Tailwater · Mixed · Northern California

Lower American River

Sunlit view of the American River in Sacramento, California, with overhanging oak trees and calm water dotted with floating vegetation.
Marginal · Rainbow Trout
Sparkle Dun · 14-18
Marginallive now
Slow going — pick your moments
River high but settled. Slow going — pick your moments and do not force it.
90% confidence
What moved it
  • Level2.46 mLast reading 9h ago
  • Water temp18.2°C
  • ClarityClear
Today's fly
SD
Sparkle Dun14-18
High-confidence seasonal pick
Conditions on the water
Live gauge
Level
Steady
2.46 m
Last reading 9h ago
Water temp18.2°C
ClarityClear
Weather19°C
WindSE 13 km/h
Pressure1014 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm
Rain · ahead0.0 mm

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

Water temperature for Rainbow Trout
Warm — slow
18.2°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 18.2°C — above the brown trout caution line (18°C). Fish dawn or dusk only. Land it fast, wet hands, no air shots.
Hatch timeline · todayPeak at 5pm

Hatch predictions

Today's headline hatch shown — see all 2 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

Top prey shown — see all 3 with Pro.

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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 Blue-Winged OliveHatch
2
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
2
Pale Morning DunHatch
2
3
3
2
TricoHatch
2
3
2
Black MidgeHatch
2
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
2

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

Ranked for today
Rainbow Trout fly box
Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
  • Open all year; barbless, with seasonal/steelhead closures — check CDFW
  • ESA-listed steelhead present: handle with care.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Water here at 18.2°C. Nothing cooler within range.
Gallery · 2
  1. Sunlit view of the American River in Sacramento, California, with overhanging oak trees and calm water dotted with floating vegetation.
    Scenic view of the American River in Sacramento, California
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
Conservation note

ESA-listed steelhead are present. We flag them as part of the river and nothing more — no catch score, no targeting nudge. Treat any you encounter as the rare thing they are.

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

Fish consumption: Consumption advisory (Mercury) — fish for sport, not the table.

Recreation: Bacteria/pathogen advisory — mind wading cuts and immersion.

EPA ATTAINS assessment unit 'American River, Lower (Nimbus Dam to confluence with Sacramento River)' (CAR5192100019980813142021), 2024 Integrated Report. Aquatic Life use: Not Supporting. Listed impairment causes: Temperature, Mercury, Toxic Organics, Total Toxics, Pathogens, Polychlorinated Biphenyls PCBs, Pesticides. 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) · CAR5192100019980813142021

The full read · show the working · for Rainbow Trout · confidence 90%
How the 39 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature93 × 28%26.0
Flow80 × 22%17.6
Clarity85 × 18%15.3
Feeding Time75 × 13%9.8
Pressure75 × 7%5.3
Insect activity64 × 12%7.7
Conditions total= 82
Can you trust it?
Water temperaturelive gauge readinggauge
Level / flowon-river gaugeobserved
Prey activitymodelled from regional profilemodelled
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Trout1 January → 31 December
Related guides
Euro Nymphingsubsurface methods
Booking & contacts