Freestone · Mixed · Northern California, US

South Fork American River

A view of the south fork of the American River at Coloma in El Dorado County, California LCCN2013631014
Today · About as good as it gets
Czech Nymph
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
Czech Nymph
Czech Nymph
Conditions on the water · Today
Estimate
Level
Dry recently
No gauge reading
Water temp15.3°C
ClarityClear
Weather24°C
WindN 14 km/h
Pressure1019 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm
Rain · ahead0.0 mm

No gauge on this water — readings are regional estimates from weather, not a live gauge.

Water temperature for Rainbow Trout
Ideal
15°C est.ideal 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
Excellent — water temperature is right today, though insect activity could be better.
Likely species
Chironomids
Gammarids
Hatch timeline · todayPeak at 21 Uhr

12 Uhr(now) — Mahogany Dun

Stage: On emergersApproach: Emerger or dryActivity: 24%

Peak activity at 21 Uhr — Brown Dun (Brown Dun, 4 food groups active)

Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

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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
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 · Rainbow Trout
SD
Sex Dungeon
2-6 · Pattern
Proven pattern for this period
Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
  • CDFW general trout season; some reaches open all year — verify
  • Summer flows are shaped by upstream releases and rafting demand.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Other water nearby · 5
Middle Fork American River
14 km
80
Rainbow trout
North Fork American River
29 km
79
Rainbow trout · Brown trout
Lower American River
33 km
77
Rainbow trout
Rubicon River
41 km
79
Rainbow trout · Brown trout
Lower Yuba River
57 km
80
Rainbow trout
Gallery · 2
  1. A view of the south fork of the American River at Coloma in El Dorado County, California LCCN2013631014
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
Water quality · US Clean Water Act
  • Aquatic life: Supporting
What this classification means

EPA ATTAINS assessment unit 'American River, South Fork (below Slab Creek Reservoir to Folsom Lake)' (CAR5143206020060808153403), 2024 Integrated Report. Aquatic Life use: Fully Supporting. 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) · CAR5143206020060808153403

The full read · show the working · for Rainbow Trout · confidence 90%
How the 84 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature100 × 28%28.0
Flow80 × 22%17.6
Clarity85 × 18%15.3
Feeding Time80 × 13%10.4
Pressure75 × 7%5.3
Insect activity64 × 12%7.7
Conditions total= 84
Can you trust it?
Water temperaturelive gauge readinggauge
Level / flowon-river gaugeobserved
Prey activitymodelled from regional profilemodelled
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Trout Letzter Saturday in April → 15 November
Related guides
Euro Nymphingsubsurface methods
Booking & contacts