

14-day free trial. Cancel anytime.

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
Quill GordonHatch
2
2
Blue QuillHatch
2
3
2
HendricksonHatch
2
2
Eastern March BrownHatch
2
2

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

Ranked for today
Rainbow Trout fly box
Local fly shops: Davidson River Outfitters
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Water here at 21.2°C. Nothing cooler within range.
Gallery · 2
  1. A calm, tree-lined stretch of the Davidson River reflecting autumn foliage in Pisgah National Forest, North Carolina.
    Davidson River, Pisgah National Forest, North Carolina
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
Conservation note

Wild + stocked rainbow/brown with native brookies in the headwaters; technical, well-educated trout in the C&R water. brook_trout (char comfort-overlay), rainbow_trout and brown_trout all score post-seed.

Water quality · US Clean Water Act
  • Aquatic life: Impaired
What this classification means

EPA ATTAINS assessment unit 'Davidson River' (NC6-34-(1)), 2022 Integrated Report. Aquatic Life use: Not Supporting. Listed impairment causes: Habitat Alterations, Hydrologic Alteration, pH Acidity Caustic Conditions. 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) · NC6-34-(1)

The full read · show the working · for Rainbow Trout · confidence 80%
How the 20 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature22 × 28%6.2
Flow55 × 22%12.1
Clarity45 × 18%8.1
Feeding Time40 × 13%5.2
Pressure75 × 7%5.3
Insect activity37 × 12%4.4
Limiting factor: Water temperature (21.2°C) is outside Rainbow Trout's preferred range (10–18°C)= 41
Can you trust it?
Water temperaturelive gauge readinggauge
Level / flowon-river gaugeobserved
Prey activitymodelled from regional profilemodelled
What would change the calculation
Cooler water — back toward the 10–18 °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
  • Trout1 January → 31 December
Related guides
Euro Nymphingsubsurface methods
Booking & contacts