Karst · Limestone · Jura / Haut-Jura (Saint-Claude), FR

Bienne

A calm, clear forest river with a gravel bank in the foreground and dense green trees lining both banks
Poor · Brown Trout
Pheasant Tail Nymph · 14-18
New ruleReported 9 Sept 2026

Severe drought restrictions (alerte renforcée) in force

VigiEau lists this venue's surface-water zone (Haute chaîne, dépt 39) at alerte renforcée, under an official préfectoral drought arrêté. Fishing is not itself banned by it, but water levels are low — go gently on stressed fish.

Arrêté préfectoral n°38076 ↗

Temporary notices from official orders and recent fishery reports — they clear automatically once out of date. Always confirm locally before travelling.

Closed season
Out of season. Try elsewhere.
Closed — confidence not applicable today.
What moved it
  • Level0.01 mLast reading 7h ago
  • Water temp11.9°C
  • ClarityClear
Today's fly
Pheasant Tail Nymph
Pheasant Tail Nymph14-18
Upstream
Conditions on the water
Live gauge
Level
Steady
0.01 m
Last reading 7h ago
Water temp11.9°C
ClarityClear
Weather9°C
WindE 4 km/h
Pressure1024 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm
Rain · ahead1.0 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
Ideal
12°C est.ideal 10–16°C
0°14°28°
How to fish it · for Brown Trout
When
Through the open trout season. Spring olives April through May; sedges through summer evenings; small dark flies into autumn close.
Where
Karst water through the Haut-Jura valley around Saint-Claude. Pool tails and the cushion behind limestone boulders.
Method
Upstream dry to spotted rising fish; long fine leader. The water reads clear — careful approach matters more than fly choice. Move slowly upstream, cast accurately, accept the result.
Kit
9 ft #4 — French karst-stream default. Floating line, 14 ft leader to 4 lb fluoro. Polarising glasses non-negotiable.
Likely species
Hatch timeline · todayQuiet day

Hatch predictions

Today's headline hatch shown — see all 12 active hatches hour by hour as a supporter.

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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)

Hatch predictions

Top prey shown — see all 2 as a supporter.

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Evidence
Survey-backed · regionalHigh confidence

Backed by regional invertebrate surveys; no sampling on this exact reach yet.

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
1
Grayling seasonSeason
1
2
2
2
1
Freshwater ShrimpHatch
2
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
2
Brown SedgeHatch
2
3
3
3
2
Small SpurwingHatch
2
3
3
3
2
Small Dark OliveHatch
2
3
3
3
2

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

Ranked for today
Fly box · Brown Trout
SS
Small Streamer
6-10 · Pattern
Swing
Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
  • AAPPMA permits required
  • Fly-only and no-kill parcours on several marked stretches
  • Check the FDAAPPMA du Jura maps for closed zones.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Other water nearby · 5
Gallery · 2
  1. A calm, clear forest river with a gravel bank in the foreground and dense green trees lining both banks
    The Bienne river at Vaux-les-Saint-Claude, Haut-Jura, near the Gour aux Moines
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
Water quality (WFD)
  • Ecology: Good
  • Chemical: Unknown

WFD classification · FRDR499

The full read · show the working · for Brown Trout · confidence 75%
How the 0 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature100 × 28%28.0
Flow80 × 22%17.6
Clarity95 × 18%17.1
Feeding Time40 × 13%5.2
Pressure80 × 7%5.6
Insect activity62 × 12%7.4
Conditions total= 81
Can you trust it?
Water temperatureair-to-water estimateestimated
Level / flowon-river gaugeobserved
Prey activitysurvey-backed invertebrate datasurvey
What would change the calculation
The dawn and dusk windows score higher than the midday lull.
Directions
Seasons & zones
  • Trout 2.º Saturday de March → 3.º Sunday de September
  • Grayling 3.º Saturday de May → 3.º Sunday de September

    France national rule: grayling opens 3rd Saturday of May in all waters. In 1st category (salmonid) rivers, grayling closes with the trout season on the 3rd Sunday of September. Departmental regulations may impose additional restrictions. Always check the relevant département's 2026 arrêté préfectoral.

Related guides
Booking & contacts