Spate · Granite · Brittany / Finistère-Morbihan

Ellé

Photo of Ellé
Contributor photo

Ellé — image via Wikipedia (Ellé)

Lanzonnet <CC BY-SA 3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

The Ellé is emblematic South Brittany wild trout river where the mood of the water seems to shift with the light on granite.

Poor · Brown Trout
CDC Emerger · 16-18
Poorlive now
Not the day for it
River temperature is the limiting factor today, not the flow. This is not the day to push it. Check the thermal advice above before you head out.
80% confidence
What moved it
  • LevelLight rain recentlyNo gauge reading
  • Water temp21.5°C
  • ClarityClear
Today’s fly
CDC Emerger
CDC Emerger16-18
Dead-drift
Conditions on the water
Estimate
Level
Light rain recently
No gauge reading
Water temp21.5°C
ClarityClear
Weather20°C
WindNE 11 km/h
Pressure1017 hPa
Rain · recent8.0 mm
Rain · ahead28.0 mm

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

Water temperature for brown trout
Warm — slow
22°C est.ideal 10–16°C
0°14°28°
How to fish it · for brown trout
When
Through the open trout season. Spring olives and sedges; summer evenings; small dark flies into autumn close.
Where
Pool tails and pocket water through the Finistère-Morbihan stretches. The Ellé is small-scale Breton freestone.
Method
Upstream dry to risers; dry-dropper through the riffles. Breton spate freestone — fish 12 to 24 hours after rain on the drop. Long leader, fine tippet.
Kit
9 ft #4 — Breton spate freestone. Floating line, 12 ft leader to 4 lb fluoro. Studded boots.
Why this works
⚠️ Water at 21.5°C — above the brown trout caution line (18°C). Fish dawn or dusk only. Land it fast, wet hands, no air shots. Otherwise very poor — water clarity is in the right range.
Hatch timeline · todayPeak at 6pm

Hatch predictions

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Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

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Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey

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Evidence
Survey-backed · regionalModerate confidence

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

Through the year
0–3 scale · July highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Salmon runRun
1
2
2
2
2
2
1
Trout seasonSeason
1
2
2
2
2
2
1
March BrownHatch
2
3
2
GrannomHatch
2
2
Large StoneflyHatch
2
3
2
Yellow SallyHatch
2
3
2

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

Ranked for today
Brown Trout fly box
Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
  • AAPPMA permits.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Water here around 22°C. Nothing cooler within range — carry a thermometer.
Gallery · 2
  1. Photo of Ellé
    Ellé — image via Wikipedia (Ellé)
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

The Ellé is emblematic South Brittany wild trout river where the mood of the water seems to shift with the light on granite. Upper stretches and tributaries (Quimperlé system) excellent for fly. Armorican granite means clear water, responsive flow, strong invertebrate populations. Baetis, caddis, and stonefly hatches throughout season. Check AAPPMA for public access.

  • Granite
Water quality (WFD)
  • Ecology: Good
  • Chemical: Unknown
What this classification means

WFD re-coded 2026-06-18: prior id FRGR0091 actually identifies the Isole — this river was mis-tagged to a neighbouring water body. Re-mapped to FRGR0079. Status: EEA WISE 2022 (3rd RBMP). Confidence: medium — VERIFY upper (FRGR0079, source–Aër) vs lower (FRGR0080, Aër–estuary) for the fished beat. Source: discodata.eea.europa.eu.

WFD classification · FRGR0079

The full read · show the working · for brown trout · confidence 80%
How the 18 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature10 × 28%2.8
Flow80 × 22%17.6
Clarity95 × 18%17.1
Feeding Time40 × 13%5.2
Pressure80 × 7%5.6
Insect activity50 × 12%6.0
Limiting factor: Water temperature (21.5°C) is outside Brown Trout's preferred range (10–16°C)= 54
Can you trust it?
Water temperatureair-to-water estimateestimated
Level / flowon-river gaugeobserved
Prey activitysurvey-backed invertebrate datasurvey
What would change the calculation
Cooler water — back toward the 10–16 °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
  • Salmon1 March → 15 September
  • Trout2nd Saturday of March → 3rd Sunday of September

Salmon: Banned (2026) — Brittany 2026 order bans Atlantic salmon and sea trout on all Breton rivers.

Sea trout: Banned (2026) — Brittany 2026 order bans Atlantic salmon and sea trout on all Breton rivers.

Related guides
Pyrenees PlaybookFrench riversEuro Nymphingsubsurface methods
Booking & contacts